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Introduction

Tavio is a full-stack payment infrastructure platform for businesses and developers. It unifies traditional fiat payment rails with crypto-native infrastructure enabling anyone to accept or send money across blockchain networks and currencies through a single SDK, API, or no-code dashboard. Tavio is built on the Stellar blockchain, leveraging Stellar’s native path payments, Soroban smart contracts, and its global anchor network to deliver near-instant, low-cost settlement in any currency. The platform bridges the gap that currently exists between fiat-native processors (like Stripe or Flutterwave) and crypto-native payment solutions, giving businesses one place to handle everything.

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Who is Tavio for?

Tavio serves two primary audiences:
  • Developers & Businesses (B2B): Teams building fintech products, marketplaces, e-commerce platforms, or any application that needs to accept or disburse payments across currencies and chains.
  • End Consumers (B2C): Individuals paying for goods or services through a Tavio-powered checkout, payment link, or invoice, using fiat or crypto from any supported wallet or bank.

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The Problem Tavio Solves

Today’s payment landscape is fragmented in two directions:
  • Fiat-side: Accepting payments globally means integrating multiple processors, managing currency conversion, dealing with high fees, and navigating complex compliance requirements per region.
  • Crypto-side: Every blockchain has its own tokens, wallets, liquidity silos, and developer tooling. A USDC on Ethereum is not the same as USDC on Solana forcing developers to build and maintain multi-chain infrastructure that most apps simply don’t need.
Tavio removes both layers of friction. Merchants choose where they want to settle—fiat account, crypto wallet, or Stellar asset—and Tavio handles everything in between.

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Platform Architecture

Tavio is composed of four core layers that work together to route, convert, and settle payments.

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Inbound Layer

The inbound layer is responsible for receiving payments from any source—a customer’s credit card, bank transfer, or crypto wallet on any supported chain.
  • Fiat inbound: Card payments (Visa/Mastercard) and bank transfers (ACH, SEPA, local rails) are processed via licensed payment partners and converted to stablecoins on Stellar.
  • Crypto inbound (same-chain): Direct deposits of Stellar-native assets (XLM, USDC on Stellar, any SEP-asset) are received natively.
  • Crypto inbound (cross-chain): Assets from EVM chains (Ethereum, Base, Avalanche, etc.) are bridged using Circle CCTP for USDC and Wormhole for broader asset support. Assets from Solana are bridged similarly via Wormhole.

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Routing & Conversion Layer

Once funds arrive on Stellar, the routing engine determines the optimal conversion path to the merchant’s preferred settlement asset.
  • Stellar Path Payments: Tavio uses Stellar’s native path payment mechanism (findStrictSendPaths / findStrictReceivePaths) to find the best multi-hop route across the Stellar DEX and AMM liquidity pools.
  • Soroban Smart Contracts: Custom settlement logic, fee deduction, refund rules, and multi-tenant disbursement are handled by Soroban contracts deployed on Stellar Mainnet.
  • Slippage protection and quote locking: Tavio locks quotes for 30 seconds, ensuring the merchant receives exactly the quoted amount.

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Settlement Layer

Settlement is the final delivery of funds to the merchant or recipient. Tavio supports three settlement modes:
  • Crypto Settlement: Funds land in a Stellar wallet as any Stellar-native asset (USDC, XLM, or any anchored asset).
  • Fiat Off-Ramp: Stellar anchors (regulated on/off ramp operators using SEP-6/SEP-24 standards) convert on-chain funds to fiat and deliver to a bank account or mobile money wallet.
  • Cross-Border Fiat: Tavio supports Fiat → Stellar → Fiat flows for cross-border payments, enabling businesses to send money internationally at Stellar’s near-zero transaction cost.

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Developer & Merchant Layer

The top layer is what developers and merchants interact with directly:
  • Tavio SDK (JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, Go) - Embed payment flows directly into applications.
  • Tavio REST API - Full programmatic control over payments, quotes, webhooks, and account management.
  • Tavio Dashboard - No-code tools for creating payment links, invoices, viewing transactions, and managing settings.