Terms of Service
Español ↓Effective Date: August 29, 2026 · Version 1.1
1. Acceptance
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the mobile application and related services (the "Service") offered by Puente Financial, Inc. ("Puente," "we," "us," or "our"). "You" or "User" refers to the individual who creates an account and uses the Service to send money, and all references to "you" throughout these Terms mean that person. These Terms apply to you as the sender; they do not create an account for, or impose any obligation on, the recipients to whom you send funds. Certain features of the Service are provided by our service partners, Stripe, LLC ("Stripe") and Bridge Building Inc. ("Bridge"), as described in Section 4.
By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms and by the separate terms of our service partners described in Section 4, which you will also be asked to accept at the points in the Service where those partners’ features are used. If you do not agree to these Terms or to the partner terms incorporated by reference, you may not use the Service.
2. Eligibility
To use the Service, you must be at least 18 years old (or the age of majority in your state of residence) and able to provide a valid government-issued identification document. Your ability to use the Service is subject to successful completion of the identity verification process described in Section 6. Eligibility may also be determined by our partners. If Stripe or Bridge declines to verify you, denies or closes your account with them, or otherwise determines that you are not eligible for their services, you will also not be eligible to use the Service. We may deny, suspend, or terminate access to any person who does not meet these requirements, who does not pass identity verification, who is found ineligible by one of our partners, or who resides in a state or location where we or our partners are not authorized to provide the Service (see Section 4.4).
3. The Service
Puente provides a financial technology application that lets you initiate money transfers to recipients in eligible destinations. Puente is a technology platform. Puente is not a bank. Puente does not at any time hold, custody, transmit, or take possession or control of your funds, whether in U.S. dollars or in any other form. All movement, holding, and transmission of funds is performed by our regulated service partners:
- Money transmission is provided by Bridge Building Inc. ("Bridge"), a licensed money transmitter (NMLS #2450917) registered with the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network ("FinCEN") as a money services business.
- Payment collection and funds transfer at the point of purchase is provided by Stripe, LLC and its affiliates ("Stripe") through Stripe’s regulated Fiat-to-Crypto Onramp service.
Puente’s role is limited to (a) providing the customer-facing application, (b) presenting pricing and disclosures to you, (c) facilitating the single identity verification process described in Section 6, and (d) initiating and orchestrating transaction instructions on your behalf through our partners’ regulated infrastructure. Puente cannot move, withdraw, redirect, or access funds held by Stripe or Bridge for any purpose other than initiating a transfer you have authorized.
4. Service Partners
4.1 Partner Terms Apply
Certain functions of the Service are provided by our third-party partners rather than by Puente. Your use of those functions is governed by each partner’s own terms, which are incorporated into these Terms by reference. By creating an account and using the Service, you agree to the following partner terms, and you will separately be asked to accept the applicable partner terms at the point in the Service where each partner’s features are first used:
4.2 Partner Accounts
To provide the Service, our partners may require you to hold an account with them. In particular, you will have a Stripe account used to fund and place your transfer. These partner accounts are governed by the partner terms above, not by these Terms, even though you access them through the Puente application.
4.3 Conflicts
For any function performed by a partner (for example, funds transfer, money transmission, or identity verification), the applicable partner’s terms govern that function. These Terms govern your relationship with Puente and the Puente application. Nothing in these Terms modifies, replaces, or overrides a partner’s terms as they apply to the partner’s own services.
4.4 Where the Service Is Available
The Service is available only in states and locations where both Bridge and Stripe are authorized to provide their respective services. Because each partner maintains its own licensing footprint, availability of the Service is limited to the more restrictive of the two. We or our partners may add or remove available locations at any time and without prior notice. Current partner licensing information is available at:
- Bridge: https://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org (NMLS #2450917)
- Stripe: https://stripe.com/spc/licenses
5. How Transfers Work
When you send money through the Service:
- You choose an amount to send and a recipient, and you fund the transfer from a supported funding source (see Section 7).
- As part of funding your transfer, your funds are used to purchase a U.S. dollar-denominated stablecoin (USD Coin, or "USDC") through Stripe. The USDC is used to carry the value of your transfer.
- Bridge, as the licensed money transmitter, uses those funds to deliver payment to your recipient in their local currency.
Puente does not hold, custody, or control your funds at any point. All funds are held and moved by Stripe and Bridge.
6. Identity Verification
Your use of the Service is subject to successful identity verification. Verification is normally performed once: Stripe collects your identifying information and documentation through its verification provider (Persona), and the result is shared with Puente and Bridge so that a single verification satisfies all parties. In some cases, a partner may require additional or separate verification if it deems necessary.
The information collected may include your full legal name, date of birth, residential address, phone number, taxpayer identification number (a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)), and a government-issued identification document. You agree that all information you provide is complete, accurate, and current, and you agree to update it if it changes. We, Stripe, and Bridge may require additional information at any time as a condition of continued access to the Service, and access may be suspended while additional information is requested or reviewed.
