100 crypto escrow topics
21 guides are published and linked below. The other titles are the backlog: each one names the search it is meant to answer. Planned titles are not separate pages yet, so this list does not pretend they are.
Escrow fundamentals
Crypto escrow is the practice of locking tokens until the people in a deal are ready for those tokens to move. On Ethereum the lock is a smart contract, not a bank account. These notes define the vocabulary: parties, deposits, approval, release, and refund. They also compare an escrow with a shared wallet or an atomic swap, and they draw a line around what software can enforce. Start here if you need language you can reuse in the agreement with the other side.
-
Published
What Is a Crypto Escrow?Search topic: crypto escrow
-
Published
Custodial vs Non-Custodial Crypto EscrowSearch topic: non-custodial crypto escrow
-
Published
Smart Contract Escrow, ExplainedSearch topic: smart contract escrow
-
Published
What a Smart Contract Escrow Cannot DoSearch topic: smart contract escrow
-
Planned
Escrow vs a Multisig Wallet
A shared wallet needs signatures to move funds. An escrow also has deadlines, a fixed payout, and a refund if the deal never finishes.
Search topic: multisig vs escrow
-
Planned
On-Chain Escrow vs Off-Chain Escrow
On-chain escrow puts the lock where anyone can verify it. Off-chain escrow puts a person or a company between the parties.
Search topic: on-chain escrow
-
Planned
Why High-Value Crypto Deals Use Escrow
Direct transfers are fine between people who already trust each other. Escrow is for the gap before that trust exists.
Search topic: crypto deal escrow
-
Planned
Atomic Swaps vs Escrow
An atomic swap exchanges two assets in one stroke. An escrow can wait days for an inspection, a signing, or a delivery.
Search topic: atomic swap vs escrow
-
Planned
Pull Payments in Escrow Contracts
Crediting a balance, then letting each person withdraw, keeps one failed transfer from trapping everyone else.
Search topic: pull payment escrow
-
Planned
What Code Is Law Means for a Deal
The phrase only covers rules that were written into the contract. A PDF the contract cannot read is not law on-chain.
Search topic: code is law escrow
-
Planned
How to Read an Escrow State Machine
Created, Funded, Approved, Disputed, Released, and Terminated are the only places a DeFiEscrow deal can stand.
Search topic: escrow state machine
-
Planned
Common Crypto Escrow Scams
Most escrow theft is a fake website or a hurried signature, not a clever reading of a published contract.
Search topic: crypto escrow scam
-
Planned
Escrow Account vs Smart Contract
An escrow account is a bank relationship. A smart contract is a program with an address. They fail in different ways.
Search topic: escrow account crypto
-
Planned
Two-Party Escrow Basics
One depositor and one recipient is the smallest useful deal, and it is still a full state machine.
Search topic: two party crypto escrow
-
Planned
Who Can Release Escrowed Crypto
After unanimous approval, release is a separate transaction. Approval alone does not send the tokens.
Search topic: who releases escrow crypto
-
Planned
Changing Deal Terms After Creation
Party addresses, amounts, and deadlines are fixed at creation. The fix for a mistake is a refund and a new escrow.
Search topic: immutable escrow
Using DeFiEscrow
These guides walk through DeFiEscrow itself: the Ethereum contract and the web app. You create an escrow with wallet addresses, one asset, deposit amounts, payout amounts, and two deadlines. Parties then deposit, approve, and later withdraw. The protocol fee is 1%, with a 0.05 ETH minimum on native ETH escrows. Nothing here assumes you already write Solidity. It does assume you will check the network in your wallet before you sign.
-
Published
How DeFiEscrow WorksSearch topic: how DeFiEscrow works
-
Published
The DeFiEscrow Protocol FeeSearch topic: DeFiEscrow protocol fee
-
Published
Unanimous Approval in a Multi-Party EscrowSearch topic: multi-party escrow
-
Published
Escrow Funding Deadlines and Approval DeadlinesSearch topic: funding deadline
-
Planned
Two-Party Setup in the DeFiEscrow App
The simple path asks for an asset, an amount, a depositor, a withdrawer, and who pays the fee.
