Terms of Service

1. About these Terms

These Terms of Service are a binding agreement between you and Saharix Technologies Ltd, the company that operates the Saharix escrow payment platform, accessible through our website, web application, and mobile application (together, the Platform). Saharix is a Nigerian company registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission, and its activities are conducted from Lagos, Nigeria. By creating an account or using the Platform in any way, you accept these Terms and our Privacy Policy, Dispute Policy, and Refund Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

2. Who We Are and What We Do

Saharix provides payment escrow services for transactions between buyers and sellers. We hold funds on behalf of a buyer until agreed conditions are met, then release them to the seller.

• We are not a bank. Saharix is not a bank, microfinance bank, or merchant bank. We do not issue loans, pay interest, or operate deposit accounts in the legal sense.
• Escrowed funds belong to the parties. Funds held in escrow belong to the transacting parties until they are released or refunded.
• Licensed partners process payments. Payment processing is carried out by licensed payment service providers, including Paystack Payments Limited and Flutterwave Technology Solutions Limited, and payouts are facilitated through licensed partners.
• Pooled accounts. You acknowledge that funds may be held in pooled accounts maintained by these providers in our name on your behalf.

3. Eligibility and Accounts

To use the Platform you must:

• be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into contracts under Nigerian law;
• register with a valid email address and, where required, a Nigerian phone number or bank verification details.

You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide, for keeping your password and two-factor authentication devices secure, and for all activity carried out through your account. Notify us immediately at security@saharix.com if you suspect unauthorized access. We may refuse registration, suspend, or close accounts that breach these Terms, that we cannot verify, or that we are required to restrict by law or by our payment partners.

4. Identity Verification (KYC)

To protect all parties and to comply with applicable law and the requirements of our payment partners, we verify the identity of our users. Below limits that we publish in the app, you may transact with limited functionality. Above those limits, you must complete identity verification by providing:

• a government-issued identification document;
• a selfie or liveness check;
• any other information we reasonably request.

You consent to our collection, verification, and storage of this information, including through third-party verification providers. We may impose transaction limits, delay a transaction, or decline it where verification is incomplete or where required for security review.

5. Escrow Mechanics

When a buyer funds a contract or milestone, the funds are held in trust and are not available to the seller until release. The flow is:

• The buyer funds the contract or a milestone, and the money is locked in escrow.
• The seller delivers the work and uploads evidence where the contract requires it.
• The seller requests release of the funds.
• The buyer reviews the delivery during the inspection window, which is 48 hours by default for simple payment requests and as agreed in the contract for milestone work.
• If the buyer takes no action within the inspection window, the funds are released automatically. The buyer may approve at any time before the window ends.

Funds become the property of the seller upon release and remain refundable to the buyer, subject to the Refund Policy, before release.

6. Fees

• Saharix charges a service fee on transactions, currently a percentage of the transaction value with a maximum cap, as displayed at checkout and on our Pricing page before you commit.
• The fee is deducted from the amount released to the seller unless otherwise stated.
• Payment providers may charge their own processing fees, which are displayed to you before payment where applicable.
• We may change our fees prospectively by updating the Pricing page; the fee applicable to a transaction is the one shown when the transaction was created.
• You are responsible for any taxes arising from your use of the Platform, including value added tax and income tax on your earnings.

7. Your Obligations as Buyer and Seller

Buyers must:

• provide clear requirements;
• respond to delivery within the inspection window;
• not seek free work by threatening disputes.

Sellers must: deliver work that matches the agreed description, must not solicit payment outside the Platform to evade fees, and must not upload false or misleading evidence. Both parties must communicate honestly and must not use the Platform to trade prohibited goods or services listed in section 10. Attempting to manipulate escrow outcomes, reviews, or the inspection window is a material breach of these Terms.

8. Disputes

Where a buyer and seller disagree about a delivery, either party may open a dispute as described in our Dispute Policy. Disputes are reviewed by our resolution team based on the contract description, the evidence uploaded, and the parties' statements. We may resolve a dispute by:

• releasing funds to the seller;
• refunding the buyer in full or in part;
• reaching a split outcome.

