Crypto-First21

Over the past ten years, digital finance has focused primarily on being transparent. Thanks to public blockchains, anyone can independently verify transactions, trace the movement of assets, and perform audits without needing an intermediary. While being transparent has allowed for a very high level of trust through experimentation, it has also revealed a significant limitation. While full transparency is excellent for testing, it poses a significant concern when implementing real world financial transactions. This is particularly true when it comes to institutions, businesses and even individuals and their ability to carry out their daily operations effectively, with every transaction, balance and relationship being permanently recorded in a public database.
Dusk is a result of recognizing this limitation and represents a larger movement towards the development of confidential digital finance, which mimics how money operates in the physical world.
Confidential digital finance does not eliminate transparency, it reframes the definition of transparency. Dusk is based on a premise that privacy and accountability can exist side by side. In the Real World of Finance, sensitive data is kept private, while at the same time, regulators and auditors have access to that sensitive data when required. Dusk brings this same concept to an on-chain solution through cryptographic design, rather than just relying on policy. In addition, the use of zero knowledge proofs in the network allows for transactions to be validated without communicating any confidential data about the transaction to the public. In other words, Dusk can confirm that rules are being followed without requiring participants to share everything they know about themselves or what they do.

This method will become more relevant as financial systems begin adopting the idea of tokenisation; i.e. how these assets can represent real value in the real world (securities, settlement instruments, etc). In order for these assets to operate within regulation, confidentiality cannot be optional. Financial Institutions need assurance that their sensitive data will not be accessed by unauthorised parties and Regulators want to have confidence that institutions can comply with the law, as well as have the ability to maintain regulatory oversight. Dusk attempts to address both of those issues through Permissioned Visibility, whereby the data of all parties is private by default, and may be made public as the result of pre agreed legal or trust based conditions. With this approach, the Dusk platform has incorporated many features of existing Financial Frameworks as opposed to trying to create an entirely new one.
The role of the Dusk Token within this ecosystem is not based upon speculation but, rather, cooperation & long term stability. The Dusk Token is used for securing the network, and to ensure proper behaviour on behalf of all stakeholders. In Dusk’s ecosystem, the Dusk Token is not used to incentivise short-lived activity spikes; rather, it is intended to provide a measure of predictability in behaviour, as well as promote the development of infrastructure that is sustainable over the long term. To have long term success and gain consumer trust, financial institutions will be cautious about adopting new technologies. Establishing long term sustainable and predictable process is equally as critical to the Financial Sector’s future success as the implementation of new technologies will be. The design and functionality of the Dusk platform demonstrate an appreciation for the mindset of the Financial institution.

This shift in markets confirms this trend is real. Data protection laws and regulations have increasingly been enforced and vetted in many areas, with Europe being at the forefront. Financial firms that are considering blockchain technology as a solution have stopped debating the need for privacy and are now focused on how they can maintain compliance while providing that privacy. As a result, there has been a shift in the conversation from solely using public ledgers to using private, non public ledgers or a combination of the two. Confidential digital financial solutions are fast becoming less of an idea that is only of interest to a few and more of a requirement for wider acceptance.
From a user's perspective, Dusk attempts to create an environment in which confidentiality is the norm and privacy isn't difficult to achieve. Privacy is in the background, while the interaction appears to be no different than the way a user would normally interact with their bank or financial institution. This is by design. Mass adoption of private, non public ledger financial services is based on ease of use for the consumer, not on their understanding of cryptography; therefore, privacy and compliance should be incorporated into any solution at the protocol layer to minimise later need for changes or versions. By building these elements into the core solution, Dusk can help create a cleaner profile or user experience and a more resilient overall configuration.

The future of Dusk will be determined by its ability to provide a realistic solution for the financial system, rather than simply a new technological solution, as is common in many fintech companies. Financial systems have historically used confidence building measures as their main criteria for implementation, as doing so allows for easier audit processes, better protection against fraud or other stakeholders involved, and ultimately allows for incentives to be created by the financial system's users. In creating a design that works within those parameters from the beginning of the development process, Dusk has set up a more resilient financial environment to create trust and confidentiality in how money is spent on behalf of users. The extent to which this paradigm shift occurs across all digital finance infrastructures will likely define how successful blockchain will be in moving towards the next phase of its evolution.
@Dusk #dusk $DUSK

Storage has traditionally been seen as a secondary consideration for nearly all of blockchain’s its early models use a replicated database to store transactional data to support executed transactions, but basically it serves its own purpose as part of the transaction execution mechanism, early blockchains assumed that it would be better to replicate all of the data in the blockchain throughout the network and, while this has worked well enough on small blockchains, as blockchains evolved to support actual applications, the limitations of this model could no longer be ignored, costs of storing the data would increase, speed of the system would decrease, and developers would simply begin moving their important data off chain. Walrus is taking a different approach than traditional onchain storage by assuming that the storage mechanism will have an independent functional purpose, separate and distinct from the purpose of executing the transactional data in the blockchain.
Why On chain Storage Struggles at Scale
With traditional on chain storage, data is stored in a fully replicated manner, which allows increased confidence regarding the accuracy of the data, but also creates compounding costs for the network as the data volume continues to grow. As the volume of data stored in the storage system increases, so too does the aggregate overhead of storing the data, energy consumption, and operational complexity associated with storing the data. Data from multiple sources show a rapid and steady rise in on chain storage fees over the past few years, especially for blockchains that are frequently used to store large amounts of persistent data. The current pricing environment for on chain storage represents an inherent structural dysfunction. Applications have an increasing need for data to operate effectively, yet the infrastructure necessary to support that need is becoming increasingly difficult to scale as the volume of data grows. What used to be viewed as a secure method of protecting the integrity of data that had been written to the blockchain has become a bottleneck for growth and scalability.

