Key Management & Execution
The two custody and execution models curators can run a vault on — the Upshift Subaccount smart-contract wallet and Fordefi MPC.
When curators launch a vault, they choose how capital is held and how it is executed. Upshift supports two models. Both key management and execution engines follow the same safety model: non-custodial by construction, policy-gated execution, and independent NAV validation.
The difference is the operational style that fits the curator's needs.
Upshift Subaccount (smart-contract wallet)
A smart-contract wallet deployed by Upshift and owned by the vault. The curator receives a trader role and executes against a whitelisted set of protocols and tokens. The same address works across EVM chains, with built-in swap and bridging modules. Upshift calculates NAV across spot, DeFi, perps, and options. Whitelist policies are on-chain, cryptographically enforced and verifiable.
Fordefi (MPC)
A shared MPC workspace operated jointly with Upshift, governed by transaction-level policy controls. Curators propose NAV updates that Upshift's pricing engine validates. This suits curators who prefer an MPC key-management and signing workflow. Fordefi policies are maintained off-chain.
Comparison
| Dimension | Upshift Subaccount | Fordefi (MPC) |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A smart-contract wallet deployed by Upshift, owned by the vault. You receive a trader/strategist role. | A shared MPC workspace operated jointly with Upshift, governed by transaction policies. You propose and execute through it. |
| Best for | Strategies that live on and off-chain and benefit from native cross-chain execution and the full prime-brokerage surface of Upshift's institutional infrastructure layer. Integrations with CeFi. | Curators who want MPC key management and a familiar institutional signing workflow. |
| Execution surface | Whitelisted protocols and tokens; swap module and bridge module (LayerZero / Stargate, Chainlink CCIP); same address across EVM chains. | Policy-gated transactions across approved venues. |
| Custody control | Non-custodial by design; funds can only move between whitelisted strategy contracts and the vault, never to an external wallet. | MPC threshold signing with off-chain policy controls. |
| NAV | Upshift calculates NAV across spot, DeFi, perps, and options. | Curator proposes NAV updates; Upshift's pricing engine validates them. |
Upshift for Curators
What curators do on Upshift, how roles and permissions are separated, and why to curate a vault here.
Accounting, Fees & Fund Flows
How share-based accounting and NAV reporting work, the vault fee schedule, and how capital flows from deposit to strategy and back through redemptions.