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

# Deposits

> Fund your wallet with USDC

Every deposit funds the real side of your account — the USDC that pays entry fees, sits in prize pools, backs your Duels, and margins HyperStake. Competition trading itself runs on a simulated **\$10,000 practice balance**; deposits are what get real money onto the platform in the first place.

Speculate figures out the fastest path automatically. Connect your wallet, pick an amount, and you'll either get an instant transfer or a routed bridge — the app tells you which before you confirm anything.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Same network — instant">
    If you're depositing **USDC on the same network your wallet is already on**, it's a direct transfer. No bridge, no bridge fee, no waiting on a relayer.

    $$
    1 \text{ USDC} = 1.00 \text{ USDC}
    $$

    <Check>
      What you send is what lands. This is the cheapest and fastest way to fund your account — use it whenever you already hold USDC on a supported network.
    </Check>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Another chain or token">
    Depositing anything else — a different token, or USDC on a different chain — gets routed automatically through **[deBridge](https://debridge.com)**, a cross-chain liquidity network. Speculate supports bridged deposits from:

    * Ethereum
    * Arbitrum
    * Base
    * Polygon
    * BNB Chain
    * Optimism
    * HyperEVM
    * Solana

    Before you confirm, you'll see the full quote: **exchange rate**, **bridge fee**, **network fee**, and an **estimated time** to land. Nothing moves until you approve that quote.

    <Info>
      **How deBridge's fee works.** deBridge charges a **0.04%** protocol fee on the amount you bridge, plus a small solver spread (typically about another 0.04%). On top of that, the source chain's network takes a **fixed fee in its native gas token** — a small amount that varies by chain and is shown live in your quote (deBridge sets it on-chain per network rather than as a flat table). If a bridge order is ever cancelled, the fees are refunded. See deBridge's [fee structure](https://docs.debridge.com/dln-details/overview/fee-structure) for the full model.
    </Info>

    <Warning>
      If fees would eat more than **\~10%** of the deposit amount, Speculate warns you before you confirm. Small deposits from expensive chains are where this shows up most — check the quote.
    </Warning>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Source wallet

Bridged deposits pull directly from your own external wallet — Speculate never custodies funds before a deposit is initiated. Supported sources:

* **EVM chains** — MetaMask, Rabby, or WalletConnect
* **Solana** — Phantom or Solflare

## Manual option

Prefer to send it yourself? You can copy your deposit address from the wallet page and transfer USDC directly, without going through the in-app flow.

<Warning>
  Only send USDC on the **network shown for your deposit address**. Sending the wrong asset, or USDC on a network Speculate doesn't recognize for that address, can result in permanently lost funds.
</Warning>

## Minimum deposit amounts

We recommend depositing at least these amounts — smaller deposits are usually uneconomical once bridge and network fees are taken out:

| Asset       | Minimum |
| ----------- | ------- |
| USDC / USDT | 1       |
| ETH / WETH  | 0.0008  |
| SOL         | 0.01    |

<Note>
  There's no card or fiat on-ramp yet — deposits are crypto-only for now. Bridging is also disabled on testnets; use faucet USDC directly if you're testing there.
</Note>

Once your balance lands, it's ready to enter competitions, open Duels, or fund HyperStake. When you're ready to take money back out, head to [Withdrawals](/wallet/withdrawals).