Frequently
Asked
Questions

What is the EASE Protocol?

The EASE Protocol is a new generation of blockchain technology focused on ease of use, mass adoption, government acceptability and banking integration.

Is EASE one blockchain or many?

The EASE Protocol is a set of tools for creating robust, high-performance, configurable, inter-connectable blockchain communities. We expect many different organizations, communities, and governments to launch their own EASE blockchains.

Are EASE blockchains scalable L1s?

Every EASE blockchain will be a Layer 1 blockchain with its own infrastructure operating at 120 blocks per minute. The EASE technology has been independently tested to perform 15,000 tps with modern computer servers and is expected to perform at 40,000 tps for high-performance homogeneous infrastructure.

Can EASE blockchains be scaled up if needed?

The performance of EASE blockchains can be expanded both by deploying more performant server infrastructure, and by horizontally scaling (deploying parallel infrastructure that is transparent to users), ensuring that EASE blockchains will always be able to keep up user needs.

What are the main use cases for EASE blockchains?

With its focus on ease of use, government acceptability and banking integration, EASE is ideal for payments platforms, banking integration, government licensing and registrations, aid delivery, unbanked services, micro-loans, CBDCs, carbon credit issuance and management, corporate governance, among many other use cases.

Can EASE blockchains interact with other blockchains?

The EASE Protocol software includes tools for transferring EASE-based tokens to and from EVM Protocol blockchains. More advanced bridging tools will be included for connecting two EASE blockchains with each other for full inter-blockchain communications (IBC) that can include banking-compliant smart contract automation. Each EASE blockchain community will control which other blockchains it will connect with.

What are the main benefits of the EASE Protocol?

• Ease of use for users with low digital literacy with Web2-like experience

• Super App integration with many useful tools from Day One

• High speed, performance and scalability

• Framework for government acceptability and adoption

• Bank messaging already integrated for transactions, bridges, and smart contracts

• Account privacy to hide balances and transaction history from other users

How are EASE blockchains easier to use?

EASE blockchains adopt the existing usage habits of computer users rather than forcing them to use unfamiliar and complicated crypto tools like MetaMask. Users can log-in to their accounts using the same Single Sign-On tools they use for all the other applications they use. There’s no need to retain secret seed phrases or use hardware wallets. Every blockchain no longer requires a separate signing operation or gas cost selection.

With EASE blockchains, I don’t have to remember my seed phrase or risk phishing?

Nope. It’s all handled the same way your phone handles keys and passwords using the EASE sequestered key management system (SKMS).

How are EASE blockchains secure?

EASE blockchains use the same private key encryption as other blockchains, but these keys are managed on a sequestered server, similar to how such keys are managed on an enclaved (or sequestered) chip on modern mobile devices. Only the owner’s account has access to the decryption key for their account’s private key and these keys never leave this key manager so they cannot be lost, stolen or accessed by anyone else including the operators of the blockchain.

Will crypto users accept this security concession?

The most used crypto assets in the world are Tether (USDT) and Circle (USDC), and both of these use a similar concession to government acceptability.

What do EASE blockchains gain in exchange for this concession?

The intention of this feature is that, by enabling it, an EASE blockchain would gain the ability to establish a clear regulatory framework for its operations. This makes government-operated blockchains possible and gives other EASE blockchains freedom from unclear regulatory status.

Why doesn’t EASE just use exactly the same security protocol as Bitcoin?

The Bitcoin protocol’s use of self-custody private keys make it challenging to use for many and incompatible with government uses. EASE blockchains don’t compete with Bitcoin, instead, they extend it by enabling easier, faster, less costly transactions. EASE addresses a different use case, that of mass adoption and daily usage for a variety of purposes such as payments. Bitcoin’s primary role is as a decentralized global store of value, like digital gold.

Does this concession mean governments can control my crypto?

