Skip to main content

Counterparty Trust

Definition

Counterparty Trust refers to the reliance one party places on another to fulfill their obligations in a transaction. In traditional financial systems, this reliance is often supported by legal agreements, regulatory oversight, and established reputations of intermediaries. Within the digital asset domain, blockchain technology aims to reduce or remove the necessity for such trust through cryptographic verification and immutable record-keeping, facilitating “trust-minimized” or “trustless” exchanges. However, the concept remains relevant in scenarios involving off-chain services, centralized platforms, or unverified smart contract code.