Quorum approval is a control that requires a defined number of authorised users to approve an action before it can proceed.
In BE Custody, quorum-based workflows help organisations apply multi-user approval to sensitive custody actions, such as transaction approvals or governance-related changes, depending on the organisation’s configuration.
Why is quorum approval used?
Quorum approval helps reduce concentration of authority by ensuring that certain actions cannot be completed by a single user acting alone.
It can support:
- Segregation of duties
- Maker-checker controls
- Multi-user review
- Internal governance requirements
- Operational risk management
- Audit and control expectations
The exact quorum rules available depend on the organisation’s BE Custody setup.
How does quorum approval work?
A quorum rule defines how many authorised approvals are required before an action can continue.
For example, an organisation may require more than one authorised user to approve a transaction, policy change, or governance request. The specific number of required approvals and the users eligible to approve depend on the configured policy.
BE Custody applies the relevant approval workflow based on the organisation’s setup and the action being performed.
What actions can require quorum approval?
Depending on the configuration, quorum approval may apply to actions such as:
- Transaction approval
- Governance changes
- User or role changes
- Address or withdrawal control changes
- Policy or limit updates
- Other sensitive custody workflows
Not every action requires the same approval model. Requirements may differ by wallet, asset, transaction type, amount, policy, role, or internal governance process.
Who can approve an action?
Only authorised users with the required role and permissions can approve actions subject to quorum approval.
A user’s ability to approve depends on:
- Their assigned role
- Their permissions
- The organisation’s approval policy
- The wallet, asset, or workflow involved
- Any applicable limits or governance rules
Users should not approve an action unless they recognise it, understand it, and are satisfied that it matches the organisation’s internal process.
What should approvers check?
Before approving an action, check:
- The action is expected
- The requester or instruction is legitimate
- The wallet, asset, network, amount, or governance change is correct
- The request aligns with internal approvals or records
- The destination address is correct, where applicable
- The action does not appear unusual, rushed, or inconsistent with normal activity
- Any required supporting information has been reviewed
Do not approve an action if any detail is unclear, unexpected, or inconsistent.
What happens if quorum is not reached?
If the required quorum is not reached, the action will not proceed.
The request may remain pending, expire, be rejected, or require further action depending on the workflow and configuration.
Can quorum rules be changed?
Quorum rules may be configurable depending on the organisation’s setup and governance model.
Changes to quorum or approval settings should follow the organisation’s internal approval process and may themselves require authorised review or approval.
What should I do if I receive an unexpected approval request?
Do not approve unexpected or unfamiliar requests.
Follow your organisation’s internal escalation process and contact an appropriate administrator, security contact, or Bitpanda Enterprise Custody Support if needed.
Do not include passwords, PINs, private keys, seed phrases, API keys, API secrets, or other sensitive authentication information in a support request.