Terms of Use

1. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter into a binding contract. You are responsible for ensuring your use of Akuno is lawful in your location.

We may limit access, request additional information, or refuse service where required to comply with applicable laws, sanctions, or risk controls.

2. Account creation and security

You may need an account to access some features. You must provide accurate information and keep it up to date. You are responsible for protecting your login details and for all activity on your account.

If you believe your account has been accessed without permission, notify us immediately using the contact details at the end of these Terms.

3. Services offered

Akuno provides a transparent way to participate in weekly contribution pools called "Circles". Each Circle has:

• a fixed entry amount (for example, 1 USDT)
• a public wallet address
• published rules for counting entries and selecting "selected entries"

Akuno does not custody your funds. Participation happens via on-chain transfers that are publicly visible and verifiable.

4. Circles and entries

4.1 Joining a Circle

You join a Circle by sending the Circle's entry amount in USDT on BNB Chain (BEP-20) to the published Circle wallet address during the entry window shown on the Platform.

4.2 Valid and invalid entries

An entry is valid only if it meets all of the Circle rules shown on the Platform, including: (a) token and network, (b) destination address, (c) timing window, and (d) minimum entry amount.

• Less than the entry amount: invalid and does not count.
• Equal to the entry amount: valid and counts as one entry.
• More than the entry amount: valid and counts as one entry (no extra entries).
• Multiple transfers: each valid transfer counts as one entry.

4.3 Self-custody wallets only

You must send from a self-custody wallet you control. Do not send from exchanges or custodial services. Payouts are sent back to the wallet address that made the entry. Exchange wallets may not support this.

4.4 No refunds

Blockchain transactions are final. If you send to the wrong address, use the wrong network, send the wrong token, or send outside the entry window, the transfer cannot be reversed or refunded.

5. Sorting and selection (deterministic)

Selection is deterministic. This means selection follows a fixed method that can be repeated by anyone using the same on-chain data.

5.1 What data is used

• Only valid entries for the Circle window
• The transaction ID (also called TXID, transaction hash, or hash) for each valid entry

5.2 How transaction hashes are sorted

Transaction IDs (TXIDs) are sorted in ascending lexicographical order (alphabetical text order), using the full hash string as recorded on-chain. Hashes are treated as text, not as numbers.

On BNB Chain, transaction hashes are hexadecimal strings starting with 0x and made from: 0–9 and a–f. We compare from left to right, character by character. The first difference decides the order. To keep sorting consistent, hashes are converted to lowercase before sorting.

5.3 What "first", "middle", and "last" mean

After sorting, entries are numbered starting from 1 up to the total number of valid entries.

• First entry means position #1 in the sorted list.
• Last entry means the final position in the sorted list (for example, #29 if there are 29 entries).
• Middle entry is defined as:
  • If the total number is odd, middle = (N + 1) ÷ 2.
  • If the total number is even, middle = N ÷ 2 (the lower middle).

5.4 "X selected entries evenly spread" (what that means)

Some Circles select a fixed number of entries spread across the sorted list to avoid selecting entries that are close together. When a Circle states "evenly spread", Akuno calculates selection positions by stepping through the sorted list at regular intervals. The exact method and number of selected entries are shown on the Circle before you join and published again in the weekly result.

6. Fees and payments

6.1 Network fees

You are responsible for any network (gas) fees required to send transactions on BNB Chain (BEP-20). Akuno does not control these fees.

6.2 Pot splits

Akuno applies the published pot split for each Circle week (for example: shared with selected entries, platform, and charity). The split is shown on the Platform and may be updated only with notice under section 15.

6.3 Charity wallet donations and surplus funds

The charity wallet address is published on the Platform. Any funds sent directly to the charity wallet address that are not part of the normal 5% charity allocation from Circle draws are considered voluntary donations to Akuno.

Akuno has sole discretion over the use of:

• Voluntary donations: any USDT or other tokens sent directly to the charity wallet address outside of the automatic 5% allocation from Circles.
• Surplus funds: any excess funds resulting from rounding, calculation differences, or operational adjustments.
• Non-USDT tokens: any tokens other than USDT sent to the charity wallet address.
• Dust amounts: amounts below the minimum practical threshold for charitable distribution.
• Invalid entries: any funds sent to Circle wallets or the charity wallet that do not meet the entry requirements (wrong amount, wrong timing, wrong token, etc.).

These funds may be used for charitable purposes, platform operations, development, security, compliance, or any other purpose at Akuno's sole discretion. No refunds or returns will be issued for voluntary donations, surplus funds, or invalid entries.

