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  "schemaVersion": "1.0.0",
  "id": "stablecoin-deposit-memos",
  "canonical": "https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/stablecoin-deposit-memos/",
  "collection": "stablecoins",
  "title": "Stablecoin deposit memos and destination tags",
  "description": "Understand when a stablecoin deposit needs a memo or destination tag, why an address alone may not identify a customer, and how to handle missing attribution.",
  "aliases": [
    "stablecoin deposit memos",
    "Stablecoin deposit memos and destination tags"
  ],
  "dates": {
    "published": "2026-10-02",
    "modified": "2026-10-02",
    "verified": "2026-10-02T19:26:58.461Z",
    "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02"
  },
  "authorship": {
    "publisher": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project",
    "process": "AI-assisted research and drafting with a separate automated source-verification pass; no external expert or named human review is implied."
  },
  "quickAnswer": {
    "text": "A memo or destination tag can identify the customer behind a shared custodial receiving address. Whether it is required depends on the network, asset and receiving service. Copy the service’s complete deposit instructions; an on-chain transfer can succeed while the service cannot automatically assign it to your account.",
    "claimId": "stablecoin-deposit-memos-quick-answer",
    "sourceIds": [
      "x425-sc-stellar-memos",
      "x425-sc-coinbase-memos",
      "x425-sc-coinbase-receive"
    ]
  },
  "keyFacts": [
    {
      "label": "Purpose",
      "value": "A memo can carry transaction-identifying information beyond the destination address.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-sc-stellar-memos"
      ],
      "id": "purpose",
      "claimId": "stablecoin-deposit-memos-fact-purpose"
    },
    {
      "label": "Attribution",
      "value": "A custodial service can use an extra field to distinguish customers sharing an address.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-sc-coinbase-memos"
      ],
      "id": "attribution",
      "claimId": "stablecoin-deposit-memos-fact-attribution"
    },
    {
      "label": "Requirement",
      "value": "A field optional to a protocol can still be mandatory for a specific deposit workflow.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-sc-stellar-memos",
        "x425-sc-coinbase-memos"
      ],
      "id": "requirement",
      "claimId": "stablecoin-deposit-memos-fact-requirement"
    }
  ],
  "prerequisites": [
    "stablecoin-wrong-network"
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "address",
      "heading": "The address and the account identifier solve different problems",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-sc-stellar-memos",
        "x425-sc-coinbase-memos"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "The destination directs a transfer on the network. An extra identifier can tell a custodial service which internal customer should receive credit. The chain does not necessarily know that internal customer record.",
        "Imagine two customers instructed to use the same receiving address but different identifiers. Sending to the correct address with the other customer’s identifier is still an attribution error."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "network",
      "heading": "Do not assume every stablecoin transfer needs a memo",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-sc-coinbase-receive",
        "x425-sc-stellar-memos"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "Some services use unique deposit addresses instead. Stellar also supports multiplexed-account approaches, so a memo is not the only way to represent pooled account attribution. Use the current receiving instructions rather than a rule copied from another network.",
        "Treat the identifier as exact data. Its required type and format matter. A payment note typed into a wallet’s private notes field is not necessarily placed in the transaction field the receiver expects."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "missing",
      "heading": "Gather evidence before seeking correction",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-sc-coinbase-memos",
        "x425-sc-eth-security"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "If a deposit is missing a required identifier, record the chain, asset, transaction reference, amount and receiving account. Contact the recipient service through its verified support channel to learn whether it can correct the attribution.",
        "A successful chain status does not guarantee recovery, and making a second payment does not edit the first. Never provide a seed phrase or private key as deposit evidence."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Should I put my name or other personal information in a memo?",
      "answer": "Only use the exact receiving instructions needed for the transaction. Memos on public chains can be visible to others; they are not a private channel for identity documents or account credentials.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "x425-sc-stellar-memos",
        "x425-sc-coinbase-memos",
        "x425-sc-eth-privacy"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "claims": [
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      "id": "stablecoin-deposit-memos-quick-answer",
      "articleSlug": "stablecoin-deposit-memos",
      "statement": "A memo or destination tag can identify the customer behind a shared custodial receiving address. Whether it is required depends on the network, asset and receiving service. Copy the service’s complete deposit instructions; an on-chain transfer can succeed while the service cannot automatically assign it to your account.",
      "sourceIds": [
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      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-e49fc6c6b6e49311",
          "locator": "Memo; memo types; muxed accounts; transaction attributes"
        },
        {
          "sourceId": "source-b0762b8413431759",
          "locator": "What is a Destination Tag/Memo?; why needed"
        },
        {
          "sourceId": "source-14e4ed40d664ea20",
          "locator": "Receive crypto; network and memo selection"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "stablecoins",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
        "status": "verified",
        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T19:26:58.461Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification — Codex DeFi agent, separate from the stablecoin drafting agent",
        "notes": "Protocol optional memo and custodian-required identifier distinction checked. Muxed-account alternative preserved; added security/privacy citation support."
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "stablecoin-deposit-memos-fact-purpose",
      "articleSlug": "stablecoin-deposit-memos",
      "statement": "Purpose: A memo can carry transaction-identifying information beyond the destination address.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-e49fc6c6b6e49311"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-e49fc6c6b6e49311",
          "locator": "Memo; memo types; muxed accounts; transaction attributes"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "stablecoins",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
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        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T19:26:58.461Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification — Codex DeFi agent, separate from the stablecoin drafting agent",
        "notes": "Protocol optional memo and custodian-required identifier distinction checked. Muxed-account alternative preserved; added security/privacy citation support."
