Terms of Service

Last Updated: March 2026

1. Introduction and Platform Role

Welcome to TrustBridge. We provide a milestone-based escrow orchestration platform designed to facilitate secure transactions between independent contractors ("Freelancers") and their clients ("Clients").

Crucial Distinction:TrustBridge acts strictly as the orchestration and intelligence layer operating under the UK Commercial Agent framework. We are not a bank, nor are we the regulated fund holder. All regulated fund holding and payment processing is handled by licensed third-party financial institutions (e.g., Stripe, Escrow.com, and TrueLayer).

2. Smart Payment Routing and Custody

When a Client funds a milestone, TrustBridge automatically routes the transaction via the most appropriate regulated rail:

  • Under £1,000: Processed via Stripe (including Apple Pay/Google Pay).
  • £1,000 to £20,000: Processed via Open Banking (TrueLayer/Pay by Bank) to optimise processing fees.
  • Over £20,000: Handled entirely via the Escrow.com API, where Escrow.com acts as the regulated fund custodian.

By using TrustBridge, you additionally agree to the respective Terms of Service of these integrated payment partners based on your transaction size.

3. State Machine Enforcement (The "Code is Law" Clause)

TrustBridge enforces financial transitions via a strict digital state machine. Funds locked in connection with a specific milestone cannot be moved, withdrawn, or released until the pre-agreed conditions for that milestone are digitally verified as met.

Neither the Client, the Freelancer, nor TrustBridge administrators can manually override this flow outside of the predefined Dispute Resolution process.

4. Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

If a dispute arises regarding whether a milestone has been met, TrustBridge initiates a structured resolution process:

  1. Proposal Rounds: Both parties submit a proposed payment split. If the Client outright accepts the Freelancer's proposal, it is automatically selected to protect the more vulnerable party. This repeats for a maximum of three (3) rounds.
  2. Neutral Arbitration: If no agreement is reached after three rounds, the dispute escalates to neutral arbitration. During the Early Access phase, this is handled by TrustBridge administration; at scale, it is outsourced to an independent third-party arbitration service.

The decision reached via the final arbitration step is binding, and funds will be released according to that decision.

5. Beta Access and Waitlist

TrustBridge is currently offering Early Access via a controlled cohort waitlist. Acceptance into the beta program is at the sole discretion of TrustBridge. Promotional offers (such as "first £5,000 fee-free") are limited to approved early-access users and may be revoked if abuse or fraudulent activity is detected.

6. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising from these Terms will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.