Global Freelancer Escrow

Freelance escrow usually means the platform custodies the money. Both sides wait on the platform to release it, and neither side can audit the rules.

A client locks $2,000 USDC in a Soroban escrow with milestones: Design $400, Frontend $800, Backend $800. Both parties approve a milestone and the contract releases that slice. A dispute state can refund.

Stellar’s strength is cross-border settlement and fiat connectivity. Its institutional report cites $2.3B average monthly cross-border stablecoin settlement across 17 stablecoins and 9+ fiat currencies.

A client funds the job. The freelancer delivers design. Both approve. $400 releases. The rest stays locked until the next milestone, or returns through dispute.

1. 01

   Client creates a $2,000 USDC agreement

2. 02

   Milestones: Design $400, Frontend $800, Backend $800

3. 03

   USDC sits in the escrow contract

4. 04

   Both parties approve a milestone

5. 05

   That slice releases

6. 06

   Dispute can freeze and refund

• Create an agreement with parties, total, and milestones.
• Deposit USDC into the contract.
• Dual approval releases one milestone.
• A dispute state blocks release.
• Refund the unreleased balance to the client.

• Agreement

  Stores client, freelancer, milestones, and status.

• Escrow

  Holds USDC and releases only on the approval rule.

• Dispute

  Freezes milestones and allows a refund path.

• USDC SAC transfers
• Multisig-style auth: client and freelancer both sign a release
• Onchain milestone balances

• USDC
• A local stablecoin
• A fiat off-ramp

1. 01

   Agreement

   Create the job and three milestone amounts that sum to the deposit.

2. 02

   Deposit

   Lock USDC. Reject releases before the deposit lands.

3. 03

   Release

   Both signatures pay the milestone to the freelancer.

4. 04

   Dispute + refund

   Either party can open a dispute. Undisbursed funds return to the client.

5. 05

   Demo

   Fund, approve design, show $400 out and $1,600 still locked.

• Let the freelancer choose settlement: USDC, a local stablecoin, or a fiat off-ramp.

• Stellar Asset Contract
• Soroban docs
• Stellar docs