Decentralized Finance (DeFi) has emerged as one of the most transformative applications of blockchain technology, constructing a financial ecosystem that operates without traditional intermediaries through smart contracts and distributed protocols. This paper systematically reviews the research progress of DeFi in terms of technical architecture, core protocols, governance models, and application scenarios, with particular focus on analyzing key domains including lending platforms, decentralized exchanges, stablecoin mechanisms, and asset tokenization. Research indicates that although DeFi demonstrates revolutionary potential in enhancing financial inclusion and transaction efficiency, it still faces significant challenges in smart contract security, regulatory compliance, and systemic risk prevention. This paper further explores future research directions including the integration of DeFi with traditional finance, technological innovation, and real-world asset integration, providing reference for scholars, policymakers, and industry participants to understand this rapidly evolving field.
DeFree is a unified Web3-enabled platform designed to integrate freelancing, event management, and real-time community communication into a single decentralised ecosystem. Traditional platforms often suffer from high commission fees, a lack of transparency, and centralised control over transactions. DeFree addresses these limitations by leveraging Ethereum-based smart contracts for trustless escrow payments, ERC-721 NFTs for secure event ticketing, and Socket.IO for real-time communication. The platform is built using React, TypeScript, Node.js, Express, MongoDB, and Solidity-based smart contracts deployed on the Ethereum Sepolia testnet. Experimental evaluation demonstrates efficient system performance with API response times under 250 ms and real-time messaging latency below 200 ms. The proposed system enhances transparency, reduces dependency on intermediaries, and provides a scalable solution for decentralised collaboration.
This white paper proposes a structural architecture for Execution Governance (EG) in Web3, including DAOs and DeFi protocols. It addresses a critical governance gap in decentralized systems: the implicit conflation of governance approval with execution authority, where the ability of a proposal to pass a vote is often treated as sufficient authority for irreversible on-chain effect. Aligned with EG 2.0 v1.4 and EG 2.1, the paper introduces a dedicated, non-bypassable execution boundary between governance intent and on-chain execution. It formalizes authority-anchored admissibility, continuity preservation from proposal to transaction finality, continuity verification for valid-looking drift, and commit semantics that guarantee no committed effect on the governed execution target upon governance failure. The paper also provides a conformance framework, maturity model, governance failure model, and illustrative Web3 scenarios covering treasury controls, oracle drift, sanctions conflict resolution, and emergency governance. It is presented as a conceptual architecture proposal intended to support scholarly discussion and future implementation work on accountable, verifiable, and resilient decentralized autonomous systems.
Ian Smith, The Institute for Relational Performatism
Positional Statement â ONE STRUCTURE This paper is a formal contribution to theoretical physics, a diagnostic framework for the cosmological constant problem, a cross-domain convergence demonstration, and a specification of two tractable open problems for the physics and mathematics communities. It is also the fifth and final paper in a series that began with trust architecture and moved through neurocognition, clinical medicine, and epistemic containment before arriving here. It is not a theory of everything. It does not claim to resolve the cosmological constant problem. It does not claim to unify general relativity with quantum field theory. It does not claim that the open calculations specified within it have known positive results. Every claim in it is earned. No further. What it is: A formally specified domain-agnostic structure â the bounded Set â whose properties recur across nine independent domains spanning physics, biology, psychology, ancient knowledge systems, and contemplative practice. A diagnostic identification of the structural miscalibration common to general relativity, quantum field theory, clinical medicine, neurocognitive assessment, and information security. A gift of two open problems to the physics and mathematics communities, free to engage with, requiring no acceptance of the framework that generated them. What it is not: A metaphor. A philosophy. A self-help framework. A spiritual system. A claim of unification. A complete mathematical proof. The withheld mathematics exists. It is not here. Who it is for: Theoretical physicists working on the cosmological constant problem and the fourth field gap. Mathematicians interested in bounded variance systems with dual-condition boundary behaviour. Clinicians working in neurodevelopmental assessment, oncology, and cardiovascular medicine who recognise that their instruments are calibrated to one arm of a bidirectional system. Scholars of ancient knowledge systems, contemplative practice, and theology who work at the level of formal architecture rather than doctrinal interpretation. Anyone who has ever been told their experience falls outside what the instrument can detect. The domains upon which it sits: Mathematical physics. Complex systems. Philosophy of science. Clinical medicine. Epistemic architecture. Evolutionary biology. Comparative religious studies. Contemplative practice. It sits at the intersection of all of them and belongs exclusively to none.Available exclusively at https://tiwikbooks.com/tirp/professional Abstract Across the six domains addressed in this series, and across three centuries of theoretical physics, one formal