As part of our Wirecard Legacy investigation, we have been researching high-risk payment processors catering to the porn industry. Wirecard was previously one of the key processors for the MindGeek empire, which owns YouPorn and PornHub. Additionally, major adult platforms like xHamsterLive and StripChat are operated by Technius Ltd, a company registered in Cyprus.
One of the primary payment processors for these platforms is Epoch. We are looking for more information about its operations.
Key Data
- Trading Name: Epoch
- Business Activity: High-risk payment processor, merchant service provider
- Domains:
- Legal Entities:
- Unknown U.S. entity
- Epoch EU Limited (Guernsey GFSC Reference 1026472)
- Jurisdictions: U.S., Guernsey
- PayRate42 Compliance Rating: Red Compliance (PayRate42 profile)
- Known Clients:
- Technius Ltd d/b/a xHamsterLive, StripChat
- Tecom Ltd d/b/a Faphouse
Buying Porn Tokens with Epoch
Epoch is a key payment facilitator for Technius Ltd. Platforms like StripChat and xHamsterLive are live cam sites attracting millions of daily visitors (around 19 million on StripChat and 6 million on xHamsterLive). More than 90% of xHamsterLive traffic comes directly from xHamster, one of the world’s largest porn websites.
On these platforms, models perform live via webcam and receive tokens as payments. Registered users can purchase porn tokens using:
- Sofort
- Credit & Debit Cards
- PayPal, Skrill, Paysafecard
- Crypto via CoinGate
Epoch is one of the primary credit card processors for these transactions.
Epoch, xHamsterLive, and Payabl
When porn tokens are purchased using credit or debit cards, Epoch is one of the integrated payment processors within the Payabl payment gateway. Epoch operates its European business via Epoch EU Limited, registered in Guernsey.
According to Similarweb, over 25% of xHamsterLive users process their token purchases through Epoch, using its domain www.wnu.com. The company’s high-risk specialization makes it a preferred processor for porn merchants.
However, Cyberfinance rating agency PayRate42 has placed Epoch on its “Red Compliance” list due to:
- Lack of ownership and management transparency
- Numerous complaints from users and regulators
Share Your Information
We are actively investigating Epoch, its operators, and its clients. If you have any relevant information, please share it through our whistleblower platform, Whistle42.