Search topic: create crypto escrow
-
Planned
Advanced Multi-Party Setup
The advanced path is for custom roles, uneven amounts, and more than one person paying or receiving.
Search topic: multi party crypto escrow
-
Planned
Depositor, Withdrawer, and Acknowledger Roles
Some wallets send funds, some receive funds, and some only have to approve before anyone is paid.
Search topic: escrow party roles
-
Planned
Sharing an Escrow ID Safely
The deal id is how the other parties open the same escrow. Treat it like a reference number, and still verify the addresses inside.
Search topic: escrow id
-
Planned
How Withdrawals Work After Release
Release credits the payout. Withdraw sends it. They are two transactions, and the recipient chooses where the second one goes.
Search topic: withdraw escrow funds
-
Planned
What the Fee Recipient Does
The protocol fee is a payout to a fee address that the contract requires. That address does not have to approve the deal.
Search topic: escrow protocol fee recipient
-
Planned
Rehearsing an Escrow on a Test Network
A test network uses tokens with no market value. It is the right place to click through create, fund, approve, and refund once.
Search topic: sepolia escrow
-
Planned
How to Approve USDC or USDT Spending
Stablecoin deposits need a token approval before the contract can pull the funds. Approve the amount you mean to deposit.
Search topic: approve USDC escrow
-
Planned
Reading Escrow Events on a Block Explorer
Created, deposited, approved, released, and refunded events are public even when the detailed view is limited to parties.
Search topic: etherscan escrow
-
Planned
Why Pull Payments Avoid Stuck Funds
If the contract pushed tokens to every party in one loop, one failure could block the rest. Crediting balances avoids that.
Search topic: pull payments
-
Planned
Cancelling an Unfunded Escrow
If the funding deadline passes before every deposit arrives, the escrow can be terminated and anyone who did pay can withdraw it back.
Search topic: cancel crypto escrow
-
Planned
Sending a Deposit from the Wrong Wallet
Only the address named as a party can deposit. A transfer from any other wallet is not a deposit into that escrow.
Search topic: wrong wallet escrow
Real estate closings
A property closing has a price, a deposit, and several people who may get paid. These guides show where a crypto escrow fits: holding earnest money or the purchase price in ETH, USDC, or USDT until the participants approve. They also say what the contract does not do. It does not search title, record a deed, or replace the lawyer, notary, or title company your jurisdiction requires. Use them with local counsel.
-
Published
Crypto Escrow for Real Estate ClosingsSearch topic: crypto escrow for real estate
-
Published
Buying Property with USDCSearch topic: buying property with USDC
-
Published
Earnest Money Deposits in CryptoSearch topic: earnest money
-
Planned
A Crypto Real Estate Closing Checklist
A practical order of operations: agreement, title work, escrow terms, funding, signing, approval, and only then release.
Search topic: crypto closing checklist
-
Planned
Holding a Property Deposit in USDC
How to size a USDC deposit, who the parties are, and what the seller should see on-chain before they take the property off the market.
Search topic: property deposit USDC
-
Planned
When the Buyer and the Seller Both Deposit
Some closings need both sides to post funds. The contract refunds each depositor their own deposit if the deal dies.
Search topic: buyer seller escrow
-
Planned
Paying a Broker Commission from Escrow
A commission is just another payout. Put the broker's wallet and amount in the escrow at creation, not in a side promise.
Search topic: real estate commission crypto
-
Planned
International Property Purchases in Stablecoins
A buyer abroad can fund USDC without a correspondent wire. Title, tax, and permission to buy still follow local law.
Search topic: international property USDC
-
Planned
Commercial Real Estate Deposits in Crypto
Commercial deposits are larger and often have more parties. The escrow math is the same, and the off-chain contract is thicker.
