This Digital Asset Loan Risk Disclosure ("Loan Risk Disclosure") describes significant risks associated with Digital Asset-backed Loan Products offered by Meridian S.A. ("Meridian", "Company", "we", "our", or "us").
Loan Products involve substantial financial, technological, operational, and market risks that differ from simply holding Digital Assets.
Users should carefully review this Loan Risk Disclosure before applying for any Loan Product.
Nothing in this document describes every possible risk.
2. Scope
This Loan Risk Disclosure applies to every Loan Product made available through the Meridian Platform.
It should be read together with the:
- Digital Asset Loan Terms
- Digital Asset Risk Disclosure
- Digital Asset Custody Policy
- Terms of Service
3. General Loan Risk Warning
Borrowing against Digital Assets involves substantial risks.
Users may lose:
- part of their Collateral
- all of their Collateral
- value exceeding expected losses where permitted by the applicable Loan Product and Applicable Law
Market conditions may change rapidly.
Collateral values may decline significantly within very short periods of time.
Users should borrow only after carefully evaluating their own financial circumstances and risk tolerance.
4. Collateral Risk
Digital Assets pledged as Collateral remain subject to market fluctuations.
The value of pledged Collateral may:
- increase
- decrease
- become highly volatile
- become temporarily illiquid
- lose significant value
A decline in Collateral value may increase the likelihood of liquidation.
5. Market Volatility Risk
Digital Asset markets operate continuously and may experience extreme volatility.
Price movements may occur due to:
- market sentiment
- regulatory developments
- technological failures
- security incidents
- macroeconomic events
- liquidity shortages
- exchange disruptions
Prices may change significantly before a User is able to respond.
6. Loan-to-Value (LTV) Risk
Each Loan Product is subject to a Loan-to-Value Ratio ("LTV").
Changes in market prices, accrued interest, fees, or outstanding obligations may increase the applicable LTV.
An increase in LTV may result in:
- additional collateral requirements
- reduced borrowing capacity
- partial liquidation
- full liquidation
7. Liquidation Risk
If Collateral no longer provides sufficient coverage, Meridian may liquidate all or part of the pledged Digital Assets.
Liquidation may occur:
- automatically
- rapidly
- during periods of extreme volatility
- without prior notice where permitted by the Loan Terms
Users may not be able to prevent liquidation once applicable conditions are met.
8. Price Source Risk
Meridian determines Collateral values using pricing methodologies selected by Meridian.
Pricing may rely upon:
- exchanges
- liquidity providers
- pricing oracles
- composite indices
- market data providers
Temporary pricing anomalies, delays, outages, or inconsistent market conditions may affect Collateral valuation.
9. Stablecoin Risks
Where Loan proceeds are provided in stablecoins, Users acknowledge that stablecoins remain subject to risks including:
- de-pegging
- issuer insolvency
- redemption restrictions
- liquidity shortages
- regulatory action
- operational disruptions
Meridian does not guarantee the value or continued availability of any stablecoin.
10. Partial Liquidation Risk
Certain Loan Products may permit Meridian to liquidate only a portion of the Collateral when the applicable Collateral Coverage Threshold is reached.
Partial liquidation may reduce the Outstanding Balance but may not eliminate the risk of subsequent liquidations.
During periods of continued market volatility, multiple partial liquidations may occur over a relatively short period of time.
Users should not assume that a single partial liquidation will fully restore the required collateral coverage.
11. Flash Crash and Gap Risk
Digital Asset markets may experience sudden and significant price movements within seconds or minutes.
Such events may result from:
- market panic
- liquidation cascades
- exchange failures
- reduced liquidity
- algorithmic trading
- cybersecurity incidents
- unexpected market events
Prices may move substantially between valuation intervals, resulting in liquidation at prices materially different from previously observed market prices.
Users acknowledge that rapidly changing market conditions may prevent Meridian from liquidating Collateral at estimated or expected prices.
12. Liquidity Risk
During periods of market stress, sufficient liquidity may not be available for the timely sale of pledged Collateral.
Limited liquidity may result in:
- delayed execution
- wider bid-ask spreads
- reduced execution prices
- multiple execution transactions
- increased realized losses
Meridian does not guarantee that liquidation can be completed at prevailing market quotations.
13. Slippage Risk
Liquidation transactions may be executed at prices different from quoted or estimated market prices.
Slippage may result from:
- market volatility
- limited liquidity
- large transaction sizes
- exchange conditions
- order book depth
- blockchain congestion
Users acknowledge that actual liquidation prices may differ materially from estimated liquidation prices displayed before or during the Loan Product.
14. Oracle and Pricing Risks
Collateral valuation may depend upon pricing data obtained from third-party sources.
Pricing disruptions may arise from:
- delayed market data
- unavailable exchanges
- incorrect pricing information
- oracle failures
- communication interruptions
- inconsistent market quotations
Where pricing anomalies occur, Meridian may apply commercially reasonable alternative valuation methodologies to protect Users, the Platform, and the integrity of Loan Products.
15. Blockchain Network Risks
Loan Products remain exposed to risks affecting the underlying blockchain networks.