7. Fees & Exchange Rates
Before you authorize any transfer, we will clearly show you all fees and charges that apply to that transfer, along with the exchange rate, the total amount you will pay, and the amount your recipient is expected to receive in local currency. You will never be charged a fee that was not disclosed to you before you authorized the transfer. The fees for a transfer may include a remittance fee and a currency exchange (FX) rate or margin.
You will be charged the rate quoted to you at the time you authorize a transfer, and you will receive a receipt confirming these details after payment. Fees and rates may change over time, but the rate that applies to any transfer is always the one disclosed to you before you authorize it.
Your bank or card issuer may charge you separate fees (for example, insufficient-funds fees) in connection with funding a transfer. Puente is not responsible for fees charged to you by your own bank or card issuer.
- Supported funding sources. At launch, the Service supports funding by bank account (ACH) and debit card only. The Service does not currently accept credit cards. If we enable credit card funding in the future, additional terms and disclosures will apply and will be presented to you at that time.
8. Transaction Limits
At launch, transfers are subject to the following limits: $1,500 per day, $3,000 per month, and $18,000 over any six-month period. We may adjust these limits at our discretion or as required by our partners or applicable law, including based on your account risk rating or verification status. Our partners may also impose their own limits on transactions processed through their infrastructure.
9. Cancellations & Refunds
9.1 The 30-Minute Window
Consistent with applicable federal remittance transfer regulations, you have the right to cancel a transfer for a full refund within 30 minutes after you authorize it, provided the funds have not yet been disbursed to the recipient. To cancel, contact us immediately at support@puentefinancial.com or use the in-app cancellation option, if available. To preserve this right in practice, Puente holds your transaction for 30 minutes before initiating the irreversible settlement steps described in Section 5.
9.2 Refunds After Settlement
If you cancel through the appropriate channels after the settlement steps in Section 5 have already been executed, Puente will arrange for the funds to be returned to the original funding source (the card or bank account used to fund the transfer). Refunds returned to your original funding source may take several business days to appear, depending on your bank or card issuer.
10. Errors & Disputes
If you believe an error has occurred in connection with your transfer (including an incorrect amount sent or received, a transfer not delivered by the disclosed date, or an unauthorized transfer), you may report it by contacting support@puentefinancial.com. You must notify us within 180 days of the disclosed delivery date.
We will investigate promptly. We will normally determine whether an error occurred and communicate the results to you within 90 days of receiving your notice, and where an error is confirmed we will correct it in accordance with applicable law, which may include a refund or resending the transfer.
Please note: the 180-day error-reporting window in this Section applies to remittance-transfer errors. It is separate from and does not extend the shorter, time-sensitive notice requirements for suspected fraud or unauthorized account access described in Section 11. If your concern involves suspected fraud or unauthorized access, you should act under Section 11 immediately rather than relying on the 180-day window.
11. Fraud & Unauthorized Activity
This Section is important and time-sensitive. Read it carefully.
Our partners’ terms, which apply to you under Section 4, require prompt notice of suspected fraud or unauthorized activity in order to preserve certain protections. In particular, if you become aware of or suspect any unauthorized access to your account or any fraudulent or unauthorized activity relating to a transfer:
- You must notify Puente immediately, and in any event within 24 hours, at support@puentefinancial.com.
- You may be required to promptly report the activity to law enforcement, provide a copy of any report, cooperate fully in any investigation, and complete any required affidavits.
Failure to provide prompt notice as required by our partners’ terms may reduce or eliminate protections that would otherwise be available to you under those terms. This 24-hour notice requirement is distinct from, and does not replace, the 180-day error-reporting right in Section 10. When in doubt about a suspicious event, treat it as urgent and notify us right away.
12. Risk Disclosures
Use of the Service involves certain risks that you should understand before sending a transfer:
- Exchange rate risk. The exchange rate applied to your transfer is set at the time of the transaction and may differ from rates available elsewhere or at other times.
- Delivery timing. While Puente and our partners work to deliver transfers promptly, delivery may be delayed due to factors outside our control, including recipient bank processing times, incorrect recipient information, or required compliance review.
- Irrevocability after disbursement. Once a transfer has been disbursed to the recipient (that is, after the cancellation window in Section 9 has passed and funds have settled), it generally cannot be reversed.
- Compliance review and holds. Transfers may be delayed, held, or declined as required by anti-money laundering, sanctions, and fraud-prevention obligations.
- Reliance on third-party infrastructure. Money transmission is performed by Bridge, and payment collection is performed by Stripe. Delivery also depends on the recipient’s own bank and on local payment networks (for example, SPEI in Mexico), all of which are outside Puente’s control.
12.1 Stablecoin Disclosures
As described in Section 5, the Service uses a U.S. dollar-denominated stablecoin (USDC on the Base network) as an internal settlement mechanism. Although you do not hold, own, or control any cryptocurrency through the Service, you should be aware of the following:
- Not legal tender; not government-backed. Stablecoins and other digital assets are not legal tender, are not issued or guaranteed by any government, and their acceptance and treatment are subject to an evolving regulatory landscape.
