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Legal

Terms of Service

Last updated: March 20, 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using HeirVault ("the Service"), operated by HeirVault Pte. Ltd. ("HeirVault", "we", "us", "our"), a company incorporated in Singapore, at heirvault.xyz and heirvault.com, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Service. These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and HeirVault.

2. Definitions

  • "Vault" means a smart contract deployed on a supported blockchain network through the Service that holds digital assets with configurable inheritance conditions.
  • "Owner" means the wallet address that deployed the Vault and retains control over its settings and assets.
  • "Heir" or "Beneficiary" means a wallet address designated by the Owner to receive a share of the Vault's assets upon claim execution.
  • "Guardian" means a wallet address authorized by the Owner to extend the grace period of a Vault.
  • "Check-In" means an on-chain transaction by the Owner confirming continued activity, resetting the dead man's switch timer.
  • "Claim" means the process by which Heirs initiate and execute asset transfer after the Check-In interval has expired.
  • "Emergency Pause" means a temporary protocol safety state that may restrict claim initiation/finalization and native ETH and tracked ERC-20/ERC-721 deposits.
  • "Trust Declaration" means the auto-generated legal document establishing the Vault as a revocable inter vivos conditional trust.
  • "Digital Assets" means ETH, ERC-20 tokens, ERC-721 tokens (NFTs), BTC, and other supported cryptographic assets.

3. Description of Service

HeirVault is a non-custodial, decentralized application that provides smart contract-based digital asset inheritance tools. The Service enables users to:

  • Create inheritance Vaults on supported blockchain networks with configurable dead man's switch mechanisms.
  • Designate Heirs with proportional share allocations and multisig claim requirements.
  • Appoint Guardians to oversee grace period extensions.
  • Generate legal documentation (Trust Declarations and Beneficiary Notices).
  • Optionally earn yield on deposited ERC-20 assets through integration with Aave V3 protocol.
  • Generate tax reports and cost basis calculations for informational purposes.

The Service is a technical tool — a software interface to interact with autonomous smart contracts. HeirVault is not a financial institution, custodian, broker, dealer, exchange, fiduciary, trustee, estate planner, or investment advisor.

4. Non-Custodial Nature

HeirVault is fully non-custodial. We do not hold, control, or have access to your private keys, seed phrases, or Digital Assets at any time. All funds are managed exclusively by audited smart contracts deployed on public blockchains. You are solely responsible for the security of your wallet credentials and for managing your Vault settings. HeirVault cannot reverse transactions, recover lost keys, freeze Vaults, or intervene in the claim process. Once a smart contract is deployed, its execution is governed by its code, not by HeirVault.

5. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old (or the age of legal majority in your jurisdiction) and legally capable of entering into binding contracts to use the Service. By using HeirVault, you represent and warrant that you meet these requirements and that your use of the Service does not violate any applicable law or regulation in your jurisdiction.

6. Prohibited Jurisdictions and Activities

The Service is not available to residents, nationals, or persons located in jurisdictions subject to comprehensive sanctions by the United States, European Union, or United Nations, including but not limited to:

  • Iran, North Korea (DPRK), Cuba, Syria
  • Crimea, Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Luhansk People's Republic (LPR)
  • Any other jurisdiction subject to OFAC comprehensive sanctions

You shall not use the Service to:

  • Launder money, finance terrorism, or evade sanctions.
  • Violate any applicable anti-money laundering (AML) or counter-terrorism financing (CTF) laws.
  • Circumvent export controls or trade restrictions.
  • Interact with wallet addresses listed on the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List.
  • Engage in market manipulation, fraud, or any unlawful activity.
  • Interfere with, disrupt, or attempt to exploit the Service or its smart contracts.
  • Use the Service for any purpose other than its intended inheritance planning functionality.

7. User Responsibilities

  • You are solely responsible for maintaining access to your blockchain wallet(s) and private keys.
  • You must perform Check-Ins within the configured intervals to prevent unintended Claim activation.
  • You are responsible for correctly configuring Heirs, Guardians, share allocations, and signature thresholds.
  • You must verify that Heir and Guardian wallet addresses are correct before deployment. Incorrect addresses may result in permanent loss of assets.
  • You must comply with all applicable laws and regulations in your jurisdiction, including tax obligations related to digital asset transfers and inheritance.
  • You are responsible for understanding the forced heirship rules in your jurisdiction and ensuring your Vault configuration complies with mandatory inheritance shares where applicable.
  • You acknowledge that the Trust Declaration and other legal documents generated by the Service are informational tools and may require review by a qualified attorney in your jurisdiction.