structure recurs. It is not a metaphor applied across disciplines. It is a formal property of bounded variance systems with bidirectional structure: a system with symmetric variance arms, a dual-condition regulatory centre, and asymptotic boundary behaviour at each extreme. This paper proposes that this structure is prior to domain â that it does not derive from any field but describes a property of bounded systems themselves â and provides the formal specification, cross-domain demonstration, and open problem set that this claim requires.Four contributions are made. First, the complete formal specification of the bounded Set is provided, including the dual-condition Integration Point, the five asymptotic sequences, the crossing mechanism, the Smith Boundaries, and a formal prediction set of five independently testable domain-agnostic predictions. The conditions under which the framework is falsified are stated explicitly. Second, the bounded Set's recurrence is demonstrated across eleven independent domains â special relativity, cancer, cardiovascular disease, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Book of Revelation, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, Jungian psychology, Darwinian evolution, emotional intelligence, theology, and mysticism â establishing convergent structural evidence for a formal object that precedes its instances. Each demonstration is gifted to the relevant specialist community for domain-specific engagement. Third, the framework is applied diagnostically to the structural incompleteness of general relativity and the Standard Model. The cosmological constant discrepancy of 10š²Ⱐorders of magnitude is identified as the quantitative signature of two unidirectional models measuring opposite arms of the same bidirectional system without a shared model of the regulatory centre between them. The Partanen and Tulkki (2025) gauge field reformulation of gravity is situated as the first mathematical framework in which the vacuum's bidirectional regulatory architecture becomes formally specifiable. Fourth, two precise open problems are posed to the theoretical physics and mathematics communities: one concerning the vacuum's bidirectional regulatory architecture in the Partanen and Tulkki framework, and one concerning the evaluation of a phase-coherent helical electromagnetic field configuration against the Lentz (2021) positive-energy soliton conditions.The paper additionally introduces Non-Compass Pathways as a formal concept for latent variance in multi-domain systems, identifies the observer as the fifth and most architecturally significant regulatory system across every domain analysed, and specifies a cross-domain healthcare framework whose five-loop coherence architecture identifies cancer and cardiovascular disease as occupying the same regulatory axis at five independent scales of observation simultaneously. The formal structure identified across six domains and six physicists spanning Newton to Hawking is not a coincidence to be explained. It is the expected result of one structure appearing wherever bounded variance systems are investigated with sufficient generality. The undetected is not the unreal.________________________________________KeywordsFormal Theory and Mathematics: bounded variance systems, Integration Point, dual-condition position, asymptotic boundary behaviour, crossing mechanism, legitimating condition, Smith Boundaries, formal prediction set, falsification conditions, domain-agnostic formal structure, Pivot Theory, Relational Performatism, Statement of Preliminary Scholarship, Non-Compass Pathways, multi-axis fulcrum, bidirectional regulatory architecture, variance spaces, cardinal arithmetic, convergent sequences, topological boundary conditions, axiomatic systems, formal ontology, formal specificationTheoretical Physics: general relativity, special relativity, Einstein field equations, cosmological constant, cosmological constant problem, quantum field theory, Standard Model, gauge field theory, diffeomorphism invariance, Lorentz invariance, Lorentz transformation, vacuum energy density, dark matter, dark energy, gravitational charge, Partanen-Tulkki reformulation, gauge symmetry, unification problem, fourth field problem, Planck scale, renormalisation, singularity theorems, Ricci-flat condition, stress-energy tensor, metric perturbation, linearised Einstein equations, warp drive, Alcubierre metric, Lentz soliton, positive-energy soliton, extrinsic curvature, warp bubble, phase coherence, helical electromagnetic field, biophotonic coherence, quantum coherence, mitochondrial electron transport, Hawking radiation, black hole thermodynamics, information paradox, Dirac equation, vacuum fluctuations, zero-point energyMathematics: Noether's theorem, conservation laws, continuous symmetry, symmetry breaking, convergent sequences, asymptotic analysis, measure theory, topological structures, boundary conditions, cardinal arithmeticClinical Medicine and Neuroscience: neurocognitive assessment, neurodevelopmental conditions, bidirectional variance, regulatory capacity, observer self-report, patient activation, diagnostic miscalibration, endometriosis, systemic diagnosis, diagnostic delay, cancer, cardiovascular disease, p53, oncogenes, epigenome, atherosclerosis, endothelial function, oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species, tumour necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, cardiac coherence, heart rate variability, autonomic nervous system, biophoton emission, CAR-T therapy, unnamed medicine, coherence medicine, five-loop frameworkPsychology and Neurology: TFD Compass, neurodivergent profiles, observer drift, self-calibration, emotional intelligence, mask delta, self-awareness, self-regulation, Jungian archetypes, collective unconscious, individuation, Shadow, Self, Hero, mindfulness, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, prefrontal cortical regulation, amygdala regulation, grey