> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.heaa.xyz/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.heaa.xyz/concepts-of-heaa-dark-pool/encrypted-accounts.md).

# Encrypted Accounts

##

Your encrypted account (ETA) is the heart of HEAA Dark Pool. It's your private balance inside the dark pool.

### What it is

An encrypted account is a holding that only you can see and spend. Its balance is encrypted on-chain, so no observer can tell how much is in it. It's controlled by private keys that are generated on your device and never leave it.

### Creating one

Before you can shield or receive funds privately, you create your encrypted account once. This is a quick, free setup: you sign a message in your wallet to derive your private keys. It is **not** a transaction — nothing moves, and there's no network fee for the setup itself.

After this one-time step, your encrypted account is ready to hold and move funds privately.

### Why you can only receive from a registered account

To receive funds privately, the recipient must also have an encrypted account. If you try to send privately to a wallet that has never set one up, HEAA Dark Pool will tell you the recipient needs to create their encrypted account first. This isn't a limitation — it's what guarantees the funds land somewhere private rather than leaking into the open.

### Your keys, your control

Because the keys live only on your device:

* Only you can spend your encrypted balance.
* HEAA can never move your funds.
* If you use the app on a new device, you re-derive the same keys by signing with the same wallet — your encrypted balance follows your wallet, not the browser.