Security & Architecture
Stable Genius is built with a non-custodial, on-chain-first architecture. This page explains the security guarantees, trust model, and how you can independently verify every transaction.
Non-Custodial Design
Stable Genius never holds merchant funds. Every merchant has a dedicated smart contract (GenieIntake proxy) deployed on Base that they control.
What This Means
For merchants: Your funds sit in a smart contract you control. Even if Stable Genius goes offline, you can call emergencyWithdraw() directly on your contract to retrieve all funds to your own wallet. No one — not Stable Genius, not an attacker — can redirect your funds to a different address.
For integrators: You never touch USDC. Your system creates payment intents and receives webhooks. All fund movement happens on-chain between the customer’s wallet and the merchant’s contract.
For compliance: Every transaction is recorded on-chain with full traceability. Transaction hash, sender, receiver, amount, block number — all publicly verifiable on Basescan.
Trust Model
| Role | What It Can Do | What It Cannot Do |
|---|
| Merchant | Withdraw funds to their own wallet at any time via emergencyWithdraw() | N/A — full control of their contract |
| Operator (Stable Genius) | Call settle() to split fees and move net amount to merchant wallet | Redirect funds to a different address, change fee rate without merchant consent, access merchant’s private keys |
| Integrator | Create payment intents, read transaction data | Access merchant funds, modify settlement configuration |
| Customer | Send USDC to payment addresses | Reverse a confirmed payment (blockchain finality) |
On-Chain Verification
Every payment processed through Stable Genius can be independently verified:
- Transaction hash — Returned in the webhook and GET responses. Look it up on Basescan to see the exact USDC transfer.
- Fee split — The
settle() transaction on-chain shows the fee amount sent to the treasury and the net amount sent to the merchant.
- Contract code — GenieIntake proxy contracts are verified on Basescan. Anyone can read the contract logic and confirm the fee split mechanics.
# Example: Verify a payment on Basescan
https://basescan.org/tx/{tx_hash}
Data Security
| Data | Protection |
|---|
| API keys | SHA-256 hashed at rest. Only shown once at creation. |
| Webhook signing secrets | Unique per endpoint. HMAC-SHA256 verification. |
| Merchant PII (KYC data) | Held by our identity verification partner, not by Stable Genius. We store only the verification status and customer ID. |
| Bank account details | Connected via Plaid (tokenized). We store only bank name and last 4 digits. |
| Transaction data | Stored with row-level security. Each merchant can only access their own data. |
Infrastructure
| Component | Description |
|---|
| API & Dashboard | Edge-deployed, auto-scaling, globally distributed. |
| Database | Row-level security ensures each merchant can only access their own data. |
| Blockchain monitoring | Webhook-based real-time transaction detection on Base. |
| Identity verification | KYC/KYB via Bridge (a Stripe company). |
| Bank linking | Instant bank account verification via Plaid. |
| Smart contracts | GenieIntake proxy contracts on Base (Ethereum L2). |
Compliance
Stable Genius is designed for US regulatory compliance:
- KYC/KYB is required for all merchants before they can accept payments
- Non-custodial architecture means we don’t fall under money transmitter licensing requirements for fund custody
- On-chain audit trail provides full transaction traceability for any regulatory inquiry
- Bank-grade off-ramping via Bridge (a Stripe company) for USDC-to-USD conversion
This is not legal advice. Consult with your legal team regarding compliance requirements for your specific use case and jurisdiction.
Reporting Vulnerabilities
If you discover a security vulnerability, please report it responsibly to security@stablegenius.co. Do not disclose vulnerabilities publicly before we’ve had a chance to address them. We aim to acknowledge reports within 24 hours and provide a resolution timeline within 72 hours.