Walrus and How it Disrupts Storage and Definitions of Services
Walrus disrupts storage to be a fully defined service layer, with its own characteristics, motivations and constraints, on top of which a user can execute transactions without the service being globally replicated and available wherever that transaction occurs. Whereas, in traditional execution systems, any given transaction would be supported by a globally replicated copy of all data required to be accessed at the time of execution of that transaction, Walrus defines data availability to be totally independent of transaction finality. Therefore, unlike traditional execution systems, which typically bind execution to a defined storage location, Walrus decouples data availability from transaction finality, thereby allowing optimized storage to focus solely on durability and efficiency and for execution systems to concentrate on data computation and state change.
By allowing storage to define its own constituency space, Walrus provides a platform that allows users to conceptualize their data as independent from the means of execution, similar to how most traditional infrastructures currently bifurcate databases and application logic due to the same constraint on transaction finality at the time of the transaction.
Eliminating Duplication and Maintaining Reliability
Central to Walrus' model is its premise that endless duplication is not a necessary means of ensuring the reliability of the stored data. By utilising technologies such as erasure coding to break up typically large data files into smaller pieces and distribute them over multiple nodes, it is possible to reconstruct a data file from only a select number of those pieces or fragments. Thus, large amounts of data remain accessible, even if a portion of the underlying infrastructure fails. The advent of Walrus as a sustainable storage service provider marks a significant progression towards removing the burden of the traditional redundant multiple copies.

Measurable and Predictable Operational Characteristics
Infrastructure is functional when it can be reported on and/or verified through processes. Walrus provides such assurance through cryptographic evidence of verified, continuous verification of the existence and availability of data. This allows operators to independently verify that the data they require exists and is being made available in a timely fashion, rather than relying upon unseen processes. As a result, there is a clear audit trail for all activities related to the retention of the record over an extended period of time. The level of transparently provided by Walrus is what differentiates on chain storage from being experimental to being an integral part of any regulated environment where accountability and traceability are a necessity.
Institutional Perception of This Design
Institutions do not evaluate infrastructure solely on the basis of short term performance, they want predictability, they want the ability to predict their long term costs and the potential for expending operational funds. There are many replication based storage structures that provide inconsistent results in estimating the cost of operating and managing compliance risk. Walrus provides a more stable storage experience, by significantly reducing the amount of duplication and the degree to which any duplication exists in a storage system, it creates storage systems with predictable performance/behaviour over time. Therefore, the predictable nature of Walrus storage systems will facilitate the integration of blockchain based storage systems with current governance, compliance and risk management structures and processes.

Larger Sized Industry Maturity
Walrus not just demonstrates maturing as an industry but embodies changing perceptions of how the blockchain technology community thinks about design. Moving beyond throughput, the focus of the entire industry has shifted to durability, clarity, and usefulness for the long term. Temporary storage is not an adequate solution to address use cases that rely on infrastructure functioning well in the future. Infrastructure must function quietly until an entity returns to use the storage, regardless of the interest that may have existed at the time of original usage. Walrus is a pricing expression of this more mature view of decentralized systems, as it positions storage in the foundational service layer.
This is a necessary evolution for the infrastructure community. A well designed, unobtrusive infrastructure is often indistinguishable from a user's view due to its reliability. When storage systems are developed with attention and focus, they create more comfort and faith from users. Technologies that require ongoing attention to remain functional will have limited value to their users.
Walrus transforms on chain storage into an actual infrastructure product by providing independence, structure and intent for use over time. By reducing redundancy through efficient data transfers, improving auditability and providing for predictable use practices, Walrus has the ability to enable storage to grow in line with real world applications rather than work against them. As the blockchain community continues to make the transition from being experimental to being commonplace, approaches like Walrus will distinguish the differences between systems that collapse under their own weight and systems that are built to last.
@Walrus 🦭/acc #walrus $WAL

Stablecoins have typically been referred to as the connection between conventional finance and a blockchain, but more times than not they are treated as experiments or test assets instead of real currency. Although pricing of stablecoins are fairly fixed, a lot of times the way in which they are being moved are not. Fees change constantly, transactions get held up due to volume, how reliable one network is versus another can fluctuate greatly. Plasma starts with different premises; if you want stablecoins to act like currency then the infrastructure used to move stablecoins should act like traditional finance, rather than being seen as some kind of technology demonstration that is trying to call attention to itself.
In traditional finance, money movement is based on infrastructure designed to provide predictable outcomes rather than spectacular results. Payment rails, clearing houses and settlement systems all work the same way each time, high volume or low volume does not matter. No one is excited when payment systems work; the fact that they work is exactly why they were created to begin with. Plasma uses this approach as being the same as stablecoins. A focus on consistent use; coordinated processing and obtaining long lasting reliability motivation for building stablecoins. This in turn converts a digital token into something that institutions can really rely on.
Understanding why this is important requires looking at how most blockchains process transactions. When you initiate a transaction, numerous separate computers that function as validators must agree on the outcome of the transaction. This implies a process of agreeing to the outcomes of transactions known as coordination. Although it appears to be a simple alternative to sending money, it's actually costly to coordinate between multiple validators. Coordinating requires ensuring that all the computers responsible for coordinating transactions have access to the internet, have enough electricity to run, and can supply sufficient security for the transactions they coordinate. When a spike in demand occurs, the costs associated with coordination increase significantly. Some blockchains conceal their coordination issues initially, but then expose them through congestion and unpredictable fees. Plasma treats coordination as a resource that requires careful management from infancy through to maturity.