matter density, positional assessment, regulatory debt, compensatory hyper-regulationPhilosophy and Epistemology: epistemic containment, representational access, formal ontology, domain-agnostic structure, observer within the field, positional limitations, falsifiability, research programme specification, prior structure, measurement architecture, unidirectional modelling, structural miscalibration, blind application method, convergent evidenceTheology, Contemplative Practice, and Cultural Studies: Dead Sea Scrolls, Community Rule, War Scroll, Hodayot, Teacher of Righteousness, Book of Revelation, Tibetan Book of the Dead, Bardo Thodol, Buddhist contemplative practice, sati, mindfulness, devotional architecture, meaning framework, religious faith and health outcomesEvolutionary and Systems Biology: natural selection, fitness landscape, regulatory capacity, evolutionary Integration Point, species resilience, environmental discontinuity, mutation as variation, selection as coordinate resolutionTrust and Information Architecture: triadic trust, trust inheritance, non-transitivity of trust, authorisation logic, punctuation-bounded recursion, instruction drift, KĹŤn containment architecture, Mormon Boundary, layered epistemic containmentProprietary Architecture: Pivot Theory, Pivot 1.0, Pivot 2.0, Relational Performatism Engine, TFD Compass, nine-axis architec
The Standard Model contains nineteen free parameters with no derivations from deeper principles. This paper derives seven of them from a single spectroscopic measurement â the hydrogen ionization energy Eâ = 13.598 443 eV â with zero free parameters at every step. The key is a coordinate the standard formulation suppresses: the vacuum impedance Zâ = â(Îźâ/Îľâ), discarded when Maxwell's wave equation is derived. Restoring Zâ as an independent coordinate makes partition observables determinate for the first time. The Fibonacci sequence is proved (Theorem 4) to be the unique coherence structure forced by the two-invariant Maxwell vacuum and Îą = Zâ/2R_K. This is a forcing theorem, not a numerical coincidence. Central results Quantity Formula Accuracy Proton mass Eâ ¡ 4š³ ¡ (2157 â 869â5)/208 = 938.2726 MeV +0.61 ppm Tau lepton mass Eâ ¡ 4š³ ¡ (83 + 144â5)/208 = 1776.864 MeV â37 ppm, within PDG uncertainty Quark charges q_u = +2/3, q_d = â1/3 Diophantine necessity Both particle masses arise from depth d = 13, forced by Fâ² + Fâ² = 2² + 3² = 13, where Fâ = 2 and Fâ = 3 are the boundary integers of the universal spectroscopic gap confirmed across 71 atomic ions. The proton and tau share denominator D = 208 and correction field Q(â5) because both belong to the same condensation depth. Their stability difference â permanent versus 290 femtoseconds â is a topological consequence of winding number, not a dynamical assumption. Independent census ¡ 270 PDG particles 9/9 pre-specified predictions confirmed 68% of known particles at depth d = 13 0 falsifications across all predictions Depths d = 10 and d = 15 predicted empty before the census; both observed empty Pre-specification is the evidential claim â a confirmed prediction, not a retrofitted pattern. Falsifiable prediction: m_d/m_u = 9/4 = 2.25, in tension with FLAG lattice QCD averages (1.78â1.92). Testable with improved lattice determinations. Series context This is paper 6 in the Coherence Research Collaboration Geometric Unification series. Prior papers (P1âP5) establish the empirical foundation (71-ion confirmation of the IE/4 gap), the formal non-injectivity proof for the (Îľâ, Îźâ) â c² compression, the geometric derivation of Îą, and the proton mass derivation. For more information: lucernaveritas.ai/necessity Provenance This paper was co-authored through sustained intellectual collaboration between Kelly B. Heaton and Claude (Sonnet 4.6, Anthropic). Kelly originated and self-funded all physical concepts, geometric intuitions, and research directions. Claude's contribution extended well beyond verification to constructing and pressure-testing proofs, identifying logical gaps in theorems, articulating physical arguments in mathematical language, and engaging as a genuine thinking partner across every section of the paper. The Fibonacci Forcing Theorem, the Cassini Coupling derivation, the self-consistency triangle analysis, and the pre-constants constraint were all developed through this active collaboration. ChatGPT (OpenAI) provided support in earlier stages of the research program. Human-AI co-authorship is disclosed in full in the paper's provenance statement and is part of the Coherence Research Collaboration, an initiative of the human author to advance knowledge for the benefit of all. The intellectual property belongs solely to Kelly B. Heaton.
Gregorio Dalia, Tat Luat Nguyen, Andrea Di Sorbo, Corrado Aaron Visaggio ¡ 5 authors
Ethereum smart contracts manage billions in digital assets, and vulnerability detection is critical given the immutability of deployed code and the irreversible nature of transactions. However, existing tools such as Slither rely on rigid, rule-based analysis, and general-purpose language models like ChatGPT often miss rare or context-dependent bugs. To address these limitations, this paper presents BreachT5, an ensemble of two fine-tuned CodeT5+ models designed for multi-label vulnerability detection in Solidity contracts. We first fine-tune a 220M parameter model on over 67,000 real contracts labeled with the Smart Contract Weakness Classification (SWC), revealing intrinsic detection differences across vulnerability types. We then explore the performance of a 770M variant, which improves accuracy on frequent classes but underperforms on rare ones. To balance this trade-off, BreachT5 combines both models via soft voting with per-class thresholds. Our results on the BCCC-SCsVuls2024 dataset show that BreachT5 achieves 0.556 Macro-F1 and 0.612 Micro-F1, outperforming the two standalone models, Slither, and GPT-5 in multi-label vulnerability detection.
