These Terms of Service (the "Terms") govern access to and use of the Kudu™ platform, available through the mobile application and the kudu.cash website (together, the "Platform"). Please read them alongside our Acceptable Use Policy, Risk Disclosure, Privacy Policy and Complaints Policy, which form part of your agreement with us. By creating an account or using the Platform, you accept these Terms in full.
1. Definitions
- Kudu / we / us
- The publishers of the Platform, Alevia Nova Ltd and Financial Digital Technology (FIDITECH) SAS, as identified in our Legal Notice.
- Partner / licensed partner
- An independent, licensed or regulated third party that provides a regulated service through the Platform — for example a MiCA-authorised crypto-asset service provider (CASP), a licensed money-transfer or payment provider, or a licensed exchange bureau.
- Non-custodial
- An arrangement in which Kudu does not take possession or control of your money or your crypto-asset private keys. You self-custody your wallet; regulated custody, where it applies, is handled by a licensed Partner.
- KuduSafe™
- Our escrow mechanism, which holds the value of a transaction in a smart contract until agreed release conditions are met.
2. Who we are and what Kudu is
Kudu™ is a non-custodial technology platform — a user-friendly way to access blockchain networks (primarily Stellar, and also Bitcoin and USDT on Tron) to move and hold value. Kudu is not a bank, not a payment service provider, and not a trading, investment or brokerage platform, and it does not itself hold your funds, execute payment transactions or take custody of your crypto-asset private keys. Permitted and prohibited uses — including that Kudu must not be used as a trading or remittance platform — are set out in our Acceptable Use Policy.
3. Description of services
Through the Platform you can access the following, some directly and some via licensed Partners:
- Send & Receive — cross-border transfers, settled on the Stellar public network and paid out through licensed partners including MoneyGram and a network of independent, licensed exchange bureaux
- Request & Invoice — payment links and invoices to get paid
- Top-up — adding funds to your wallet through licensed on-ramp Partners
- Cash-out — converting to cash through licensed payout Partners and independent exchange bureaux
- Group buying — pooled purchases, including white-label deployments for partner merchants, protected by KuduSafe escrow
- KuduSafe™ escrow — holds the value of a deal on-chain until the agreed release conditions are met, protecting both buyer and seller
- Wallets — self-custody wallets for stablecoins on Stellar (USDC, EURC) and for other supported crypto-assets such as Bitcoin and USDT (each on its own network)
- Rewards & referral — a loyalty programme (Bronze → Diamond) and a referral programme
Not every service is available everywhere: availability depends on your country of residence, your verification level and the Partners operating in your region, and some features are offered only in specific regions or are not yet generally available.
4. Eligibility and registration
- You must be at least 18 years old and have the legal capacity to enter into a contract
- You must not be a resident of, or located in, a country or territory subject to comprehensive sanctions, and you must not appear on any applicable sanctions list
- You must provide accurate, current and complete information, and keep it up to date
- You may hold only one personal account unless we agree otherwise in writing
- We may refuse, restrict or close any account that does not meet our requirements
5. Identity verification (KYC / AML)
Identity verification (Know Your Customer, "KYC") is required before you can use certain services, and may be repeated or enhanced over time. Verification, ongoing monitoring, sanctions screening and reporting are carried out in line with our AML & KYC Policy and the requirements of our licensed Partners. We may request source-of-funds or source-of-wealth information, and may withhold our co-signature or ask for more information while checks are completed.
6. On-ramp and off-ramp
On-ramp (buying crypto-assets with fiat)
Conversion of fiat currency to crypto-assets is provided by licensed Partners such as Transak, subject to their own terms and regulatory obligations. Kudu is not a party to that service and is not responsible for it.
Off-ramp (cash-out and payouts)
Cash-out and payouts are provided by licensed partners, including MoneyGram's global payout network and independent, licensed exchange bureaux coordinated in West Africa by our operational partner FIDITECH, operating in Côte d'Ivoire, Benin and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These bureaux are independent operators, not employees of Kudu.
7. Non-custodial model and your keys
Kudu operates a non-custodial model. This means:
- Where you self-custody, you — not Kudu — hold and control your private keys and digital assets
- Kudu does not hold, control or have access to self-custodied funds and cannot recover them if you lose your access credentials or recovery phrase
- Loss of your credentials or recovery phrase may result in the permanent loss of your assets
- Where a service involves regulated handling of funds (for example a money-transfer or payment Partner processing a payout), those funds are handled and safeguarded by that licensed Partner under its own terms, not by Kudu
8. Product-specific terms
Transfers (Send & Receive)
Transfer amounts, applicable exchange rates and fees are shown before you confirm. Once submitted, a transfer settled on-chain is generally irreversible. Delivery times are estimates and may vary with network conditions, verification checks and bureau availability.
KuduSafe™ escrow
KuduSafe holds the value of a deal on-chain until predefined release or refund conditions — including time-based conditions — are met, protecting both parties. Kudu operates the mechanism but does not decide the outcome of a deal and does not take control of the funds: it cannot redirect the escrow to a party of its choosing. We can offer assistance and mediation to help the parties reach agreement, but the release and refund rules, and the applicable time-outs, determine the result, and ultimate responsibility for delivering the deal rests with the seller. Where a seller acts in bad faith, we may sanction that seller by other means — never by seizing the transacted funds.
Group buying & delivery
Pooled-purchase offers set out the conditions, minimum participation and deadlines that apply. If conditions are not met, the applicable offer terms govern how contributions are handled. Where physical goods are shipped, delivery is arranged through logistics partners such as Sendcloud, and the delivery details you provide are shared with them solely to fulfil your order.
