The money moves when the deal does
Escrow holds the funds in a neutral account while both sides complete their part of the agreement. When the conditions you set are met, the money is released. Until then, it stays put.
The side that moves first carries the risk
The buyer does not want to pay before the goods are delivered, and the seller does not want to ship before the payment arrives. In a cross-border deal, with different legal systems and time zones, that standoff is not solved by asking one side to trust more. It is solved by removing the moment of exposure.
What escrow changes
The money goes into a neutral account that neither party controls alone. The goods move, the conditions are checked, and only then the funds are released.
- The buyer does not pay the seller directly
- The seller does not ship on a promise
- Release follows the terms, not the relationship
From agreement to release in four steps
Agree
Both sides write down the conditions that must be met before the money moves.
Deposit
The buyer sends the funds into a neutral escrow account, separate from both parties.
Deliver
The seller provides the goods or the service, and the evidence travels with it.
Release
Conditions met, the funds are released to the seller. The deal closes as agreed.
Three deals that stall without a neutral account
Nobody has a reason to go first
A new partner, no trade history, and two sides both waiting for the other to move.
The order is too big to guess on
The larger the invoice, the more a wrong reading of the other side would cost you.
Two legal systems, one set of terms
Enforcement across borders is slow and expensive. Escrow keeps the money tied to the terms instead.
Three questions, answered in full
How escrow works
The process step by step: what buyer and seller see at each stage, and what happens if the deal stalls.
How it worksWhat you can use it for
Goods delivery, staged work, asset transfers and upfront production, and the release conditions that fit each one.
What it's forWho it's for
Escrow is not for every deal. The moments when it makes sense, and the one moment when it does not.
Who it's forReady to hold a payment until the terms are met?
Escrow is part of the same business account, not a separate product to buy.
Four questions we hear on every deal
Who holds the money during the deal?
Neither party. The money sits in a separate escrow account, and it moves only when the conditions you both agreed to are met.
What happens if one side does not deliver?
The funds stay in the escrow account. Release happens only when the conditions of the deal are met, so a failure on one side does not move the money to either party on its own.
How are the release conditions defined?
Before the deposit, both sides write the conditions into the escrow instruction. The release follows those conditions, and nothing else.
What currency is used for the escrow?
The escrow account is opened in the currency of the deal, so the deposit and the release are expressed in the same currency.
Set up an escrow for your next deal
Tell us about the transaction, the parties and the conditions. We will set up the account and walk both sides through the steps.