6.4 Exchange wallet policy

Payouts are sent automatically to the wallet address that sent the valid entry. You must use a self-custody wallet (such as MetaMask, Trust Wallet, or similar) where you control the private keys.

Do not send entries from exchange wallets (such as Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, or any other centralized exchange). Exchange wallets may not support incoming transfers from unknown addresses, and your payout may be lost, frozen, or confiscated by the exchange.

Akuno's systems may flag known exchange hot wallets, but this detection is not guaranteed. If we detect an exchange wallet after a draw has been run, we may attempt to contact you via your registered email address, but we are under no obligation to do so.

Akuno is not responsible for payouts sent to exchange wallets. We will not:

• Contact exchanges on your behalf
• Negotiate with exchanges to recover lost funds
• Resend payouts to alternative addresses
• Refund entries sent from exchange wallets
• Be held liable for funds lost due to exchange wallet usage

By participating, you acknowledge that you understand this risk and accept full responsibility for using a self-custody wallet.

7. Transparency and verification

Participation, selection inputs (transaction hashes), and payouts are visible on-chain. Where available, Akuno publishes weekly announcements showing:

• the Circle wallet address
• the list of valid entries (or a verifiable source)
• the sorted order (or how to reproduce it)
• the selection positions used
• transaction links for outgoing payouts and charity transfers

You can verify using a public block explorer. If you cannot verify a result, contact us and we will point you to the relevant on-chain records.

8. Restricted use and compliance

You must not use Akuno if doing so is unlawful in your country or if you are located in a sanctioned or restricted jurisdiction. We may block access, limit features, or request information to meet compliance obligations.

Attempts to bypass restrictions (including use of VPNs, proxies, or location masking) may lead to suspension or termination.

9. Prohibited conduct

• Using the Platform for unlawful, fraudulent, or deceptive activity.
• Attempting to bypass eligibility or location restrictions.
• Attempting to interfere with the Platform, infrastructure, or security.
• Scraping, reverse engineering, or probing the Platform in a way that harms performance or security.
• Attempting to manipulate entries, verification, announcements, or selection outputs.
• Using the Platform to harass, threaten, or abuse other users.

10. Risks and warnings

• Blockchain is irreversible: mistaken transfers cannot be undone.
• Wallet responsibility: you are responsible for your wallet, keys, and security.
• Network issues: congestion, delays, forks, outages, or explorer errors may occur.
• Token risk: stablecoins and networks can experience disruptions, freezes, or other events outside Akuno's control.
• No guaranteed outcome: being selected is not guaranteed.

Do not participate if you do not understand how to send USDT on BNB Chain (BEP-20) from a self-custody wallet.

11. Disclaimers

Akuno is not a bank, payment institution, investment product, or financial adviser. We do not provide financial advice, tax advice, or legal advice. Nothing on the Platform is a recommendation to participate.

Participation is voluntary. You may receive nothing back from a particular Circle week. Any wording such as "selected", "rewarded", or "shared" refers to outcomes produced by the Circle's published rules.

The Platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We do not guarantee uninterrupted access, error-free operation, or that the Platform will meet your needs.

11.1 Ownership of funds

Once you send USDT to a Circle wallet or the charity wallet, you relinquish all ownership and control of those funds. Akuno is under no obligation to return, refund, or redistribute funds except as explicitly stated in the Circle rules or these Terms.

Surplus funds, voluntary donations, invalid entries, and funds sent in error automatically become the property of Akuno and may be used at Akuno's sole discretion for any lawful purpose, including but not limited to: charitable donations, platform operations, development, marketing, compliance, or reserves.

Payouts are sent automatically to the wallet address from which the valid entry was sent. There is no manual claiming process. If you send an entry from an exchange wallet and the payout is lost, frozen, or confiscated by the exchange, Akuno bears no responsibility and will not intervene.

12. Limitation of liability

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes liability where it would be unlawful to do so.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Akuno is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, loss of data, or loss of goodwill.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Akuno's total liability for any claim connected to the Platform will not exceed the total platform fees you paid to Akuno in the three months before the event giving rise to the claim.

13. Suspension and termination

We may suspend or terminate your access if we reasonably believe you have breached these Terms, attempted to bypass restrictions, engaged in suspicious activity, or created risk to the Platform or other users.

You may stop using the Platform at any time. If account deletion is available, you can request it via your dashboard or by contacting support.

14. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of England & Wales, and disputes shall be resolved in its courts.

15. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If changes are material, we will provide notice on the Platform and/or by email where possible. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date of an update means you accept the updated Terms.

16. Contact

If you are reporting a security issue, please include "Security" in the subject line and share only the minimum information needed.