Execution is also an often overlooked component of the process. Execution is the point where a transaction is effectively executed and finalized. For finance to function effectively, execution must be exact and consistent. A short delay or inconsistency may not be an issue for trading, but a delay or inconsistency could have serious repercussions for financial transactions such as payment processing, settlement services, and treasury operations. Plasma aims to make execution stable against continuous load. This will eliminate uncertainty, which is the most significant obstacle to regulated markets accepting stablecoins.
Data from the past several years show that there is a strong correlation between the continued growth of blockchain technologies in the marketplace and certain key aspects of blockchain networks. Namely, institutions' adoption of blockchain technologies has been the most steady and rapid on networks that deliver predictably high uptime, provide predictable transaction fees, employ conservative network designs, etc. On the other hand, blockchain networks that are primarily driven by novelty have generally experienced an initial surge in interest but have consistently seen operational challenges when they begin to experience meaningful scale. Correspondingly, the trend towards the increased use of stablecoins is also apparent from this data. Currently, the primary driver of the largest volumes of stablecoins are payment transactions, remittances and treasury management (as opposed to retail investor speculation), all of which require that networks possess the necessary characteristics to sustain their use over the long term.
Another way in which Plasma differs from typical blockchains is that it approaches participant reward structures differently, by encouraging more stakeholders to value long term sustainability versus simply looking for short term throughput and quick responses to demand. For example, validators in Plasma are incentivized to provide stable services to their customers; to use their computing resources in a disciplined manner, and to serve as coordinators for the execution of transactions on behalf of all users on the network. These types of participant rewards result in reducing the potential for sudden network downtime and making it significantly easier for both internal and external parties to model and audit Plasma's behaviour. This provides significant benefits to financial institutions because compliance responsibility officer, risk manager and regulators require that they have systems which can be easily understood and that they can predict how they will operate when they are stressed.

Regulation is having a silent yet significant impact on the way stablecoins will ultimately be viewed. Financial oversight in relation to stablecoins continues to advance further down that path as every day goes by. As regulatory frameworks continue to develop, there are competitive advantages for infrastructure providers who can demonstrate predictability and durability in how they do business. Plasma was developed in recognition of this reality and has been built with an emphasis on being able to coordinate effectively and deliver predictably, making it much more consistent with how regulated financial systems currently operate than many other blockchain platforms. This does not mean that decentralisation has been sacrificed, rather it is decentralised to the extent that it can meet real world constraints.
An additional critical piece of this is cost. Nearly all blockchain networks have steep transaction costs that increase significantly when the network is busy. Therefore, even when the price of a stablecoin remains stable, in practice, the stablecoin will be less stable due to transaction cost. The Plasma Platform works to mitigate these transaction costs by allowing for a common resource through the management of execution. As demand for execution increases, the system is able to accommodate this growth without any abrupt changes in fee structure or performance. Over time, there will be provided a much more reliable user experience than most companies and institutions need when planning for the long term.
By treating stablecoins as a form of infrastructure rather than simply a new way of making payments, we shift from measuring the price of a payment network based on how quickly it can execute transactions on a short term basis, to measuring how well the payment network performs over a long time period (i.e. several years) of continuous usage. Questions regarding the payment networks’ ability to support regular settlement cycles, predictable cash flows, and integration with existing payment processes without continuous reconfiguration are part of Plasma’s foundation. These questions were not included simply because they sound cool, but rather because they describe how people move money in the real world.

This change from user experience perspective also reduces friction. Users will have less friction if payment systems behave predictably, therefore, users no longer need to focus on the underlying payment network and can instead concentrate on their actual objectives. When a payment system is routine, settlements are boring, and boring is a good sign of becoming more mature. Therefore, the goal of Plasma is to create a stablecoin that disappears behind the scenes and operates in an unobtrusive, dependable manner like existing payment systems. The subtle change from a new type of payment system to an existing payment system often represents the distinction between adoption of a payment system and only experimenting with that payment system.
An integration rather than a disruptive rather than a disruptive construct is the dominant long run storyline on the adoption of stablecoins. Increasingly stablecoins will be employed in conjunction with traditional systems rather than against them; therefore, the role of infrastructure in this transition is to support institutional requirements while also maintaining the advantages associated with decentralised systems. Plasma defines its role in that evolution as establishing an environment focused on coordination, durability, and sustained performance rather than short term measurements.
After experiencing many years of observing history repeat itself with cycles of hype leading to disappointment in the financial technology sector, I have developed an appreciation for designs that identify limits as an important part of their design solution instead of ignoring limits. Systems take a long time to establish confidence in the financial world, while they can lose that confidence very quickly. Plasma emphasises steady dependability over dramatic performance, which aligns with how historically financial infrastructures have been developed.
To convert the stablecoin to a financial infrastructure, it is not about creating a larger or faster stablecoin, it is about establishing a very reliable stablecoin, which can never be detected in day to day activities. Plasma has taken the initiative to create the digital money future based on the principle of overbuilt dynamic systems, which will be defined more by quiet competence than by great innovative accomplishments. Therefore, if stablecoins aggregate into the global financial infrastructure, they will require rail systems that cognitively reflect how financial institutions think, Plasma is working towards creating that infrastructure.
@Plasma #Plasma $XPL

As blockchain technology has grown older, its use has changed from speculative to real world infrastructure applications. Government agencies, banks, and businesses no longer ask if the blockchain is quick or novel; they instead wonder about its reliability, predictability, auditability, and regulatory compliance. For these types of regulated and compliance focused systems, stability is the most critical factor. Vanar has positioned itself according to how these systems will evolve by developing a network that provides for the long-term operation of clear economic models and stable performance, rather than focusing on short term experimentation.
Regulatory systems operate in a controlled manner, with strict laws/regulations for the delivery of services such as banking, identity based platforms, supply chain, and data infrastructures that protect consumers. Each of these systems has a number of requirements for compliance with regulations governing transparency, risk management, and continuity. Within a regulatory system, unpredictability regarding transaction costs or confirmation and data validation is unacceptable due to their negative impact on an institution's operational planning. To address these issues, Vanar provides a consistent approach to transaction costs, confirmation times, and validation mechanisms through predictable systems, which allows institutions to plan confidently and reduce operational risk, both of which are essential to be approved for regulatory and compliance audits.

