Aqua Wallet, JAN3’s Lightning-focused wallet aimed at the Latin American market, has announced the immediate suspension of its Dolphin Card program following an unexpected issue involving its card provider. The decision affects cardholders globally, and the company said the card has been disabled effective immediately.
According to the announcement, the disruption is limited to the Dolphin Card product rather than Aqua’s broader wallet operations. In practical terms, this means users of Aqua’s other services can continue using the wallet as normal, while the card-related program remains halted until further notice.
Refunds to Be Paid in Liquid USDT
Aqua said that any remaining card balances will be refunded in USDT issued on the Liquid network. To receive the refund, affected users must complete a secure refund request form on Aqua’s website and submit a valid Liquid USDT address. The funds can be delivered either to an AQUA wallet or to any other wallet that supports Liquid assets.
This refund design is one of the most important operational details in the announcement. Rather than restoring access to the suspended card or processing balances through the original card rails, Aqua is shifting the reimbursement process to a blockchain-based settlement path using Liquid USDT. That gives users a defined route to recover funds, but it also means they must provide a compatible address before the process can be completed.
Pending Merchant Refunds Will Not Return to the Card
The company also clarified that pending merchant refunds will not be sent back to the Dolphin Card. This is a critical point for users who may have ongoing disputes, returns, or merchant-side reversals in progress. Since the card program has been suspended, those funds are not expected to flow back into the disabled card balance in the usual way.
Instead, users are being directed to the refund request process outlined by Aqua. For cardholders, this changes the normal expectation associated with prepaid or card-linked balances: rather than waiting for merchant refunds to settle directly onto the card, they will need to follow Aqua’s official process and monitor future updates from the company.
Timing Depends on Upstream Provider Funds
Aqua said refund processing will begin only after it receives the relevant funds back from its card provider. Once that occurs, the company plans to process reimbursements and send confirmation emails to users. This means the refund timeline is not immediate and remains dependent on the provider-side settlement process.
While Aqua has outlined the mechanism for reimbursement, it has not indicated a precise date for when all refunds will be completed. For affected users, the key takeaway is that the company has committed to repayment, but execution depends on when provider funds arrive. In the meantime, completing the secure request form is the necessary first step.
What Users Should Do Next
The practical guidance from Aqua is straightforward. Users who still have balances tied to the Dolphin Card should visit the official website, access the secure refund form, and submit a valid Liquid USDT address. Those who use Aqua itself may choose their in-app wallet, while others can use any wallet compatible with Liquid. Users should also keep an eye on email communications for processing confirmations and future instructions.
The announcement effectively creates a two-part checklist for affected customers: first, submit the refund request correctly; second, wait for Aqua to receive funds from the card provider and begin the payout process. Because pending merchant refunds will not return to the card, users should not assume that unresolved transactions will automatically settle through the old card channel.
Broader Implications for Crypto-Linked Card Services
The suspension also highlights a recurring issue in crypto payments infrastructure: even when a product is built around Bitcoin, Lightning, or other blockchain tools, card programs often rely on traditional or specialized third-party service providers behind the scenes. When one of those providers encounters operational trouble, the user-facing impact can be immediate.
In Aqua’s case, the company appears to be isolating the problem to the Dolphin Card while preserving the rest of the wallet’s functionality. That distinction matters. It suggests the underlying wallet platform remains live, but the card layer—dependent on an external provider—has become the point of failure. For users and industry observers alike, the episode is a reminder that hybrid crypto-fintech products can inherit both the flexibility of digital assets and the fragility of outsourced payment infrastructure.
For now, Aqua’s message is clear: the Dolphin Card is suspended worldwide, refunds are planned in Liquid USDT, and users must actively submit their information to receive reimbursement. Until the provider-side issue is resolved and funds are returned upstream, the refund process will remain in a waiting phase.