Ethereum is the most widely held crypto asset in Western markets. Learn how to accept ETH and ERC20 tokens, manage gas fee variability, and integrate Ethereum payments into your business.
Ethereum has the largest developer community and the deepest liquidity of any blockchain. For businesses targeting Western crypto users, ETH acceptance often converts better than alternatives — Western crypto users are more likely to hold ETH than TRC20 USDT. Here is everything you need to know to accept ETH payments in 2026.
ETH vs ERC20 Tokens: What You Are Actually Accepting
On Ethereum, there are two types of assets: native ETH (the coin that pays gas fees) and ERC20 tokens (USDT, USDC, DAI, and thousands of others that run on top of Ethereum). For business payments, you might want to accept ETH, USDT ERC20, USDC ERC20, or all three. Each is a different currency with different properties.
Native ETH
ETH is volatile — its dollar value changes constantly. Accepting ETH means taking on exchange rate risk between when the customer pays and when you convert. For businesses that want to hold ETH or have ETH-denominated pricing, this is fine. For businesses that invoice in USD, consider converting ETH to stablecoin immediately upon receipt.
USDT ERC20
USDT on Ethereum (ERC20) gives you the Ethereum network's security and reach with a stable $1 value. Gas fees vary — from $1 during low congestion to $30+ during high demand. Best for larger transactions where the fee is a small percentage of the total.
USDC ERC20
USDC is issued by Circle (regulated, USD-backed). Preferred by institutional and compliance-focused customers who distrust Tether. Same network and fee characteristics as USDT ERC20.
Ethereum Gas Fees: The Key Consideration
Unlike Tron (TRC20) where fees are under $1, Ethereum gas fees are variable. During peak periods (DeFi activity, NFT drops, token launches), gas can spike to $30–$100 per transaction. For customer payments, this means a customer paying $50 might face a $15 gas fee — which can kill conversion.
Best practice: offer ETH/ERC20 for transactions over $100 where gas fees are a smaller percentage, and USDT TRC20 for smaller amounts. Bekena lets you specify different payment options per invoice, so you can implement this logic in your checkout flow.
Setting Up ETH Acceptance with Bekena
Confirmation Times
After Ethereum's Merge in 2022, block times dropped to ~12 seconds. A payment is typically considered confirmed after 12–30 blocks (2–6 minutes). Bekena forwards funds to your settlement wallet after sufficient confirmations for the amount and network conditions.
Which Businesses Should Prioritize ETH
- ✓Web3 and DeFi products: users are Ethereum-native and pay in ETH
- ✓NFT platforms: Ethereum remains the dominant NFT chain
- ✓Western markets: European and North American customers more likely hold ETH
- ✓High-ticket B2B: large transactions where gas fees are negligible percentage
- ✓Developer tools: target audience frequently uses Ethereum ecosystem