For EASE blockchain communities that enable this feature, governments will be able to order the reassignment of keys within the laws of their jurisdiction (typically requiring a court order), but aside from this, governments will have no control over user accounts. In exchange, EASE blockchains will have the ability to forge a clear regulatory relationship with governments, eliminating the possibility of government bans or other restrictive actions, thus increasing the security of users. Governments have been successful in seizing Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies despite their impenetrable private key security.

How are EASE blockchains acceptable to governments?

Similarly to how major stablecoins like Tether and Circle include the ability to freeze any account, EASE blockchains provide the ability for an account’s keys to be reassigned. Each EASE blockchain community can decide whether to enable this feature and what rules will be required to reassign keys. The expected case is that governments will be able to issue account freezes in compliance with the laws of the jurisdiction where the blockchain is established. In the USA, for example, a court order assigning the keys to a court-appointed custodian or special master would be required. Key reassignment will be transparent and cannot be reversed, only reassigned again depending on the outcome of the court case (e.g. back to the owner).

How are EASE blockchains “ready for banks”?

Banks communicate with each other about transaction requests and status using the SWIFT standard, which is currently being replaced by a new global standard called ISO 20022. EASE already integrates this standard into its transactions and bridges. Eight other blockchains claim to do this, but only EASE has integrated ISO 20022 into smart contracts, presenting a unique advantage towards adoption.

Why does EASE use its own cross-chain bridging technology and is it secure?

Cross-chain bridges are one of the weakest links in blockchain security as the vast majority of them rely on some degree of third-party custody. EASE bridging technology will employ the highest levels of security with audited code, infrastructure-as-code methodologies for consistent deployment, and, where possible, proofs-based, lossless cross-chain bridging. While these are too demanding or resource-intensive for most Bitcoin-protocol or EVM-protocol blockchains, EASE-Antelope IO (e.g. EOS), EASE-EASE and likely EASE-Solana bridges will use the lossless, proofs-based inter-blockchain communication (IBC) protocols to ensure that tokens cannot be lost in transfer. Bank messaging and other smart contract actions will also be able to cross EASE-EASE bridges and possibly others, like EOS, for full IBC.

Are EASE blockchains decentralized?

Each EASE blockchain community will determine how it will be operated. Decentralized operation is one option. Others include centralized and semi-centralized. EASE blockchains can be operated by their own community or by outside infrastructure providers providing BaaS. Major cloud providers are expected to offer EASE infrastructure as a service.

Is the EASE Protocol open source?

The core components of the EASE Protocol will be publicly available open-source software. Many of the advanced features will remain under more restrictive licenses for a period of time in order to encourage blockchain communities to subscribe to the EASE ecosystem model and developer standards.

Will the EASE Protocol have a token?

An EASE token will be issued in the second half of 2025. This token will reflect participation in the EASE ecosystem and, to the extent legal, it will share in airdrops issued by each new EASE blockchain community that wishes to use the advanced features of the EASE ecosystem. It is not intended to be used as a payment token or gas utility token.

When and where will the EASE token be issued?

We expect the United States to rapidly evolve into one of the world’s most crypto-friendly jurisdictions over the first half of 2025. The EASE company is established as a USA Delaware C-corporation and if administrative changes progress as expected, we aim to issue the EASE token as a USA-legal crypto token.

How will the EASE token relate to the tokens of EASE blockchains?

To obtain access to the most advanced features and ongoing support, new EASE blockchain communities can commit to a combination of payments in either a portion of their system token (e.g. 5% of token supply) and/or stablecoin payments (e.g. when national governments launch blockchains). These payments will be shared by the EASE company (20%) and the EASE token holders (80%) in the form of direct airdrops to the accounts of EASE holders.

Will the EASE token distribution list be fixed or live?

Token airdrops will always reflect the ownership makeup of EASE tokens as of the airdrop or an execution date-time within an hour of the airdrop. There will be no permanent ‘genesis list’.

Is using Single Sign-On secure for my crypto?

It is very secure. Additionally, because this eliminates the risk of losing one’s seed phrase or having another person discover it and steal assets, it can be considered more secure against the real-world risks that the vast majority of users face.

