How Nomadia works
A plain description of the trade flow, the escrow, and the trust signals. Read this once before your first meetup.
Two roles in every trade
One person gives crypto and receives cash, the other gives cash and receives crypto. Whoever holds the crypto side locks it in the escrow contract. The cash side never touches the contract.
The trade, step by step
Every offer moves through the same states. The app shows you which step you are on and what to do next.
- Open: posted, visible to nearby people. Nothing is locked.
- Matched: someone accepted. Both sides now see contact details and the frozen reference rate.
- Locked: the crypto side deposited funds into the escrow contract. Only now is it worth meeting.
- Released: both confirmed the handover. The contract paid out and you can rate each other.
The escrow contract
Funds are held by a smart contract, not by Nomadia and not by the other person. Neither party can move them alone. Release needs both confirmations. If the counterparty confirmed and the depositor goes quiet, the funds still go to the person who paid cash.
The fair price check
The implied rate of every offer is compared against a live market reference for USDC and USDT. Within 3% reads as fair. Beyond 15% is flagged as far from market. When an offer is matched, that reference is frozen and shown on the trade page, so a later disagreement is judged against the price both of you saw.
Per-trade limits
Limits follow how strongly the identity is verified. They are per trade, and they apply to both the poster and the person accepting.
- No sign-in: up to $100, a contact channel is required.
- Wallet, Google or Apple: up to $500.
- Telegram with phone verification: up to $1500.
Reputation and vouching
Ratings come only from released trades and only from the two participants, one each. Vouching is separate: every member has an invite link, and anyone who signs in through it carries that member as their voucher on every offer. Neither signal can be bought.
Meeting safely
The meetup is the one moment the app cannot protect. A few habits keep it uneventful.
- Choose a public place with cameras: a bank lobby, a hotel reception, a busy café.
- Check that the escrow shows Locked before you travel.
- Count the cash together, then confirm. Confirm only after the money has changed hands.
- Never move the conversation to a different offer, amount or wallet at the last minute.
When something goes wrong
Either side can open a dispute while funds are locked. A neutral arbiter reviews the on-chain state and the frozen rate, then decides where the funds go. During the test phase the arbiter is the Nomadia team.
Expiry
An open offer stays visible for seven days, then expires on its own. Matched offers do not expire; they end by release, refund or dispute.