Key facts (as of 29 October 2026)
- Terms: 88 entries, in alphabetical order.
- Scope: stablecoins, high-risk payments, gambling regulation and regulators, UK and EU crypto regimes, card networks.
- Use: definitions are simplified. The linked articles and their sources give the details.
Jump to: A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · K · L · M · O · P · R · S · T · U · V
A
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ACMA | Australian Communications and Media Authority. Enforces the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, including the ban on credit cards and digital currency for online betting and website blocking. See Asia-Pacific gambling regulators. |
| Acquirer | A bank or licensed institution that processes card payments for merchants and carries the merchant's risk with the card networks. See What is a high-risk business. |
| ADM | Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli, Italy's customs and monopolies agency, which awards online gambling concessions. See EU national gambling regulators. |
| AGCO | Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, which regulates Ontario's iGaming market through its Registrar's Standards. See Ontario iGaming payments. |
| Alpenglow | Solana's consensus upgrade, live on 21 October 2026, targeting finality of about 150 ms. See Choosing a chain. |
| AML | Anti-money laundering: the laws and controls that prevent proceeds of crime from entering the financial system. See AML and KYC. |
| ANJ | Autorité nationale des jeux, France's gambling regulator. Approves online poker, sports betting and horse-race betting; online casino is prohibited. See EU national gambling regulators. |
| ART | Asset-referenced token: a MiCA category for tokens referencing a basket or non-single-currency value. See MiCA. |
B
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| BSP | Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Philippine central bank. Its Memorandum M-2025-029, issued in August 2025 after Monetary Board Resolution 805 of 14 August 2025, told all BSP-supervised institutions to remove in-app gambling links within 48 hours. See Philippines iGaming payments. |
C
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| CARF | The OECD Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework for tax reporting by crypto service providers. See Stablecoin accounting, reconciliation and tax. |
| CASP | Crypto-asset service provider: an entity authorised under MiCA to provide crypto-asset services in the EU. See MiCA. |
| CASS 16 | The FCA's client asset rules for UK stablecoin issuers: backing assets held on a statutory trust per product, reconciled daily. See UK cryptoasset and stablecoin regime. |
| CDD | Customer due diligence: identifying and verifying customers and understanding the relationship. |
| CGA | Curaçao Gaming Authority, which licenses operators under the LOK framework and issued a crypto policy for B2C licensees. See Crypto under gambling licences. |
| Chargeback | A reversal of a card payment started through the cardholder's issuer. See Chargebacks and VAMP. |
| Coljuegos | Colombia's gambling regulator. PSPs must not serve operators it has not authorised. See Latin America payments and PSPs. |
| Cruks | The Dutch central register of people excluded from gambling, which licensed operators must check. See EU national gambling regulators. |
| Custodian | An institution that holds crypto-assets on behalf of clients. See Custody and wallet security. |
D
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| DAC8 | The EU directive implementing the OECD Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework, applying from 1 January 2026. See Stablecoin accounting, reconciliation and tax. |
| De-risking | Financial institutions ending or restricting relationships with whole categories of clients to avoid risk, not managing it case by case. See De-risking. |
| Depeg | When a stablecoin trades away from its target value. See Reserves, redemption and depeg risk. |
| Descriptor | The merchant name shown on a cardholder's statement; Visa allows 25 characters. See Descriptors and transaction laundering. |
| DGOJ | Dirección General de Ordenación del Juego, Spain's online gambling regulator. See EU national gambling regulators. |
| Dynamic descriptor | A merchant name that changes per transaction. Visa requires acquirers to prohibit agents from using them for gambling merchants. See Descriptors and transaction laundering. |
E
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| EDD | Enhanced due diligence: extra checks for higher-risk customers. |
| EMT | E-money token: a MiCA category for tokens referencing a single official currency, such as EURC. See MiCA. |
F
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| FCA | Financial Conduct Authority, the UK conduct regulator, which authorises cryptoasset firms from 2027. See UK cryptoasset and stablecoin regime. |
| Finality | The point after which a payment cannot be reversed. See Settlement finality. |
G
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| GENIUS Act | The US federal law for payment stablecoins, signed on 18 July 2025. See GENIUS Act and the OCC rule. |
| GGL | Gemeinsame Glücksspielbehörde der Länder, Germany's joint gambling authority of the federal states. Licenses online virtual slots, poker and sports betting. See EU national gambling regulators. |
