> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.anchorage.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview

> Understand how deposits, transfers, and withdrawals work within Anchorage Digital's security model.

export const Check = () => <Icon icon="check" color="#049159" />;
export const Cross = () => <Icon icon="x" color="#dd0000" />;

At Anchorage Digital, every movement runs through the same controls that secure the assets themselves: segregated, HSM-secured vaults governed by policy-based quorum. The money-movement APIs are built so you can automate and scale movement without stepping outside that security model.

Funds come **in** through a deposit, sit in your wallets and vaults, and move **out** in one of two ways. Which way you use depends on two things: how much per-transaction control you want, and where the funds are going.

## Start here

* **Receive funds** — Create wallets and deposit addresses to bring digital assets or USD into Anchorage Digital. See [Deposit](/knowledge-base/platform/developers/move-money/deposit).
* **Transfer** — Move assets between your wallets or to a trusted destination, without per-transaction quorum. See [Transfer](/knowledge-base/platform/developers/move-money/transfer).
* **Withdraw** — Move assets with quorum approval on every request. See [Withdraw](/knowledge-base/platform/developers/move-money/withdraw).

## The mental model

A deposit is the only way funds enter Anchorage Digital, and receiving never requires quorum. Everything else is a movement out of—or between—your holdings. There are exactly two kinds, split by approval model.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/deployment-4/acPNZHOVq46gMy_P/knowledge-base/images/diagrams/new-move-money-mental-model.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=acPNZHOVq46gMy_P&q=85&s=f1cc8fb9d51a95d82862253da0b266eb" alt="Diagram showing funds flowing from Deposit into Your wallets and vaults, then branching to Transfer (no per-transaction quorum) and Withdrawal (quorum on each request)." width="760" height="370" data-path="knowledge-base/images/diagrams/new-move-money-mental-model.svg" />
</Frame>

**Transfers** move assets without quorum approval on each request, which suits recurring or high-frequency flows. In exchange, they require one-time setup: an allowlisted destination and a permission group scoped to the operation.

**Withdrawals** require quorum approval on every request, giving you control over each individual movement through your vault policies.

Both transfers and withdrawals can go to an **internal** wallet you own or to an **external** destination outside Anchorage Digital. External movements add two requirements: the destination must be an allowlisted trusted destination, and the request must carry AML questionnaire information for the transaction and recipient.

<Note>
  This guide assumes you're familiar with quorum and approval rules. If you're not, start with [vault policies](/knowledge-base/platform/users/vault-policies).
</Note>

## Where quorum applies

| Action                                   | Quorum on each request?                         |
| :--------------------------------------- | :---------------------------------------------- |
| Deposit (receive)                        | <Cross />                                       |
| Transfer (internal or external)          | <Cross /> (approval is front-loaded into setup) |
| Withdrawal (internal or external)        | <Check />                                       |
| Adding or removing a trusted destination | <Check />                                       |

## Support at a glance

### Move money support

|                    | Internal transfer API | External transfer API | Withdrawal API |
| :----------------- | :-------------------- | :-------------------- | :------------- |
| **Digital assets** | <Check />             | <Check />             | <Check />      |
| **USD**            | <Check />             | <Check />             | <Check />      |

Deposits are supported for both digital assets and USD. Trusted destinations for digital assets can be managed via API and the web platform. USD (fiat) trusted destinations are managed in the web platform today.

### Quorum required

|                    | Internal transfer API | External transfer API | Withdrawal API | Add trusted destination |
| :----------------- | :-------------------- | :-------------------- | :------------- | :---------------------- |
| **Digital assets** | <Cross />             | <Cross />             | <Check />      | <Check />               |
| **USD**            | <Cross />             | <Cross />             | <Check />      | <Check />               |

### Trusted destination required

Trusted destinations (allowlisted addresses and bank recipients) let you pre-approve an external destination for use across the iOS app, web dashboard, and APIs.

|                    | Internal transfer API | External transfer API | Withdrawal API |
| :----------------- | :-------------------- | :-------------------- | :------------- |
| **Digital assets** | <Cross />             | <Check />             | <Cross />\*    |
| **USD**            | <Cross />             | <Check />             | <Check />\*    |

<Warning>
  If you want to restrict Withdrawal API destinations to only trusted/allowlisted addresses, reach out to your point of contact to enable this.
</Warning>

## Before you move money: prerequisites

Internal movements work with standard API access. External movements—external transfers and withdrawals to new destinations—require one-time setup, and quorum is required at several of these steps.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/deployment-4/acPNZHOVq46gMy_P/knowledge-base/images/diagrams/new-move-money-prerequisites.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=acPNZHOVq46gMy_P&q=85&s=4b8621067c93fef364fa7f6a3952bf1b" alt="Four-step flow: Add trusted destination (requires quorum) → Configure permissions (requires quorum) → Create API key (quorum to activate) → Call the API (AML required for external)." width="864" height="120" data-path="knowledge-base/images/diagrams/new-move-money-prerequisites.svg" />
</Frame>

1. **Allowlist a trusted destination** — Pre-approve the external address or bank recipient. Adding a trusted destination requires quorum approval. See [Trusted destinations](/knowledge-base/platform/developers/move-money/setup/trusted-destinations).
2. **Configure external transfer permissions** — Enable external transfers on the permission group the key uses. This permission is configurable: scope it to specific trusted destinations, or allow any quorum-approved trusted destination. See [Permission groups and API keys](/knowledge-base/platform/developers/move-money/setup/permission-groups).
3. **Create and activate an API key** — API keys with external transfer or withdrawal permissions require quorum approval before they can be used. See [Authentication](/knowledge-base/platform/developers/move-money/setup/authentication).
4. **Include AML information** — External transfers and withdrawals carry AML questionnaire information in the request payload. See [AML questionnaire](/knowledge-base/platform/developers/move-money/setup/aml-questionnaire).

<Info>
  Keep internal and external transfer permissions in separate permission groups and API keys. Do not combine them.
</Info>

## Related

* [Transfers vs. withdrawals](/knowledge-base/platform/developers/move-money/transfers-vs-withdrawals) — The full comparison of the two approval models.
* [Trusted destinations](/knowledge-base/platform/developers/move-money/setup/trusted-destinations) — Allowlist external addresses and bank recipients.
* [Network and gas fees](/knowledge-base/platform/developers/network-gas-fees) — How blockchain fees work and how the gas station handles them.