Nucleus by Handshake
Last updated on 4 Aug 2026.
Please read these Terms of Service carefully before accessing or using the Nucleus platform.
These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of our website (https://nucleus.handshake.finance) (“Website”), the Nucleus software-as-a-service platform (“Nucleus” or the “Platform”), and any other related services operated by Handshake Technologies Pte. Ltd. (UEN 202424769C) (“Handshake”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) (collectively, the “Services”).
Nucleus is a quote-to-cash and accounts receivable automation platform that enables service businesses to issue invoices, schedule reminders, collect payments through supported payment rails, and reconcile receivables. Handshake provides Nucleus as a software service. Funds collected from your clients in respect of invoices issued through Nucleus are settled to your nominated bank account by the relevant payment service provider, and are not held in trust or escrow by Handshake unless you have separately subscribed to our escrow services under a distinct agreement.
By accessing, registering for, or using the Services, you (“you”, the “User”, the “Merchant”, or the “Subscriber”) agree to be bound by these Terms, our Privacy Policy, our Acceptable Use Policy, our Data Processing Addendum (where applicable), and any other guidelines, policies, fee schedules, or additional terms we may issue from time to time. If you do not agree, you must immediately discontinue use of our Services.
You represent and warrant that you are accessing the Services on behalf of a business entity that you are duly authorised to bind, that the entity is lawfully constituted, and that you and the entity will use the Services only for legitimate business purposes.
We may amend these Terms from time to time by posting the updated version on our Website, indicated by the date above. Your continued use of the Website or Services after such update constitutes your acceptance of the amended Terms.
We reserve the right to update, modify, suspend, or discontinue the Website or Platform (in whole or in part) at any time. We shall provide reasonable advance notice of material changes affecting paid subscriptions or active billing functionality. We may suspend access immediately for security, legal compliance, or operational reasons.
You are responsible for ensuring that all persons who access our Website or use the Services through your account are aware of these Terms and any other applicable terms, and that they comply with them.
Nucleus provides software functionality that may include, depending on your subscription plan and any features we make generally available: invoice creation, milestone and recurring billing, automated payment reminders by email, SMS or messaging applications, hosted payment pages, payment collection through supported rails (including PayNow and bank transfer, and where enabled, card and other payment methods), accounts receivable reporting, and integrations with third-party accounting and business software.
Handshake is the operator of the Platform. Handshake is not a party to the underlying commercial agreement between you and your client, and is not responsible for the goods or services you supply, the accuracy of any invoice you issue, the lawfulness of any amount you charge, or the resolution of any dispute between you and your client other than as expressly set out in these Terms.
You acknowledge that payment processing in respect of any invoice issued through Nucleus is performed by one or more third-party payment service providers. Funds are settled to your nominated bank account by those providers, subject to their settlement timelines, holds, reserves, and chargeback rights. The use of those payment rails may be subject to additional terms imposed by the relevant payment service provider, which you agree to comply with.
Features described in our marketing materials, roadmap documents, or pre-release communications may not be available on your plan or may be modified or discontinued at our discretion.
To use the Services, you must register for an account and provide accurate, current, and complete information. You may be required to complete identity verification, business verification, and anti-money-laundering or counter-terrorism-financing checks, whether conducted by us or by a third-party provider. We may decline registration or suspend an account where verification cannot be completed satisfactorily.
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You must notify us promptly of any unauthorised access. You may not share, sell, or transfer your account credentials.
You may not adapt, alter, reverse engineer, or circumvent the systems or contents of the Services, nor access them other than through normal methods. You may not deface, defame, post unlawful content through, or in any way unlawfully access, block, or limit access to the Services.
Failure to comply with these Terms may result in our taking such actions as we reasonably deem appropriate, including any or all of the following:
We are not liable for any delay or failure to perform resulting from causes outside our reasonable control, including acts of God, power failures, cyberattacks, telecommunications outages, payment rail or banking disruptions, third-party software or integration failures, or regulatory action.
