Table of penalties

Penalties help enforce the Bisq Trading Rules, ensuring the process is as safe and fair as possible. This page outlines potential penalties specifically for trades involving security deposits (primarily Bisq v1).

Penalties are calculated as a percentage of the trade amount and are deducted primarily from the offending peer's security deposit. During the dispute resolution process, this amount may be offered as compensation to the counterparty. (Note: See below regarding 100% penalties potentially affecting the trade amount as well).

Important Notes:

• The actual penalty applied is up to the maximum percentage listed below, considering the security deposit size and the Mediator's discretion.
• 100% penalties represent serious violations and usually mean losing the entire security deposit and potentially the trade amount itself.
• Penalties are not cumulative; if multiple violations occur, the single highest applicable penalty percentage is typically used.
• Peers experiencing issues are encouraged to communicate via trader chat. If mutually agreed, they can suggest a specific penalty amount to the Mediator.
• To incentivize resolution via mediation, any penalty proposal will generally leave the penalized peer with at least 5% of the trade amount (deducted from the deposit), encouraging acceptance over costly arbitration.

Bisq v1 Trade Penalties

The following table lists common trade rule violations and their maximum associated penalties. Use the sort function or scan the "Applies To" column to find penalties relevant to your role.

Bisq v1 Trade Penalties

Max Penalty (%)	Violation Description	Applies To
100	Fraud attempt (e.g., unauthorized debiting of peer's account, malicious code tampering).	Either
100	Payment chargeback after trade completion.	Buyer
50	Attempting to solicit off-platform communication by including contact information in offer details (e.g., in 'additional information' field for Cash by Mail or Face-to-Face offers).	Either
25	Not responding to Mediator inquiries within 48 hours during an active dispute resolution process.	Either
25	Using Bitcoin-related terms (e.g., "BTC", "Bisq", "Bitcoin") in payment references/notes.	Buyer
25	Contacting trading peer outside of Bisq trader chat without prior consent or a clear, necessary reason related to completing the payment.	Either
25	Paying from an account with a significantly different name (indicating a likely third party). Note: Seller may cancel trade without penalty.	Buyer
20	Cancelling an accepted trade without a valid reason according to Trading Rules.	Either
20	Requesting payment be sent to, or insisting on paying from, a different account/name than agreed in the trade details, without Mediator approval.	Either
20	Payment sent by Buyer is 72+ hours late (beyond the trade period).	Buyer
15	Payment sent by Buyer is 48-72 hours late.	Buyer
15	Paying from an account with the correct name but different account details (e.g., wrong bank/account number) than specified for the payment method. Note: Seller may cancel trade without penalty.	Buyer
15	BTC is released by Seller significantly outside the expected timeframe after payment confirmation, without valid reason.	Seller
10	Requiring excessive personal data from the counterparty beyond what is strictly necessary for the chosen payment method (e.g., demanding ID copies, proof of address unless intrinsic to the method like Cash by Mail).	Either
10	Abusive or disrespectful behavior towards the trading peer, Mediator, or Arbitrator during the dispute process.	Either
10	Payment sent by Buyer is 24-48 hours late.	Buyer
10	Using a similar but incorrect payment method that causes issues (e.g., sending via standard SWIFT when SEPA was agreed).	Buyer
10	Paying the wrong fiat amount. Note: Buyer usually has the option to correct the amount within the trade window. Seller may cancel trade without penalty if not corrected promptly.	Buyer
10	Using an unagreed payment reference/memo, including potentially problematic neutral terms or the Trade ID itself.	Buyer
10	Delayed altcoin payment due to Buyer choosing an extremely low network fee. Note: Penalty may be reduced if Buyer uses transaction acceleration techniques (RBF, CPFP).	Buyer
5	Payment sent by Buyer is up to 24 hours late.	Buyer