Rewards & referral
Loyalty and referral benefits are offered at our discretion and may change. Abuse — including self-referral, fake accounts or manipulation — will result in forfeiture and may lead to account closure.
9. Fees
Fees are shown transparently in the application before each transaction. They may vary with the service used, the destination country, the chosen cash-out method and your loyalty level. Third-party Partners may charge their own fees, which are disclosed at the point of use. The fee schedule may change, and material changes will be communicated with reasonable notice.
10. Traceability, records and auditability
Every transaction on the Platform produces a complete, tamper-evident record. On-chain settlement (primarily on the Stellar public network) is transparent and independently verifiable, and KuduSafe releases follow auditable, rule-based conditions. We retain transaction and verification records to meet accounting, tax and anti-financial-crime obligations (see our Privacy Policy for retention periods), and to support you and the competent authorities where lawfully required.
11. Fair, clear and not misleading communications
We are committed to communicating fairly, clearly and in a way that is not misleading, including in our marketing and advertising, consistent with applicable financial-promotion standards and the marketing-communication requirements of Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 (MiCA). We do not promise risk-free or guaranteed returns, and communications about crypto-assets carry appropriate risk warnings. Please read our Risk Disclosure before you transact.
12. Your responsibilities
- Keep your login credentials, PIN and recovery phrase confidential
- Use the services only for lawful purposes and in line with our Acceptable Use Policy
- Verify recipient and payment details before you confirm — transfers can be irreversible
- Notify us immediately via our contact form of any unauthorised use of your account
13. Refunds, cancellation and right of withdrawal
Because transfers and crypto-asset transactions are executed promptly at your request and settle on public blockchains, they are generally irreversible once confirmed and cannot be cancelled. Where EU/UK consumer law provides a right of withdrawal for the supply of certain financial services, that right does not apply to a transaction you have expressly asked us to execute and that has already been performed. If a service fails through our fault, contact us and we will investigate under our Complaints Policy; refunds of Kudu fees, where due, are made to your account.
14. Taxes
You are responsible for determining, reporting and paying any taxes that apply to your use of the services, including on crypto-asset gains where relevant. Kudu does not provide tax advice.
15. Suspension, closure and termination
You may close your account at any time, subject to completing pending transactions. We may suspend or close an account, or restrict access to a service, where we reasonably believe it is necessary to comply with law or a Partner's requirements, to prevent fraud or financial crime, to protect users or the Platform, or where these Terms or the Acceptable Use Policy are breached. Where lawful, we will give notice. Legal and regulatory record-keeping obligations survive closure.
16. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law:
- The Platform is provided "as is" and we do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free availability
- We are not responsible for losses arising from crypto-asset volatility or exchange-rate movements
- We are not responsible for services provided by third parties (for example Transak, MoneyGram, Sendcloud or independent bureaux)
- We are not responsible for losses resulting from your failure to secure your credentials or recovery phrase
- We do not exclude liability for anything that cannot lawfully be excluded (such as fraud or death or personal injury caused by negligence)
- Subject to the above, our total liability for a transaction is limited to the Kudu fees collected for that transaction
17. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify Kudu against reasonable losses and costs arising from your breach of these Terms or the Acceptable Use Policy, your misuse of the Platform, or your violation of law or the rights of a third party.
18. Complaints and dispute resolution
If something goes wrong, contact us first via our contact form. Our full process, timelines and escalation routes (including the relevant regulator or mediator in your country) are set out in our Complaints Policy. Failing an amicable resolution, disputes are subject to Section 19 below.
For a dispute about a deal between users (for example a KuduSafe deal or a group buy), Kudu can provide assistance and mediation but does not decide the outcome and does not control the funds: the deal's escrow rules and time-outs apply, and responsibility for the deal rests with the seller.
19. Governing law and jurisdiction
- Services provided by Alevia Nova Ltd (technology platform) are governed by English law, and disputes fall under the courts of England and Wales.
- Services provided by FIDITECH SAS (bureau network in West Africa) are governed by Ivorian law, and disputes fall under the courts of Abidjan.
- Services provided by other licensed Partners are governed by the terms and law applicable to that Partner.
- Nothing here removes mandatory consumer-protection rights available to you under the law of your country of residence.
Regulatory status
Kudu is a non-custodial technology provider. It is not a payment service provider, does not hold client funds and does not itself execute payment transactions. Fiat on/off-ramp, conversion, cash-out and money-transfer services are provided by licensed Partners — including MiCA-authorised CASPs and licensed money-transfer and payment providers — each responsible for its own regulatory obligations. We work to comply with the regulations applicable to our activities in our operating territories:
- United Kingdom — ICO / UK GDPR (data protection)
- European Union — MiCA (crypto-assets) and GDPR (personal data), via authorised Partners
- WAEMU zone (Côte d'Ivoire, Benin) — BCEAO regulations
- Democratic Republic of the Congo — BCC regulations
20. Force majeure
We are not liable for failure or delay caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including network or blockchain outages, failures of third-party providers, changes in law, natural events, or civil disruption.
21. General
- Assignment — you may not transfer your rights under these Terms without our consent; we may assign ours to an affiliate or successor.
- Severability — if any provision is found unenforceable, the rest remain in force.
- Entire agreement — these Terms and the policies they reference are the entire agreement between you and us for the Platform.
- Communications — you agree to receive notices electronically, in the app or by email.
22. Changes to these Terms
We may modify these Terms. We will notify you of material changes by in-app notification or email. Continued use of the services after notice constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms.
23. Contact
- Contact: Contact form