Compliance focused system implementations require long term reliability and support for regulated use cases by providing reliable, uninterrupted performance, as many blockchain ecosystems perform satisfactorily under low usage conditions but have difficulty sustaining performance under high usage over time. Thus, the Vanar architecture supports long ranged demands of time based operations by providing a stable delivery of throughput and significantly decreasing deliveries during times of peak-processing volume.
Another important factor for maintaining compliance in the regulated environment is the integrity of the stored information. Financial institution must be able to have sufficient confidence that the information stored within the system is clear, searchable and tamper proof. Many blockchain networks rely on off chain storage for the majority of data storage, adding to their overall risk due to the existence of additional service providers who are responsible for storing data but ultimately don’t have control over how that data is retained. When the service provider storing the data goes offline or is not reachable, the blockchain may continue to function, but the information that it operates isn't available or has been lost in the process of being stored. The concentration of useful data at the level of the network also will enable the overall network to have a stronger level of durability and reliability. Reducing the need for external systems to support compliance and auditability further increases the reliability of a blockchain system.
The role of validation and governance is critical to compliance based systems. Validators are responsible for validating transactions and ensuring the network remains secure and functional. When dealing with institutional organizations, validator reliability has just as much importance as whether or not the system is decentralized. Vanar utilizes high quality validators, all of whom are continuously monitored in real time, and have a clear structure of incentives to promote their use. The rewards associated with blocks are structured to promote continued participation in the network, thus supporting a stable validator set, reducing validator turnover and improving overall network security. The level of stability achieved in the validator set is extremely critical for regulators and institutional organizations since it helps to minimize systemic risk.
Vanar also has an economic design that aligns with regulated requirements. Frequent spikes in fees and extreme fluctuations in costs create challenges related to planning and budgeting, as well as compliance. To address these issues, Vanar has employed predictable dollar denominated transaction fees to allow organizations to accurately estimate and plan for costs. This is especially important in the regulated finance environment, because many jurisdictions require regulated organizations to provide transparent cost information. Additionally, having stable fees allows for the use of machine based systems to operate effectively, since these systems rely on having a predictable cost structure in order to function properly.

Systems focused on compliance are also required to contain clear traces of auditability. It is necessary for any and all transactions within these types of systems to be traceable, verifiable and consistent in order for them to be deemed compliant with various regulatory frameworks. The design of Vanar supports transparent recordkeeping at no detriment to the overall system performance. This balance is critical, as regulators typically request to see visibility into the systems’ behaviour but still expect the system to operate effectively. By having a strong level of validation through a consistent and reliable means of block production, Vanar ensures that transaction histories can be retrieved and reviewed by auditors at any point in time.
Vanar’s approach is also indicative of how blockchain technology is currently being assessed from a broader view. Generally, the assessment of blockchains is starting to move away from short term performance metrics and towards more long term metrics that indicate operational discipline and relevance to real world applications of blockchains. Institutions have less interest in the immediate performance of a network over a short period of time versus interest in how the network will perform over extended periods. Vanar has developed its entire focus on providing long-term incentives and stable networks with predictable behaviours, all of which aligns with this general shift in the way all blockchains are currently assessed.
Systems focused on compliance have an inherent human aspect. The technology as a whole cannot exist by itself; it serves real organisations, real people, and has real responsibilities. The effects of system failure will have an impact far beyond the technical ineptitude. Financial loss, legal risk, and loss of reputation could all present as consequences. Vanar's design decisions illustrate the understanding of these kinds of challenges. By focusing on reliability and clarity, their design helps reduce uncertainty for those who rely on the network.
For me personally, the emphasis on compliance and long term thoughtfulness is a much needed progression of blockchain. While the experimentation that was done in the early days has helped create many aspects of blockchain, systems that will support society should be developed under a higher level of standards than those that support technology itself. It's refreshing to see that networks developed with purpose and consideration for future generations, as opposed to those that were only focused on the technological experience. Vanar's approach suggests that building trust occurs over time with consistency, not simply through the speed of a transaction.
As regulated sectors continue to adopt blockchain technology, networks that can meet institutional demands will play a crucial role. Rather than disrupting the current system, Vanar's role within regulation driven systems is to integrate into existing processes. Vanar is positioning itself as an infrastructure that can allow for financial transactions, data management, and digital purpose driven services to be conducted in an orderly manner by aligning technical design to regulatory realities.
Long term success for blockchain in regulated settings will rely on networks that create a balance between decentralization and operational dependability. Vanar has incorporated this balance into their architecture by striving not to eliminate regulation, but rather accommodate regulation through the development of predictable, auditable, and durable systems. Although Vanar may not draw attention through the rapidity of change or through speculative means, they are developing something that is more important: trust.
As the blockchain industry continues into the post speculation era, networks such as Vanar may become quietly foundational to the space. While their contribution to the industry may not be obvious, they are critical. By concentrating on compliance, stability, and long term usability, Vanar will help to create a more balanced blockchain environment for the use of organisations in the real world, which will ultimately develop trust within the industry, leaving a lasting effect on how industries continue to use blockchain technology in the future.
@Vanarchain #vanar $VANRY

Peak performance numbers are commonly used as benchmarks when discussing modern blockchains. Questions such as What are the maximum number of transactions per second (tps) that this network can perform under stress testing? and How many tps can the network achieve at peak performance, under highly optimised laboratory conditions? are valuable, however they fail to address an underlying user requirement. Users of financial infrastructure do not judge infrastructure by its behaviour for a few short seconds in times of stress, they judge it based on its ability to reliably perform day in and day out, over extended periods of time. This is the long term perspective we have built around the design of Plasma, placing greater emphasis on the reliability of the pipeline than on short term bursts of speed.
Transaction pipelines in traditional finance operate more like public utilities than race cars. Banks, clearing systems, and payment processors need to be able to perform a steady state of business, they cannot count on periodic, unpredictable peaks in performance followed by subsequent instability. Plasma has adopted this same philosophy, instead of designing for extraordinary bursts of performance, the architecture has been designed for the continued delivery of consistent throughput as a result of ongoing demand. As such, there is a reduced operational shock to the network, which eliminates the cycles of congestion and recovery experienced by many of today’s traditional high speed systems following traffic spikes.