Search topic: commercial real estate crypto
-
Planned
Inspection Periods and Approval Deadlines
Set the approval deadline at the end of the contingency window so a failed inspection can end in a refund instead of a trapped deposit.
Search topic: inspection period escrow
-
Planned
Crypto Escrow and the Deed
The contract can hold the price. The deed is signed, notarized, and recorded under local law. Do not swap those jobs.
Search topic: crypto real estate deed
-
Planned
Using an Attorney as an Acknowledger
A lawyer can be a party who must approve and who neither pays nor receives, which is what the acknowledger role is for.
Search topic: real estate attorney escrow
-
Planned
Cash Purchases and Where Escrow Fits
A cash purchase still has a deposit, a closing statement, and a moment when the price should be locked. Escrow covers the tokens, not the title.
Search topic: cash home purchase crypto
-
Planned
Refunding a Property Deposit On-Chain
A refund returns what each person deposited. It does not pay the seller a forfeiture unless that forfeiture was written as the payout from the start.
Search topic: refund earnest money crypto
-
Planned
Several Sellers on One Property Deal
Each seller who must consent should be a party. Each seller who is paid needs their own payout amount.
Search topic: multiple sellers escrow
-
Planned
Stablecoin Closings for Overseas Buyers
Time zones and banking hours matter less. Sanctions screening, source-of-funds rules, and the local closing still matter.
Search topic: overseas buyer USDC
-
Planned
What to Put in the Off-Chain Purchase Contract
Name the asset, the amounts, the wallet addresses, the deadlines, and what has to be true before anyone approves.
Search topic: purchase agreement crypto escrow
Business closings
Company sales, asset purchases, equipment, and shareholder buyouts often need more than a payer and a payee. A broker, a lawyer, or a second seller may have to sign off, and the payout may be split. This cluster is about designing those parties inside one escrow: who deposits, who receives, and who only acknowledges. The amounts have to balance. The contract will not invent a payment you forgot to write down.
-
Published
Multi-Party Escrow for Business ClosingsSearch topic: business closings
-
Planned
Asset Purchases Settled in USDC
An asset purchase can lock the price in USDC while bills of sale and assignments are signed off-chain.
Search topic: asset purchase USDC
-
Planned
Holdbacks and Earnouts Without a Bank
A holdback is a separate escrow with its own deadline, not a promise that someone will remember to send the rest.
Search topic: M&A holdback escrow
-
Planned
Shareholder Buyouts Using Escrow
Price, share transfer, and release can be sequenced so the tokens move only after every selling shareholder approves.
Search topic: shareholder buyout escrow
-
Planned
Equipment Purchases Between Companies
The buyer locks USDC or USDT. The seller ships. Both approve when the equipment matches the order.
Search topic: equipment purchase escrow
-
Planned
Inventory Purchases in Stablecoins
Useful when the buyer and the wholesaler do not share a bank, and neither wants to pay or ship first with no lock.
Search topic: inventory purchase USDC
-
Planned
Joint Venture Contributions
Each contributor deposits. Nobody is paid until every contributor approves the release, or the deadline refunds them.
Search topic: joint venture crypto escrow
-
Planned
Domain Names and Digital Assets in a Business Sale
The escrow holds the payment token. The domain registrar transfer still happens at the registrar.
Search topic: domain sale escrow
-
Planned
Vendor Deposits Before Delivery
A deposit can be locked until delivery is accepted, instead of sitting in the vendor's operating wallet.
Search topic: vendor deposit escrow
-
Planned
Splitting One Closing Among Several Recipients
Seller, lender payoff, broker, and advisor can each have a will-receive amount, as long as the totals balance.
Search topic: split payout escrow
-
Planned
Escrow for a Small Business Acquisition
The purchase price can settle in USDC. Licenses, leases, and employee transfers remain ordinary legal work.
Search topic: buy a business with crypto
-
Planned
Franchise Fees and Escrow
A franchise fee can be locked until both sides approve that the conditions in the franchise agreement are met.