Access to Nucleus is provided on a subscription basis. The applicable subscription fees, transaction fees, and any other charges are set out in the fee schedule made available to you at the point of subscription or otherwise published on our Website (the “Fees”). We may revise the Fees from time to time on at least thirty (30) days’ prior written notice, and any revised Fees will apply to subsequent billing periods.
Subscription fees are billed in advance on a recurring basis (monthly or annually, as selected by you). Transaction fees, where applicable, are deducted from the amounts collected on your behalf or invoiced separately, in each case in accordance with the fee schedule. All Fees are exclusive of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and any other applicable taxes, which you are responsible for paying in addition to the Fees.
You authorise us, and our payment service providers, to charge your nominated payment method, deduct from settlement amounts, or otherwise recover amounts due in respect of any Fees, taxes, refunds, chargebacks, reversals, or other amounts owing under these Terms.
Subscription fees are non-refundable except where required by applicable law. If your account is suspended or terminated for breach of these Terms, no refund of pre-paid Fees will be due.
You are solely responsible for the accuracy and lawfulness of every invoice you issue through Nucleus, including the identity of the recipient, the amount charged, the description of goods or services, the application of any taxes, and compliance with any e-invoicing or invoicing standards applicable to you (including, where relevant, InvoiceNow / Peppol requirements).
You are responsible for the underlying contractual relationship with your client, including the supply of the goods or services, any warranties or representations, and the resolution of any commercial dispute. Handshake will not mediate or arbitrate disputes between you and your client.
Where a payment in respect of an invoice issued through Nucleus is reversed, charged back, recalled, or otherwise unwound, including following a determination by the relevant payment service provider, bank, or scheme, we may debit the corresponding amount from your account, withhold the amount from future settlements, or invoice you for the amount, and you agree to repay any shortfall promptly on demand.
If you are deemed by any payment service provider to be a high-risk merchant, or if your transaction patterns trigger fraud, anti-money-laundering, or sanctions screening, we may suspend payment processing on your account, hold or delay settlement, or terminate your access to the Services.
Card payments processed through the Platform are, as at the date of these Terms, assigned a merchant category code that is eligible to earn rewards with the majority of card issuers in Singapore. The applicable merchant category code is published in our Payments Information Schedule and may be updated from time to time. The merchant category code is assigned by the relevant payment service provider or acquiring bank and not by Handshake, and we do not control it.
Whether any particular card payment earns points, miles, cashback, or other rewards, and at what rate, is determined solely by the cardholder’s issuer under its own terms and conditions, which vary between issuers and cards and may change without notice. Certain issuers exclude this merchant category code from their rewards programmes entirely. Handshake does not warrant or guarantee that any transaction will earn rewards for any cardholder.
You may describe rewards eligibility to your clients, provided that any such description is accurate, is qualified as being subject to the cardholder’s issuer, and does not state or imply any guarantee. You are responsible for any representation you make to your clients in this respect.
Nucleus sends automated communications on your behalf to your clients, including invoice notifications, payment reminders, payment receipts, and similar messages, by email, SMS, messaging applications such as WhatsApp, or other channels you enable (“Automated Communications”).
By using these features, you authorise and instruct Handshake to send Automated Communications to the recipients you designate, using contact information you provide. You represent and warrant that you have a lawful basis under the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (Singapore) and any other applicable law to provide those recipients’ personal data to us and to instruct us to contact them on your behalf, and that you have provided any notices and obtained any consents required to do so. You are responsible for honouring any opt-out, unsubscribe, or do-not-contact requests received directly from your clients in respect of communications you initiate.
We may set reasonable technical limits on the volume, content, frequency, and channel of Automated Communications, and may modify, suspend, or refuse to send any communication that we reasonably believe is unlawful, abusive, deceptive, or in breach of any policy of a third-party messaging provider (including WhatsApp Business Platform policies).
You shall not use the Services to:
We may refuse, suspend, or terminate Service in respect of any activity we reasonably consider to be in breach of this section, with or without notice.