Structural weaknesses are often hidden by burst performance. Although networks may appear to be very fast during short benchmarks, when overload occurs on the validator due to overloaded hardware or failed coordination from high sustained pressure, the network's reliability collapses. Plasma treats transaction execution as an ongoing shared resource that needs careful management throughout time. Validator incentives are aligned with long duration uptime and disciplined behavior. thus, they provide support for continuous participation, smoother coordination, and predictable transaction costs.
When comparing the way pipelines operate, the difference becomes even clearer. The burst optimized model operates like a highway designed for high speed racing events. In this way, bursts are well facilitated during high speed bursts and are poorly equipped to handle traditional commute times. The Plasma pipeline has been designed to facilitate the motion of commuters. Steady flow, efficient scheduling, and minimal resource consumption are a priority within this model. Therefore, congestion is mitigated prior to becoming a crisis instead of having to react to the congestion after its occurrence. This type of proactive design is necessary for organizations that rely on consistent settlement cycles and operational certainties.
Long term reliability of a pipeline from a technical standpoint depends on proper coordination between validators. All nodes need to have access to each other, keep up to date with one another, and respond to requests while under constant use. Plasma directly rewards this ongoing reliability by providing incentives for long term accurate service and resource management rather than just maximum output over short periods of time. As time passes, these factors will reduce systemic risks such as, for example, cascading failures against one another, latency that is not predictable, and fee volatility. The financial industry must be able to operate without surprises, which is why the architecture of the Plasma network was designed with conservativeness as a key consideration.

As institutional investment into blockchain becomes more prevalent, market behaviour is reflecting a change in these priorities as well. Institutions will typically choose a particular network based upon how much predictability exists with the amount of time that the network has been up and how stable its operations are when they have access to it. Networks that only have been optimised for speed tend to draw attention in their infancy, will often find it difficult to maintain performance once they start to have real users using them. Plasma has taken a different approach by placing an emphasis on durability during the initial phases of development it is creating a pipeline that institutions can utilise as models against which to conduct audits, and thus utilise in creating long term workflows. Winning benchmarks is of lesser concern than establishing itself as being an infrastructure that is dependable.
The economic side of reliability is also an aspect of consistent reliability. Institutions can plan their operational costs and business decisions simply by having consistently predictable behavior. Reliability is significantly influenced by sudden spikes in volume, congestion, or emergency scaling items. These types of uncertainties translate into financial risk for all financial institutions. Therefore, by operating on a consistent basis through Plasma's pipeline model, institutions can have confidence that their transaction processing and overall business practices are behaving more like a reliable utility, rather than being subjected to speculative activities in a network. This consistent reliability supports real-world applications of financial activities, such as treasury management, cross-border settlements, and industrial or large volume payment processing.
Design philosophies reflect how real financial systems evolve. Many networks have been watching how sustainable results create a more utilitarian experience for the user while creating a much better value proposition for the company running the service. Therefore, after witnessing numerous financial service networks chasing highly speculative speed metrics, it is now clear that durable operational infrastructure has a much higher impact on customer satisfaction than eye catching service speed.
Thus, the Plasma network represents a maturational phase for the network industry. Changing the focus from very experimental fast-paced network metrics to operational reliability opens up new opportunities for financial institutions to utilize these networks on an ongoing basis. Ultimately, by treating financial execution as a continuous network resource and not just a competition of speed metrics, the Plasma network will help develop and build on the reliability necessary for long term sustainable financial institutions throughout the world to rely on daily these types of infrastructures. Moreover, due to the reliability of these types of systems, this, too, may be more transformational than any speed number that has made the headlines due to creating and integrating into, the economic fabric of our planet.
@Plasma #Plasma $XPL

When one hears about 'confidential assets' on the blockchain, it may seem like a contradiction. Blockchains are associated with transparency, where virtually anyone can perform a transaction and see every detail. In contrast, Dusk’s vision is about how money will work in a world that is based on trust and transparency yet still has private transactions. Dusk’s Confidential Assets are Dusk’s answer to that question. They are built with regulated finance, not just the crypto culture of today.
A confidential asset is a digital asset whose ownership and details about the transaction are secure by advanced technical means It is important that privacy does not exist solely for the purpose of hiding your activity. Privacy exists to protect sensitive information about companies while allowing the system to confirm that the terms of the agreement are being agreed upon. To accomplish this, Dusk implements the use of Zero Knowledge Proofs. A Zero Knowledge Proof enables a transaction to be confirmed, without revealing private details regarding individuals or companies associated with the transaction. Individuals can prove their compliance with a transaction without sharing confidential information with the public.

This design becomes especially meaningful when you consider how traditional financial markets operate. Institutions cannot function if every trade, position, or client relationship is permanently exposed. At the same time, regulators require auditability and accountability. Confidential assets are built to live in that tension. Through permissioned visibility, Dusk allows certain information to remain private by default, but accessible under predefined legal or trust-based conditions. That means an auditor or regulator can review activity when required, while the broader public does not gain unrestricted access to sensitive data.
In addition, the economic element of the system supports both the technical nature of confidential assets and provides a monetary incentive for participants to behave responsibly on the network. The Dusk token plays a critical role in securing the network and providing all network participants with an incentive to work together to create long term stability rather than short-term speculation. This is especially important when you consider that financial institutions will typically adopt a new piece of infrastructure slowly and cautiously; they want to find something that can consistently perform for them over several years and beat all the new toys available to them over the next few months.
By combining privacy, compliance, and durability in one solution, Dusk creates a signal to the marketplace that it is building for long-term sustainable use rather than short term excitement.

