Arké is a bitcoin wallet. You hold your own bitcoin. You can send it to anyone, instantly. No one can stop you, freeze your account, or see what you're doing.
That's it. The rest of this page explains how.
Your bitcoin is yours
When you set up Arké, the app creates a private key—a secret code that controls your bitcoin. This key lives on your phone and nowhere else. Not on our servers. Not in a cloud backup. Just your device.
This is different from most apps that hold money. When you use a bank or an exchange, they hold your funds and promise to give them back when you ask. With Arké, there's no one to ask. You have the bitcoin. You move it when you want.
What this means for you:
- No one can freeze your account
- No one can block a payment
- If Arké disappeared tomorrow, your bitcoin wouldn't
Payments are instant
Traditional bitcoin payments can take ten minutes to an hour to confirm. Arké payments arrive in seconds.
We use a protocol called Ark that lets you send bitcoin off the main network while keeping all the security guarantees. Think of it as a fast lane that settles back to the main road automatically.
What this means for you:
- Pay for coffee without standing there waiting
- Send money to a friend and watch it arrive immediately
- No more "pending" limbo
Privacy is default
When you pay someone with Arké, the only people who know about it are you and them.
We don't see your transactions. We can't see your balance. There's no transaction history sitting on a server somewhere. The payment happens directly between you and the recipient.
What this means for you:
- Your spending habits stay private
- No data to leak, sell, or subpoena
- Financial privacy without doing anything special
Recovery works
Your phone can break, get lost, or go swimming. Your bitcoin doesn't have to.
When you set up Arké, you'll write down a recovery phrase—twelve words in a specific order. These words, along with the data in your iCloud account, can restore your wallet on any device. Keep them somewhere safe and offline.
What this means for you:
- Lose your phone, keep your bitcoin
- Upgrade devices without worry
- No customer support ticket required
How a payment actually happens
- You tap a contact, scan a QR code or manually enter an address
- The Ark server routes and settles the payment
- Done
The whole thing takes a few seconds. Behind the scenes, cryptographic signatures are flying around and the Ark protocol is doing its thing. You don't need to know about any of that. It just works.
What Arké doesn't do
We don't hold your bitcoin. We can't move it, freeze it, or recover it for you. That's the point.
We don't see your activity. Your transactions are between you and whoever you're paying.
We don't require identity verification. No KYC, no photo of your passport, no waiting for approval.
We can't reverse payments. bitcoin transactions are final. Send to the right person.
Questions you might have
What if I forget my recovery phrase? There's no way to recover your wallet without it. This is the tradeoff for true self-custody. Write it down. Keep it safe.
Can I receive bitcoin from a regular wallet? Yes. Arké can receive bitcoin from any wallet.
What happens if Arké shuts down? Your bitcoin is still yours. You can move it out using your recovery phrase and another Ark wallet. We've designed it so you're never dependent on us.
Is this legal? Using a self-custody bitcoin wallet is legal in most jurisdictions. You're responsible for any tax obligations on transactions you make.