Tetrapolar is a secure, non-custodial escrow coordination platform for high-value cross-border trade settled in bitcoin.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Tetrapolar?
Tetrapolar is an escrow service designed to facilitate cross-border deals settled in bitcoin. We provide a coordination mechanism between the buyer and the seller, as well as a backup key for dispute cases and fund recovery.
Does Tetrapolar hold my bitcoin?
No. Tetrapolar is strictly non-custodial. Funds are locked in a multisignature wallet that you and your counterparty control. We provide the coordination layer — we never have unilateral access to move your bitcoin.
What kind of multisignature wallet do you use?
For each deal, Tetrapolar creates a multisig wallet with two branches: (1) a 2-of-2 cooperative branch controlled strictly by the buyer and the seller; (2) a 2-of-3 backup branch in which Tetrapolar's key is added for the purpose of signing in disputed cases or for fund recovery — this branch is activated after a timelock specified at deal creation. All of this happens automatically; you just need to fill out a short form.
What happens if there is a dispute?
In case of a dispute, counterparties must resolve it either among themselves or through a mutually agreed court of law. Tetrapolar does not engage in dispute resolution itself — we act upon the decision of the legal entity chosen by the parties. We recommend that parties include such clauses in their agreement before using Tetrapolar. If either party refuses to sign the release transaction after the ruling, Tetrapolar will use its signing key to provide the second signature.
How are fees calculated?
Fees scale with deal size, starting at 1% for smaller deals and dropping to as low as 0.1% for high-volume transactions. There are no setup fees and no monthly fees — you only pay when a deal settles. Use the calculator in the Pricing section to estimate your fee.
What deal sizes do you support?
Tetrapolar is designed for high-value cross-border trade. During open beta, we support deals from around $1,000 up to $250,000. The upper limit will be lifted once we come out of beta.
What happens if Tetrapolar becomes unavailable while there are active deals?
For each deal, we provide a wallet backup that can be downloaded by each participant. This backup file uses the descriptor format, which can be imported into compatible wallets such as Nunchuk. The buyer and seller will then be able to proceed with deal settlement without Tetrapolar.
Do you store the private keys to my wallet?
Your keys are always encrypted with your passphrase — we never have access to them in readable form. With the default Simple setup, an encrypted backup of your key is stored on our server; only your passphrase can decrypt it, so we cannot read or use it. If you prefer that nothing is stored with us at all, choose Advanced setup: your keys stay entirely in your browser, and you secure them with a 12-word seed phrase that you write down and keep safe.
Do you support hardware wallets?
Currently, we only support browser-generated wallets. Hardware wallet support is one of our top priorities for future releases.
What assets do you support?
We support bitcoin (BTC) on the bitcoin blockchain.