Furthermore, market trends confirm that this approach is becoming increasingly attractive. Over the last couple of years, regulators in various jurisdictions with strong data protection frameworks have put pressure on financial institutions to protect client data. Institutions that are interested in blockchain providers or infrastructure have stopped asking if privacy is optional; they are now asking how a blockchain solution can exist with regulatory clarity. The creation of confidential assets is a technical solution to the public’s desire for privacy and is likely to lead to a future where blockchain technology will be evaluated less for its innovation and more for its ability to operate in an existing legal and economic environment.
For users, the usability of the protocol should feel ordinary rather than exotic, confidentiality operates in the background of each user's interaction. The behavior of transactions in Dusk should resemble those of familiar financial operations, except that they come with increased protections against data exposure. This expectation of quiet reliability exists because mass participation does not carry with it the expectation for all users to become cryptographic experts. Effectively, they have translated the mathematics of complex cryptography into a form of predictable behavior, for example, with confidential assets.
Going forward, the importance of confidential Dusk assets may not be how advanced the cryptographic construct is but how naturally it exists in the financial institutions in which we live. Financial services infrastructure is generally based on new technologies that minimize risks, simplify auditing requirements, and enhance participant protection, without damaging the oversight of such participants. By designing the system with these principles in mind, Dusk is positioning itself to utilize confidential transactions as the cornerstone of their overall operations rather than as ancillary features of the system. If blockchain is to evolve from test networks to a reliable long-term infrastructure, the design of Dusk systems provides a potential roadmap for how that delay will occur, reduce noise, increase structure, and have privacy that operates in a quiet manner to support the establishment of trust.
@Dusk #dusk $DUSK

Trade offs are inherent to every blockchain, many times, they are not even obvious to the consumer. Some blockchains pursue only the speed of a transaction, some pursue the lowest cost, while others may pursue extreme decentralisation. The Vanar blockchain has its own approach and intends to produce a stable environment for real world application instead of producing a high speed transaction system for short bursts. This is important because a large portion of the world’s digital infrastructure has graduated from an experimental stage to its current state. Financial systems, gaming platforms, artificial intelligence applications and digital identity systems expect a blockchain to have a constant stream of processing for thousands of automated activities every second. Therefore, when reviewing the features and benefits of a blockchain today, we should consider not only the performance of the blockchain but also the degree of reliability they will show over time.
The architecture of the Vanar blockchain exhibits a conscious balance between speed and reliability. The time from submitting a transaction to receiving confirmation that it has been permanently recorded on the blockchain is about three seconds. This is sufficiently fast for most real time applications; however, the three second confirmation time allows the manufacturer to maintain the stability and reliability of their product. Some blockchains strive for an instantaneous confirmation time, which may result in instability of operations or potentially fragmented agreement among the various players on the system.

Vanar's decision illustrates a practical mindset, slower response time in exchange for improved coordination and fewer interruptions. Consistency is typically the most important value for institutions that operate payment flows or manage assets, therefore, speed alone is not always so important.
Additional tradeoffs are seen with Vanar's approach to transaction fees. For many networks, transaction fees have market driven fluctuations based on supply and demand, while this generates high level of efficiency in the short run, it creates uncertainty for businesses systems. Vanar, instead of allowing transaction fees to be market driven, anchors transaction fees to US dollars; this reduces instability in costs and allows businesses to create accurate budgets. For some businesses, forecasting projections of expenses is critical; however, if future fees are not predictable, they represent a risk. Stable pricing facilitates compliance planning as well as creates an environment to support long-term contracts; blockchain transforms from being a speculative marketplace to being an operational tool.

A practical design decision was made when determining how to store data on the blockchain solution. For many blockchain solutions today, most of their ecosystems still utilize off chain data storage. This creates a hidden dependency, if the external system experiences an outage, the blockchain will continue to operate and process successfully, however, there would be no ability to retrieve any of the associated data. Using artificial intelligence and reducing the size of the data by compressing it, Vanar is able to provide a way for the storage of important files within the blockchain itself in a compressed format. This minimizes the possibility of there being any external points of failure. In exchange for greater durability, Vanar's technology has a higher level of computational complexity. Therefore, when managing identity records, legal documents, or digital assets that will remain for a long period of time, that added expense will often be well worth it.
In addition to its use of AI, Vanar’s validator system is designed to balance decentralization with operational discipline. While the validators have a responsibility to confirm transactions and to secure the network, if there are too few validators, then this creates a risk of concentration; however, if there are too many poorly performing validators, then their overall reliability will be weakened. Vanar’s validator system encourages professional level participation through the use of structured incentives that reward both high levels of uptime, as well as long term commitment to the network. As a result, the design is intended to support the establishment of stable infrastructures rather than rapid, chaotic expansion. For many institutions assessing blockchain networks, a predictable system of governance and professional operations will often be more attractive than theoretical decentralization without accountability.

Developments in the marketplace doing more and more to reinforce why we should consider the trade offs associated with these actions. Machine to machine transactions will continue to rise dramatically as we see AI systems begin working directly with each other. Research has released by industry experts that indicate machine driven economic activities in ten years could represent a substantial dollar volume of transactions captured on the blockchain. For machine to machine transactions to work, the machines that carry them must have networks with stable transaction fees and confirmation times, and layers of storage without fragility. Networks suitable for machine to machine activity will have durability to allow their continued operation. Vanar's design decisions closely follow this transition.
So Viewing the above trade offs as positive because they exemplify engineering rigor rather than marketing visions. They demonstrate an emphasis on infrastructure that has to run quietly on a daily basis, rather than a rush to produce headline numbers as a result of marketing techniques. The networks built to support blockchain applications will be the ones that ultimately prevail; not the networks developed to achieve a loud presence.
@Vanarchain #vanar $VANRY