What can I do on the EASE Super App?

The EASE Super App will give users the ability to make payments, manage, track and trade their assets, interact with other users with secure messaging and social media features, participate in staking (where enabled), easily deploy no-code smart contracts, escrow sales, create group accounts, utilize digital identity tools, use a variety of apps such as ride sharing, and much more. EASE blockchains will be fully usable upon launch and will become even more full-features as developers deploy new apps or modules.

Is sequestered encryption the same way that iPhones manage private keys?

Sequestered encryption is analogous to how iPhones and other advanced mobile devices store private keys in an enclaved or sequestered location that cannot be inspected from the outside and never releases private keys.

How does sequestered encryption work, step by step?

The sequestered key management system (SKMS) generates and holds the private keys of every account. These private keys are stored encrypted. The decryption key is associated with the owner’s account.

When a user signs-in to the EASE blockchain system, it receives an access token (a JSON Web Token, aka ‘JWT’) that provides access to the account and to the decryption key for the blockchain account’s private key.

Users interact with the blockchain using API commands from the Super App or API-enabled websites, instead of the signed blockchain transactions typically used. The EASE middleware validates these API commands and translates them to signed blockchain operations using the account’s private key decryption key, which only the account holder can control. These transactions are transmitted directly to the blockchain node operator servers on a secure private sub-network.

Can the operators of an EASE blockchain control my assets?

No one but the account owner can access an account’s assets. On EASE blockchains that enable it, some accounts will have a legal process allowing governments to take control of accounts with a court order. Any such actions will be transparently recorded and cannot be reversed, only reassigned again, ensuring that no untraceable access can occur.

Can other users see my balances and transaction history?

Unlike nearly all other blockchains, where anyone can see the balances and transactions of every account, EASE accounts have a high level of account privacy.

The majority of EASE accounts will be designated private accounts, meaning that only the account owner can see their balances and transactions. Any account that has transactions with the account will see only those transactions. Some accounts will be public meaning anyone can view them. Government officials in a jurisdiction may be given access to viewing accounts at the discretion of each EASE blockchain community. Account privacy is accomplished using access control as opposed to zero-knowledge proofs.

Can I easily access my balances and transaction history?

Account owners can easily see their own transactions. A historical balance tool will allow users to track their exact balances at any point in time (block height) for simplified accounting.

How does the EASE Super App make payments easier and better?

Payments from the EASE Super App will be instantaneous and at very low or no cost (via a subscription or freemium model), depending on the configuration of each EASE blockchain community. Payments will be available 24/7 with instant finality (1-2 seconds in most cases). Payments between digital currencies of different countries can be performed with an atomic intermediate swap that allows both sender and receiver to only deal in their own currency. No-code smart contracts will allow any user to easily set up payment splitting, group wallets, or escrow operations for releasing payments only after acceptable product delivery.

How does the EASE Super App make token liquidity more efficient?

An optional toolset for EASE blockchain communities to employ is atomic intermediate exchange which vastly expands the liquidity efficiency of liquidity providers by employing an intermediate token to pair against all other tokens, greatly reducing the number of unique token pairs required. Liquidity is further enhanced by regularly rebalancing the intermediate token throughout the system.

Why does the EASE Super App integrate messaging and social media features?

Messaging and social media are core components of any super app. They provide a communications platform into which payments and other financial uses can be integrated. Users need not move between messaging and payment apps. They can also benefit from social features such as bad actor warning lists and other reputation features.

Does the EASE Super App include no-code smart contracts?

A core feature of the EASE Super App will be the no-code smart contract deployment module, which allows users to deploy smart contracts solely by answering wizard-style questions. The system will select the appropriate audited, pre-compiled, parameterized smart contract and configure it according to the user’s choices. This brings the power of secure, tested smart contracts into the hands of every user.

Does the EASE Super App include voting features?