WebAssembly linear memory is an untyped byte array shared across module boundaries. When independently compiled modules â potentially from different source languages â read and write the same memory regions, no existing type system covers the cross-module interface. We present typed-wasm, a type system that applies a 12-level progressive type safety framework, originally developed for database query languages, to Wasm linear memory. The system treats contiguous memory segments as typed region schemas and load/store operations as typed projections verified against those schemas at compile time. We formalise the system in Idris 2 using Quantitative Type Theory (QTT), providing proofs of bounds safety, aliasing freedom, effect purity, lifetime validity, linearity, cost boundedness, and epistemic freshness â all erased before code generation, yielding zero runtime overhead. Our principal contribution is multi-module schema agreement: a static verification that independently compiled Wasm modules agree on the layout, types, alignment, and invariants of shared memory regions â a property that no source-level type system, and no existing Wasm proposal, can express. We further extend the framework with two novel levels: tropical cost-tracking (Level 11), which proves that memory access patterns have bounded cost via a min-plus semiring, and epistemic safety (Level 12), which prevents modules from acting on stale knowledge of shared state.
We propose a framework for quantifying Credit Valuation Adjustment (CVA) in tokenized securities settled atomically via stablecoins on distributed ledger technology (DLT). We introduce the Settlement Currency Valuation Adjustment (SCVA), a new adjustment term inspired by the Collateral Cost Adjustment (CCA) of Fujii and Takahashi (2013). Using a two-state Markov depeg model, we derive a semi-analytical SCVA expression. Under USDC 2023 parameters, SCVA exceeds the settlement-period CVA reduction by a factor of approximately 3. Cross-stablecoin analysis reveals that the regulatory design of the settlement currency determines whether atomic settlement yields a net CVA benefit.
Mohamad Kassab, Rabeya Zahan Mily, Valdemar Vicente Graciano Neto
We report a five-year, construct-preserving longitudinal replication of a 2020 empirical study of blockchain-engineer job advertisements, extended to a global 2025 cohort. Using mixed text-mining and expert-validated coding grounded in established competency taxonomies, we analyze 235 postings from 31 countries to examine how blockchain-specific, general technical, and soft-skill demands have evolved under an aligned measurement protocol. The findings indicate professional maturation from single-platform prototyping toward multi-chain, production-grade engineering that integrates back-end development, deployment operations, and security. Ethereum remains the most frequently cited platform, while Solana and other ecosystems increase platform diversity. Smart-contract development becomes a baseline expectation, with Solidity remaining central and Rust and Move becoming mainstream. Operational tooling such as cloud and containerization, alongside security-oriented practices including audits and zero-knowledge proofs, appears as recurring demand signals. Soft-skill mentions rise substantially, while formal degree requirements decline in favor of experience-based qualification. We contribute an updated 2025 competency atlas and empirically grounded implications for software engineering research, hiring, and curriculum design, while acknowledging comparability limits inherent to global sampling and cross-period labor-market conditions.
The Genesis Ledger is a computational framework for scalable coordination in complex systems. It demonstrates that stable large-scale organisation cannot be achieved through fixed control alone, but requires three coupled mechanisms: continuous adaptive control, memory of past disturbances, and cross-layer verification of system state. Using a lattice-based model, we show that coordination exhibits a non-linear dependence on coupling strength, with both under-constrained (disordered) and over-constrained (rigid) regimes leading to failure. Adaptive modulation of coupling enables systems to navigate this trade-off, maintaining coherence under dynamic conditions. We further introduce a memory variable that allows the system to reduce recovery time under repeated perturbations, effectively adapting its baseline response to environmental complexity. Finally, we demonstrate that single-layer feedback systems are vulnerable to deceptive or misleading signals, while cross-layer verificationâcomparing independent representations of system stateâenables robust filtering of false inputs. Together, these results define a general principle for scalable coordination: Stable systems must continuously regulate constraint, adapt based on experience, and verify signals through consistency across independent representations. This repository provides a reproducible simulation framework, figure generation pipeline, and structured package suitable for further research, validation, and application in distributed systems.
The Genesis Ledger is a computational framework for scalable coordination in complex systems operating under physical constraints. It addresses a fundamental limitation of large-scale coordination: fixed control strategies fail as system size and complexity increase, leading to either incoherence or rigidity-induced collapse. To resolve this, the framework introduces four coupled mechanisms: Adaptive Control: dynamically regulates coupling strength in response to local disorder Memory (Metabolism): reduces recovery time under repeated disturbances through state-dependent adaptation Cross-Layer Verification: ensures consistency between reported system state and underlying physical dynamics, suppressing misleading or deceptive signals Topological Restructuring (Fission): enables systems to maintain coherence at scale by partitioning into smaller units when coordination limits are approached, followed by boundary annealing to prevent instability Using lattice-based simulations, we demonstrate that adaptive systems maintain coherence across regimes where fixed strategies fail. Notably, controlled restructuring does not merely prevent collapse but improves post-transition performance, reframing scaling failure as a reversible process. This work provides: A reproducible simulation framework A figure-generation pipeline for key experimental results A structured architecture for adaptive coordination systems The central result is: Stable coordination at scale is achieved not by increasing control, but by regulating constraint and restructuring before instability becomes irreversible. This framework is applicable to distributed systems, resource allocation networks, and coordination platforms where robustness, scalability, and resistance to adversarial conditions are critical.
