Deep Dive: BVNK vs. Bridge vs. Zero Hash - Stablecoin Payment Infrastructure

Stablecoins are rapidly transforming how money moves globally, blurring the lines between traditional finance and crypto. At the heart of this shift are platforms like BVNK, Bridge, and Zero Hash, offering the rails that connect traditional finance to digital assets.

All three offer APIs that help fintechs and enterprises send, receive, convert and store value globally, while abstracting away blockchain complexity, regulatory burden, and custody risk.

In this piece, I compare these providers across six key dimensions:

• Payments (speed, flexibility, use cases)

• Wallets and custody (integrated vs modular models)

• Technology stack (developer UX and orchestration capabilities)

• Licensing and compliance (jurisdictional reach and regulatory protections)

• Security (certifications, controls, architecture)

• Customer footprint (clients, volumes, trust signals)

The goal is to help fintech teams make an informed decision based on their needs, whether you’re building global payouts, launching a stablecoin wallet, or embedding crypto into your product.

Comparison Summary Table

Below is a side-by-side summary of the three companies’ offerings across key categories:

Payments

BVNK is purpose-built for enterprise and fintech-grade payments infrastructure. It supports both fiat and stablecoin flows through a unified ledger and enables businesses to open virtual multi-currency accounts (EUR, GBP, USD, stablecoins). Payments can move across SWIFT, SEPA, Faster Payments, FedWire, and ACH and blockchain networks. BVNK’s flexibility stands out, clients can launch under BVNK’s licensing or operate their own infrastructure via Layer1. Trusted by Worldpay, Deel and dLocal, it handles high-value, high-frequency treasury, payroll, and PSP use cases with bank-grade compliance and 24/7 payment automation.

Bridge delivers a best-in-class developer experience for building stablecoin-native payments into digital products. Its Orchestration API abstracts away blockchain complexity, offering instant, low-cost cross-border transfers with automatic USDC-to-fiat conversion at settlement. It powers Visa cards, P2P transfers, stablecoin checkout, and embedded wallets. Examples include Meow and Starlink, who rely on Bridge for treasury automation and emerging market commerce. Now part of Stripe, it combines crypto-native flexibility with global scale and regulatory reach.

Zero Hash supports broad crypto payment use cases across 65+ assets and 22 blockchains. Its APIs enable stablecoin checkout, on-chain payments, P2P transfers, and crypto payroll. While less tailored to fiat and compliance-heavy enterprise flows, it shines in crypto-first use cases. Integration with ACH and a global funding network makes it a strong choice for wallets and trading apps embedding crypto rails without building infrastructure.

2. Wallets and custody 

BVNK offers full-stack embedded wallets with support for fiat and stablecoins. Wallets are programmable, can be white-labeled, and are mapped per end-user. Its dual custody model lets clients choose between self-managed key control or BVNK-managed custody under HSM/MPC infrastructure. Fiat balances are safeguarded in ring-fenced accounts at Tier 1 banks, with automated FX and internal transfers between users and sub-accounts.

Bridge lets developers provision blockchain wallets per end-user without needing to manage keys, gas, or reserve infrastructure. The application maintains a ledger while Bridge handles the on-chain plumbing. Bridge also enables branded stablecoin issuance (e.g. reward tokens) backed by reserves held in U.S. Treasuries - with shared yield.

Zero Hash is a leading custodian with flexible wallet models — omnibus or user-segregated. Custody covers 65+ digital assets. All deposit addresses, key storage, reconciliation, and transaction monitoring are handled by Zero Hash. It’s often used behind the scenes for crypto wallets and brokerages.

3. Technology and integration

BVNK’s Layer1 is a modular payments-first orchestration engine built for enterprise-grade scale. It includes:

• Smart Treasury: Predictive, AI-powered cash flow automation

• Digital Asset Engine: Stuck tx retry, deposit address pooling, gas optimization

• Trading Engine: Multi-venue, real-time FX and stablecoin swaps

• Vault: Configurable custody infrastructure (self or managed)

• Compliance Engine: Embedded AML, Travel Rule, sanctions checks with audit trail

Clients can deploy infrastructure in-house or embed features selectively. Go-live can take <2 months with ~200 lines of code. It’s built to support high-throughput payment flows and dynamic treasury operations.

Bridge delivers Stripe-quality APIs for stablecoin payments, cards, and wallet services. Its modular SDKs and orchestration logic abstract networks, select optimal routes, and enable developers to go live in days. Bridge excels for teams prioritising fast time-to-market and seamless web-to-fintech UX.

Zero Hash offers modular services (wallets, trading, compliance, funding) as APIs and SDKs, with real-time event handling and robust uptime. Its tech is especially suited for apps offering crypto trading, reward wallets, or P2P transfers across multiple assets.

4. Compliance and licensing

BVNK has a standout regulatory footprint. It holds EMI licenses in the UK and EU, is a registered VASP in Spain, and has 25+ state MTLs in the U.S., covering major markets. Its platform is aligned to GDPR, DORA, NIS2, and the Travel Rule. Clients can operate under BVNK’s licenses or bring their own, supporting both embedded and direct delivery models.

Bridge operates under Stripe’s regulatory umbrella, with MSB registration, multiple U.S. MTLs, and a VASP registration in Poland. It partners with Lead Bank for card issuance, ensuring fiat compliance, and includes API-level KYC/AML tooling.

Zero Hash leads in coverage breadth. It holds licenses in every U.S. state (including the hard-to-obtain NY BitLicense), and is registered in Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Poland, and Brazil. Zero Hash acts as a compliance proxy, letting fintechs launch crypto features without holding licenses themselves.

5. Security and risk

BVNK is certified to SOC2 Type II and ISO 27001:2022 standards. It uses HSMs and MPC for crypto custody, segregated fiat accounts with Tier-1 banks, and layered access policies. It aligns with CIS Critical Security Controls v8.1, and supports configurable client policies like transaction velocity limits, role-based approvals, and custom whitelisting.

Bridge inherits Stripe’s security architecture - PCI DSS-compliant infrastructure, fraud monitoring, and real-time authorisation controls. Blockchain keys are managed with HSMs/MPC and ops are isolated from app layers. Security is continuously stress-tested by Stripe’s internal red teams.

Zero Hash combines HSMs, MPC, and cold storage in its infrastructure, with SOC2 Type II and ISO27001:2013 certifications. It maintains real-time audit logs, public risk disclosures, and a Bugcrowd bug bounty program. Zero Hash has never suffered a material security incident and handles operations for over 5M users.

Conclusion

If you’re building on stablecoins, choosing the right infrastructure partner is critical. 

Here’s how I’d frame it:

• Choose BVNK if you need an enterprise grade stablecoin-native payments infrastructure that can support you across your entire stablecoin journey: from launching quickly with managed services to scaling with embedded infrastructure as you bring capabilities in-house. Ideal for PSPs, enterprise fintechs, and corporates needing faster global settlement.

• Choose Bridge if you want Stripe-level developer experience to power stablecoin checkouts, cards, and international payouts - with blockchain complexity abstracted. Ideal for tech-first teams launching globally in days.

• Choose Zero Hash if you're building a crypto-first experience (trading, investing, P2P, rewards) and want broad asset support, deep custody, and a global licensing umbrella. Best for brokerages, crypto wallets, and neobanks.

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