Amsterdam, Netherlands, July 10th, 2026 - NOWPayments argues that the crypto industry has long accepted avoidable costs in payout operations and is offering a new model intended to eliminate those expenses. The company has launched a zero-fee payout infrastructure that replaces conventional blockchain wallet transfers with instant, email-based disbursements.
Kate Lifshits, CEO of NOWPayments, framed the shift as an overdue simplification. "Why does sending crypto still feel harder than sending an email?" she asked, characterizing the current practice of collecting wallet addresses and paying network fees as legacy behavior that businesses need not accept.
The product replaces wallet addresses as the payout destination with an email address. Recipients receive access to funds via that email destination, enabling businesses to avoid the steps that typically produce operational friction: wallet address collection, network validation, failed-transaction recovery, blockchain confirmation delays, and the recurring cost of transaction fees.
Operational and economic impact
NOWPayments emphasizes the economic implications of the change. The company highlights several benefits tied to the email-payout approach:
- Zero network fees
- Zero service fees
- Under-one-second delivery
- Automated onboarding
- Fewer failed payouts
- Lower support costs
Although NOWPayments notes that API support is part of the new release, the company says the larger significance is financial. For organizations issuing thousands of payouts, the new model can substantially reduce operational expenses and simplify reconciliation. The company frames payouts as a potential growth and engagement lever rather than a fixed, recurring liability.
"The market has spent years competing over who can charge less per payout. We are asking a more important question: why should businesses pay per payout at all?" - Kate Lifshits, NOWPayments CEO
Who the solution targets
The rollout is positioned for entities that operate at scale. NOWPayments lists specific verticals for the email-based payout product: affiliate networks, marketplaces, gaming platforms, payroll providers, cashback programs, creator platforms, and fintech companies. The company says businesses can automate global payouts using only an email address while keeping their existing workflows intact.
NOWPayments claims the email approach removes the need for wallet validation and blockchain confirmation delays, which are common sources of failed transfers and attendant support costs. The company also points to faster delivery times as a mechanism for improving recipient experience and reducing back-office workload.
Savings and a calculator to estimate impact
NOWPayments acknowledges that the precise financial benefit depends on a range of factors. The company states that actual savings vary with payout volume, blockchain network fees, and the specific cryptocurrencies being used. It notes that while some businesses may save thousands of dollars annually, organizations processing hundreds of thousands or millions of payouts could see cost reductions measured in the hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.
To assist prospective users in benchmarking potential gains, NOWPayments has launched a Zero-Fee Crypto Payout Savings Calculator. The calculator is intended to allow businesses to compare their present payout expenses against the projected cost of adopting zero-fee, email-based disbursements.
"The future of crypto payouts is not wallet-to-wallet. It is person-to-person: identified by email, delivered instantly and free to move inside the ecosystem. Anything more complicated is legacy infrastructure." - Kate Lifshits, NOWPayments CEO
Technical framing and limitations disclosed
NOWPayments' public materials highlight that API support exists, but they emphasize the economic consequences more than technical specifics. That framing suggests the company is prioritizing a conversation about cost structure while positioning the new infrastructure as compatible with current payout workflows.
As for the broader product and corporate profile, NOWPayments describes itself as a global crypto payment gateway offering enterprise-grade infrastructure for digital asset payments and payouts. The company supports more than 350 cryptocurrencies and over 30 stablecoins and provides APIs, payment tools, and payout solutions intended to help companies accept crypto, automate payouts, and scale payment operations.
Conclusion
NOWPayments presents its email-based, zero-fee payout model as a rethinking of how businesses should handle crypto disbursements. By removing wallet addresses and the associated network costs, the company argues that payouts can be faster, cheaper, and less operationally burdensome. The scale of savings will depend on each business's volume and the specific networks and assets they use, and NOWPayments offers a calculator to help organizations quantify potential benefits.