Policy · AUP

Acceptable use policy.

EFFECTIVEMay 7, 2026
VERSION2026-05-07 / v4
SCOPEAll merchants on the Eliopi platform
CONTACTcompliance@eliopi.com
Planned policy · pre-launch

At launch, Eliopi will onboard merchants for general-commerce, software, professional-services, and selected restricted categories. We mirror Stripe's restricted-businesses list in full: any business prohibited or restricted by Stripe is also prohibited or restricted on Eliopi. Use of Eliopi will also be subject to the Stripe Services Agreement and the Stripe Connected Account Agreement; conflicts are resolved in favour of the Stripe agreements with respect to payment processing.

Misrepresentation of your business at onboarding — selling products other than those declared, or processing for a third party not separately onboarded ("transaction laundering") — will be grounds for immediate termination, fund hold per Stripe's policies, and where appropriate, regulatory referral.

Prohibited

Categories Eliopi will not onboard.

These categories cannot be cleared through additional documentation, volume commitments, or higher reserves. Decline is final.

illegal Illegal goods & services

Anything illegal in the merchant's or cardholder's jurisdiction.

  • Illicit drugs, controlled substances, drug paraphernalia
  • Counterfeit goods, IP infringement, replica products
  • Stolen goods, pirated software, unlicensed music or film
  • Telecom fraud equipment, document falsification
  • Services facilitating evasion of taxes, sanctions, or court orders

adult Adult content & services

  • Pornography (any format, including AI-generated)
  • Escort, prostitution, sexual massage
  • On-demand adult video, live cam, premium adult content subscriptions
  • Strip clubs, adult entertainment venues
  • Dating sites with sexual exchange or "sugar" arrangements

gambling Gambling & gaming

  • Casinos, sportsbooks, online betting
  • Skill-based games with cash prizes
  • Lotteries, raffles, sweepstakes (outside narrow charitable exemptions)
  • Penny auctions, bidding fee auctions
  • Loot-box monetisation in unregulated formats

weapons Weapons & hazardous

  • Firearms, ammunition, weapons accessories
  • Explosives, fireworks (non-consumer grade)
  • Restricted chemicals, research chemicals
  • Radioactive substances
  • Body armour, military-grade hardware

money Money services & financial

  • ATMs, check cashing, currency exchange storefronts
  • Debt collection, debt consolidation, debt-relief services
  • Credit repair, credit monitoring, "credit boosting"
  • Peer-to-peer money transfer
  • Shell banks, prepaid card resellers
  • Leveraged trading, binary options, FX brokerage

crypto Crypto & non-fiat

  • Cryptocurrency exchanges, custodial wallets
  • ICOs / public token offerings
  • Secondary NFT marketplaces
  • Crypto mining, staking-as-a-service

deceptive Deceptive & predatory

  • Pyramid schemes, multi-level marketing with required upline payments
  • Get-rich-quick, "passive income" pitches, business-opportunity scams
  • Negative-option marketing, hidden auto-renewal traps
  • Fake testimonials, fabricated case studies
  • Telemarketing, predatory mortgage advice
  • Door-to-door sales with prepayment
  • Pseudo-medical claims, "miracle" supplements, unsupported health claims

cannabis Cannabis & controlled substances

  • Cannabis products and cannabis-business support
  • CBD products above legal THC limits in any cardholder's jurisdiction
  • Cultivation gear, grow-kit packages, hydroponics for cannabis
  • Drug-test evasion products

other-prohibited Other prohibited verticals

  • Bail bonds, bankruptcy law firms collecting beyond fees
  • Commercial airlines, charter aviation, cruise lines
  • Timeshare rentals
  • Embassies, unauthorised public services
  • Extended warranties, non-government / non-insurance medical-care offers (US)
  • Identity-theft protection services
Restricted

Categories that require prior approval.