Our decision on an escrow dispute determines the release of funds held by us. Nothing in this section prevents a party from pursuing other legal remedies; however, we are not a court or arbitration tribunal, and our role is limited to deciding how escrowed funds are allocated.

9. Refunds and Cancellations

Refunds of escrowed funds are governed by our Refund Policy. In summary, funds not yet released are refundable where work has not started, where both parties agree to cancel, or where a dispute is resolved in the buyer's favor. Refunds are returned to the original payment method where possible. Where a refund must be made through a payment provider, the timing and availability of the refund depend on that provider and, in the case of bank transfers, on your bank.

10. Prohibited Use

You must not use the Platform for any unlawful purpose or for any of the following:

• fraud, money laundering, terrorism financing, or any activity prohibited under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, or other applicable Nigerian law;
• the sale of narcotics, weapons, endangered species, counterfeit goods, or adult content;
• gambling;
• pyramid or ponzi schemes;
• the sale of stolen goods or personal data;
• any goods or services prohibited by our payment partners.

We may report suspicious activity to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit or other competent authorities and may freeze associated escrowed funds pending an investigation by the proper authorities.

11. Account Security

We protect accounts with encrypted transport, hashed credentials, and optional two-factor authentication using an authenticator application, email codes, and one-time backup codes. We strongly encourage enabling two-factor authentication.

• Do not share your credentials with anyone.
• Do not bypass our security measures.
• Do not use automated tools to access the Platform without written permission.

For your protection, we may require re-verification of your identity or a re-authentication step before sensitive actions such as changing your payout account.

12. Intellectual Property

The Platform, including its software, design, logos, and content, is owned by Saharix Technologies Ltd or its licensors and is protected by Nigerian and international copyright law. We grant you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the Platform for its intended purpose. You retain ownership of content you create or upload, including contract descriptions and work evidence, and grant us the limited license needed to store, process, and display that content to operate the Platform, including to the other party to the transaction and to our resolution team.

13. Availability and Changes

• We aim to keep the Platform available at all times, but we do not guarantee uninterrupted access.
• We may modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Platform, and we may fix bugs or release new features, at any time.
• Where a change materially reduces the functionality of the Platform, we will give reasonable notice where practicable.
• These Terms may be updated from time to time; the version in force is the one published on this page. For material changes we will notify registered users by email or in-app notice before they take effect.
• Continuing to use the Platform after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the change.

14. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by Nigerian law, Saharix is liable to you only for direct losses arising from our failure to perform these Terms, and our total liability to you for all claims is limited to the greater of the total fees you paid to us in the six months before the claim arose or the value of the escrowed funds in the transaction giving rise to the claim. We are not liable for indirect or consequential losses, including lost profit, lost business, or loss of goodwill. Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including liability for fraud or for death or personal injury caused by negligence. We are not a party to the underlying contract between buyer and seller and are not liable for the quality, legality, or delivery of goods or services traded between them.

15. Indemnity

• your breach of these Terms;
• your violation of any law;
• your misuse of the Platform;
• any dispute between you and another user or a third party regarding a transaction, except to the extent caused by our own breach or negligence.

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Saharix Technologies Ltd, its directors, employees, and agents from claims, damages, penalties, and reasonable legal costs arising from:

16. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

• These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
• Before commencing any court proceedings, the parties should first attempt to resolve any dispute about the Platform itself, as opposed to an escrow dispute handled under section 8, through good-faith negotiation by contacting legal@saharix.com, and the parties agree to attempt resolution for 30 days.
• Any dispute not resolved by negotiation shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Lagos State, Nigeria, without prejudice to mandatory consumer protections that may apply in your state of residence.

17. Contact

Questions about these Terms can be sent to legal@saharix.com. Service notices may be sent to your registered email address or displayed within the Platform and are deemed received 24 hours after being sent or displayed.