This guide covers everything you need to know about UMA (Universal Money Address)—what it is, how it works, how to set up your account, and how to resolve common issues.
What Is a Universal Money Address (UMA)?
A Universal Money Address (UMA) is a human-readable payment address—similar to an email address, but for money. You can use your UMA to send or receive payments instantly between UMA-enabled wallets, exchanges, or banks.
How the UMA Protocol Works
The UMA protocol is an open-source messaging standard that enables interoperable payments across financial institutions. Built on the Bitcoin Lightning Network, UMA adds compliance and messaging layers to support fast, low-cost, and secure payments.
Wallets, exchanges, and banks that support UMA can offer real-time, multi-currency payments to their customers.
What Is uma.money?
uma.money is the official web portal where you can create your UMA address and link it to your bank or supported payment account.
To deliver UMA payments to your account, Lightspark works with several regulated financial partners. Depending on your location, your transactions may be processed by one of the following partners:
Zero Hash
Bitso
Tazapay
Striga
Yellow Card
When someone sends a payment to your UMA:
Your assigned regional partner receives the Lightning payment on your behalf.
The payment is automatically converted into your local currency.
Funds are deposited into your linked bank or payment account in real time, depending on available payout rails.
Why Do I See app.uma.money Instead of link.uma.me?
We recently updated our web address from link.uma.me to app.uma.money to better reflect our focus on payments.
Your account and features are unaffected—everything works exactly as before.
How Do I Claim a UMA Address?
To create your UMA address:
Go to the UMA sign-up page for your region.
Depending on your location, you may be directed to:app.uma.money
uma.me
uma.money
Complete onboarding with the UMA partner assigned to your region.
Claim your UMA address and link your supported bank.
Authorize your regional partner to convert Lightning payments and deposit them into your account.
Do I Need to Verify My Identity for UMA?
Yes. All UMA partners require identity verification to comply with local regulations.
Verification may include:
Providing personal information and documentation
Submitting a government-issued photo ID
Completing selfie/liveness verification
Confirming your residence and citizenship details
The exact requirements vary depending on your region and assigned partner.
How Do I Resolve Onboarding or KYC-Related Issues?
If your UMA account is supported by Zero Hash:
Zero Hash manages all onboarding and identity verification.
For KYC or onboarding issues, contact uma@zerohash.com.
If your UMA account is supported by Bitso, Tazapay, Striga, or Yellow Card:
Please contact support for assistance, and our team will help troubleshoot or coordinate with the appropriate partner.
Before reaching out, try the following:
Ensure your documents are clear, unedited, and match your information (please note that PDF’s are not supported)
If a selfie is required, ensure it matches your photo ID
Try a different browser or device and clear cache/cookies
What Banks or Payment Methods Are Supported?
Supported deposit methods depend on your assigned regional partner, as each partner supports different payout rails.
UMA supports instant payments only. As a result, you must connect a bank or supported payment account that is instant-payment enabled with your regional partner in order to receive UMA payouts. Non-instant (standard or delayed) payout methods are not supported.
Do I Have to Authorize Payments to My Bank or Payment Account?
Yes. To enable UMA off-ramp payments to your bank or supported payment account, you must complete the required authorization during onboarding.
Depending on your regional UMA partner, this may involve accepting a payment authorization agreement or reviewing and clicking through applicable terms and conditions. This authorization allows UMA to process payments to your connected account.
Fees: How Much Does It Cost to Use UMA?
Fees depend on where you’re sending money, the payout rails available in the recipient’s region, and the exchange and network rates at the time of the transaction.
UMA fees are variable and not fixed—they may change from minute to minute based on real-time rates. To view the most up-to-date pricing for your destination, visit the UMA website for your region and use the test sending function to explore available country options and estimated fees.
Can I Send Funds From All Regions?
UMA sending capabilities vary depending on regional availability and partner support. Some regions may support receiving only.
Feature expansion is ongoing and we’ll notify users when new sending capabilities become available.
Are There Limits to How Much I Can Send or Receive?
Yes. Limits vary based on:
Your regional UMA partner
Your verification status
Local regulations
The sender and receiver’s jurisdictions
The financial institutions involved
If a payment is rejected:
Try sending a smaller amount
Wait 24 hours and try again
Reach out to support if you feel it was an error and you’d like additional assistance
What Should I Do if My Deposit Is Missing?
If a deposit doesn’t appear in your account:
Verify that the payment was sent to the correct UMA address.
Confirm that your bank or payment account is properly linked and active.
Check your transaction history to ensure the payment was successfully completed by the sender.
If all of the information is correct and the funds still haven’t arrived, please contact support and our team will assist you.
Note: UMA payments are powered by the Bitcoin Lightning Network and cannot be reversed once sent.
What Should I Do if My Transaction Declines?
Ensure you have sufficient funds in your bank or payment account
Add funds and try again
Still Need Help?
If you continue to experience issues or have questions about UMA, please submit a support ticket, and our team will be happy to assist you.
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