These are not auto-onboarded. Submit additional documentation (licences, regulator correspondence, standing) and Eliopi compliance will assess case-by-case. Approval is at our discretion and may carry additional reserve, ramp, or risk-monitoring conditions.

crowdfund Crowdfunding & fundraising

  • Reward-based crowdfunding with delivery records
  • Charitable / non-profit fundraising (registered 501(c)(3) or local equivalent)
  • Equity crowdfunding within applicable securities exemptions

creator Content-creator platforms

  • Tipping / fan-subscription platforms (non-adult)
  • Newsletter / paywalled-content publishing
  • Online courses with verifiable curriculum & refund policy

dating Online dating & matchmaking

  • Mainstream dating (non-adult, no sexual exchange)
  • Matchmaking services with documented vetting

cbd CBD within legal limits

  • CBD products at legal THC concentration in all served jurisdictions
  • Compliance documentation per state/country law required

crypto-app Crypto-adjacent

  • Crypto wallet software (non-custodial)
  • Educational platforms about crypto (no exchange functionality)
  • NFT primary mint by the original creator (no secondary marketplace)

regulated-fin Regulated financial

  • Stored-value / gift-card issuance under proper licensing
  • BNPL / deferred-payment with merchant-of-record clarity
  • Money-transfer or remittance with full state-by-state licensing
  • Neobank / Banking-as-a-Service partners

healthcare Online pharmacy & telemedicine

  • Licensed online pharmacies (proof of licence per jurisdiction)
  • Telemedicine platforms with licensed clinicians and audited prescribing

firearms-legal Firearms (legal, with FFL)

  • Federally licensed firearms dealers (FFL holders)
  • Hunting and outdoor goods (non-firearm, non-ammo)
  • Gun-safety equipment, training services

tobacco Tobacco & e-cigarettes

  • Licensed tobacco resellers with age verification
  • E-cigarettes / vaping with FDA / equivalent compliance

precious Precious metals & gems

  • Bullion dealers with AML programme
  • Jewellery resellers (with documentation)

travel Travel-adjacent

  • Travel booking / OTAs with ATOL / equivalent bonding where applicable
  • Tour operators with delivery proof and refund policy

file-host File hosting / sharing

  • Backup & sync services with no piracy footprint
  • Enterprise file sharing for B2B use
Allowed

Categories Eliopi will onboard on standard terms.

Standard underwriting; subject to Stripe's own approval, Eliopi's onboarding compliance, and ongoing performance monitoring.

ecom Direct-to-consumer e-commerce

  • Physical goods with shipping records
  • Apparel, home goods, accessories, electronics
  • Dropshipping with verified suppliers and 30-day refund policy

digital Digital products & downloads

  • Software, plugins, themes, templates
  • Fonts, stock assets, design files
  • Ebooks, audio downloads, video courses

saas SaaS & subscription

  • B2B and B2C software subscriptions
  • API access, developer tooling
  • Membership communities with delivered content

edu Education & coaching

  • Online courses with curriculum & refund policy
  • 1-on-1 coaching with deliverable scope
  • Cohort programmes, bootcamps

services Professional services

  • Agencies (design, marketing, engineering)
  • Consulting (with statement of work)
  • Creative services with deliverables

marketplace Marketplaces

  • Two-sided marketplaces in unrestricted verticals
  • B2B marketplaces with vetted sellers
  • Service marketplaces with provider verification
Enforcement

How we enforce this policy.

At onboarding: Stripe Identity verifies the representative; we verify business URL, declared product description, MCC, and beneficial-owner identity. Mismatches against this AUP are declined.

During operations: we monitor processing pattern (dispute rate, refund rate, geographic distribution, BIN distribution, decline reason codes), website content (we crawl your declared URL periodically), and customer complaints. Material drift from the declared business model triggers compliance review.

On violation: we will, in this order, (1) request clarification with a 7-day window, (2) suspend new charges pending resolution, (3) terminate the platform agreement and report to Stripe Risk where required. Where the violation involves regulated activity (money services, securities, controlled substances), we will report to applicable regulators or law-enforcement as required.

Questions about whether your business fits — write to compliance@eliopi.com with a one-paragraph description of what you sell and links to your live site. We respond within one business day.