// LEGAL
Risk Disclosure
// THE FUNDING PROCESS
How escrow behaves around your contribution - and the fee, refund, and delivery limits built into it.
This protects the process, not the outcome
Vault's escrow protects the funding process. It does not guarantee the legitimacy, performance, value, or future success of any project, token, charity, community, or third-party service associated with a campaign. Contributing is not an investment and does not entitle you to any financial return.
Transactions cannot be reversed
Confirmed Solana transactions cannot be reversed - there is no chargeback or dispute process. Contribution fees paid at deposit are non-refundable regardless of campaign outcome. In a refund scenario a processing fee is deducted from your principal - you will not receive back 100% of your contributed SOL.
Fulfillment risk
Successful funding does not guarantee that a campaign's stated purpose will ultimately be completed exactly as expected. Depending on the campaign, fulfillment may require Vault to purchase or arrange a service or deliverable from a third-party provider, direct funds to an identified beneficiary, or otherwise carry out the fulfillment method described by the campaign. Third-party availability, delays, technical problems, project actions, beneficiary issues, or circumstances outside Vault's control may affect fulfillment after a campaign succeeds. On-chain escrow protects the funding process. It does not guarantee the performance, legitimacy, value, or future success of a project, token, service provider, beneficiary, or other third party.
Charity releases at 20% - and does not refund past it
Charity campaigns use a flexible 20% threshold. If a charity campaign reaches 20% of its goal, funds are released and contributors are NOT refunded - even if the full goal was never reached. Only a charity campaign that finishes below 20% enters the refund path. This is the opposite of what most people expect from crowdfunding. Charity campaigns also skip the waiting period standard campaigns use.
SOL swings either way
Contributions are denominated in SOL. Its market value fluctuates significantly and may decline during a campaign's funding period or after settlement. Refunds return in SOL at the prevailing rate at refund time - not the rate at the time of contribution.
Fulfillment can still fail downstream
Even when a campaign succeeds and funds are released, downstream fulfillment may be delayed, incomplete, or fail due to factors outside the escrow protocol. There is no on-chain mechanism to reverse a successful settlement once executed.
// TECHNICAL & ACCESS
Risks in the software, the network, and the wallets interacting with them.
Smart contracts can contain bugs
Vault's escrow and campaign logic runs in on-chain programs. Smart contracts may contain bugs or vulnerabilities that could result in loss of funds or incorrect state transitions. Programs have been reviewed internally but not by a third-party auditor. If an exploit is discovered, remediation is limited by the immutability of on-chain programs.
The Solana network can degrade
Solana has experienced outages and degraded performance in the past. Such events could delay or prevent contributions, refunds, or settlements during the affected period. Transaction fees and confirmation times are determined by the network and are outside Vault's control.
The app can go down; the protocol carries on
The Vault website and app may experience downtime or bugs. The on-chain program continues to operate on Solana regardless of whether the website is available.
Your keys are your own
You are solely responsible for the security of your wallet and private keys. Vault cannot recover lost keys, reverse unintended transactions, or protect you from phishing or key theft. Always verify you are on the correct Vault domain before connecting a wallet or signing. Never share your seed phrase.
Only SOL is supported - do not send anything else
Sending any asset other than SOL to a campaign escrow address may result in permanent, irrecoverable loss. Vault's programs have no mechanism to retrieve SPL tokens, NFTs, or other assets - there is no recovery path. Only send SOL using the Vault application.
Vendors are outside the escrow
When a campaign succeeds, Vault purchases or arranges the service or deliverable associated with the campaign. Where that involves a third-party provider, the provider's performance, availability, and timelines are outside Vault's direct control. A fulfillment delay or failure attributable to a third party is not a failure of the escrow process.
// CONTEXT & SCOPE
What else sits around the protocol - identity metadata, regulation, and the bigger picture.
Projects and tokens can fail
Projects and tokens associated with campaigns may fail, lose value, be abandoned, or never launch. Token values are speculative and can go to zero. Vault does not vet project quality, legal standing, or team competence - you are responsible for your own research.
Cross-chain metadata is display only
Campaigns may display token or project metadata from other blockchains (Ethereum, Base, BNB, Monad, and others). This metadata comes from off-chain data providers for display only. Vault has no programs on any other chain, no bridge, and no custody of any non-SOL asset. All contributions are SOL; all escrow is on Solana.
No third-party audit to date
Vault's programs have undergone internal review - no third-party security audit has been completed. This disclosure does not substitute for professional financial, legal, or tax advice.
Regulation can change access
The legal environment for blockchain platforms is evolving rapidly and varies by jurisdiction. New regulations could require Vault to restrict access, modify its service, or cease operations in certain jurisdictions. See the Restricted Regions page for current jurisdictional access restrictions.
The bottom line
Vault's escrow protects the funding process. It does not guarantee the legitimacy, performance, value, or future success of anything a campaign is associated with. You are responsible for your own assessment before contributing. This is not investment advice.
// NEXT STEP
Understanding the risks is half of it. Here's exactly what protection you do get.