| GRA (Kenya) | Gambling Regulatory Authority, created by Kenya's Gambling Control Act, 2025 to replace the Betting Control and Licensing Board. See African gambling regulators. |
| GRA (Singapore) | Gambling Regulatory Authority of Singapore, operational since 1 August 2022. Singapore Pools is the only licensed remote gambling operator. See Asia-Pacific gambling regulators. |
| GSC | Gambling Supervision Commission, the Isle of Man regulator for online gambling. See European licensing hubs. |
H
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| High-risk merchant | A business that acquirers and banks treat as higher risk because of chargebacks, regulation, fraud or reputation. See What is a high-risk business. |
I
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| IEPS | Mexico's special excise tax on production and services, which applies to betting and draws. See Latin America payments and PSPs. |
| iGaming | Online gambling, including casino, sports betting and poker. See iGaming operators. |
| iGO | iGaming Ontario, the agency that conducts and manages Ontario's online gaming market and publishes its market data. See Ontario iGaming payments. |
K
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| KGC | Kahnawà:ke Gaming Commission, which issues Client Provider Authorizations (CPAs) and Key Person Permits. See Offshore gambling licences. |
| KSA | Kansspelautoriteit, the Netherlands Gambling Authority. See EU national gambling regulators. |
| KYC | Know your customer: verifying identity as part of CDD. |
| KYT | Know your transaction: screening transfers and wallet addresses. See Wallet screening. |
L
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Layer 2 | A network built on top of a base blockchain to increase throughput or cut costs. See Blockchains for settlement. |
| Load balancing | Spreading a seller's payments, disputes or fraud across several merchant accounts to stay below monitoring thresholds. See Descriptors and transaction laundering. |
| LOK | Curaçao's national ordinance on games of chance, the licensing framework in force since December 2024. See Crypto under gambling licences. |
| LUGAS | Germany's cross-state gambling supervision system. Its limit file enforces the €1,000 monthly deposit limit across all licensed operators. See EU national gambling regulators. |
M
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| MCC | Merchant category code: a four-digit code that classifies a merchant's business. See Merchant category codes. |
| Medida Provisória (MP) | A Brazilian provisional measure with immediate force of law, which Congress must convert within 60 days, extendable by 60. MP 1.394 of 25 September 2026 banned fixed-odds betting. See Brazil's betting ban. |
| MGA | Malta Gaming Authority, which licenses B2C and B2B gaming under the Gaming Act (Cap. 583). See European licensing hubs. |
| MiCA | The EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (EU) 2023/1114. See MiCA. |
| MINCETUR | Peru's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, which authorises remote gaming and sports betting platforms. See Latin American gambling regulators. |
| MPC | Multi-party computation: splitting a private key into shares so it never exists whole on one device. |
| Multisig | A wallet requiring several signatures, for example two of three, to move funds. |
O
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Off-ramp | Converting stablecoins into fiat in a bank account. See On-ramps and off-ramps. |
| On-ramp | Converting fiat into stablecoins. |
| Online money game | Under India's Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025, a game played for money that the Act prohibits; banks and payment facilitators may not process payments for it. See Asia-Pacific gambling regulators. |
| OTC desk | A desk arranging large trades directly between parties, off the public order book. See Crypto exchanges and OTC desks. |
P
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| PAGCOR | Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, the Philippine gaming regulator and operator. See Philippines iGaming payments. |
| Payment facilitator (PayFac) | A provider that onboards sub-merchants under its own acquiring relationship. See Payment service providers. |
| Payment facilitator descriptor | "PF name*merchant name", the Visa format a payment facilitator may use. See Descriptors and transaction laundering. |
| PRA | Prudential Regulation Authority, part of the Bank of England, which supervises banks, including their tokenised deposits. See Tokenised deposits vs stablecoins. |
| Prefunding | Placing funds ahead of payouts with a partner or in a destination market. See Prefunding. |
| PSP | Payment service provider: a firm that lets merchants accept and send payments. |
| PYUSD | PayPal USD, a US dollar stablecoin issued by Paxos. See USDT vs USDC vs PYUSD vs EURC. |
R
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Ramp provider | In Visa's terms, an entity converting fiat to non-fiat currency such as crypto, or vice versa. See On-ramps and off-ramps. |
| Redemption | Exchanging a stablecoin with its issuer for fiat at par. |
| Reserve assets | Cash and high-quality liquid assets backing a stablecoin. |
