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Subquorums allow you to create nested approval requirements — for example, “2 of 3 people from Department A, OR 1 person from Department B.” This enables complex, flexible approval structures for sophisticated organizations.
Subquorums are an advanced feature. Standard quorum requirements may be sufficient for most organizations. Ask your administrator if subquorums are enabled for your organization.

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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

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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
Example scenarios:

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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.
Vault policy screen with Add subquorum button highlighted

Initiating subquorum creation

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.
Member selection interface for adding users to the subquorum

Adding subquorum members

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
Quorum requirement selection showing approval count options

Setting quorum threshold

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.

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Subquorum examples

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Example 4: Escalating approval

Small transactions (<$100k):
  • Subquorum A: 1 of 3 operations staff
Large transactions (>$100k):
  • Subquorum A: 1 of 3 operations staff
  • Subquorum B: CFO
  • Requirement: A AND B (both required for large)
Result: Small transactions are fast; large ones require operations + CFO.

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Subquorum member management

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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.

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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.
Important: If you reduce members below the quorum requirement (e.g., remove someone from a “2 of 3” subquorum, leaving 2 members), the quorum becomes “2 of 2” (all required).

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Subquorum naming best practices

Use clear, descriptive names: Clear names help users understand approval flows.

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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 (50k−50k - 500k): Subquorum A AND Subquorum B (treasurers + CFO)
  • Large (>$500k): Subquorum A AND Subquorum B AND Subquorum C (treasurers + CFO + CEO)
This creates an escalating approval structure where larger operations require more oversight.

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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

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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
Mistake 2: Redundant subquorums
  • Creating two nearly identical subquorums
  • Solution: Use one subquorum and adjust the requirement
Mistake 3: Too complex
  • 5+ nested subquorums with multiple AND/OR combinations
  • Solution: Simplify; most organizations need at most 3-4 subquorums
Mistake 4: Stale members
  • Subquorum includes people who’ve left the organization
  • Solution: Regularly review and update subquorum membership

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Documenting subquorum structures

Document your subquorum design:

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Testing subquorum structure

Before finalizing, test your structure:
  1. Trace through scenarios — Mentally trace an operation through your subquorum approval
  2. Check for gaps — Can every operation find a valid approval path?
  3. Verify fallback paths — If one approver is unavailable, can others still approve?
  4. Confirm no deadlocks — Is any approval path impossible?
See Managing rules for ongoing subquorum management and Editing subquorums for modification instructions.

Related topics

Deleting subquorumsEditing subquorumsAdding usersAdding multiple destinationsAdding rules to policies