⚙️ How deposits are completed

Every Unifold deposit is a short pipeline: detect inbound value, choose a route, convert if needed, and credit the destination the app configured. This page walks those stages so status labels make more sense.

The stages

1. Intent. You pick a method (connected wallet, deposit address, linked exchange, or checkout) and a source asset.
2. Detection. Unifold sees a confirmed inbound transaction or a partner authorization.
3. Routing. A path is selected across liquidity and bridges so the destination token and chain match what the app asked for.
4. Execution. Swaps, bridges, or partner payouts run. Larger size may be split to keep price impact in range.
5. Credit. The destination wallet, vault, or ledger balance updates, and the widget shows success.

Webhooks fire for integrating apps at these boundaries. As an end user you mainly see the widget: processing, then complete.

Wallet or on-chain send

You sign in your wallet or broadcast to a deposit address. After the source network confirms, detection is usually fast. Same-asset, same-chain deposits can credit almost immediately. Cross-chain conversion adds the routing steps above.

Keep the widget open until success if you can. Closing it does not cancel an already-broadcast transaction.

Linked exchange

When an app uses Connect Exchange, Unifold (or its connector) initiates a withdrawal from the linked venue. Timing includes the exchange’s own withdrawal queue, not just chain confirmation. That is why exchange-originated deposits often take a couple of extra minutes compared with a wallet you control.

If the exchange shows the withdrawal as pending with no hash, wait for the venue to broadcast before assuming Unifold is stuck.

Checkout (known amount)

Checkout starts from a price or invoice. Because the size is known, you get a quote and a fee breakdown before you confirm. After payment, settlement targets the merchant’s configured treasury asset. See Paying with checkout.

Fiat methods, when present

Some apps offer card or bank on-ramps through regulated partners. Those partners collect identity information and move value onto an asset Unifold can route. Failures at the partner (declined card, extra KYC) never create an on-chain Unifold deposit. Retry inside the widget or use an on-chain method instead.

We do not route all fiat volume through a single exclusive processor. The partner you see is the one selected for that session.

What “success” means

Success means the destination the app configured was funded, not that your source wallet still holds a wrapped intermediate token. If explorer links show an outbound hop you do not recognize, that is often the conversion leg, not a second charge.

If the completed state never appears, use Finding your deposit.