About PPay
Online payment service active since January 11, 2013. Among the first Romanian shops to accept Bitcoin in 2014. The "Transylvania" Lightning node featured by CoinDesk in 2020.
PPay.ro in short
PPay.ro is an online payment service launched on January 11, 2013, focused on mobile top-ups (Orange, Vodafone, Digi, RCS), digital vouchers, gift cards and utility bill payments. We accept Bitcoin (since October 6, 2014), Lightning Network, PayPal, credit/debit cards and bank transfer.
With over 13 years of continuous operation, we are one of the oldest online payment processors for digital services in Romania. We operate under Digital Payments SRL (VAT RO38316257, J5/2640/2017), which also runs our sister platform btcfactura.com, dedicated to paying utility bills with Bitcoin and Lightning.
Timeline
- January 11, 2013
PPay.ro launches
We start as an online top-up platform for Orange, Vodafone and (later) Digi prepaid mobile cards.
- October 6, 2014
Bitcoin as a payment method
We add Bitcoin to the accepted payment methods, becoming one of the first Romanian online shops with this option. Listed in the public lists of Romanian Bitcoin-accepting merchants (snapshot Web Archive, October 21, 2014).
- 2017
Migration to BTCPay Server
We move to self-hosted BTCPay Server – an open-source Bitcoin payment processor with no custody of funds. Bitcoin payments go directly through our own node, with no third-party custodians.
- November 5, 2020
CoinDesk – the Transylvania Lightning node
The article “Lightning Operators Are Bracing for a Bitcoin Bull Run” published by CoinDesk quotes our team and the Lightning node Transylvania as an example of an active operator preparing its infrastructure for Lightning Network adoption growth.
- 2026
13+ years and an extended ecosystem
We continue running PPay.ro for top-ups and vouchers, in parallel with btcfactura.com for paying utility bills with Bitcoin/Lightning. The catalog covers over 250 countries (international top-up) and hundreds of digital vouchers.
Why BTCPay Server
BTCPay Server is the open-source standard for self-hosted Bitcoin payment processing – no processing fee, no merchant-side KYC, no custodians between you and the payment. Your Bitcoin transactions reach our node directly, with no intermediaries like BitPay or other custodial gateways. We use BTCPay Server in production since 2017.
About the team
Our team operates from Bihor (Paleu) and actively contributes to the Bitcoin open-source ecosystem. Our founder was interviewed by CoinDesk in 2020 (link above) to discuss Lightning Network infrastructure and its implications for retail payments. We build with a focus on uptime, simple UX and instant Lightning payments.
Trust signals
- Online continuously since January 11, 2013 – 13+ years of operation without interruption.
- Bitcoin accepted since October 6, 2014, with public confirmation in the Romanian merchant lists of 2014.
- Self-hosted BTCPay Server since 2017 – no custodians, no processing fee at our node.
- Featured by CoinDesk in 2020 for our contribution to Lightning Network (the Transylvania node).
- Legal entity: Digital Payments SRL, VAT RO38316257, J5/2640/2017, registered office in Paleu, Bihor.
- Sister platform btcfactura.com – dedicated to paying utility bills with Bitcoin and Lightning.
Contact
Email: contact@ppay.ro. WhatsApp support and contact form available in the main menu.