The use of blockchain technology is transitioning from its initial phase as a concept to becoming part of the functional infrastructure. Historically, blockchain systems were built primarily to demonstrate that the concept of decentralization was functional. With the increase of active blockchain systems, this question has evolved. Can decentralized systems provide reliable operations while functioning under economic pressure, regulatory scrutiny, and long term use? In order to be adopted, a system must provide operational stability; it serves as the bedrock for adoption. Therefore, Walrus is entering this stage as an infrastructure layer that focuses less on providing bursts of performance and instead prioritizes long term, predictable performance. With this emphasis, Walrus will become more integrated into real-world applications that require reliable operation rather than dramatic performance.
In practical applications, systems are judged based on their consistent behavior over time. The lack of a stable infrastructure makes reliable operation difficult for financial services, supply chains, healthcare records, and institutional archives. When a system exhibits fast performance one day, but either experiences instability or significantly increases costs the next day, those attempting to implement that system into regulated environments will have great difficulty. The challenges associated with excessive replication in blockchain systems will compound the aforementioned issues as they handle increased transaction volume. When volume increases, data storage increases; operational complexity increases; and performance decreases. Achieving stability requires designing an architecture that anticipates growth rather than reacts to it. Walrus is designed according to this principle.

Walrus considers data to be part of the overall infrastructure rather than as a transient result of conducting transactions. Rather than duplicating full sets of data across each node, Walrus utilizes erasure coding to break down the data into smaller pieces and place them in a manner that allows them to be retrieved in an extremely efficient manner. Only a fraction of the total pieces are needed in order to recreate the original file, which minimizes the need for duplication while still guaranteeing availability of the data. Because of this, Walrus's network continues to be smaller and more manageable regardless of how often it grows or expands. The result is a network that consistently provides expected costs, limits congestion and provides the ability to have ongoing access to your data, as a result of how systems grow they can do so steadily and do not require continual redesign.
The demands placed on infrastructure are especially significant in the area of regulated finance. These types of organizations must provide evidence of data retention over time, provide evidence of data availability, and demonstrate a history of behaving consistently in a stress situation. Walrus allows these organizations to operate in a regulated environment by providing cryptographic proof that will demonstrate both the existence and the availability of data without creating excessive storage requirements. In effect, this solution will create an auditable chain of custody that does not rely upon a centralized custodian. This type of system will provide banks, payment networks, and compliance driven platforms with a means to connect decentralized technology to regulatory requirements. Therefore, blockchain based systems will be able to be included as part of formal financial systems without abandoning their foundational principles.
The same data heavy industries face similar requirements to the finance industry. Gaming platforms require persistent worlds and histories, which we must ensure are accessible for years. AI systems depend on stable datasets to retrieve reliably. Likewise, media archives, research institutions and public agencies are under similar pressure to provide long term storage while keeping costs under control. By decoupling the storage layer from the execution logic, Walrus provides a stable data layer upon which applications can rely. Developers can focus their attention on functionality while the infrastructure continues to maintain stability.

A key attribute of Walrus’ approach is its emphasis on operational calm rather than dramatic performance claims. Several blockchain platforms compete for users based upon throughput metrics. however, institutions that use blockchains will derive greater benefit from predictable behavior than from periodic bursts of speed. Planning budgets, managing risk and assuring compliance all require stable performance. Walrus minimizes needless duplication and maximizes the value of distribution through its design in order to reduce volatility typically associated with scaling networks. thus, stability has been built into the architecture rather than being treated as an afterthought.
When thinking about building buildings, institutions typically have long-term views on things (such as decades) versus short term views (product cycles). Therefore, a lot of infrastructure has to continue to exist after there have been changes in leadership, the market and regulations. In addition, systems that require continuous reinvention of themselves tend to not be very trustworthy. Walrus is more similar to traditional infrastructure engineering, which makes design decisions based on two primary concerns, how durable or reliable something will be, and how easy or difficult it will be to maintain. The way that the architecture of Walrus is created shows that developers are aware that decentralized systems need to work with existing operational constraints. Since organizations will usually adopt technology that minimizes risk as opposed to creating risk, this relationship is critical for organizations to adopt new technologies.
The overall stability is indicative of an industry that has matured. Although innovative ideas come and go quickly due to the rapid pace of change in innovation, long term viable systems will take time and effort to create. It is reassuring to see that there are infrastructures that are focused more on being reliable than on being flashy. Quiet infrastructure is usually not noticed but is used every day to keep daily life from being disrupted.
Walrus shows that operational stability helps support decentralization rather than restrict decentralization. By considering data to be infrastructure, reducing duplication of data from multiple sources, and promoting predictable behavior; real world applications of blockchain can be built to survive without having structural weakness. As decentralized systems continue to find their way into finance, industry and public services, platforms that are created for calm durability, will most likely shape how the next generation of applications is created through decentralized systems and help to make them more durable, so they behave more like infrastructure that are designed to last.
@Walrus 🦭/acc #walrus $WAL

One of the major problems faced by companies that make use of blockchain technology is the inconsistency in pricing for different types of transactions, which typically increases during busy periods on the network and decreases during off peak times on many networks. This makes it challenging for developers, users, and other entities that use these networks to accurately forecast their use of the platform. As a result, daily users could pay anywhere from 5 cents today to more than $5 tomorrow for a transaction, ultimately creating confusion amongst users, as well as exposing businesses and financial institutions to risk. Vanar will solve this by providing predictable and consistent transaction fees, thus enabling people to more easily use blockchain services within their everyday lives.

Why Predictable Fees Matter in Real World Systems
Cost stability is essential in real world applications, especially when it comes to using a regulated financial service. Financial systems require accurate forecasts of the expected cost of each transaction in order to have a sound plan, to create and maintain a budget, and to establish and control risk. If the cost of a transaction suddenly changes, it can disrupt business operations and erode trust in the financial system. Vanar is designed to enable users and businesses to easily assess the expected cost of transactions with a high level of accuracy. The fact that Vanar is providing predictability with regard to the price of transactions will allow businesses to more effectively manage their costs while also enabling businesses to create systems that provide their customers with guaranteed levels of service and support them in achieving the best possible user experience. Automated systems also rely on the predictability of the cost of a transaction so that they can operate efficiently without requiring human supervision.