- No deposit or investor insurance. Funds in transit, including any stablecoin used as a settlement mechanism, are not protected by Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insurance, Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) protection, or any other insurance, and are not guaranteed by any governmental agency.
- Technology and settlement risk. The stablecoin settlement step relies on blockchain networks and third-party infrastructure that neither Puente nor its partners operate or control. Disruptions, delays, or failures affecting that infrastructure could delay or affect your transfer.
- Pooled settlement. The wallet that receives the settlement stablecoin is controlled and custodied by Bridge and may hold funds associated with multiple customers in transit before disbursement.
13. Complaints
We are committed to resolving concerns promptly and fairly. This process is separate from the error-resolution rights in Section 10 and the arbitration provisions in Section 20.
- How to file a complaint. Contact us at support@puentefinancial.com with a description of your concern, your account information, and any relevant transaction details.
- Acknowledgment. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 3 business days.
- Investigation and resolution. We aim to investigate and resolve complaints within 30 business days of acknowledgment, and we will keep you updated if additional time is needed.
- Complaints about partner services. Some concerns (for example, those relating to money transmission or to funds collection) may fall under the responsibility of Bridge or Stripe. In those cases, we will help direct you to the appropriate partner’s resolution channel, and the applicable partner’s terms will govern how that concern is handled. State-specific complaint contacts for our partners are available through the licensing links in Section 4.4.
- Recordkeeping. All complaints and their resolutions are logged and retained consistent with our recordkeeping obligations.
- Escalation. If you are not satisfied with the resolution, you may request escalation by contacting support@puentefinancial.com and requesting escalation.
14. Suspension & Termination
We may suspend, restrict, or terminate your access to the Service at our discretion, including where we or our partners suspect fraud, a violation of these Terms or a partner’s terms, a match against a sanctions or watchlist screening, or where required by law or by our regulatory or partner relationships. Our partners may independently suspend or terminate the services they provide, in accordance with their own terms, which may affect your ability to use the Service. You may close your account at any time by contacting support@puentefinancial.com.
15. Electronic Communications
By using the Service, you consent to receive disclosures, notices, receipts, and communications from us and from our partners electronically, including via email or in-app notification, instead of in paper form. You are responsible for keeping your contact information current. Our partners maintain their own electronic-communications and E-Sign consent terms, which apply to their communications with you under Section 4.
16. Changes to Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. Where changes are material, we will provide notice via email or in-app notification a reasonable period before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. Our partners may separately change their own terms on their own schedules; those changes are governed by the partners’ terms, not by this Section.
17. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Puente shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Service. Puente’s total liability for any claim arising out of these Terms or the Service shall not exceed the amount of fees you paid to Puente in the transaction giving rise to the claim.
Because Puente does not hold, custody, transmit, or control funds (see Sections 3 and 5), Puente is not responsible or liable for the acts, omissions, performance, or failures of Stripe, Bridge, recipient banks, or local payment networks, including funds-transfer failures, money-transmission errors, identity-verification decisions, or the custody or handling of funds, all of which are governed by the responsible partner’s own terms. Each partner allocates liability differently under its own terms, and the protections and remedies available to you for a given issue depend on which partner’s service is involved. Nothing in this Section limits any liability that cannot be limited under applicable law, including applicable state money-transmission law.
18. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold Puente harmless from any claims, losses, or damages arising from your violation of these Terms or your misuse of the Service.
19. Intellectual Property
The Puente application, name, and logo are the property of Puente Financial, Inc. and may not be used without our prior written consent.
20. Arbitration
Please read this Section carefully. It affects your legal rights.
20.1 Arbitration With Puente
Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service will be resolved through binding individual arbitration, rather than in court, except that either party may bring a qualifying claim in small claims court. You and Puente each waive the right to a jury trial and the right to participate in a class action or class arbitration.
- Right to opt out. You may opt out of this arbitration provision by sending written notice to support@puentefinancial.com within 30 days of creating your account. If you opt out, disputes with Puente will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Utah, and both parties consent to jurisdiction there.
20.2 Partner Arbitration Agreements
Because the Service depends on Bridge and Stripe, and because you also agree to their terms under Section 4, you may be subject to as many as three separate and independent arbitration agreements for a single issue: this one with Puente, one with Bridge, and one with Stripe. Each has its own scope, rules, governing law, venue, and opt-out mechanics. For example:
- Bridge’s terms provide for arbitration under New York law, with mediation before the American Arbitration Association prior to arbitration, and their own written opt-out process.
- Stripe’s terms provide for arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act, require a good-faith informal resolution conference before arbitration, and have their own mail-in opt-out process and deadline.
Opting out of Puente’s arbitration provision (Section 20.1) has no effect on Bridge’s or Stripe’s arbitration agreements. If you wish to opt out of a partner’s arbitration agreement, you must do so separately and directly with that partner, following the process and deadline in that partner’s terms. We encourage you to review the partner terms linked in Section 4.
21. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Utah, without regard to conflict of laws principles, except where federal law applies to money transmission, sanctions, or consumer financial protection matters. This governing-law provision applies to your relationship with Puente; our partners’ terms specify their own governing law for their services.