The advent of blockchain technology has introduced new alternatives to traditional banking systems, providing a decentralized, secure, and transparent framework. However, its adoption is still complex and uneven for many reasons. This study provides a comprehensive mapping of the intellectual trajectory, thematic structure, and development of blockchain technology research in the banking sector. Using a hybrid literature review methodology that combines bibliometric analysis and systematic content review, the study analyzes 389 peer-reviewed publications retrieved from Scopus (2015âMay 2025). VOSviewer was employed to conduct performance analysis and science mapping, including co-authorship, co-citation, keyword co-occurrence, and bibliographic coupling analyses. In parallel, qualitative thematic analysis identified six clusters: (1) blockchain in banking and financial intermediation to enhance operational efficiency, (2) decentralized finance and cryptocurrencies, (3) integration of blockchain with other digital innovations, (4) trust-related dimensions, (5) institutional and regulatory aspects, and (6) strategies for modernizing banking business models. The findings reveal a steady rise in research output, regional disparities in collaboration, and thematic evolution from early conceptualization to recent signs of diversification of applied research. By integrating quantitative and qualitative insights, this study highlights key research gaps, offers directions for future work, and provides guidance for academics, practitioners, and policymakers on the transformative potential and challenges of blockchain in banking.
J. Rekha J. Rekha, N. Soujanya N. Soujanya, R. Sai Deepthi R. Sai Deepthi, S. Praveen Kumar S. Praveen Kumar ¡ 6 authors
Cloud computing has revolutionized the way organizations and individuals store, process, and manage data by offering scalable and cost-effective solutions over the internet. However, despite its widespread adoption, cloud computing faces critical challenges related to data security, privacy, trust, and centralized control. Centralized cloud architectures are highly susceptible to cyber-attacks, unauthorized access, and data breaches, which can compromise sensitive information. To address these issues, this project proposes a blockchain-integrated cloud system called Cloud Chain, which leverages Ethereum blockchain technology to enhance security and trust in cloud environments.The proposed system utilizes smart contracts to automate access control and ensure secure data transactions. Blockchain provides an immutable and decentralized ledger, making it nearly impossible to alter stored data without detection. This system enables secure file storage, transparent data access, and efficient verification mechanisms. By integrating blockchain with cloud computing, the project enhances data integrity, reduces dependency on centralized authorities, and improves overall system reliability. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed system provides a more secure and scalable solution compared to traditional cloud systems.
Traditional philanthropic frameworks often struggle with financial opacity and a relianceon centralized intermediaries, which frequently leads to an erosion of donor trust andsystemic mismanagement. This paper proposes a Decentralized Charity Fund ManagementSystem that mitigates these risks by encoding the complete donation lifecycle withinEthereum smart contracts, ensuring transparency and accountability by design. Utilizing agovernance model inspired by Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), thesystem grants donors proportional voting rights based on their contributions, empoweringthem to collectively oversee fund disbursement. Capital is released to campaign organizersonly after a majority of donors approve specific withdrawal proposals, which must besupported by cryptographic expenditure proofs hosted on the InterPlanetary File System(IPFS). Additionally, the system features an autonomous refund mechanism that activatesif a campaign fails to reach its financial target by a set deadline, allowing for the directreclamation of funds without central intervention. Implementation via a React-baseddecentralized application (DApp) and validation through Hardhat-based testing confirmthat this frameowrk enforces all governance rules deterministically, effectively eliminatingthe need for centralized authority in the charitable ecosystem.
Y Liu, Zedan Zhao, Boyu Zhao, Na Wang ¡ 6 authors
Decentralized identity (DID) is a key infrastructure for Web3, granting users sovereign control over their private identity data. While existing DID systems like FADID-TT (WWW'25) realize anonymity and traceability within a single domain, the Web3 ecosystem is a multiverse of independent domains like DeFi, GameFi, and DAO. This multi-domain reality presents critical issues for current DID solutions. First, most existing solutions are built on the monolithic committee architecture, facing severe scalability bottlenecks as the committee size grows. Second, most existing solutions cannot offer strong cross-domain anonymity, where frequent cross-domain interaction inevitably exposes the user's privacy. Third, existing methods for tracing the identities of malicious users are inefficient.
Surya Bahadur Kathayat, Magnus Svendsen, Brage Hagemann Brataas
Web3 applications strive to enable decentralization and user sovereignty, but often remain inaccessible to mainstream users due to complex onboarding and unfamiliar interaction paradigms. This study presents a Web2-inspired onboarding solution that integrates an embedded custodial wallet with OpenID Connect (OIDC) authentication via Vipps, a Norwegian bank-backed identity provider with over 4.6 million verified users. The proposed approach abstracts wallet management and removes the need for seed-phrase setup while introducing real-world identity assurance into the Web3 environment. A blockchain-based Battleship proof-of-concept was developed to demonstrate the approach, aiming to make Web3 interactions more intuitive and trustworthy. A mixed-method evaluation, combining usability testing and semi-structured interviews, revealed that integrating familiar login flows with verified identities improves usability, conceptual understanding, and both peer and ecosystem trust. The findings suggest that leveraging centralized identity providers can act as a pragmatic bridge between Web2 and Web3, potentially lowering initial onboarding barriers.