Search topic: franchise fee escrow
-
Planned
Invoice Settlement Compared with Escrow
An invoice asks to be paid. An escrow defines what happens if it is not, including the refund path.
Search topic: crypto invoice vs escrow
Milestones and private trades
Freelancers, contractors, and OTC counterparties can use an escrow when they do not want to trust a stranger's promise to pay or to deliver. These guides cover milestone structure, why one escrow cannot release half now and half later, and how a one-asset contract handles a trade. Delivery still happens off-chain. The contract only moves the tokens that were deposited, and only after the approval rule is satisfied.
-
Published
Milestone Payments for FreelancersSearch topic: milestone payments
-
Published
OTC Crypto Escrow for Private TradesSearch topic: OTC crypto escrow
-
Planned
Paying a Contractor in USDC
Lock the price, name the acceptance rule, and release only when the hiring party and the contractor both approve.
Search topic: pay contractor USDC
-
Planned
Software Development Milestones
Each milestone that should be payable on its own needs its own escrow. One contract releases everything together.
Search topic: software milestone escrow
-
Planned
Design and Creative Project Escrow
Revisions and acceptance criteria belong in the off-chain brief. The escrow only knows whether the parties approved.
Search topic: design project escrow
-
Planned
Consulting Engagements with an Approval Gate
A consulting period can end in approval and release, or in a deadline that refunds the unused deposit.
Search topic: consulting escrow USDC
-
Planned
Security Deposits Paid in USDC
A deposit that should come back to the payer is a payout back to that payer, written at creation, not a favor later.
Search topic: USDC security deposit
-
Planned
Commission Splits for Agents and Affiliates
List every payee and amount up front. A split that is not in the contract will not be paid by the contract.
Search topic: commission split crypto
-
Planned
Marketplace Sales Between Strangers
Escrow reduces the 'pay first or ship first' problem. It does not inspect the goods.
Search topic: p2p marketplace escrow
-
Planned
Retainer Compared with Escrow
A retainer is usually spent as work happens. An escrow stays locked until approval or a refund rule.
Search topic: retainer vs escrow
Disputes and safety
Real deals stall. Someone misses a deadline, funds from the wrong wallet, or refuses to approve. This cluster explains the exits that are actually in the contract: funding timeout, approval timeout, dispute, and the 30-day dispute refund. It also covers wallet hygiene. There is no support desk that can reverse a signed transaction. The safety model is the set of rules recorded when the escrow was created.
-
Published
How Crypto Escrow Disputes WorkSearch topic: crypto escrow disputes
-
Published
Dispute Timeouts and RefundsSearch topic: dispute timeout
-
Published
A Wallet Checklist Before You FundSearch topic: wallet checklist
-
Published
No-KYC Crypto Escrow, ExplainedSearch topic: no-KYC crypto escrow
-
Planned
How to Raise a Dispute
A party can raise a dispute only from Funded or Approved. It freezes release immediately.
Search topic: raise dispute crypto escrow
-
Planned
Who Can Remove a Dispute
Only the wallet that raised the dispute can remove it, and removing it does not extend the deadlines.
Search topic: remove escrow dispute
-
Planned
Why Disputed Funds Are Refunded, Not Split
There is no mediator inside the contract who can award 70% to one side. The timeout refunds deposits.
Search topic: escrow refund not arbitration
-
Planned
Funding Timeout Refunds
If funding is incomplete when the deadline passes, whoever did deposit can be refunded. Whoever did not deposit gets nothing back.
Search topic: funding timeout escrow
-
Planned
Approval Timeout Refunds
If someone refuses to approve before the approval deadline, the escrow can be terminated and deposits returned.
Search topic: approval timeout refund
-
Planned
Why an Approved Escrow Does Not Expire
Once every participant has approved, the funding and approval deadlines no longer cancel the deal. Someone still has to release.
Search topic: approved escrow release
-
Planned
Smart Contract Risk in Plain Language
Bugs, wrong addresses, and chain reorgs are the risks you actually have. A support ticket is not one of the remedies.
