> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.unison.gg/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.unison.gg/product-overview/institutions-and-daos.md).

# Institutions & DAOs

Institutions, DAOs, fund managers and treasuries can create **custom vaults** on top of Unison's audited cross-chain architecture, designed around their own risk appetite and allocation strategy.

***

### Custom vaults

Anyone approved by the Unison protocol can deploy their own vault using the DAO Vault Factory. A custom vault is a full UnisonVault instance — same architecture, same security, same cross-chain capabilities — but owned and configured entirely by you.

#### What you control

| Parameter              | Your choice                                                                 |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Deposit asset**      | USDC, ETH, WBTC, or any supported token                                     |
| **Strategies**         | Pick from Unison's existing strategies or deploy your own                   |
| **Allocation weights** | Define how capital is distributed across strategies                         |
| **Risk profile**       | Conservative, aggressive, or anything in between — you design the portfolio |
| **Keeper**             | Use Unison's keeper infrastructure or run your own                          |
| **Fees**               | Set your own performance and withdrawal fees                                |
| **Branding**           | Custom vault name and token symbol for your community                       |

#### How it works

1. Get whitelisted by the Unison protocol
2. Define your vault parameters — asset, strategies, roles, fees
3. Deploy via the factory — vault is created with your strategies attached
4. Accept ownership — two-step transfer, you explicitly confirm
5. Start accepting deposits — your vault is live

The factory retains **zero** post-deployment authority. Once ownership transfers to you, Unison cannot access, modify, or freeze your vault.

#### Security guarantees

* Only whitelisted bridge and messaging adapters can be used — you cannot accidentally point your vault at a malicious bridge
* Inflation attack prevention is enforced at deployment
* Every vault inherits the same audit coverage as Unison's own vaults
* Ownership uses two-step transfer to prevent accidental loss

***

### For DAOs & treasuries

DAOs can use custom vaults as a treasury management system:

* **Operational reserves** — deploy idle stablecoins into a low-risk vault with automatic compounding
* **Growth allocation** — allocate a portion of treasury to RWA exposure or higher-yield strategies
* **Diversification** — spread capital across multiple vaults with different risk profiles

Custom vaults integrate directly into existing DAO tooling — Gnosis Safe, Zodiac modules, Governor contracts — via the standard ERC-4626 interface. No custom development needed.

**Example allocation:**

| Allocation | Risk profile | Purpose                                      |
| ---------- | ------------ | -------------------------------------------- |
| 60%        | Low risk     | Operating reserves — liquid, stable          |
| 25%        | Medium risk  | Growth with managed downside                 |
| 15%        | RWA          | Long-term appreciation via real-world assets |

***

### For institutions & fund managers

Institutions get the same custom vault infrastructure with the properties they need:

**Verifiable NAV** Every position and price is readable from public contract state. NAV can be independently computed by any party at any time — no reliance on Unison's UI or off-chain reporting.

**Non-custodial** Funds are held in audited smart contracts. No team multisig, no off-chain custodian. Only the vault owner controls the funds.

**Real-time settlement** Deposits and withdrawals settle on-chain. No T+2, no wire windows, no business hours restriction.

**Composable** Vault shares are standard ERC-4626 tokens. They integrate into treasury management systems, lending protocols, multi-sig workflows, or any DeFi application.

***

### ERC-4626 integration

All Unison vaults — including custom vaults — implement the ERC-4626 standard.

```solidity
// Deposit
IERC20(depositAsset).approve(address(vault), amount);
uint256 shares = IERC4626(vault).deposit(amount, receiver);

// Redeem
uint256 assets = IERC4626(vault).redeem(shares, receiver, owner);

// Query position
uint256 navPerShare = vault.convertToAssets(1e18);
uint256 positionValue = vault.convertToAssets(vault.balanceOf(yourAddress));
uint256 totalAUM = vault.totalAssets();
```

***

### On-chain transparency

Every material action emits an on-chain event — deposits, withdrawals, harvests, rebalances, strategy changes. All indexable via Dune Analytics, The Graph, or direct RPC subscription.

| Data point          | How to verify                                      |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Current position    | Vault share balance × NAV per share                |
| Entry price         | Historical deposit events                          |
| Unrealised P\&L     | Current value minus cost basis from deposit events |
| Fee history         | Harvest events log fee deductions                  |
| Strategy allocation | Read vault strategy registry on-chain              |

***

### Access control

Custom vault owners configure three roles:

| Role        | Responsibilities                                                        |
| ----------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Owner**   | Full admin. Sets keeper and manager. Two-step ownership transfer.       |
| **Manager** | Operations. Adds/deactivates strategies, updates fees, pauses/unpauses. |
| **Keeper**  | Automated. Deploys capital, triggers harvests, rebalances.              |

Depositors have no special role — the ERC-4626 interface is open to any address.