Tier 1
Smaller banks, retail institutions, early programs. A lightweight cell on the managed backbone. Core elements can appear in minutes to hours; operational status is designed around 30 days.
Tier 2
Country-level or jurisdictional deployments. Greater local control and policy depth, still on the shared core. Same ~30 day design point.
Tier 3
Institutions that must self-host. Full operational control on your servers, still federated. Longer: weeks, not years.
In practice
- Traditional from-scratch builds: $40 to $60 million, three to four years
- You do not surrender issuance or policy when you license the core
- Reference cells demonstrate architecture; they are not licensed national deployments
Questions people actually ask
Is 30 days a guarantee?
It is the published design point for Tier 1 and Tier 2, not a contractual SLA on this page. Briefings scope the actual path.
Can I start at Tier 1 and grow?
Yes. Same core. Room to move into Tier 2 or Tier 3.
Keep reading
The white paper and a briefing are the next step if you are evaluating a cell.