Such risks may include:
- network congestion
- delayed confirmations
- validator failures
- consensus failures
- blockchain reorganizations
- protocol upgrades
- hard forks
- denial-of-service attacks
- network outages
These events may delay deposits, withdrawals, Collateral transfers, repayments, or liquidation activities.
16. Smart Contract and Protocol Risks
Certain supported Digital Assets may rely upon smart contracts or decentralized blockchain protocols.
Failures affecting such technologies may include:
- programming errors
- protocol vulnerabilities
- governance failures
- unexpected software behavior
- security exploits
- protocol upgrades introducing incompatibilities
Meridian cannot control third-party blockchain protocols and accepts no responsibility for vulnerabilities affecting external networks or smart contracts.
17. Regulatory and Legal Risks
Digital Asset-backed lending products may become subject to changing legal or regulatory requirements.
Changes in Applicable Law may affect:
- availability of Loan Products
- supported jurisdictions
- eligible Digital Assets
- collateral requirements
- reporting obligations
- taxation
- compliance procedures
Meridian may suspend, modify, restrict, or discontinue Loan Products where required by Applicable Law or regulatory developments.
18. Tax Risks
Obtaining, maintaining, repaying, or liquidating a Loan Product may have tax consequences.
Tax treatment varies significantly between jurisdictions and may change over time.
Users are solely responsible for:
- determining applicable tax obligations
- maintaining appropriate records
- reporting taxable events
- paying taxes arising from Loan Products
Meridian does not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice.
19. Operational Risks
The operation of Loan Products depends upon a combination of technology systems, blockchain infrastructure, internal processes, and third-party services.
Operational disruptions may result from:
- software defects
- hardware failures
- infrastructure outages
- telecommunications failures
- cloud service interruptions
- maintenance activities
- human error
- third-party service failures
- unexpected transaction volumes
Although Meridian maintains operational controls designed to reduce these risks, uninterrupted operation of Loan Products cannot be guaranteed.
20. Automated Decision-Making and Technology Risks
Meridian may use automated systems to support the administration of Loan Products.
Such systems may assist with:
- collateral valuation
- Loan-to-Value monitoring
- collateral coverage monitoring
- fraud detection
- transaction monitoring
- blockchain analytics
- compliance reviews
- liquidation execution
- operational risk management
Automated systems may produce inaccurate or incomplete results, require manual intervention, or experience technical failures.
Where appropriate, Meridian may supplement automated processes with human review.
21. User Responsibilities
Users remain solely responsible for:
- understanding the risks of borrowing against Digital Assets
- reviewing the applicable Loan Summary before accepting a Loan Product
- monitoring the value of pledged Collateral
- maintaining sufficient collateral coverage where applicable
- maintaining accurate account information
- securing authentication credentials and devices
- complying with Applicable Law
Failure to monitor Collateral values or market conditions may result in liquidation without the opportunity to prevent it.
22. No Guarantees
Meridian makes no representation or warranty regarding:
- future market prices
- the future value of pledged Collateral
- the continued availability of any Loan Product
- the availability of refinancing opportunities
- successful avoidance of liquidation
- uninterrupted Platform availability
- the future regulatory treatment of Loan Products
- profitability of any borrowing strategy
Estimated liquidation prices, collateral values, borrowing capacity, and other informational calculations displayed through the Platform are estimates only and may change without notice.
23. Force Majeure Risks
Loan Products may be affected by extraordinary events beyond Meridian's reasonable control.
Examples include:
- natural disasters
- pandemics
- armed conflict
- terrorism
- civil unrest
- governmental actions
- sanctions
- blockchain network failures
- internet outages
- cloud infrastructure failures
- cybersecurity incidents
- widespread market disruption
- telecommunications failures
Such events may delay or interrupt:
- Loan disbursements
- repayments
- collateral transfers
- collateral liquidation
- release of Collateral
- Platform availability
24. Relationship with Other Policies
This Digital Asset Loan Risk Disclosure should be read together with:
- Terms of Service
- Digital Asset Loan Terms
- Digital Asset Custody Policy
- Digital Asset Risk Disclosure
- Privacy Policy
- AML & Compliance Policy
- KYC Policy
- Fees Policy
- Cookie Policy
- Prohibited Use Policy
- Legal Requests Policy
- Complaints Policy
Where another Meridian policy governs a specific subject matter, that policy shall apply together with this Loan Risk Disclosure.
25. Changes to this Loan Risk Disclosure
Meridian may amend this Loan Risk Disclosure from time to time to reflect:
- new Loan Products
- technological developments
- changes in Applicable Law
- evolving market conditions
- operational improvements
- cybersecurity developments
- risk management enhancements
Updated versions become effective upon publication unless a later effective date is specified.
Users should periodically review this Loan Risk Disclosure before using Loan Products.
Continued use of any Loan Product after publication of an updated version constitutes acceptance of the revised Loan Risk Disclosure.
26. Contact Information
Questions regarding this Digital Asset Loan Risk Disclosure may be submitted through Meridian's official communication channels published on the Platform.
Questions relating to collateral, liquidation, repayments, compliance matters, or Loan Products should be directed to the designated contact information published by Meridian.
27. Effective Date
This Digital Asset Loan Risk Disclosure is effective from the date stated above and remains in force until amended or replaced by Meridian S.A.
© Meridian S.A. All Rights Reserved.