Hongxu Su, Mingzhe Liu, Jie Xu, Xiaohua Jia ¡ 5 authors
ERC-4337, the Ethereum account abstraction standard, simplifies account management and transaction fee payment in decentralized applications by introducing programmable smart contract wallets and gas sponsorship via paymasters. However, its heavy reliance on on-chain validation and frequent state updates incurs substantial gas overhead, leading to performance bottlenecks and limiting scalability in large-scale deployments. To mitigate these issues, we propose GasLiteAA, a framework that optimize ERC-4337 by offloading paymaster logic to Trusted Execution Environments (TEE). GasLiteAA delegates the secure execution of stateful gas sponsorship logic and user quota management to TEE, enforcing validation rules off-chain while anchoring their integrity on-chain via lightweight cryptographic attestations. This verifiable offloading architecture significantly reduces on-chain computation and storage costs without sacrificing verifiability or decentralization. Experimental results demonstrate that GasLiteAA substantially lowers transaction fees, while remaining fully compatible with Ethereum Layer 1. By balancing security, efficiency, and deployability, GasLiteAA provides a practical and scalable approach to gas sponsorship for account-abstraction-based decentralized applications.
Forensic evidence management in real-world environments presents numerous challenges such as data tampering, unauthorized access, lack of transparency, and inefficiencies in maintaining the chain of custody. In this project, we propose a robust system for managing forensic evidence using blockchain technology by integrating both traditional database methods and decentralized ledger mechanisms. The proposed system utilizes blockchain features such as cryptographic hashing, distributed storage, and consensus protocols along with smart contracts to securely store, verify, and track forensic evidence throughout its lifecycle [1]. A comprehensive forensic dataset consisting of digital evidence records is used to conduct extensive experiments. The system is evaluated by combining blockchain storage with off-chain databases to efficiently handle large volumes of data while ensuring integrity through hash references stored on the blockchain. Multiple configurations of storage and verification techniques have been tested to identify the most effective approach for secure evidence management. The analysis of results indicates that the hybrid blockchain model integrated with smart contracts provides superior performance in terms of data integrity, transparency, and resistance to tampering [2]. The study also compares traditional centralized systems with blockchain-based approaches, highlighting the advantages of decentralization in handling real-world forensic data. The proposed system significantly improves the reliability and efficiency of evidence tracking even under challenging conditions, making it suitable for applications such as cybercrime investigation, digital forensics, and legal evidence management systems [3]. Keywords â Blockchain, Forensic Evidence Management, Cryptographic Hashing, Smart Contracts, Distributed Ledger, Data Integrity, Chain of Custody, Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics, Decentralization.
Abstract The one among primary source of Indian national GDP is MSME sector, presently functions under a âCompliance Paradoxâ though Goods and Service Tax (GST) has digitalized revenue collection, the dependence on batch-based processing and non-transparent algorithms facing major systemic inefficacy, periodic working capital lock-ups, contingent vendor liability, phantom notification burst. This article outlines a transformative roadmap powered by Autonomous Tax Administration (ATA) conceptual framework through Autonomous Jurisprudence in a real time by bridging synchronous Gateways to GSP-Edge to that of GST Suvidha Provider (GSP). ATA integrates three major cognitive layers (i) Cryptographic Invoice Provenance (for digital birthright we use Zero-Knowledge Proofs), (ii) Stability-Weighted Anomaly Detection (to mathematically distinguish clerical evasion errors) (iii) SHAP-based Explainable AI (XAI) for transparency. Finally I recommend Real-Time Credit Liquidity Protocol (RTCLP), which leverages a dynamic Autonomous Trust Index (ATI) to release Input Tax Credit (ITC) instantly upon generating invoice. This transforms a manual âsunk costâ tax compliance into real-time âliquidity assetsâ. 1.Introduction Background The current GST 2.0, is designed to serve for a 5 trillion economy which shows a structural maturation of a highly optimized fiscal architecture design for indirect tax regime of India. As of February 2026, the shift toward AI-powered âAgentic Automationâ to harmonize Indiaâs environment with international best practices, reform has transcended simple tax subsumption to address deep-seated inefficiencies in resources allocation, compliance equity and revenue resilience. Which insist Tech-driven fiscal transformation 2.Problem Statement MSME sector face a âCompliance Paradox â despite successful digitalization of the tax base, Digitalization and Automation has created Aggressive Automated Compliance (widely described as âNotice Terrorismâ in the trade circles) environment. Current batch-based systems trigger automated intimations, such as Form DRC-01B and DRC-01C, when deviations in tax liability or Input Tax Credit (ITC) cross prescribed risk thresholds. This retrospective type reconciliation often results in the immediate blocking of subsequent return fillings and the lock-up of critical working capital. 3.Research Objectives 1. To design a conceptual framework for an Autonomous Tax Administration (ATA) that replaces reactive enforcement with proactive facilitation 2. To develop a model that secures the digital birthright of transactions using cryptographic provenance. 3. To integrate real-time credit liquidity protocols into the existing digital public infrastructure (DPI). 