Acceptable use policy

Railbed exists for legal businesses that other processors turn away. We do not judge a merchant's industry. We do require that what you sell is legal where you operate and where your buyers are, and that you follow the rules of the providers and card networks that handle your payments. This policy is part of the terms of service.

The rule

You may use Railbed to accept payment for your own goods and services, as long as selling them is legal both where your business operates and where each buyer is located, and as long as you comply with the terms of the on-ramp providers and card networks involved. You are responsible for knowing which laws apply to you, holding any licences you need, and verifying age or consent where the law requires it.

Industries we serve

The following categories are welcome when they meet the conditions stated:

• Supplements and nutraceuticals, sold legally and without medical claims that the law does not allow.
• Adult content, apps and creator platforms, involving only consenting adults, with age and consent verification for performers and age gating for buyers where required.
• iGaming and gambling, only where you hold a licence for the markets you serve and only from buyers in those markets.
• Hemp and CBD, only products that are legal where they are sold.
• Dating and social, for adults.

Merchants in any other legal category are welcome on the same terms. If you are unsure whether your business qualifies, ask sales@railbed.io before you sign up.

Prohibited uses

You may not use Railbed for any of the following:

• Anything that is illegal where you operate or where the buyer is located.
• Child sexual abuse material, any sexual content involving minors, or sexual content involving people who did not consent or who are depicted without consent.
• Trafficking in weapons, ammunition, explosives or their components.
• Controlled or illegal drugs, or paraphernalia that is illegal where sold.
• Counterfeit or stolen goods, or goods that infringe someone else's trademark, copyright or other rights.
• Fraud, scams, deceptive advertising, fake reviews, pyramid or Ponzi schemes, multi-level marketing that relies on recruitment fees, or misrepresenting what you sell.
• Money laundering, terrorist financing, sanctions evasion, or doing business with sanctioned persons, entities or countries.
• Gambling without the licences required for the markets served.
• Financial services that require a licence you do not hold, including lending, securities, investment schemes, managed trading, and crypto exchange or investment products.
• Buying or selling personal data without the consent of the people it describes.
• Malware, hacking services, credential theft, account takeover tools, or anything designed to gain unauthorised access to systems or data.
• Content that promotes hate or violence against people based on a protected characteristic, or that incites violence.
• Using Railbed to move money that is not payment for your own goods or services, including accepting payments on behalf of other businesses, unless we have agreed to it in writing.
• Helping buyers avoid a provider's limits or identity checks, splitting a payment into smaller ones to stay under a threshold, or misdescribing a payment.
• Anything that damages, overloads or interferes with the service or with other merchants' use of it.

Providers may have stricter rules than these, and they may decline a payment or a merchant category for their own reasons. Where a provider's rules are stricter, they apply too.

What we may do

If we believe a merchant is breaking this policy or the law, we may:

• ask for information about the business, its products, licences or verification processes, which the merchant must provide promptly and truthfully
• stop new payments on the account, temporarily or permanently
• close the account
• report the matter to authorities where the law requires or allows it

Railbed never holds funds, so none of these steps can touch USDC already delivered to a merchant's wallet. They stop future payments only. Providers and our payment infrastructure partner may take their own action under their terms.

Reporting abuse

If you believe a merchant is using Railbed in breach of this policy, write to legal@railbed.io with links, the payment ID if you have one, and any other evidence. We review every report and act on those that are substantiated, although we may not be able to tell you the outcome.

Changes

We may update this policy as laws, providers and our judgement change. The date at the top shows the latest version. Material changes will be announced to merchants in the dashboard or by email.