8. Subscription Plans and Payments

The Service offers tiered subscription plans (Free, Standard, Premium, Institutional) with varying features and limits. By subscribing to a paid plan, you agree to the following:

  • Subscription payments are made in ETH or supported tokens via on-chain transactions to the PremiumManager smart contract.
  • Subscriptions may be offered on monthly, annual, or lifetime bases as displayed on the pricing page.
  • Feature access is gated on-chain. Downgrading your plan may restrict access to features used on existing Vaults (e.g., Aave yield, additional Heirs).
  • Refunds are not available for on-chain subscription payments due to the irreversible nature of blockchain transactions, except where required by applicable law.
  • HeirVault reserves the right to modify subscription pricing with 30 days' prior notice. Existing subscriptions remain at their current rate until renewal.

9. Aave Yield Integration

For eligible subscription tiers, the Service offers integration with Aave V3 protocol to generate yield on deposited ERC-20 assets. By opting into this feature:

  • You acknowledge that yield rates are variable, determined by the Aave protocol, and may fluctuate to zero or negative values.
  • You understand that deposited assets are supplied to third-party DeFi protocols and are subject to the risks of those protocols, including smart contract vulnerabilities, liquidation events, and protocol governance changes.
  • The current AaveStrategy smart contract does not deduct a HeirVault yield commission; any separate commission policy is not active on-chain.
  • HeirVault does not guarantee any specific yield rate and is not responsible for losses resulting from Aave protocol failures or market conditions.
  • Yield earned may be subject to taxation in your jurisdiction. You are solely responsible for reporting and paying any applicable taxes.

10. KYC/AML Compliance

HeirVault implements risk-based Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) procedures where required by applicable law, platform risk controls, or manual review:

  • Wallet-based authentication is the default for self-service vault creation. Additional identity verification may be required based on transaction value, geography, sanctions-screening results, payment activity, abuse signals, or regulatory obligations.
  • Automated sanctions screening is performed for EVM owner, Heir, and Guardian wallet addresses during supported self-service flows. Unsupported chain/address formats, oracle outages, or inconclusive results may require manual review before we provide off-chain services.
  • Where full KYC is required, verification may include government-issued ID, PEP (Politically Exposed Persons) screening, sanctions checks, and source-of-funds review.
  • HeirVault reserves the right to suspend or restrict access to the Service if any associated address is flagged by compliance screening, or if we reasonably suspect the Service is being used for prohibited activities.
  • KYC data, when collected, is encrypted at rest using industry-standard encryption and retained for the minimum period required by applicable law.

11. Risks and Disclaimers

By using HeirVault, you acknowledge and accept the following risks. For a comprehensive list, see our Risk Disclosure:

  • Smart contract risk: While our contracts use audited libraries (OpenZeppelin) and follow security best practices, no software is guaranteed to be free of vulnerabilities. A bug in the smart contract could result in permanent loss of assets.
  • Blockchain risk: Transactions on public blockchains are irreversible. Network congestion, forks, protocol upgrades, or chain reorganizations may affect Vault operations.
  • Key management risk: Loss of wallet access (private keys, seed phrases) will result in permanent, irrecoverable loss of assets. HeirVault cannot recover lost keys.
  • Oracle risk: Fair Market Value calculations for tax reports rely on third-party price oracles (Chainlink). Oracle manipulation or failure may result in incorrect valuations.
  • Regulatory risk: The legal status of digital assets, smart contract-based inheritance, and DeFi yield varies by jurisdiction and is subject to change.
  • Market risk: The value of digital assets is extremely volatile and may decline significantly. HeirVault does not hedge, insure, or protect against market losses.
  • Third-party protocol risk: Aave V3 and other integrated protocols operate independently. Their failure, exploit, or governance changes could affect assets in your Vault.
  • Coordination risk: The multisig claim mechanism requires cooperation among designated Heirs. If Heirs lose access to their wallets or cannot coordinate, assets may remain locked indefinitely.

