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In short, these middlemen decide who is allowed to participate in commerce in general. For small businesses, creators, or platforms in sensitive categories, you’ll agree with me that this is not a theory; it is a lived reality, and at some point, some of you may have experienced it through frozen accounts, reversed settlements, and even sudden off boarding.
However, tracing our reality back to history, you’ll realise that the world has consistently moved in an evolutionary pattern. That is, problems exist for a while, and as years pass, some gifted or creative individuals come up with solutions to tackle those problems. We can think back to the earliest periods of trading, when there was no banking or internet and trade was done between individuals manually, based on barter and other local methods. From there, we gradually transitioned to centralised means like banking, escrow, etc.
Now PayRam is introducing something new and better, and rejecting it is like rejecting growth and freedom. This is an innovation that promotes financial neutrality, such that, instead of third-party or centralised systems to aid payments, individuals make their transactions independently, with control over every single aspect of it.
Instead of building another custodial payments company that sits between merchants and their money, PayRam provides infrastructure that businesses deploy themselves. That means funds settle directly on-chain into wallets you control, policies are written as code rather than dictated by distant providers, and compliance is something you add where required instead of being forced through a global chokepoint. To understand why this technology matters, it is important we explore three areas where today’s financial system consistently fails: censorship resistance, financial liberalization, and middleman dependence. After this exploration, we'll then break down in detail all the necessary information about PayRam.
Censorship Resistance — The WikiLeaks Blockade
One of the most visible failures of financial freedom happened in 2010, when WikiLeaks published classified U.S. diplomatic cables. In response to that, Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Bank of America, and Western Union cut off payments to the organization. And because of this act, donations that previously kept WikiLeaks running were instantly blocked; in fact, they claimed that about 95% of their revenue was shattered (WikiLeaks Banking Blockade 2011; Reuters 2011).
Iceland’s Supreme Court later ruled that the blockade, carried out by Visa’s local partner Valitor, violated contract law. But the ruling came years later, too late to repair the damage done in the crucial months when WikiLeaks’ revenue was choked off. (The Guardian, 2013. WIRED, 2013)
This is what it looks like to depend on the traditional financial system. This incident wasn’t a matter of the court's ruling against WikiLeaks. It was just some private financial companies making subjective decisions about who could or couldn’t receive money, with global consequences.
How PayRam solves this:
With PayRam, donations or payments settle directly on-chain to wallets controlled by the operator. There is no equivalent of Visa or PayPal that can suddenly decide to cut off flows. If one stablecoin or chain faces restrictions, operators can switch rails. Even compliance modules in PayRam are modular, not kill switches; meaning you control enforcement, not an external provider. Had PayRam existed during that incident, WikiLeaks could have continued to receive support without being dependent on card networks’ policies.
Financial Liberalization — The Remittance Trap
Every year, workers who are based in different countries around the world send billions of dollars to their families back home to offer essential financial support. In fact, in some countries, this money makes up a large part of their national economy. According to some statistics, in countries like El Salvador, Lebanon, and Nepal, remittances represent more than 20% of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Belalgarve, 2019). This shows how much people rely on this method of sending money all over the world.
The expense faced by these workers in sending money through this means remains painfully high. According to the World Bank’s Remittance Prices Worldwide database, the global average cost for sending a transaction in 2025 is 6.49% (World Bank, 2025). This figure is double the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal target of 3%. Furthermore, in specific corridors, such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of the Balkans, fees, including charges and currency conversion, can exceed 7% (Rozeremit, June 2, 2025).
These high costs are a serious problem for families who need this money for rent and food. The fees reduce the amount they receive for their basic needs, and there are also delays. The transfer process can take several days to complete as it passes through different banks. During this time, changes in the exchange rate can also occur. This means the family might receive even less money than expected.
Myself is a first-hand example of this financial problem. In July 2025, as a Freelancer based in Nigeria, I was supposed to receive my payment of $332 from Klarecon as a content editor. This payment took two weeks to arrive, and the most annoying part of it is that after all the waiting and delay, I received just $302, all because a huge amount of $30 was charged as a transaction fee. This is one of many cases involving freelancers or remote workers from across Africa and other parts of the world.
How PayRam solves this:
PayRam enables remittances through stablecoins and direct settlement on-chain. That is, instead of passing through multiple correspondent banks, transfers arrive within minutes. For instance, like me, a freelancer in Lagos can invoice in USDT and receive stable value within minutes. A marketplace in Brazil can pay affiliates across multiple countries without worrying about FX spreads or bank cutoffs. By putting compliance and policy into modules, PayRam lets each business align with local law while avoiding the blanket restrictions that big platforms impose globally. This is what true financial liberalization looks like. It gives more people the opportunity to earn, more businesses are able to pay, and it reduces barriers to participation.
No Middlemen — The Freeze-and-Block Problem
Small business owners frequently experience major account freezes by account processors like PayPal or Stripe. Reports show merchants having thousands of dollars held for months under “risk review” with little explanation. Sometimes the issue extends beyond individual accounts; these payment processors could label entire categories of business as "high risk." This label can apply to industries like gaming, event ticketing, and certain types of online sales. Once an industry is deemed high risk, entrepreneurs in that field find they cannot use standard payment systems anymore.