Search topic: smart contract risk
-
Planned
Phishing Sites That Imitate Escrow Apps
Check the domain before you connect a wallet. A copied interface can ask you to sign a transfer the real app would not.
Search topic: escrow phishing
-
Planned
What a Smart Contract Audit Does and Does Not Prove
An audit is a review at a point in time. It is not insurance, and this site does not claim a current audit badge.
Search topic: smart contract audit
-
Planned
Why Detailed Escrow Views Are Limited to Parties
The detailed read function requires the caller to be a party. The events emitted on-chain are still public.
Search topic: private escrow view
ETH, USDC, and USDT
ETH moves with the market. USDC and USDT are meant to track one US dollar, and they are the usual choice when a contract names a dollar price. This cluster compares the three assets DeFiEscrow supports, including decimals, token approvals, the ETH-only minimum fee, and what a stablecoin depeg would mean while funds are locked. Cross-border settlement is often faster than a wire, and it is still subject to the laws that apply to the people in the deal.
-
Published
ETH, USDC, or USDT for EscrowSearch topic: USDC escrow
-
Published
Cross-Border Stablecoin EscrowSearch topic: cross-border stablecoin escrow
-
Planned
Why Settle a Closing in USDC
A dollar price stays readable when the locked asset is meant to track a dollar. ETH is a different bet.
Search topic: USDC settlement
-
Planned
USDT Escrow: What to Check First
USDT deposits need a token approval, and changing an existing USDT allowance sometimes means setting it to zero first.
Search topic: USDT escrow ethereum
-
Planned
Stablecoin Depeg Risk While Funds Are Locked
If the token's market price moves while the escrow is open, the contract still pays the token amount, not a repaired dollar value.
Search topic: stablecoin depeg escrow
-
Planned
Token Decimals for USDC, USDT, and ETH
USDC and USDT use 6 decimals. ETH uses 18. The app formats this. A hand-built transaction has to get it right.
Search topic: USDC decimals
-
Planned
Mainnet and Testnet Tokens Are Not the Same
A Sepolia token and a mainnet token share a ticker and nothing else. Confirm the network before a real deposit.
Search topic: ethereum mainnet vs testnet
-
Planned
How Long an Ethereum Escrow Transaction Takes
A transaction is pending until it is included and considered final enough for your deal. The protocol does not promise a two-second settlement.
Search topic: ethereum escrow confirmation
Choosing an escrow
Escrow is an old idea. Title companies, lawyers' trust accounts, and custodial websites all offer a version of it. A smart contract is another version, with different failure modes. These guides are for choosing. Sometimes you want a licensed person who can exercise judgment. Sometimes you want a contract that cannot pay anyone until every participant approves, and that refunds deposits if a deadline passes. Many closings use both.
-
Published
Crypto Escrow vs Traditional EscrowSearch topic: crypto escrow vs traditional escrow
-
Planned
DeFiEscrow and a Lawyer's Trust Account
A trust account comes with professional duties and a person who can receive instructions. A contract comes with a rule and no discretion.
Search topic: lawyer trust account vs escrow
-
Planned
DeFiEscrow and a Custodial Web Escrow
A custodial website can reverse or mediate because it holds the money. DeFiEscrow cannot, because it does not.
Search topic: escrow.com alternative
-
Planned
When a Traditional Escrow Is Still the Right Tool
Use a traditional escrow when you need title insurance, regulated custody, or a human who can interpret a messy dispute.
Search topic: when to use traditional escrow
-
Planned
How to Compare Crypto Escrow Fees
Compare the protocol fee, the minimum, gas, and any mediator fee. A low headline rate can hide a custody spread.
Search topic: compare crypto escrow fees
-
Planned
Questions to Ask Before Using a Smart Contract Escrow
Who can be paid, who must approve, what the refund is, which network you are on, and which promises live only in a PDF.
Search topic: questions before crypto escrow