Industries · Marine
Selling a vessel to a crypto buyer? Hold it in escrow, close it in euros
For yacht and superyacht brokers, builders and charter operators: accept a crypto or stablecoin payment against your invoice, hold it in regulated escrow while the deal completes, and receive EUR at settlement. The buyer is screened, the rate is locked, and the brokerage never holds a coin.
In brief
Can a yacht broker accept crypto on a sale and still get paid in euros?
Yes. The buyer pays in crypto or a USD stablecoin against the invoice you already raise. Xchange360 runs KYC and source-of-funds checks on the buyer, locks the rate at the moment of payment, holds the funds in regulated escrow until the deal's conditions are met, then converts and settles EUR to the brokerage. You never hold a coin, and the closing lands in fiat on your account.
The problem
Large-ticket buyers holding crypto, and no compliant way to take it
More yacht buyers in the UAE and the Mediterranean hold their wealth in crypto and want to pay with it, on deals running into the tens of millions. A broker cannot take that into a company wallet. The price can move between deposit and completion. A bank and a flag state will ask where the funds came from. And a brokerage is not an escrow agent or a crypto desk, nor should it have to become one. So the deal stalls, or it walks to someone who can handle it.
Accept the payment, screen the buyer, hold it in escrow, and close in EUR, with a documented trail the deal can stand on.
How it works
How it works
Buyer pays against your invoice
The buyer pays in crypto or a USD stablecoin against the invoice you already raise. The conversion rate locks at payment, so the EUR figure is fixed from that moment.
Buyer is screened, funds are held
KYC, wallet screening and source-of-funds checks run on the buyer. The funds sit in regulated custody, in escrow where the deal needs it, never in a brokerage or personal wallet.
Escrow releases at completion
When the deal's conditions are met, escrow releases. Use it for the deposit to secure the vessel, then the balance at completion, or a single payment straight through.
You receive EUR at settlement
We convert at the locked rate and settle EUR to your account in time for the closing. Nothing crypto touches the brokerage's books.
USDC
Why brokers use it on high-value sales
Crypto from the buyer, escrow through the deal, euros at the close
Escrow through completion
Hold the buyer's funds until the deal's conditions are met, then release to settlement. You take the deposit without becoming the escrow agent yourself.
Held in regulated custody
Funds sit in regulated custody for the length of the deal, never in a company wallet or an exchange account. The brokerage never holds a coin.
Rate locked, closing in EUR
The conversion rate locks at payment, so the EUR you agreed is the EUR that lands. No exposure to the market moving while the boat completes.
Compliance runs on the buyer
KYC, wallet screening and source-of-funds checks run on the buyer, with sanctions screening. The sale stands up to bank, flag-state and legal scrutiny.
Who it's for
- Yacht and superyacht brokers
- Charter operators and management companies
- Boat builders and new-build yards taking staged payments
- Marine dealers selling to UAE and Mediterranean buyers
FAQ
Common questions
Do we ever have to hold or touch the crypto ourselves?
No. The buyer pays into Xchange360, not into a brokerage wallet or a personal exchange account. We hold the funds in regulated custody through the deal and pay you EUR. Nothing crypto hits your books, so your accounts and audit trail stay in fiat.
What stops the price moving between the deposit and the closing?
Two things. Buyers can pay a USD stablecoin, which holds its value against the dollar, and we lock the conversion rate the moment the payment lands. The EUR figure you agreed is the EUR figure that settles, whatever the market does while the boat completes.
How do we know the buyer's money is clean on a deal this size?
KYC, wallet screening and source-of-funds checks run on the buyer before any funds are accepted, with sanctions screening in line with OFAC guidance. You get a documented trail that stands up to bank, flag-state and legal scrutiny on a high-value sale.
Can we use it for the deposit and for the full balance at completion?
Both. Take a crypto deposit to secure the vessel, hold it in escrow, then take the balance the same way at completion. Escrow releases to EUR settlement once the deal's conditions are met.
Who acts as the escrow agent, and how is the escrow structured?
Funds are held in regulated custody, in escrow where the deal needs it, and released when the deal’s conditions are met, so the brokerage is not acting as escrow agent itself. The arrangement is documented so buyer, seller and their lawyers can see the release conditions before funds are accepted. Talk to the desk about how the escrow terms are set for your specific sale and closing structure.
What happens to the funds if the sale falls through before completion?
Because funds sit in regulated escrow against agreed release conditions, if those conditions are not met the money is returned through the regulated route rather than released to the brokerage. Since KYC and source-of-funds checks already ran on the buyer, any return goes back to a verified party. The specific refund conditions are set in the escrow terms for each deal, so agree them up front.
How are funds protected in custody on a deal worth tens of millions?
Funds are held in regulated custody rather than in a brokerage wallet or on a retail exchange, which is what keeps a high-value position off your books and out of personal hands through the deal. For sales of this size, ask the desk about the custody arrangements and the safeguards that apply so you can document them for the buyer and their advisers. That assurance is part of what lets a large crypto-funded deal close.
Can the broker’s commission be settled separately from the seller’s proceeds?
Because the funds are held and then settled in EUR at completion, the payout can be structured to reflect how the deal splits between seller proceeds and brokerage commission. This is agreed as part of the settlement instructions before escrow releases. Raise your commission and disbursement structure with the desk so the EUR settlement matches your closing statement.
Does this handle VAT and flag-state registration requirements on the sale?
The service changes how the buyer pays and how you receive clean EUR, not your obligations around VAT or flag-state and vessel registration, which you continue to handle as you do on any sale. What it adds is a documented source-of-funds and settlement trail that stands up to bank, flag-state and legal scrutiny. Keep your maritime lawyer and tax adviser involved on the registration and VAT treatment for the specific vessel.