The Services may integrate with, or otherwise rely on, third-party products and services, including accounting software, payment service providers, banks, messaging providers, and identity verification providers (“Third-Party Services”). Where you enable an integration, you authorise us to exchange data with the relevant Third-Party Service on your behalf for the purposes of providing the Services.
Your use of any Third-Party Service is governed by the terms and privacy policy of the relevant provider. Handshake is not responsible for any Third-Party Service, its availability, accuracy, or any act or omission of its provider, and any liability in respect of a Third-Party Service is between you and that provider.
We may add, modify, or remove integrations, change the third-party providers underlying the Services, or impose additional terms in respect of any integration, at any time and at our discretion.
All right, title, and interest in and to the Services, including the Platform, the Website, all software, designs, text, graphics, logos, and other content (other than User Content as defined below), are owned by Handshake or its licensors. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and use the Services during the term of your subscription, solely for your internal business purposes and in accordance with these Terms.
Except as expressly provided, the contents of the Website and the Platform shall not be reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or otherwise distributed in any way without our prior written permission. You must not use any part of the contents of our Website for commercial purposes without obtaining a licence to do so from us or our licensors.
Modification of any of the contents or use of the contents on our Website for any other purpose will be a violation of each respective owner’s copyright and other intellectual property rights as well as a breach of applicable laws. Graphics and images on this Website are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced or appropriated in any manner without the written permission of their respective copyright owners.
You retain all right, title, and interest in and to the data, content, and materials you submit to the Services, including invoice data, client information, and uploaded files (“User Content”). You grant Handshake a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, copy, transmit, display, and process your User Content as necessary to provide the Services, to ensure the security and integrity of the Platform, and to comply with legal obligations.
You agree that we may collect and use anonymised, aggregated, or de-identified data derived from your use of the Services for the purposes of operating, improving, and developing the Services, and for analytics and benchmarking, provided that such data does not identify you or your clients.
If you copy or download any part of our Website or Platform in breach of these Terms, your access to the Services will be terminated immediately and you must, at our option, return or destroy any copies of the contents you have made.
The Services and the contents of this Website are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, or accuracy. To the fullest extent permitted by law:
To the fullest extent permitted by law, we shall not be liable for any damage or loss of any kind, howsoever caused as a result (indirect or direct) of the use of the Services, including but not limited to any damage or loss suffered as a result of reliance on the contents from our Website or any output of the Platform.
The contents of this Website and any output, suggestion, forecast, score, or recommendation produced by the Platform do not constitute financial, legal, tax, accounting, or other professional advice. If financial, legal, tax, or other professional advice is required, services of a competent professional should be sought.
You are responsible for configuring your information technology, computer programmes, and platform to access the Services. You should use your own virus protection software and maintain appropriate backups of any data you submit to or generate through the Services.
Although we make reasonable efforts to update the information on our Website, we make no representations, warranties, or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the contents on our Website are accurate, complete, up-to-date, or suitable for you.
You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from any claims, losses, damages, or expenses (including legal fees on a full indemnity basis) arising from:
Either party may terminate the subscription for convenience at the end of the then-current billing period, by providing notice through the Platform or in writing in accordance with the cancellation procedures published on the Website.
We may suspend or terminate your access to the Services with immediate effect if: (a) you breach these Terms; (b) you fail to pay any Fees when due; (c) we are required to do so by law or by any payment service provider, regulator, or court; or (d) we reasonably believe that continued provision of the Services would expose Handshake, any payment service provider, or any third party to legal, regulatory, security, or reputational risk.
On termination of your subscription, your right to access the Services will cease. We will, for a period of thirty (30) days following termination (the “Retrieval Period”), make your User Content available for export through the Platform or by request, after which we may delete or anonymise your User Content in accordance with our data retention policies, save where retention is required by law.
Termination does not affect any rights or remedies that have accrued up to the date of termination. The provisions of these Terms which by their nature are intended to survive termination (including those relating to fees owing, intellectual property, indemnities, liability, and dispute resolution) shall continue in force.
