Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of These Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of ChatFi, a social commerce and payments platform ("ChatFi", "we", "our", "us"). By creating a store, accepting a staff invitation, or otherwise accessing ChatFi, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you are using ChatFi on behalf of a business, you represent that you have authority to bind that business to these Terms.

2. What ChatFi Is — and Is Not

ChatFi provides software tools that let merchants create a storefront, list products, manage orders, and accept payment from buyers in Nigerian Naira and USDC. ChatFi is a technology platform, not a bank, payment processor, escrow agent, or party to any sale.

Every transaction on ChatFi is a direct transaction between the merchant and the buyer. ChatFi is not responsible for the quality, safety, legality, or delivery of any product listed on a merchant's store, and does not take title to, inspect, or hold any goods sold through the platform.

3. Payments Are Non-Custodial — ChatFi Does Not Hold Your Money

This is important, so we state it plainly: ChatFi does not receive, hold, or have custody of buyer payments at any point. When a buyer pays a merchant through ChatFi:

• Naira payments are routed directly to the merchant's connected bank account or payment processor of record — ChatFi's systems facilitate and record the transaction but do not sit between the buyer's money and the merchant's account as a holding party.
• USDC payments settle directly on-chain to the merchant's own wallet address (either a wallet the merchant controls, or an embedded wallet generated for the merchant that only the merchant can access and withdraw from). ChatFi does not have signing authority over merchant wallets and cannot move funds out of them.

Because ChatFi never takes custody of funds, we are not a money transmitter, custodian, or escrow provider, and we do not guarantee, insure, or reverse any payment. Chargebacks, refunds, and payment disputes between a buyer and a merchant are the responsibility of the merchant to resolve directly with the buyer, in line with the merchant's own stated refund and shipping policies.

4. Fees

ChatFi does not charge a subscription fee to open or run a store. You pay a transaction fee on the value of orders processed through your store, and optional fees for add-ons you choose to use, such as premium theme rentals, custom domains, or SMS notifications, as disclosed in your dashboard. Network/gas fees for on-chain USDC transactions are separate from any ChatFi fee and are determined by the underlying blockchain network, not by ChatFi. Fees are subject to change with reasonable notice.

4a. Advertising on Your Store

ChatFi does not charge a subscription fee, and advertising helps make that possible. If your store uses a free template, ads may be shown on your storefront by default, in placements such as your product grid, footer, wishlist, and orders pages. Ads never appear on your cart, checkout, or payment pages, and are always clearly labelled "Ad" or "Sponsored."

If you rent a premium theme, your store is ad-free by default. You may optionally choose to show ads in exchange for a reduced theme rental price. This is entirely your choice and can be switched off, subject to your current billing cycle. See our Merchant Terms of Service for full detail on how advertising works.

5. Merchant Responsibilities

• You are solely responsible for the accuracy of your product listings, pricing, descriptions, and images.
• You are solely responsible for fulfilling orders, in accordance with the shipping, delivery, and refund policies you publish on your store.
• You are responsible for providing accurate payout details (bank account or wallet address). ChatFi is not liable for funds sent to an incorrect account or address you provided.
• You must comply with all applicable laws, including consumer protection, tax, and e-commerce regulations in your jurisdiction.
• You must not use ChatFi to sell illegal goods or services, or to conduct fraudulent, deceptive, or money-laundering activity.

6. Staff Accounts

Store owners may invite staff members and grant them limited, permission-based access (for example, to Orders and/or Products only). Staff accounts never have access to payment settings, payout details, store domain/API credentials, or the ability to manage other staff. Store owners are responsible for managing and revoking staff access as needed, and for any actions taken by staff they have granted access to.

7. Custom Themes

Merchants may upload a custom storefront theme (HTML/CSS). Uploaded themes are automatically validated and sanitized before being stored or rendered — inline scripts, external imports, and other unsafe content are rejected. Custom themes render only within the merchant's own store page. Merchants are responsible for the content and design of any theme they upload, including ensuring it does not infringe on third-party intellectual property. ChatFi reserves the right to remove or disable any theme that violates these Terms or poses a security or legal risk.

8. Buyer Relationship

Buyers purchasing from a ChatFi-powered store are entering into a sale agreement directly with the merchant, not with ChatFi. ChatFi is not responsible for product quality, order accuracy, delivery timelines, or refunds — these are governed by the individual merchant's own policies, which are displayed on their store.

9. Intellectual Property

ChatFi and its logos, design, and underlying software are the property of ChatFi and its licensors. Merchants retain ownership of their own store content, product listings, and any custom theme they create, but grant ChatFi a limited license to host and display that content as part of operating their storefront.

10. Disclaimers

ChatFi is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. We do not warrant that the platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure at all times.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, ChatFi shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, revenue, data, or goodwill, arising from your use of the platform, including but not limited to disputes between merchants and buyers, payment delays or failures outside ChatFi's control, or loss of funds due to incorrect payout details provided by a merchant.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold ChatFi harmless from any claims, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including legal fees) arising from your use of the platform, your store content, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any law or third-party right.

13. Suspension and Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to ChatFi, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms, engaged in fraudulent or illegal activity, or posed a risk to the platform, other merchants, or buyers. You may stop using ChatFi at any time.

14. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, without regard to conflict of law principles, unless otherwise required by applicable law in your jurisdiction.

15. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated through the platform or by email where possible. Continued use of ChatFi after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

16. Contact Us

Questions about these Terms can be sent to hello@chatfi.pro.