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "stablecoin-deposit-memos-fact-attribution",
      "articleSlug": "stablecoin-deposit-memos",
      "statement": "Attribution: A custodial service can use an extra field to distinguish customers sharing an address.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-b0762b8413431759"
      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
        {
          "sourceId": "source-b0762b8413431759",
          "locator": "What is a Destination Tag/Memo?; why needed"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "stablecoins",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
      },
      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
      "verification": {
        "status": "verified",
        "method": "independent automated source review",
        "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T19:26:58.461Z",
        "reviewer": "Independent automated verification — Codex DeFi agent, separate from the stablecoin drafting agent",
        "notes": "Protocol optional memo and custodian-required identifier distinction checked. Muxed-account alternative preserved; added security/privacy citation support."
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "stablecoin-deposit-memos-fact-requirement",
      "articleSlug": "stablecoin-deposit-memos",
      "statement": "Requirement: A field optional to a protocol can still be mandatory for a specific deposit workflow.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "source-e49fc6c6b6e49311",
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      ],
      "sourceLocators": [
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          "sourceId": "source-e49fc6c6b6e49311",
          "locator": "Memo; memo types; muxed accounts; transaction attributes"
        },
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          "sourceId": "source-b0762b8413431759",
          "locator": "What is a Destination Tag/Memo?; why needed"
        }
      ],
      "scope": {
        "collection": "stablecoins",
        "dataAsOf": "2026-10-02",
        "blockHeight": null
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      "qualification": "",
      "evidenceStatus": "documented",
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        "notes": "Protocol optional memo and custodian-required identifier distinction checked. Muxed-account alternative preserved; added security/privacy citation support."
      }
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "x425-sc-stellar-memos",
      "label": "Memos",
      "publisher": "Stellar Development Foundation",
      "url": "https://developers.stellar.org/docs/learn/fundamentals/transactions/operations-and-transactions",
      "locator": "Memo; memo types; muxed accounts; transaction attributes",
      "note": "Transaction memo use for off-chain recipient attribution; a memo is not a secret.",
      "version": "Document retrieved 2026-10-02; content hash recorded",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:52:47.147Z",
      "contentSha256": "f8a91f8f9421ca4150f80c0f8611907d67e1de1bb385c2e4eea377114a81c49e",
      "recordId": "source-e49fc6c6b6e49311"
    },
    {
      "id": "x425-sc-coinbase-memos",
      "label": "Deposit pending: memo not included",
      "publisher": "Coinbase",
      "url": "https://help.coinbase.com/en/exchange/crypto-transfers/memo-not-included",
      "locator": "What is a Destination Tag/Memo?; why needed",
      "note": "Custodial shared-address attribution and missing-memo consequences; asset support must be checked separately.",
      "version": "Document retrieved 2026-10-02; content hash recorded",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:51:59.961Z",
      "contentSha256": "778b398ad03327c8558c97354ecf9c4eccf751441326943e169eaaaf265134f4",
      "recordId": "source-b0762b8413431759"
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    {
      "id": "x425-sc-coinbase-receive",
      "label": "Steps to receive crypto",
      "publisher": "Coinbase",
      "url": "https://help.coinbase.com/en/coinbase/trading-and-funding/cryptocurrency-trading-pairs/steps-to-receive-crypto",
      "locator": "Receive crypto; network and memo selection",
      "note": "Supported asset/network pair, recipient details and conditional memo requirements.",
      "version": "Document retrieved 2026-10-02; content hash recorded",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:52:00.787Z",
      "contentSha256": "d925959cc8d1b8e7a34590b687b45976df9cd95be6e363b0ef7209cac26b49be",
      "recordId": "source-14e4ed40d664ea20"
    },
    {
      "id": "x425-sc-eth-security",
      "label": "Ethereum security and scam prevention",
      "publisher": "ethereum.org contributors",
      "url": "https://ethereum.org/en/security/",
      "locator": "Wallet security; common scams",
      "note": "Address checking, malicious token and phishing risks; examples are educational.",
      "version": "Document retrieved 2026-10-02; content hash recorded",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T18:51:08.783Z",
      "contentSha256": "1372ff086ae3f53ded99c8dfe308346a457574d41c04dc587de119a64080b448",
      "recordId": "source-83ec2d5a18d94ce1"
    },
    {
      "id": "x425-sc-eth-privacy",
      "label": "Why digital privacy matters",
      "publisher": "ethereum.org contributors",
      "url": "https://ethereum.org/en/privacy/",
      "locator": "Privacy can be the default: public and transparent ledger",
      "note": "Supports the public-ledger privacy limitation; does not establish a private transaction or universal privacy guarantee.",
      "version": "Document retrieved 2026-10-02; content hash recorded",
      "checkedAt": "2026-10-02T19:25:01.807Z",
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  "related": {
    "articles": [
      "stablecoin-deposit-not-credited",
      "stablecoin-payment-refunds",
      "stablecoin-test-transfers",
      "usdc-on-solana"
    ],
    "dossiers": [],
    "wallets": []
  },
  "revisionHistory": [
    {
      "date": "2026-10-02",
      "kind": "published",
      "summary": "First publication after primary-source research and separate automated verification."
    }
  ],
  "citation": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project. “Stablecoin deposit memos and destination tags.” Published 2026-10-02; updated 2026-10-02. https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/stablecoin-deposit-memos/"
}