# Deposit into a vault (/invest/deposit)

A successful vault deposit sends USDC into the chosen vault and mints shares of Senior or Junior to your wallet. Connecting a wallet alone does not make a deposit.

## Before you start [#before-you-start]

You need a Solana wallet, USDC on the network used by the vault, and some SOL for transaction fees and account creation. Check the [availability page](/invest/availability) and the network in your wallet. Test tokens on devnet are not mainnet USDC.

Read the vault’s holdings, [tranche rules](/invest/senior-and-junior), [withdrawal conditions](/invest/withdraw) and [risks](/invest/risks). Do not select a vault using only its displayed rate.

## 1. Open the vault [#1-open-the-vault]

Go to [Akashi Vaults](https://akashi.finance/vaults) and select a vault. Check its identity, manager and investment sources. Open Details to review the rules and accounts when you need more information.

## 2. Choose Senior or Junior [#2-choose-senior-or-junior]

In Deposit, select your tranche and enter an amount. Senior and Junior can have different expected rates and different exit constraints. Junior is first-loss capital. Senior can also lose money.

## 3. Review the amount and outcome [#3-review-the-amount-and-outcome]

Check the asset, network, vault, tranche and estimated shares. Review the transaction before signing. If the interface offers a quote with a minimum acceptable result, understand that minimum rather than treating an estimate as guaranteed.

## 4. Sign and wait for confirmation [#4-sign-and-wait-for-confirmation]

Your wallet signs the transaction. The backend does not sign on your behalf. Keep the transaction signature so you can check its status in an explorer.

An unsigned, rejected or failed transaction is not a completed deposit. An error shown after submission does not prove that the transaction failed: first check the signature to avoid submitting a duplicate deposit.

## 5. Check your position [#5-check-your-position]

After confirmation, check that the tranche shares and position appear. The interface can take time to refresh. Compare the confirmed transaction with the selected vault if the displayed balance seems wrong.

## Why a deposit can be refused [#why-a-deposit-can-be-refused]

The vault may be paused, outside Active, at its cap, below a minimum deposit, unable to obtain fresh values, or unable to preserve coverage. A Senior deposit can dilute Junior below the floor. A Junior deposit can breach an upper coverage limit when one is configured.

A refusal protects the configured conditions. It is not always a wallet problem. Do not try to bypass the limit with repeated signatures. Read [troubleshooting](/resources/troubleshooting) and [coverage and limits](/invest/advanced/coverage-and-limits).