Bound DocsEconomics
Operator Costs
What it costs to obtain and maintain a containment certificate by class.
Operator Costs
The cost of a containment certificate scales with the level of assurance. Higher-value agents need more rigorous (and expensive) containment.
Cost Breakdown by Class
C1 — Basic
| Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| Reserve deposit | 1× max periodic loss (returned) |
| Audit | Self-attestation ($0) |
| Renewal | Self-renewal every 90 days ($0) |
| Annual operating cost | ~$0 (beyond locked capital) |
Best for: Micro-transaction agents, API consumers, tipping bots.
C2 — Standard
| Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| Reserve deposit | 3× max periodic loss (returned) |
| Initial audit | 80,000 |
| Renewal audit | 10,000 (every 60 days) |
| Annual operating cost | ~140,000 |
Best for: E-commerce agents, moderate DeFi, marketplace participants.
C3 — Institutional
| Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| Reserve deposit | 5× max periodic loss (returned) |
| Initial audit | 300,000 |
| Renewal audit | 30,000 (every 30 days) |
| Annual operating cost | ~660,000 |
Best for: Treasury management, high-value DeFi, institutional custody.
Concrete Examples
Example 1: C2 Shopping Agent ($50k/day max)
- Reserve: 50k, locked but returned)
- Initial audit: $25,000
- Renewals: 36,000/year
- Insurance: ~$1,125/year
- **Total year-one cost: ~150,000 locked capital)
Example 2: C3 DeFi Agent ($5M managed)
- Reserve: $25,000,000 (5× periodic max, locked)
- Initial audit: $200,000
- Renewals: 300,000/year
- Insurance: Negotiated
- Total year-one cost: ~$500,000+ (plus locked capital)
Why This Makes Economic Sense
The cost of containment certification should be compared against the cost of a single incident. A 500k loss without containment costs far more than years of certification.
Operators who build high-quality containment architecture from the start also benefit from:
- Lower renewal costs (delta audits on unchanged components)
- Lower insurance premiums
- Access to higher-value counterparties who require C2/C3 certificates