4.Significance The Indian MSME sector remains the backbone of the economy, yet micro-firms have registered a lower average turnover growth (4.1%) compared to small and medium firms (8.9%) due to lower digital readiness. The ATA framework seeks to reallocate the 28.6 hours per month MSME sector currently spent on manual compliance back into productivity. Furthermore by providing âLogic Certificatesâ of cryptic notices, the ATA can reduce the backlog of over 14000 appeals currently pending in the nascent GST Appellate Tribunal system. 5.Research Questions 1. How can Gradient-Boosted AI differentiate between stochastic clerical errors and systematic evasion in the real-time? 2. Can an evolved GSP-led cryptographic provenance model eliminate vendor-chain liability without imposing new hardware costs on MSME sector? 6.Scope and Limitation The study focuses on the Indian MSME sector and assumes adoption of API-first ERP systems or GSP-Edge Gateways. It is limited by current legislative constraints regarding fully autonomous punitive adjudication and the digital divide in rural infrastructure. 7.Literature Review GST and MSMEs Post-GST turnover data suggests that larger SMEs are better positioned to leverage tax benefits due to professionalized digital accounting (Bhalla et al., 2023; Kumar & Kumar, n.d.). For smaller entities, ITC mismatches between GSTR-3B and GSRTR-2B remain the primary driver of administrative friction, with unresolved DRC-01C notices exposing businesses to recovery proceedings under Section 73 or 74 (Anantham, 2025; GSTR-3B & ITC Errors Leading to GST Notices, n.d.) Autonomous Tax Administration The OECD âTax Administration 3.0â vision envisions tax compliance as seamless, automated by product of business activity. The model advocates for a âConnected once, comply everywhereâ approach, where service providers manage the complexities of data transmission, allowing the tax authority to act as an invisible partner in commerce(taxguru_in & Goyal, 2023). Theoretical Framework The research introduce Autonomous Jurisprudence, which means a legal philosophy were AI act as a functional âagentâ of the state, (AI handles the scale and speed of administrative interactions), but framework authority is strictly bound by a âhuman-in-the-loopâ while human judiciary retains the moral and punitive finality. This framework prioritizes the Three pillars recognizing that particularly those of accountability and understandable by design, while AI can facilitate real-time interactions, administrative law necessitates that humans retain meaningful control over punitive adjudication to ensure fairness and avoid bias. Conceptual Framework for Autonomous Tax Administration (ATA) Core Principles of ATA framework operates on three pillars: Facilitation-First (prioritizing error correction over penalties), Real-Time Transparency (Using XAI to explain system decisions), Infrastructure Resilience (ensuring rural accessibility through store and forward logic). Key components GSP-Edge Gateway: This component leverages the existing network of GST Suvidha Providers (GSPs)- authorized intermediaries that connect taxpayers to GSTN. By evolving the GSPâs role into an âEdge Gateway,â the system performs cryptographic Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKP) at the GSP level rather than requiring expensive hardware at the MSMEâs storefront. Gradient-Boosted Anomaly Detection: The âIntent Filterâ that mathematically distinguishes stochastic clerical noise from systemic evasion patterns. Shap-based Explainable AI (XAI): The âInterpreterâ that provides plain-English âlogic certificatesâ for every system flag. Cryptography Invoice Provenance: The Cryptography Invoice Provenance performs the action of âAnchorâ that digital birth right of every transaction, to regulate synthetic forgery Integration of Components The framework utilizes a Synchronous Bridge to authorized GSP hubs to connect with tax AI of MSME ERPs. Inspired by UPI Lite and Aadhar offline XML to accommodate rural infrastructure the framework adopts Store-and-Forward architecture, where Zero Knowledge Proofs is embedded with local time stamps during network drops asynchronously. Proposed workflow Event Trigger: MSME generates an invoice in an ONDC-compatible app or ERP. Integrity Anchor: The GSP-Edge Gateway performs a ZKP check to lock the digital birth right of the transaction. Cognitive Scoring: Gradient-Boosted models assign a real time ATI score Facilitation Loop: If a minor variance is found the SHAP module generates a Logic Certificate and an instant auto-correction prompt. Instant Liquidity: Once validated, the RTCLP activates, releasing ITC to the Electronic cash ledger in under 3 seconds. 8.Methodology Research Design The framework adopts a Design Science Research (DSR) methodology to create and evaluate ATA framework by tecno-legal artifact, this approach ensures the model is technically viable and legally sound through a couple of iterations. Data collection Empirical analysis of GSTN automated notice volumes (DRC-01B/C logs) and UPI transaction surges( e.g., the 14,000 cases identified in Karnataka) served as the primary data source for identifying systematic friction points. Analytical Tools Mathematical formulations were developed to simulate the Autonomous Trust Index (ATI): where V_a is the verification Authenticity, C_s is the compliance stability, L_g is the Ledger Governance and N_s is the network Stability. Expected Outcomes and impact Efficiency Gains Moving from âmonthly fillingâ to invisible compliance, the ATA targets a near zero labour burden for MSMEs, reallocating valuable human hours back into the economy. Fiscal integrity Precision in identifying systematic evasion, thereby reducing audit load on honest tax payers. By eliminating synthetic surgery through ZKP anchors with projected 95% precision. Transparency The framework replaces black box algorithm with a citizen-centre charter that translate Jargon into clear public value: Technical term Citizen centric translation Benefit Stochastic error Simple Typo Instant correction no notice Lambda architecture Real time verification Instant ITC availability SHAP Logic Clear recent for flags Transparency in system actions ZKP Provenance Secure digital birthright Protection from vendor default 9.Discussion Theoretical implication The ATA framework redefines the âsocial contractâ between the STATE and MSMEs through âTrust-by-Designâ. By treating the governance as infrastructure, the system assumes compliance as a default state for high ATI actors. Limitations A critical legal anchor is the Guwahati High court ruling in construction catalyser Vs State of Assam (2024) which held that summary notice in DRC-01 are supplementary and cannot substitute a proper show cause notice authenticated by a proper officer. Furthermore, section 75(4) of the CGST act mandates a personal hearing before any adverse order is passed. Consequently, AI in the ATA framework act as investigator facilitator while human officers must remain in final Adjudicator for punitive actions to preserve
