Fortress Gold Inc. — Flow of Funds Diagram

Customer

KYC-verified
B2C or B2B

① Buys gold on
getsqoot.com

Fortress Gold Inc.

Merchant of Record
Initiates ACH debit

② Submits debit
via Plaid Transfer

Plaid Transfer

ACH Processor
(pull only)

③ ACH debit from
customer's bank

Customer's Bank

Verified & linked
via Plaid

④ Funds settle
(3–5 biz days)

Fortress Gold Inc.

Bank account x1988
Plaid funding account

⬇ Upon settlement, Fortress Gold purchases gold from wholesale supplier and allocates to customer vault

Fortress Gold Inc.

Bank account x1988
Purchases gold

⑤ Wire / ACH to
gold supplier

Dillon Gage Metals

Wholesale supplier
(not customer-facing)

⑥ Gold allocated
to vault

IDS Vault (TX)

Custodian & storage
Dillon Gage affiliate

⑦ Vault record
assigned to customer

Customer

Owns allocated
physical gold

Flow 1: Customer pays via ACH → Plaid debits customer's bank → Funds settle to FG account x1988 → FG purchases gold from Dillon Gage → Gold allocated in IDS vault under customer's name. Fortress Gold is the sole merchant of record. All ACH debits flow directly between customer bank and FG account x1988 only. No funds route through any third party.

Redemption — Physical Delivery — No funds movement | Logistics only

Customer

Requests physical
delivery on platform

① Delivery request

Fortress Gold Inc.

Validates & sends
fulfillment order

② Ship instruction

Dillon Gage

Ships via Parcel Pro
(insured carrier)

③ Insured delivery
sig. required

Customer

Receives physical
gold

Flow 2: Customer requests delivery → FG instructs Dillon Gage → Gold shipped via Parcel Pro insured. No funds move. Plaid not involved. Gold was already paid for in Flow 1.

Gift Gold to Another User — Vault record update only | No funds | No physical gold moves

Sender

KYC-verified
OFAC-screened

① Gift request

Fortress Gold Inc.

Verifies both KYC + OFAC
Updates vault record

② Ownership
record updated

Recipient

KYC-verified
OFAC-screened

Controls: Full KYC both parties • OFAC/SDN screening before every gift • Velocity monitoring • Enhanced review >$5,000 • Irreversible • Complete audit trail

Flow 3: Sender gifts → FG verifies both parties KYC + OFAC → Vault allocation record updated in DB. No funds move. No physical gold moves. Plaid not involved.

Legend

Customer

Fortress Gold Inc.

Plaid Transfer (ACH)

Customer's Bank

Dillon Gage (Wholesale)

IDS Vault (Custodian)

Gift Recipient

Funds flow (ACH)

Action / logistics only

Key Points for Plaid — Originator Position & Fund Flow Controls

Sole merchant of record: Fortress Gold Inc. is the direct seller of physical gold. All ACH debits are originated by FG for its own account. No third party originates or receives debits on FG's behalf.

Direct fund flow only: All ACH debits flow exclusively from the customer's linked bank to FG account x1988. No customer funds are routed through, pooled with, or credited to any intermediary or sub-account.

Plaid Transfer = debit (pull) only: Plaid is used exclusively to pull funds from customer bank accounts for gold purchases and delivery fees. Not used for credits, payouts, or outbound payments to customers.

No customer cash balances: FG does not hold customer cash. Once funds clear, they are applied to a physical gold vault allocation in the customer's name. No cash wallet or prepaid balance exists on the platform.

Gifting & redemption have no ACH component: Flow 2 (delivery) and Flow 3 (gift) involve no ACH transfers, no Plaid activity, and no movement of funds between parties.

Full KYC/OFAC before every debit: Every customer completes identity verification and OFAC screening before any ACH debit. Bank account ownership is verified via Plaid prior to first transaction on each linked account.

Fortress Gold Inc. DBA SQOOT — End-to-End Flow of Funds