What is proof of reserves at a crypto OTC desk?

Proof of reserves is evidence, published on a stated date, that a custodian or OTC desk actually holds the crypto assets it says it holds. It answers one question only: do the coins exist, right now, at the address or in the account the firm points to. Our broader OTC desk verification checklist covers this alongside nine other checks; this guide narrows in on reserves and segregation because clients sending six-figure tickets ask about them most.

Three methods cover most of what firms in the industry call proof of reserves. A Merkle-tree attestation lets an individual client confirm their own balance is included in the firm's published total, without seeing any other client's balance, using a cryptographic hash tree rather than a full ledger. A third-party audit or attestation report has an accounting or assurance firm check on-chain holdings against a snapshot of client balances on an agreed date. Public wallet verification is the simplest: the firm publishes its wallet addresses so anyone can check the balance on a block explorer.

Each method proves the same narrow thing — reserves existed on the date checked — and none of them proves anything about the day before or the day after.

How is client money segregation different from proof of reserves?

Segregation is the legal separation of client money from a firm's own operating funds, held in accounts a firm cannot use to pay its own expenses, debts or losses. Where proof of reserves is a technical snapshot, segregation is a standing legal rule — it applies every day, not only on the date of a published attestation.

In the UAE, a licensed Virtual Asset Service Provider must hold client money apart from its own funds under the VARA Compliance and Risk Management Rulebook, Part IV — Client Money Rules (checked September 2026). That obligation sits with the licence, not with any voluntary attestation a firm chooses to publish. An unlicensed counterparty can publish a wallet balance too; it has no equivalent legal duty to keep that money away from its own.

Why doesn't proof of reserves replace segregation?

Proof of reserves and segregation answer two different questions, and passing one tells you nothing about the other. Proof of reserves proves assets are physically present today; it does not prove you have a legal claim on them if the firm stops operating tomorrow.

A firm can publish a clean reserves snapshot on Monday and still fail on Wednesday if the coins it showed you were never legally ring-fenced from its own creditors. Several unlicensed crypto platforms have collapsed after publishing reserves figures that looked reassuring right up to the point client assets were mixed with company funds and used elsewhere. Segregation, backed by a real licence and a regulator who can enforce it, is what determines whether client money sits outside the firm's estate when things go wrong — a snapshot cannot do that job on its own.

What does proof of reserves, segregation and a VARA licence each prove?

The table below separates what each control actually proves from what it does not, and how a client can check it before sending a large ticket.

Our own licence check is linked from the licence section of the main page, and the step-by-step process is in our one-minute VARA licence check guide. Reading the entry alongside how the VARA framework is built shows why the register, not a firm's own marketing page, is the check that counts.

What should you ask an OTC desk before sending a large ticket?

Before sending a ticket from around 100,000 USDT upward, ask the desk these eight questions in writing. A desk unwilling to answer any of them plainly has already answered the bigger question.

1. CHECK 1

   Is the licence active and does it cover dealing?

   Match the licence number, company name and licensed activity in the VARA public register — advisory-only licences do not cover dealing in size.

2. CHECK 2

   Are client funds held in segregated accounts?

   Ask the desk to confirm in writing that client money sits apart from its own operating capital, as VARA's Client Money Rules require.

3. CHECK 3

   What proof-of-reserves method do you use, and when?

   Ask which method — Merkle-tree attestation, third-party audit, or public wallet — and the exact date of the most recent published check.

4. CHECK 4

   Does the attestation cover my specific asset and network?

   A single aggregate figure across all assets tells you less than a line item for USDT on the network you are actually trading, such as TRC20.

5. CHECK 5

   Who performed the audit, and can I see the report?

   Ask for the auditor or attestor's name and a copy of the report itself, not a summary claim repeated on a marketing page.

6. CHECK 6

   Where would my funds sit if the desk failed tomorrow?

   A clear answer names segregation and the licence behind it; a vague answer about "insurance" or "reserves" is not the same protection.

7. CHECK 7

   Will settlement pay only to my own bank account?

   Confirm this during onboarding — a desk willing to pay a third-party account on request is telling you something about its controls.

8. CHECK 8

   Can I get all of this in one written message first?

   The licence number, segregation confirmation and reserves method should arrive together, in writing, before you send anything.

None of these checks slow down a legitimate trade — a desk that answers cleanly can usually do so within the hour, inside its normal quote process. A desk that stalls, deflects, or offers a rate discount instead of an answer is showing you the same pattern covered in our guide to crypto OTC scam patterns in Dubai.

The bottom line on proof of reserves and segregation

Proof of reserves and segregation are not substitutes for each other, and a desk that only offers one is only half-answering the question a large ticket deserves. Ask for a dated attestation and a written confirmation of segregated accounts, then confirm the licence behind both in the VARA public register before you send.

This guide is informational and is not legal, tax or investment advice, nor an invitation to buy or sell any virtual asset. Rules and figures are as of September 2026 — re-check the sources before acting. Virtual assets may lose their value in full or in part and are subject to extreme volatility.