Glossary · Principles

What is Non-custodial?

A non-custodial service moves value without ever holding it: the platform routes, matches, and notifies, but the keys, and therefore the funds, stay with the owner. Every settlement lands at an address the user controls, and every action is a signature the user gives.

Custody is the difference between a bank and a rail. A custodial wallet is an IOU; a non-custodial one is the asset itself. The trade-offs are real (lost keys are lost funds), but for a merchant the question is simpler: can the platform run away with the till? Non-custodial means it cannot.

Non-custodial on U.CASH

Non-custodial is the whole architecture: swaps settle to your wallet, checkouts settle to your address, U.CASH never holds a merchant's or a buyer's funds at any point in any flow.

See also

How U.CASH worksAccept crypto

Non-custodial: FAQ

If U.CASH holds nothing, what am I trusting?
The code and the chains. Routing and matching are the service; custody is not part of it. Your wallet signs, your address receives, the ledger settles.
What happens if I lose my keys?
Non-custodial means no recovery: the keys are the account. U.CASH's answer for everyday use is the U Account model with its own recovery flow, while pure wallet flows keep full self-custody.
Keep reading

The glossary, A to Z

Every term behind the rails, the assets, and the settlement.