Stability Through Dollar Pricing Fees
With Vanar's use of priced in dollars as transactional fee structures vs. on a fluctuating token basis, Vanar is able to create more stable cost structures to all use cases on our network versus those who price their transactions based on market fluctuations. This price protection prevents the devastating effects that substantial spikes in token value and cost can have on users because of a spike in volatility when trading. This also allows developers and other large institutions to build applications with clear pricing structures.
This separation of transaction costs associated with network use vs. the speculative value associated with tokens allows Vanar to provide an overall better user experience and provide more opportunity for long term growth.

Confidence in Long Term Planning
With less variability in pricing, the predictability of fees provides: 1) the ability to confidently plan for investments, the ability to confidently plan for infrastructure upgrades & expansion of systems, the ability for Validators, Developers & businesses to make decisions based upon clear expectations of what each fee will be, rather than, uncertainty. This will support responsible growth, promote decentralization and provide consistent network reliability throughout the periods of high demand.

Predictable fees help down the line users easily see the value in using the blockchain again. Users can now devote all their time and energy to figuring out what they are going to create or experience, rather than being fearful of possible sudden price changes. Vanar demonstrates a much clearer understanding of how digital systems work and are used on a day-to-day basis; they have taken an important step in making blockchain technology a viable and solid basis for building applications for the real world by prioritizing the predictability of fees associated with using the technology.
@Vanarchain #vanar $VANRY

Blockchain based technologies have traditionally focused on providing high levels of replication in order to ensure security and trust. These techniques often involve replicating identical copies of data across multiple nodes, which allows networks to make tampering difficult and verification easy. This model has been very successful in data volume and transaction limits in early environments. However, as blockchain technology is deployed in real world scenarios, the hidden costs and limitations of replication have been clearly demonstrated. Storage can no longer be viewed as a solely technical issue; it can also be one of the primary limitations for scalability, efficiency and long term sustainability.
The Hidden Cost of Replication
While replication does offer the benefit of increased availability, it has also added multiple copies of the same data, thereby increasing the overall storage capacity on a blockchain network. Therefore, as each additional piece of data is added to a blockchain system, that increase has an effect across the entire network of nodes, which ultimately leads to increased costs associated with maintaining the infrastructure required to support the operation of the blockchain system (any application that is adding data to the blockchain system is going to have the same or similar issue with operational costs); so as applications grow within a blockchain system, the operational costs associated with running the infrastructure will increase, as well as increase in power usage and increasing in the cost of operating the infrastructure. For the past two years, market data has shown a consistent increase in on chain storage fees, but particularly in networks that are processing large amounts of data. Consequently, these costs are going to push a lot of developers to move their data off chain, which often results in some form of reduced transparency and decentralization. Thus, the original design believing that replication provided a strong security model has become evident that replication is becoming an impediment to the scalability of blockchain systems.

Replication's Difficulty at Scale
At small scale, replicating data does not seem to be an issue. However, as networks grow to support financial services, gaming systems, artificial intelligence and data heavy services, the inefficiency of replicating everything becomes a problem. Systems that replicate data solely through duplication eventually experience issues with performance, unpredictable costs of operation, and strain on infrastructure. This is particularly problematic in regulated environment, where longterm stability, auditability and predictable behaviours are important. Therefore, in these environments, storing and managing inefficiencies will represent a barrier to adoption.

The Hidden Cost of Efficiency Without Sacrificing Reliability
One of the core strengths of Walrus is its ability to maintain high reliability with far less duplication. Regular cryptographic proofs continuously verify that data remains available, creating an auditable record of integrity and accessibility. This approach supports independent verification while minimizing overhead. For developers and system operators, it means fewer resources are consumed to achieve the same, or better, levels of trust. Over time, this efficiency leads to lower costs, improved performance, and more predictable system behavior.

Avoiding the Hidden Costs of Efficiency with Zero Loss in Reliability
Walrus possesses the remarkable ability to achieve a high level of reliability through significantly reduced duplication. The system's integrity and availability are assured by continual cryptographic proofs of content and an auditable record of both. Additionally, this auditing process supports the possibility of independent verification while lowering overhead costs. As a developer or system operator this means less energy to achieve an equally high level of trust and as such the efficiency achievable by this means will create lower total costs over time, better performance and more predictable system behaviour.

The Importance of This for institutions and real-world systems
When looking at all financial institute and business environments where regulatory oversight is present & required, the main focus must be on predictability and accountability and not as much on speed. Therefore, the correct systems must provide for the institutions that require those systems to provide consistent results, be easily auditable, and maintain a stable pricing structure. When applying the models that rely heavily on replicated models, the limitations of long term planning are created due to the ever changing demand for resources. Walrus has provided the advantage of providing a much less disruptive environment with constant and ongoing growth of data under control while maintaining predictable behaviors within the systems. This provides organizations with an easier way to move to decentralized environments without sacrificing governance or risk management.

Why This Change Is Important
I feel that this change needs to happen on a personal level. Systems that grow by building up large amounts of inefficiencies eventually collapse under their own weight. If we design systems with restraint and precision, we should have much calmer and therefore more trustworthy technologies. Ultimately, if we treat storage as a long term infrastructure versus a short-term throughput, we will create a more humane digital world to live in. Walrus embodies that mentality in a way that feels much more well thought out than reactive.

Walrus moves beyond replication heavy storage models by questioning the assumption that duplication is the best path to security. Through efficient data distribution, continuous verification, and architectural clarity, it offers a storage model that scales sustainably. As blockchain technology becomes part of everyday systems, storage must evolve from brute force replication into thoughtful infrastructure design. Walrus points toward that future, where decentralization, efficiency, and long term reliability can finally coexist.
@Walrus 🦭/acc #walrus $WAL