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Stripe on Steroids

Supercharging Payment Gateways with Blue​

Payment gateways like Stripe have transformed digital commerce by making online payments accessible to businesses of all sizes. While these platforms excel at moving money and managing transactions, they face increasing pressure to handle complex payment scenarios that go beyond simple authorizations and captures.

Blue introduces a breakthrough approach that allows payment gateways to dramatically extend their capabilities without rebuilding core infrastructure. By implementing a few strategic integration points, you can offer your merchants sophisticated payment experiences that were previously impossible—creating new revenue streams while strengthening your position in the payments ecosystem.

Opportunities for Payment Gateways​

1. The /blue Endpoint: Your Gateway to Enhanced Payments​

By implementing the /blue endpoint, payment gateways can accept and process Blue documents alongside standard API requests. This endpoint serves as a bridge between Blue's powerful document capabilities and your existing payment infrastructure.

POST /blue HTTP/1.1
Host: api.yourpaymentgateway.com
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "type": "Smart Card Payment",
  "amount": 1000,
  "currency": "USD",
  "captured": false,
  "token": "tok_1234",
  "contracts": {
    // Payment rules, verification requirements, etc.
  }
}

The beauty of this approach is that you can continue processing payments through your existing infrastructure while adding powerful new capabilities. Your dashboard, reporting tools, and reconciliation systems will see these payments alongside standard transactions—they just happen to have enhanced powers.

Implementation Advantage: Most of the processing can be handled by MyOS, with your gateway simply routing events and updates. This means minimal changes to your core systems. See the /blue endpoint guide for technical details.

2. Smart Card Payments: Verification-Enhanced Transactions​

Smart Card Payments transform standard card transactions into programmable agreements with built-in verification. Your merchants can create payments that:

  • Automatically refund if specific conditions aren't met
  • Partially capture based on delivery outcomes
  • Include third-party verification before settlement
  • Handle complex escrow-like arrangements without manual intervention

For example, a merchant could offer: "80% discount if delivery takes more than 4 days, verified by DHL tracking." The payment processor enforces this guarantee, building trust with customers who know the promise is backed by verification, not just merchant goodwill.

Revenue Opportunity: You can charge premium fees for these enhanced capabilities, especially when they reduce chargebacks and disputes by making terms and conditions executable rather than merely documented.

3. Payment Plans: Dynamic Subscription Management​

Payment Plans extend beyond rigid subscription models to create truly responsive recurring payments. These plans can:

  • Trigger charges based on external events
  • Calculate dynamic amounts using business logic
  • Respond to performance metrics or usage patterns
  • Include multi-party verification requirements

For example, a marketing agency could create a payment plan that charges clients based on actual performance metrics from ad platforms. This eliminates the need for manual invoicing and verification, creating a more responsive and transparent billing relationship.

Merchant Value: Your clients gain the ability to create payment arrangements that perfectly match their business models without building custom billing infrastructure.

4. PayNote Integration: AI-Ready Payment Authorization​

By supporting Blue PayNotes in your checkout flow, you can position yourself at the forefront of AI-driven commerce. PayNotes allow:

  • AI shopping agents to make bounded purchases
  • Conditional payment authorization with verification
  • Task-specific payment authority delegation
  • Built-in verification requirements before settlement

You can integrate PayNotes in two ways:

  1. Basic Integration: Accept PayNotes as a payment method at checkout, similar to accepting a card or wallet
  2. Enhanced Integration: Provide tools for merchants to respond to PayNote verification tasks, automating the fulfillment verification process

Competitive Advantage: By supporting PayNotes, you become the payment gateway of choice for AI-powered shopping assistants—a rapidly growing segment of the market.

5. Leveraging Your Financial Infrastructure​

Your existing financial capabilities can become payment methods within the Blue ecosystem:

  • Internal Account Transfers: Use your internal ledger system for instant movements between merchants on your platform
  • Balance Management: Offer instant settlement to connected accounts when specific conditions are met
  • Cross-Currency Optimization: Use your FX capabilities as specialized payment methods in Blue documents
  • Split Payments: Enable complex revenue sharing directly through your settlement infrastructure

For example, a marketplace could create a document that automatically distributes revenue between multiple parties based on their contributions, using your internal movement capabilities for instant, low-cost settlement.

Strategic Position: By exposing your internal capabilities as Blue payment methods, you become a more integral part of your merchants' financial operations.

Business Benefits for Payment Gateways​

New Revenue Streams​

Blue integration creates multiple opportunities for premium services:

  • Verification Fees: Charge for enforcing conditions and verifying outcomes
  • Enhanced Payment Types: Premium pricing for Smart Card Payments and Payment Plans
  • AI Payment Infrastructure: Position as the gateway for AI-driven commerce
  • Reduced Risk Services: Charge for guaranteed outcomes that reduce merchant risk

Competitive Differentiation​

While other gateways focus on commoditizing basic payment processing, you can offer:

  • Programmable Payments: Go beyond basic authorizations and captures
  • Trust Infrastructure: Become the arbiter of conditional transactions
  • AI-Ready Commerce: Support the next generation of autonomous purchasing
  • Verification Network: Create an ecosystem of trusted verification providers

Merchant Retention​

Enhanced capabilities create deeper integration with merchant operations:

  • Reduced Platform Switching: Unique capabilities increase switching costs
  • Operational Integration: Become part of core business processes, not just checkout
  • Customizable Solutions: Address complex use cases without custom development