Where our Website or Platform contains links to other websites and resources provided by third parties, these links are provided for your information only. Such links shall not be interpreted as approval or endorsement by us of those linked websites or any information you may obtain from them. We have no control over the contents of those websites or resources. When you click on a third-party link, you will leave our Website. Any personal data you submit on the resulting site will not be collected or controlled by us but will be subject to the privacy policy or terms of use of the resulting site.
Our Website and Platform may contain third-party content, including comments and articles posted by third parties, advertisements, applications, and content accessed through such applications. You agree that we shall not be responsible or liable for any third-party content or your access or use of it.
Your personal data is governed by our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms.
In respect of personal data of your clients and other third parties that you submit to or process through the Services (“Client Personal Data”), you are the data controller and Handshake processes that personal data on your behalf as a data intermediary in accordance with our Data Processing Addendum (where applicable) and the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (Singapore). You are responsible for ensuring that you have a lawful basis for, and have given any required notices and obtained any required consents in respect of, the collection, use, and disclosure of Client Personal Data, including the disclosure of Client Personal Data to Handshake and our sub-processors for the purposes of providing the Services.
By using our Services, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of personal data as described in our Privacy Policy and as required for operating the Platform, processing payments, regulatory compliance, fraud prevention, and improving the Services.
You may not establish a link to the home page or to any other page on our Website without our express written consent. Even if consent is provided, you may only establish a link to the home page or to any other page on our Website in a way that is fair and legal and does not damage our reputation or take advantage of it.
You must not establish a link in such a way as to suggest any form of association, approval, or endorsement on our part where none exists.
We reserve the right to withdraw linking permission without notice.
These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Singapore, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles.
In the event of any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or in connection with these Terms (a “Dispute”), the disputing party shall give the other party written notice setting out the nature and particulars of the Dispute (a “Dispute Notice”). Within seven (7) days after receipt of a Dispute Notice, each party shall appoint a representative with the authority to settle the Dispute, who shall meet and negotiate in good faith with a view to reaching an amicable resolution within thirty (30) days of the Dispute Notice (or such longer period as the parties may agree in writing).
If the Dispute is not resolved through good-faith negotiation, either party may, but is not required to, refer the Dispute to mediation administered by the Singapore Mediation Centre (“SMC”) or any other mutually agreed mediation provider, conducted in Singapore and in the English language. Mediation is optional and not a precondition to commencing court proceedings. Any settlement reached at mediation may be recorded in writing and signed by both parties, and shall be enforceable as a contract.
Subject to the negotiation step above, the parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Singapore in respect of any Dispute. Nothing in this clause prevents either party from seeking urgent injunctive or interim relief from the courts of Singapore at any time.
A failure by us to exercise or enforce any rights conferred upon us by these Terms shall not be deemed to be a waiver or variation of any such rights or operate so as to bar the exercise or enforcement thereof at any subsequent time or times.
If any provision of these Terms is held to be unlawful, invalid, or unenforceable, that provision shall be deemed severed and the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions of these Terms shall not be affected.
A person who is not a party to these Terms shall have no right under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 2001 of Singapore to enforce any of these Terms, and the application of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 2001 of Singapore is expressly excluded.
You agree that we may assign or transfer our rights and obligations under these Terms to any other party, including in connection with a merger, acquisition, restructuring, or sale of assets. You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms to anyone else without our prior written consent.
These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, the Acceptable Use Policy, the Payments Information Schedule, the Data Processing Addendum (where applicable), the fee schedule, and any other policies referenced herein, constitute the entire agreement between you and Handshake in respect of the Services and supersede all prior agreements, representations, and understandings. Nothing in this clause excludes or limits liability for fraudulent misrepresentation, excludes any statement expressly incorporated into these Terms or into any document referenced in them, or operates to the extent that its exclusion would not satisfy the requirement of reasonableness under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 of Singapore.