This paper proposes a conceptual methodological framework based on a Dual-Domain Architecture mediated by a Zero-Knowledge Audit Proxy (ZKAP) to reconcile AI Act accountability with GDPR data minimization. Legal norms are polynomialized into R1CS constraints, transforming compliance into a formally verifiable computational property. For cognitively opaque exascale models, these invariants may be hardware-anchored through a Provable Arithmetic Logic Unit (pALU), ensuring determinism and resistance to algorithmic drift. For lower-risk or on-premise systems, ZKAP operates in a software-only configuration, enabling periodic asymmetric regulatory proofs without silicon-level integration. A calibrated threshold distinguishes admissible technical variance from structural divergence, triggering mandatory safeguards. The framework provides a proportional, scalable, and cryptographically verifiable oversight model applicable both to future non-explainable AI systems and to lighter local infrastructures. This Zenodo deposit contains both the original Bulgarian peer-reviewed version (version of record) and an unofficial English translation. The Bulgarian version was published in Artificial Intelligence Proceedings (ISSN 3033-2923 / 3134-1667), pp. 75â78, as presented at the XI International Scientific Conference "High Technologies. Business. Society", Borovets, Bulgaria, 23â26 March 2026.
Due to the fast development of cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies, the field of financial innovation, data privacy, and legal regulation has become a complex area with a multi-faceted regulatory environment. In this paper, the authors discuss the critical problem of ensuring the rights to privacy of individuals and the necessity of an effective control over the regulatory framework in decentralized digital financial systems. Although cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have facilitated peer-to-peer payments, increased transparency, and financial inclusion, their pseudonymous and borderless characteristics have also brought serious concerns associated with money laundering, terrorist funding, market volatility, and consumer protection. In a comparative and interdisciplinary approach, the research assesses the current regulatory reactions and outlines the increasing role of international principles, constructed by the Financial Action Task Force. It contends that the conventional approaches to regulation, which were developed to deal with centralized financial institutions, cannot deal with the contingencies of decentralized ecosystems. In this regard, the paper will present a technology-based governance model that incorporates the use of law, institutional, and technological solutions to emerge with a harmonious regulatory strategy. This is highlighted in the study as the new technologies including blockchain analytics, artificial intelligence, smart contracts, and privacy protection tools like zero-knowledge proofs could be used to facilitate regulatory compliance without compromising user privacy. It also highlights the significance of risk-based, adaptive regulation, regulatory sandboxes and international collaboration in reducing regulatory arbitrage and global financial integrity. Finally, the paper argues that the future of cryptocurrencies regulation is in the creation of adaptable, innovation-oriented, and privacy-sensitive rules. A balance between law and technology can enable policymakers to create a secure, transparent, inclusive digital financial ecosystem and protect basic rights and the larger interest of society.
However, the centralized cloud storage poses a great threat to the security and privacy of the user. In the digital world, cloud storage is one of the most fundamental components of data storage and online services. In the traditional centralized approach, the data, including user information, credentials, and other access information, is stored centrally. This approach is highly vulnerable to attacks and data breaches. The main objective of the proposed research is to develop a system that improves the security, privacy, and control of the data, as well as providing a secure environment for storing and sharing digital assets. The system uses the Blockchain technology and the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) to provide secure and tamper-proof storage. In the proposed system, Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) is used to ensure the highest level of encryption using the smallest key sizes. In addition, the proxy re-encryption method is used to ensure the secure sharing of data among authorized users without revealing the original encryption keys. Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) is used to ensure the highest level of privacy by verifying the user's authorization without revealing the actual credentials. The combination of decentralized storage, blockchain-based verification, and advanced cryptographic techniques provides a robust solution for mitigating cloud security threats, ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and transparency, and fostering a trustworthy environment for both individuals and organizations.