A clear example occurred in 2016. Hacker Paradise founder Casey Rosengren says PayPal froze around US $30,000 in account funds, released $10,000, and held the rest as risk collateral, even while offering a business-loan feature to the same account flagged as ‘too risky’.” (Rosengren, 2016) This contradiction illustrates how centralized payment providers can exercise unchecked control over business revenues, creating instability for entrepreneurs
How PayRam solves this:
With PayRam, operators never hand custody of funds to a middleman. Payments settle straight into wallets you control. There is no external “freeze” lever. You also set your own risk and compliance rules, meaning you can design onboarding and monitoring that fits your business, not the blunt policies of a processor trying to serve millions at once. This innovation ensures operational resilience. Your revenue cannot be suddenly withheld because of a subjective decision in a distant corporate office.
A Detailed Breakdown of What PayRam is Building
First of all, PayRam is a concrete, self-hosted infrastructure that you can deploy today, not just an abstract vision. It offers a practical solution for businesses seeking to manage their own payment systems.
Networks and assets:
PayRam supports multiple blockchains (e.g., EVM-compatible chains, Bitcoin, others). This lets you pick based on cost, speed, and security. If one chain is congested, you can use another. Supported tokens include stablecoins like USDT, USDC; native coins like ETH, BTC; and others like TRX (if supported). And more will be added as PayRam gains its ground in the space.
Wallet orchestration:
Private keys stay off the core server; that is, you can use smart-wallet flows (for EVM, multisig, remote signers). That separation reduces risk, even if something in the web server is compromised, funds can’t be drained without the key module. This aligns with designing for failure and minimizing trust.
Growth tools:
Rather than manually or by third parties approximating affiliate splits, reward programs, or partner payouts, PayRam embeds these tools so they operate as part of the payments stack. This reduces friction, reduces the need to integrate many different vendors, and ensures consistency and auditability.
Pluggable design:
The system is built to be flexible, with optional modules for KYC, custody, and compliance. Operators can choose what fits their needs. Some require strict custody, while others prefer simpler private key options. Compliance requirements also vary by region. With PayRam, you decide which modules to use, and you can add them without changing the main settlement process.
Source posture:
Right now, PayRam is closed-source, but the signer and key modules are planned to be opened. This gives operators the confidence to audit security downstream. Clear component boundaries make it possible to verify behavior, reduce surprise risk, and understand what parts are responsible for what.
Each of these choices is designed to make PayRam both resilient and adaptable for addressing the industry’s most persistent pain points.
How PayRam Works
PayRam operates by having you deploy its infrastructure directly on your own servers or a cloud environment of your choice. This means you maintain full control over the hardware and software, ensuring that your operations are not dependent on a third party's hosted service.
Once deployed, you connect your own crypto wallets and payment providers to the system. You then define custom policies and set up webhooks that automatically enforce your specific business rules and respond to transaction events.
The system allows you to accept customer payments directly on supported blockchains. These payments are settled immediately and on-chain, with the funds going straight to the cryptocurrency addresses that you control and manage.
You can also use PayRam to fully automate outgoing payments. This includes sending funds for rewards programs, customer referrals, affiliate commissions, and partner payouts. These transactions are managed through programmable logic, removing the need for manual processing.
By combining these elements, PayRam creates a streamlined financial workflow. This flow eliminates unnecessary middlemen, reducing delays and costs while maintaining great flexibility. Ultimately, it enables a form of commerce that is as fast and adaptable as software itself.
Who Can Use PayRam?
PayRam is built for a wide range of users who require payment systems that are dependable, global, and capable of being automated. Its core purpose is to provide financial independence from traditional, restrictive intermediaries.
It is an ideal solution for merchants who are seeking reliable revenue streams. They use PayRam to protect their income from the threat of sudden account freezes or transaction reversals by third-party processors.
The platform is also designed for businesses and platforms that require managing complex payment distributions. This includes handling automated, scalable payout systems for multiple parties, such as affiliates, partners, or content creators.
Developers can use PayRam to integrate programmable money features into their applications. An essential benefit is that they can offer these advanced financial capabilities without taking on the massive liability and risk that comes with holding their users' funds.
Finally, PayRam serves individuals who value financial sovereignty. It provides everyday users with the same guarantees of stability and control over their money that are typically only available to large institutions.
In every case, the common thread connecting these users is a desire for independence. They all seek to operate without relying on the permission or stability of third-party financial gatekeepers.
Final Note
Finance has always changed as people found ways to improve the systems of their time. Today, new technology lets us move beyond fragile, centralized models and explore stronger, more independent solutions. PayRam is part of this shift, offering more than just a tool; it is helping to shape a movement for greater independence in digital commerce.
If you believe everyone should have control over their own money, now is the time. Give PayRam a try, start building with it, and help shape a financial future that includes everyone.
References
Addley, E., & Deans, J. (2011, October 24). WikiLeaks suspends publishing to fight financial blockade. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/oct/24/wikileaks-suspends-publishing
Arthur, C. (2012, July 12). WikiLeaks claims court victory against Visa. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jul/12/wikileaks-court-victory-visa
Belalgarve. (2019, March 24). Cape Verde, an investor’s paradise. Belalgarve. Retrieved from https://www.belalgarve.com/l/cape-verde-an-investors-paradise
PayRam manifesto. (n.d.). Notion. Retrieved from https://dolomite-galette-150.notion.site/PayRam-manifesto-25c2637ada87806480fddfaaeea340f6
WikiLeaks. (2011, June 28). Banking Blockade. WikiLeaks. Retrieved from https://wikileaks.org/Banking-Blockade.html
Wired Staff. (2012, July 12). WikiLeaks wins Icelandic court battle against Visa for blocking donations. WIRED. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/2012/07/wikileaks-visa-blockade
World Bank. (2025). Remittance Prices Worldwide: Global average cost for sending remittances (Q1 2025). Retrieved from https://remittanceprices.worldbank.org
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