Is Mercato custodial?

No, Mercato is completely non-custodial. Funds are held in decentralized smart contracts on Stellar, and only code logic can release them based on milestone approvals.

What assets are used on Mercato?

All deals on Mercato are denominated in USDC, a dollar-pegged stablecoin, ensuring stability and protecting against local currency or crypto price fluctuations.

MERCATO

Supply Chain Finance on Stellar

How MERCATO Works

MERCATO connects SMBs, investors, and suppliers through non-custodial, milestone-based escrow on Stellar — giving businesses working capital, investors short-term yield, and suppliers faster payments.

Non-custodial escrowUSDC on StellarLATAM supply chains

Who participates in the Mercato ecosystem?

Mercato connects small businesses, investors, and suppliers into a unified, transparent supply chain financing ecosystem. SMBs (buyers) secure essential working capital, investors earn attractive yields by funding real invoice-backed transactions, and suppliers receive guaranteed milestone-based payments on-chain, creating a mutually beneficial loop where everyone wins.

SMB (Buyer)

Get working capital for inventory without taking on traditional debt.

Create deals specifying product, supplier, and payment terms
Deploy a non-custodial Stellar escrow with your wallet
Confirm deliveries and milestone releases
Repay investor capital + yield after your sales cycle

Investor

Fund real supply-chain deals and earn short-term yield in USDC.

Browse open deals on the marketplace
Fund escrow directly from your Stellar wallet in USDC
Track milestones and deal progress in real time
Receive repayment with yield once the deal completes

Supplier

Get paid faster with milestone-based on-chain payments.

Manage your company profile and product catalog
Accept orders once a deal is funded
Submit shipment and delivery proof
Receive 50% on shipment and 50% on delivery — on-chain

The Deal Flow

How does the Mercato deal flow work step-by-step?

The Mercato deal lifecycle consists of four key phases secured entirely by smart contracts: a buyer deploys an escrow, an investor funds it with USDC, the supplier ships goods to trigger milestone-based releases, and the buyer finally repays the investor with yield. This automated flow ensures complete security and transparency.

SMB Creates Deal & Deploys Escrow

SMB (Buyer)

An SMB selects a supplier from the catalog, specifies the product, amount, and term, then signs a Stellar wallet transaction to deploy a non-custodial multi-release escrow contract via Trustless Work.

Choose supplier & product from catalog

Set deal amount, term, and APR

Sign escrow deployment with Freighter or Albedo

Deal appears on marketplace as "Seeking Funding"

Trustless Work escrowStellar Network

Investor Funds the Escrow

Investor

An investor browses the open marketplace, reviews the deal terms, APR, and SMB reputation, then sends USDC directly to the escrow contract from their Stellar wallet. Funds never touch the platform.

Browse marketplace and pick a deal

Review APR, term, and SMB track record

Sign transaction to send USDC to escrow

Deal status updates to "Funded" — supplier notified

USDC on StellarNon-custodial

Supplier Ships & Milestones Release

Supplier + SMB + Admin

The supplier accepts the order, submits shipment proof (Milestone 1), and later delivery confirmation (Milestone 2). Each milestone approval by the SMB triggers an on-chain fund release via Trustless Work.

Supplier submits shipment proof (Milestone 1)

SMB confirms shipment → 50% released to supplier

Supplier submits delivery proof (Milestone 2)

Admin approves → final 50% released on-chain

Multi-release escrowOn-chain proof

SMB Repays Investor — Deal Complete

SMB (Buyer)

After the SMB sells the goods and the term completes, they repay the investor the principal plus the agreed yield. The deal is marked "Completed" on-chain, building the SMB's reputation for future financing.

SMB repays principal + yield on Stellar

Transaction hash recorded for transparency

Investor receives USDC + yield in their wallet

Deal marked "Completed" — SMB reputation updated

Verified on-chainReputation scoring

Why choose Mercato for supply chain finance?

Mercato is designed specifically to solve Latin America's SME financing gap by leveraging non-custodial blockchain technology. By removing intermediary banks, we offer complete transaction visibility, robust reputation tracking based on repayment history, and integrated fiat-to-USDC on/off-ramp options that simplify access to international decentralized finance markets.

Non-Custodial

Funds go directly into a Stellar smart contract. MERCATO never holds your money — only the contract logic controls release.

Fully Transparent

Every transaction, milestone approval, and proof hash is recorded on-chain. Anyone can verify deal progress at any time.

Reputation-Backed

Each completed deal builds the SMB's on-chain track record. Investors can assess repayment history before funding.

LATAM-Focused

Built for LATAM supply chains with fiat ramps via Etherfuse, Alfred Pay, and BlindPay to convert between USDC and local currency.

What technology powers the Mercato platform?

Mercato is built on a modern, highly secure decentralized stack designed for web3 accessibility. We leverage the Stellar network for lightning-fast, low-cost token transactions, Trustless Work for managing milestone-gated smart escrow contracts, Freighter and Albedo for non-custodial wallet signatures, and Supabase to host fast, responsive application metadata.

Stellar Network

Smart contracts & USDC

Trustless Work

Multi-release escrow API

Freighter / Albedo

Non-custodial wallets

Supabase

Auth & deal metadata

How does Mercato handle currency conversion between local fiat and USDC?

Mercato integrates seamlessly with leading digital ramp providers, enabling users to convert local fiat currencies directly to USDC on Stellar. Through SPEI bank transfers via Etherfuse or Alfred Pay, and international integrations via BlindPay, users can deposit capital or cash out earnings instantly without needing third-party crypto exchange accounts.

Etherfuse

Mexico · SPEI

Alfred Pay

LATAM · SPEI

BlindPay

Global

Add Funds

How can you get started with Mercato today?

Getting started with Mercato is a straightforward, three-step process designed for instant onboarding. You can create an account, select your role as a buyer, investor, or supplier, connect a Stellar-compatible wallet, and immediately begin listing deals, funding transactions, or uploading delivery proofs in a secure, digital-first environment.

Create Account Browse Open Deals