| Return to source | Paying a withdrawal back to the method or wallet that funded the account. See Player payouts and withdrawals. |
| Reverse withdrawal | Letting a customer cancel a pending withdrawal and keep gambling with it. Banned in Great Britain since 31 October 2021. See Player payouts and withdrawals. |
| Rolling reserve | A percentage of a merchant's card takings held back by the acquirer for a set period. See Rolling reserves. |
S
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| SDN List | OFAC's Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List. See Sanctions screening. |
| SEGOB | Mexico's Interior Ministry. Its Directorate General of Games and Draws issues gambling permits. See Latin American gambling regulators. |
| Self-hosted wallet | A wallet whose keys are controlled by the user, not a VASP. |
| Settlement provider | A firm that converts, holds and pays out stablecoins for businesses. See Choosing a stablecoin settlement provider. |
| Spelinspektionen | The Swedish Gambling Authority. See EU national gambling regulators. |
| Spillemyndigheden | The Danish Gambling Authority. See EU national gambling regulators. |
| Stablecoin | A crypto-asset designed to keep a stable value against a reference, usually a fiat currency. See What is a stablecoin. |
| Stablecoin-linked card | A card that spends from a stablecoin balance, with the programme settling with the network in fiat or stablecoins. See Card networks and stablecoin settlement. |
| Statutory trust | Under the FCA's rules, a trust under which a UK stablecoin issuer holds backing assets for holders, outside its own estate. See UK cryptoasset and stablecoin regime. |
| Systemic stablecoin | A stablecoin HM Treasury recognises as systemic, regulated by the Bank of England jointly with the FCA. See UK cryptoasset and stablecoin regime. |
T
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Tokenised deposit | A commercial bank deposit represented on a ledger, remaining the bank's liability. See Tokenised deposits vs stablecoins. |
| Transaction laundering | Also called factoring: an illicit business processing payments through a front posing as a legitimate merchant. See Descriptors and transaction laundering. |
| Travel Rule | The requirement that originator and beneficiary information accompanies transfers. See Travel Rule. |
U
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| UIGEA | The US Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. Its rules (31 CFR Part 132) require card, ACH, cheque, money transmission and wire systems to have policies to block payments for unlawful internet gambling. See US state iGaming regulators. |
| UKGC | UK Gambling Commission, which licenses gambling in Great Britain. See UK Gambling Commission. |
| USA₮ | Tether's US stablecoin, launched 27 January 2026 and issued by Anchorage Digital Bank, N.A. See USDT vs USDC vs PYUSD vs EURC. |
V
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| VAMP | Visa Acquirer Monitoring Program: Visa's programme monitoring fraud and dispute ratios. See Chargebacks and VAMP. |
| VASP | Virtual asset service provider: the FATF term for businesses that exchange, transfer or hold virtual assets for others. |
| VIRP | Visa Integrity Risk Program: Visa's programme for high-integrity-risk merchant categories. See Visa Integrity Risk Program. |
Terms by area
| Area | Terms |
|---|---|
| Stablecoins | Stablecoin, EMT, ART, Depeg, Redemption, Reserve assets, PYUSD, USA₮, Tokenised deposit, Systemic stablecoin |
| Regulation | MiCA, CASP, GENIUS Act, FCA, PRA, CASS 16, Statutory trust, VASP, Travel Rule, DAC8, CARF |
| Gambling | iGaming, AGCO, iGO, PAGCOR, BSP, CGA, LOK, Coljuegos, IEPS, Medida Provisória, Reverse withdrawal, Return to source |
| Card networks | Acquirer, MCC, Descriptor, Dynamic descriptor, VAMP, VIRP, Chargeback, Payment facilitator, Transaction laundering, Load balancing |
| Operations | Prefunding, Rolling reserve, Off-ramp, On-ramp, OTC desk, Custodian, MPC, Multisig, Settlement provider, Finality |
Q/A
Are these legal definitions?
No. They are plain-language summaries. Legal definitions differ between regimes, so MiCA, the GENIUS Act, the UK regime and FATF standards each define their own terms. Check the primary text for any specific use.
Is a term missing?
Add it in alphabetical order with a link to the article that covers it in depth. See README.md.
Sources
Definitions summarise the linked FiatDesk Wiki articles, which list their primary sources. Key references:
- private.law, Stablecoins: https://wiki.private.law/en/stablecoins
- FATF, targeted update on virtual assets and VASPs (26 June 2025): https://www.fatf-gafi.org/en/publications/Fatfrecommendations/targeted-update-virtual-assets-vasps-2025.html
- Visa, VAMP fact sheet: https://corporate.visa.com/content/dam/VCOM/corporate/visa-perspectives/security-and-trust/documents/visa-acquirer-monitoring-program-fact-sheet-2025.pdf
- Visa, Merchant Data Standards Manual (October 2026): https://usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/download/merchants/visa-merchant-data-standards-manual.pdf
- FCA, cryptoasset regime policy statements: https://www.fca.org.uk/publications/policy-statements/cryptoasset-regime
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