Subquorums are an advanced feature. Standard quorum requirements may be sufficient for most organizations. Ask your administrator if subquorums are enabled for your organization.
What is a subquorum
A subquorum is a group of approvers with its own quorum requirement. Multiple subquorums can be combined into a single policy using logical operators (AND, OR). Example:- Subquorum A: 2 of 3 CFO, Controller, Treasurer
- Subquorum B: VP of Risk
- Policy: (Subquorum A) AND (Subquorum B)
- Result: Both the finance group AND the risk officer must approve
When to use subquorums
Use subquorums when:- Distributed approval — Different departments must approve different aspects
- Escalation tiers — Different approval groups for different severity levels
- Specialist sign-off — Legal, compliance, or other specialists must approve certain operations
- Backup approvers — Alternative approval paths if primary approvers unavailable
- Multi-entity — Multiple legal entities in one vault each need to approve
Add a subquorum
1
Open vault policies
Go to Settings > Policies > Vault policy.
2
Find subquorum option
Look for Add subquorum, Create approval group, or Nested quorum.
3
Create first subquorum
Tap Add subquorum or Create group.
4
Name the subquorum
Give it a descriptive name (e.g., “Treasury Committee,” “Risk Officers,” “Legal Signatories”).
5
Add members
Select which users are members of this subquorum.
6
Set quorum requirement
How many of these members must approve?
- 1 of X: Any one member
- 2 of X: Any two members
- All of X: All members required
7
Save subquorum
Tap Save or Create group.
8
Add another subquorum (if needed)
Repeat to create additional subquorum groups.
9
Define subquorum relationships
Specify how subquorums relate to each other:
- AND: Both subquorums must approve
- OR: Either subquorum can approve
- Advanced: Weighted or complex combinations
10
Save policy
Tap Save policy or Apply changes. The new subquorum structure takes effect.
11
Approve if required
If policy changes require approval, the new subquorum must be approved.
Subquorum examples
Example 1: Finance + Risk
Subquorum A (Finance): 2 of {CFO, Controller, Treasurer} Subquorum B (Risk): 1 of {VP Risk, Compliance Officer} Requirement: Finance AND Risk (both must approve) Result: For a large withdrawal, the CFO and Controller must both approve, AND the VP Risk must also approve.Example 2: Any specialized approver OR escalated
Subquorum A (Regular): 1 of {Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer} Subquorum B (Backup): CFO Requirement: Subquorum A OR Subquorum B Result: For routine operations, one Treasurer is enough. If both are unavailable, the CFO can approve as backup.Example 3: Multi-geography
Subquorum A (US): 1 of {CEO US, CFO US} Subquorum B (EU): 1 of {CEO EU, CFO EU} Requirement: US AND EU (both regions must approve) Result: Major operations require one approver from US and one from EU.Example 4: Escalating approval
Small transactions (<$100k):- Subquorum A: 1 of 3 operations staff
- Subquorum A: 1 of 3 operations staff
- Subquorum B: CFO
- Requirement: A AND B (both required for large)
Subquorum member management
Adding members to a subquorum
1
Open policy
Go to Settings > Policies > Vault policy.
2
Find the subquorum
Locate the subquorum you want to modify.
3
Tap edit
Select Edit subquorum or the pencil icon.
4
Add member
Tap Add member and select a user.
5
Save changes
Tap Save or Update.
Removing members from a subquorum
1
Find the subquorum
Locate the subquorum in your vault policies.
2
Edit the subquorum
Select Edit.
3
Remove member
Find the member you want to remove and tap Remove or the X button.
4
Save changes
Tap Save or Update.
Subquorum naming best practices
Use clear, descriptive names:
Clear names help users understand approval flows.
Complex subquorum structures
For advanced setups, you can combine subquorums with rules: Example: Tiered approval with subquorums- Small withdrawals (<$50k): Subquorum A (1 of 2 treasurers)
- Medium (500k): Subquorum A AND Subquorum B (treasurers + CFO)
- Large (>$500k): Subquorum A AND Subquorum B AND Subquorum C (treasurers + CFO + CEO)
Approval of subquorum changes
Adding new subquorums requires approval:- Submitter: The person creating the subquorum
- Approvers: Based on your admin policy
- Audit trail: Creation is recorded with all details
- Effective date: Takes effect immediately after approval
Common mistakes with subquorums
Mistake 1: Impossible requirements- “2 of 2” when you need fallback (too strict)
- Solution: Use “1 of 2” with escalation rule
- Creating two nearly identical subquorums
- Solution: Use one subquorum and adjust the requirement
- 5+ nested subquorums with multiple AND/OR combinations
- Solution: Simplify; most organizations need at most 3-4 subquorums
- Subquorum includes people who’ve left the organization
- Solution: Regularly review and update subquorum membership
Documenting subquorum structures
Document your subquorum design:Testing subquorum structure
Before finalizing, test your structure:- Trace through scenarios — Mentally trace an operation through your subquorum approval
- Check for gaps — Can every operation find a valid approval path?
- Verify fallback paths — If one approver is unavailable, can others still approve?
- Confirm no deadlocks — Is any approval path impossible?