Guarantors & escrow

Why escrow matters in payments

Many deals in the payments industry happen between parties who have never worked together: a provider and a new team, a merchant and an OTC desk, two companies exchanging liquidity across borders. An escrow service or guarantor holds the funds (or the security deposit) until both sides fulfil agreed conditions, then releases them. It reduces the risk of one side disappearing after receiving money.

Types of escrow and guarantee services

• Crypto escrow: funds in USDT or other coins are held in a controlled wallet and released on confirmation.
• Fiat escrow for B2B deals: a licensed escrow agent or law firm holds money on a segregated account.
• Guarantor services ("гарант сделок"): a trusted third party, common in P2P and Telegram-based markets, confirms both sides' performance.
• Deposit holding: keeping a team's or trader's insurance deposit with a neutral party instead of the provider.
• Milestone escrow for integration projects and software deliveries.

What to check

• Legal status: licence or regulated profession (e.g. escrow agent, notary, law firm) versus an informal guarantor; know which you are using.
• Release conditions: written, objective criteria and the evidence required.
• Dispute process: who decides, timelines, and what happens if a party stops responding.
• Fees: percent of the deal, minimum fee, who pays.
• Supported assets: fiat currencies, USDT networks, other coins.
• Reputation: history and independent references; avoid impersonators of well-known guarantors by contacting them only via verified channels.

Where escrow is used

• First trades with an OTC desk or P2P exchange merchant.
• Onboarding P2P teams and traders with deposits.
• Buying or selling a business, licence or white-label platform.
• Freelance and marketplace deals between companies.

By country

Listings include the UAE, the UK, the US, Singapore, India, Germany, Canada, Australia, Mauritius and China.

For disputes after a deal goes wrong, see disputes & recovery. Nominal hub itself does not provide escrow or act as guarantor.