12. No Financial, Legal, or Tax Advice

HeirVault does not provide financial, legal, tax, or estate planning advice. The Service is a technical tool for on-chain asset management. Specifically:

  • The Trust Declaration is an auto-generated informational document — not a legal instrument prepared by a licensed attorney. Its enforceability depends on your jurisdiction.
  • Tax reports, cost basis calculations, and jurisdiction-specific tax guidance are for informational purposes only. Consult a qualified CPA or tax advisor.
  • Forced heirship warnings are based on general legal principles and may not reflect the latest legislative changes in your jurisdiction.
  • Nothing in the Service constitutes investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any Digital Asset.

13. Intellectual Property

The HeirVault brand, website design, user interface, and proprietary backend software are owned by HeirVault Pte. Ltd. and protected by applicable intellectual property laws. Our smart contracts are open source and subject to their respective licenses (MIT / GPL). You may not use our trademarks, service marks, or branding without prior written consent. User-generated content (Vault configurations, Trust Declarations) remains your property; you grant HeirVault a limited license to process this data solely for Service delivery.

14. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW:

  • THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.
  • HEIRVAULT AND ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AFFILIATES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DIGITAL ASSETS, PROFITS, DATA, GOODWILL, OR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES.
  • OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF: (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO HEIRVAULT IN SUBSCRIPTION FEES IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED US DOLLARS (USD $100).
  • HEIRVAULT SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSSES RESULTING FROM: SMART CONTRACT VULNERABILITIES OR EXPLOITS; BLOCKCHAIN NETWORK FAILURES, FORKS, OR REORGANIZATIONS; LOSS OF PRIVATE KEYS OR WALLET ACCESS; THIRD-PARTY PROTOCOL FAILURES (INCLUDING AAVE); ORACLE MANIPULATION OR FAILURE; OR REGULATORY ACTIONS IN ANY JURISDICTION.

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless HeirVault Pte. Ltd., its directors, officers, employees, affiliates, and agents from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from or relating to: (a) your use of or inability to use the Service; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any rights of a third party; (d) your failure to comply with applicable laws, including tax, AML, and sanctions regulations; or (e) any dispute between you and any Heir, Guardian, or other party related to a Vault.

16. Service Availability and Force Majeure

While we strive for high availability, HeirVault does not guarantee uninterrupted access to the Service. Your Vaults operate independently on-chain and can be accessed directly through block explorers or compatible interfaces even if our website is unavailable. See our Recovery Guide for details.

HeirVault shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance resulting from causes beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to: blockchain network outages, chain halts, or consensus failures; distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks; oracle failures; internet service disruptions; natural disasters, pandemics, or acts of God; government actions, sanctions, embargoes, or regulatory changes; 51% attacks or chain reorganizations; third-party protocol failures, exploits, or governance attacks; and war, terrorism, civil unrest, or cyberwarfare.

17. Suspension and Termination

HeirVault may suspend or terminate your access to the Service (excluding on-chain smart contracts, which operate autonomously) at any time if: (a) you violate these Terms; (b) compliance screening flags your wallet address; (c) we are required to do so by law, regulation, or court order; or (d) we reasonably believe your use poses a risk to other users or the integrity of the Service. Existing on-chain Vaults will continue to function regardless of account suspension, as they are autonomous smart contracts on public blockchains.

18. Modifications to Terms

We may update these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated at least 30 days in advance through the Service (via banner notification and/or email if you have provided one). The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of the Service after the effective date of updated Terms constitutes your acceptance. If you do not agree to the updated Terms, you must stop using the Service.

19. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Singapore, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to these Terms, or the breach, termination, or invalidity thereof, shall be settled by arbitration administered by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre ("SIAC") in accordance with the SIAC Arbitration Rules in force at the time of filing. The arbitration shall be conducted in English, with the seat of arbitration in Singapore. The arbitral tribunal shall consist of a sole arbitrator. The arbitrator's award shall be final and binding on both parties.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to prevent the actual or threatened infringement of intellectual property rights.

20. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

21. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and Risk Disclosure, constitute the entire agreement between you and HeirVault regarding the use of the Service, superseding all prior agreements, understandings, and communications, whether written or oral.

22. Contact

For questions about these Terms, please contact us at legal@heirvault.xyz or use our contact form.

HeirVault Pte. Ltd.
Singapore