> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.blackquantlabs.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# How it works

> End to end — from a deposit landing on-chain to a position you can verify.

This page follows a single dollar through the system. Every step links to the page that covers it in full.

## The full path

```mermaid theme={null}
sequenceDiagram
    participant U as You
    participant NP as Payment processor
    participant BQ as BlackQuant
    participant CH as Chain

    U->>BQ: Request a deposit address
    BQ->>NP: Provision address for chosen asset
    NP-->>BQ: Address + minimum amount
    BQ-->>U: Show address, network and minimum
    U->>CH: Send funds
    CH-->>NP: Confirmations accrue
    NP->>BQ: IPN callback (signed)
    BQ->>BQ: Verify signature, credit ledger
    BQ-->>U: Balance updated (live stream)
    U->>BQ: Buy a signal plan
    BQ->>BQ: Debit balance, grant entitlement
    BQ->>BQ: Award referral commission upstream
```

## Step by step

### 1. Money arrives

You pick an asset on [Fund your account](/getting-started/fund-your-account). The platform provisions a deposit address for that specific asset **on a fixed network** — the network is not a choice you make.

<Danger>
  **Sending an asset over the wrong chain is the single largest cause of permanent loss on any deposit page.** BlackQuant fixes the network per asset rather than offering a picker, precisely to remove that failure mode. Send USDT on TRC-20 to a TRC-20 address; never assume an address works across chains.
</Danger>

### 2. Confirmations accrue

Each asset has its own confirmation threshold before a deposit is credited — from 1 on the XRP Ledger to 32 on Solana. The full table is in [Fund your account](/getting-started/fund-your-account#supported-assets).

Your deposit moves through states: `WAITING` → `CONFIRMING` → `CONFIRMED`. It can also land on `PARTIALLY_PAID`, `FAILED` or `EXPIRED`. Each state and what to do about it is in [Troubleshooting](/resources/troubleshooting#deposit-states).

### 3. The callback is verified, then credited

The payment processor calls back over a signed IPN webhook. The platform verifies the signature before touching any balance — an unsigned or mis-signed callback credits nothing. See [Webhooks](/developers/webhooks).

Crediting writes a **ledger entry**, not just a new balance number. The balance is derived from the ledger, so every movement has a row explaining it.

### 4. You buy an entitlement

A [signal plan](/billing/plans-and-pricing) is a subscription with a fixed term — 30 days for monthly, 365 for annual. An [add-on](/billing/add-ons) has no expiry and is owned permanently once bought.

The price is looked up **server-side from the item id**. The browser sends an id, never an amount, so nobody can name their own price.

### 5. Referral commission is awarded — on the purchase

If you were referred, commission flows up the chain at the moment of purchase: **5% to your direct referrer (Tier 1), 2% to theirs (Tier 2)**.

<Info>
  Commission is paid on purchases and **never on deposits**. A deposit is still your own money and can be withdrawn again, so paying a percentage of one out is both a straight loss and a laundering route. A purchase is revenue the business has actually earned. See [Referral Hub](/platform/referral-hub).
</Info>

### 6. Signals fire, positions settle

With an active plan, the [Signal Engine](/platform/signal-engine) screen carries the live feed and the measured statistics for each strategy. Positions that result are listed in [Positions](/platform/positions), and settle on-chain where you can verify them independently of anything this dashboard tells you.

### 7. You withdraw

[Withdrawals](/platform/withdrawals) covers requesting a payout, the checks applied, and what identity verification is required first.

## What happens live, and what does not

| Surface            | Update mechanism                                                             |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Deposit status     | Server-sent event stream (`/api/deposit/stream`) — updates without a refresh |
| Signal engine feed | Server-sent event stream (`/api/signal-engine/stream`)                       |
| Balance            | Re-read on navigation and on deposit events                                  |
| Positions          | Re-read on navigation                                                        |
| Plan entitlement   | Evaluated per request against the expiry timestamp                           |

## Next

* [Key concepts](/introduction/key-concepts) — the vocabulary.
* [Create an account](/getting-started/create-an-account) — start the actual flow.