Is Artisan Cash legit and safe for USDC?

Who runs Artisan Cash?

Artisan Cash Inc. runs artisan.cash. The Terms of Service are an agreement between you and Artisan Cash Inc., and the Privacy Policy names the same company. Artisan is open to adults in the United States and is in a closed beta, so access is by invite or access code. You pass an identity check before you move money to or from a US bank or pay a bill. To see what it does, read What Artisan is.

Is Artisan Cash a bank, and is my money insured?

Artisan Cash is not a bank, and your balance is not insured. Artisan Cash Inc. is a software company, not a bank and not a money transmitter.

• Not a deposit. Your balance is not a bank deposit.
• Not insured. It is not insured by the FDIC, the NCUA, the SIPC or any government agency.
• No safety net. If Artisan were to fail, no deposit insurance scheme would make you whole.

Who holds my money?

You do. Your balance sits in a self-custodial wallet that belongs to you. Artisan is non-custodial: you hold your own funds and we never take custody of them. Artisan cannot move, freeze or recover your funds for you. That protects you from us, and it also means that a transaction you authorize is yours and we cannot reverse it.

What do licensed partners do?

Some steps in a payment are regulated, and Artisan does not do them. Licensed third-party partners convert between stablecoins and US dollars, move money over bank rails, issue cards and verify identity, under their own licenses and terms. While your money is on one of those steps, the partner running it holds it under their rules. If a partner pauses service or declines a payment, your payment can be delayed or blocked.

Can I get my money out at any time?

Yes. You do it yourself, in the app, at any hour. Send what is in your wallet to any address you control, and that route does not depend on Artisan being available. You can also cash out to a US bank account in your name, which runs through a licensed partner and so keeps bank hours. Send a small amount first, because a transfer on a public network cannot be undone. Getting your money out has the other checks to make.

What happens if Artisan disappears?

Your wallet is yours and exists independently of Artisan. It is a wallet on a public network, not a row in our database, so what is in it does not depend on this company carrying on. The risk that remains is your own sign-in. If you lose your sign-in method and your recovery options, your funds may be permanently unrecoverable. Nobody can reset that, and that includes us. If Artisan disappears covers what to set up today.

How do I tell the real Artisan Cash?

• The address. The site is artisan.cash. Check the address before you sign in.
• The X account. Artisan is @UseArtisan on X.
• What Artisan never asks. Artisan will never ask for your recovery phrase, a private key or a one-time code, by email, chat or call. It will never ask you to send funds to an address to verify, recover or protect your account.
• If someone asks. It is a scam. A payment you were tricked into authorizing cannot be undone.

What can go wrong with the money itself?

• Payments cannot be undone. Once a transaction on a public network is confirmed, it cannot be recalled or charged back. Sending to a wrong address usually means the money is gone.
• A stablecoin can lose its peg. USDC is intended to be worth one US dollar, but that is not guaranteed. Artisan does not issue USDC, does not hold its reserves and cannot guarantee redemption.
• Scams target self-custody. Fake support staff, fake recovery prompts and bad links are common.
• Software and networks can break. Bugs and congestion can delay or stop a payment. Audits reduce this risk and do not remove it.

What can go wrong around the money?

• Partners can pause. If a partner stops service or changes its terms, a payment can be delayed or blocked.
• Bill payments can be late. A payment moves through several parties, so pay well before the due date. Late fees stay with you.
• Earn can lose money. Earn is optional and self-directed. Any rate is variable, is not a promise and can go to zero. You can lose some or all of what you deposit.
• Rules can change. US rules for stablecoins and self-custodial wallets are still developing, and a change could limit what Artisan offers.

Is it safe to put USDC in Artisan Cash?

That depends on you as much as on us. The largest risks sit with you: your sign-in, your recovery options, the addresses you send to and how much you hold. Read the risk disclosures in full first, and only use money you can afford to lose. Nothing on this page is investment, financial or legal advice.

Artisan Cash is a software company, not a bank, and a USDC balance is not a deposit and is not FDIC or SIPC insured. Read how your money is held and the risk disclosures before you add money.