Today, we are thrilled to introduce Kinto: the first KYC’ed L2 on Ethereum.

As DeFi veterans, our mission is to move the global financial system onto a single, open, decentralized settlement layer: Ethereum.

But, we also recognize our industry is missing a vital link with TradFi.

Despite the incredible progress of DeFi, we've inadvertently built a system that is impossible for legacy financial institutions to adopt as infrastructure. No entity with stringent regulatory and compliance requirements can freely create products, transact, or deploy capital on Ethereum Mainnet.

If we do not make an open network that these institutions can actually use, they will inevitably move down a path of closed networks– a panopticon of private blockchains and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).

We must ensure that the path of least resistance to launching any financial application is to do it on a public network connected to Ethereum, the main hub of crypto innovation. 

⛩️ Kinto is a golden road to bring these users on-chain. ⛩️

Kinto is an optimistic rollup settling on Ethereum Mainnet. It's decentralized, non-custodial, and open to anyone who completes a KYC process.

Five unyielding principles guide us at Kinto:

• User Privacy. Kinto doesn't store user data. Users can select from vetted KYC providers to store their personal data, and their on-chain addresses are kept separate from personally identifiable information (PII). Data can only be shared with explicit user permission.

• Decentralized and User Owned.  Kinto is decentralized, open-source, and non-custodial. It gives developers the tools to build open financial applications that require compliance based on jurisdiction and accreditation.

• Security First. Mandatory KYC reduces the risk of smart contract exploits and scams. Kinto also provides built-in insurance for all smart contracts.

• Seamless UI/UX.  With the integration of native account abstraction at the chain level, managing private keys is no longer necessary. Users can access their non-custodial account through simple means such as username/password, two-factor authentication (2FA), or mobile device keys.

• Kinto will be multi-chain. Build your compliant blocks on Kinto and seamlessly integrate with the rest of DeFi. Leverage liquidity from the best DeFi protocols on Ethereum, Optimism, and Arbitrum. 

Our docs are live, and the testnet is up and running. Let’s start building!