Cowrie Research

zbd-primary-sources-2026-04-25

4 min read

ZBD primary-source snapshot

Fetched: 2026-04-25 UTC

1) Official site / company positioning

Source: https://zbdpay.com/

Selected excerpts from the official site:

The Payments Stack for Games

Power the full lifecycle of money in games

From rewarded gameplay and player payouts to in-game economies and beyond, built for every way games handle money.

Compliance handled end-to-end

Additional signals from the homepage:

  • ZBD frames itself around game-economy money flow rather than around a single wallet product
  • The site explicitly breaks the product into money in, money through, and money out, which is useful for categorizing it as broader payments infrastructure
  • The official marketing copy stresses regulated operation and game-specific monetization/retention use cases

2) Docs index / scope of platform

Source: https://docs.zbdpay.com/llms.txt

Selected excerpts/signals from the docs index:

ZBD is the global Bitcoin payments API for app and game developers. Integrate ZBD into your app or game to enable multicurrency payments, rewards, and payouts in minutes.

Additional signals from the docs index:

  • The docs surface is unusually broad and includes Payments, Earn, OAuth2 login, app-store guidance, security guides, API references, OpenAPI resources, and implementation walkthroughs
  • ZBD’s strongest primary-source surface appears to be its documentation rather than a classic protocol paper
  • The platform is easier to understand as a developer and operations stack for games than as a standalone consumer app

3) Payments API reference

Source: https://docs.zbdpay.com/payments/api.md

Selected excerpts from the docs:

ZBD offers a powerful REST API that supports Bitcoin Lightning Network transactions with various payout and payin methods.

The ZBD API is available on the following base URL: https://api.zbdpay.com

All ZBD endpoints are protected by an API Key.

Additional signals from this page:

  • ZBD documents sandbox and production API environments, which suggests real production readiness for developers
  • The API reference links to GitHub examples and an OpenAPI specification, making the platform more legible as infrastructure rather than just a branded SDK
  • The phrasing confirms Bitcoin/Lightning roots even though the broader website now emphasizes generalized game payments

4) Earn SDK / gameplay-linked reward controls

Source: https://docs.zbdpay.com/earn/sdk.md

Selected excerpts from the docs:

The ZBD Earn SDK enables you to credit rewards to your users at your discretion (any amount at any time). However, users can only withdraw earned rewards up to a specified threshold based on their gameplay time.

Additional signals from this page:

  • Withdrawal limits tied to playtime are a high-signal anti-abuse and retention-control feature
  • This makes ZBD look meaningfully different from generic payout APIs or simple Lightning wallets
  • The SDK appears designed for studios running rewarded-play loops, not only for end users receiving transfers

5) Coverage / operational footprint

Source: https://docs.zbdpay.com/earn/coverage.md

Selected excerpts from the docs:

The ZBD App & Earn SDK are available in all US states, except New York (NY).

Additional signals from this page:

  • ZBD publishes explicit region coverage for its Earn surfaces, including country support and cash-out options
  • The coverage page distinguishes Earn-region support from Payments-region support, suggesting multiple regulated product surfaces under one brand
  • Documented cash-out methods include ZBD App, SPEED Wallet, Cash App, and gift cards for supported regions

6) Rewarded-play knowledge base

Source: https://docs.zbdpay.com/earn/knowledge-base/rewarded-play.md

Selected excerpts from the docs:

Real-money player rewards are a retention driver.

The three tenets of rewarding users: reward early and often, determine rewards based on LTV, impose a daily withdrawal limit

Additional signals from this page:

  • ZBD publishes a business-and-mechanics knowledge base, not just API docs
  • The docs show explicit opinions on reward design, monetization, retention, and anti-fraud structure
  • This is useful for cataloging ZBD as a game-finance control plane rather than a generic Bitcoin-payments brand

Notes

  • This pass did not locate a classic whitepaper or litepaper from official ZBD sources.
  • The strongest primary materials were the official site, docs index, Payments API docs, Earn SDK docs, coverage materials, and rewarded-play knowledge-base pages.
  • ZBD appears best categorized as gaming payments / Bitcoin rewards / payout infrastructure.

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