One of the features of EASE blockchains is integration of the Decide Governance Engine and Decide Voter, both originally built by EASE developer GoodBlock. The Decide system is the most advanced blockchain governance toolset and has over five years of live usage on Telos and other blockchains ecosystems. EASE blockchain users can use Decide tools to govern communities built on the blockchain as well as the entire blockchain, itself.

How much development has already been done on EASE and the Super App?

The EASE Protocol blockchain and toolsets have been under development since Q3 2024. The blockchain operational software is complete as are the custom systems for atomic intermediate exchange, commitment-dependent staking returns, bank messaging (ISO 20022) integration for transactions, bridges, and smart contracts, the EASE-EVM bridge, sequestered key management system, Super App single sign-on, E2E encrypted messaging, contacts lists and search. Development funds will accelerate completion of other systems in mid-development, including the Super App payments interface, staking interfaces, no-code smart contract deployment system, account privacy interface, digital identity, integration of Decide Voter governance tools and expanded cross-chain bridges for EASE-Bitcoin, EASE-Antelope IO, and EASE-EASE.

What are the major competitors to the EASE Protocol?

There is currently no direct competitor to the EASE Protocol in terms of a 4th-generation blockchain protocol that offers a Web2 user experience, bank messaging (ISO 20022) integration into transactions and smart contracts, and a clear path to government acceptability.

Are there any EASE blockchains now?

The first EASE blockchain community to launch will be Ayetu, which is intended to become an Africa-wide value and data network. Ayetu, intended to mean “Our Africa” in Swahili, serves as a live test bed for EASE development. It operates on servers in seven African nations plus North America and Europe. No token generation event or live usage will occur until the EASE Protocol and its Super App MVP version is audited and ready for public usage. Ayetu will contribute 10% of its system token ownership to the EASE Protocol developers and EASE tokenholders (split 20% and 80%, respectively) as airdrops upon launch of its ecosystem in exchange for long-term licenses and support as well as some early development grants from EASE developers.

Are you focusing on acquiring end users or application developers?

The focus of the EASE Protocol developers is to serve blockchain community builders and through them, end users. Unlike most blockchain communities that launch without much that can be done beyond token transfers and speculation, EASE blockchains will have robust Super App interfaces with many useful tools available to users from Day One. Developers are welcome, of course, and a large community of Antelope IO developers that can deploy apps for the EASE ecosystem already exists. We believe that a robust ecosystem of end users attracts developers to a blockchain, and not the other way around.

How can developers create apps for EASE blockchains?

EASE blockchains utilize an advanced version of the Antelope IO blockchain software (Leap v.5.0 or Spring v.6.0) which is also the core protocol software for EOS, WAX, Telos, Fio, Wire Network, and others. Developers from these platforms can easily deploy their apps on EASE by utilizing the EASE SDK and following the clear development guidelines. Some EASE blockchain communities will elect to perform a validation and approval process for apps that wish to deploy to their ecosystem or integrate with their interfaces.

Can validator nodes and infrastructure providers contribute to EASE blockchains?

The EASE Protocol software is highly configurable and enables a variety of decentralization levels, consensus protocols, and operational modes – generally without the need for end users to notice any changes. EASE envisions an ecosystem where blockchain communities can easily contract with the best blockchain infrastructure providers from across the planet to operate the computer servers for their blockchain communities. These infrastructure companies could be paid as Blockchain- or Infrastructure-as-a-Service providers on an ongoing basis. Most operational modes will not use token inflation as a form of validator pay, as this has proven problematic in many cases, however, this mode will be available for EASE blockchain communities that wish to deploy it as a form of decentralization.

Is EASE Protocol Quantum Resistant or can it be upgraded?

The EASE Protocol is not initially quantum resistant (QR), but due to its ability to update and re-issue private keys, entire blockchains can be upgraded to QR deployments when needed and available. This will include updating inactive accounts which will be a major problem for other blockchains that do not have this key-management capability. QR refers to the ability to use forms of encryption that are not susceptible to brute force attacks by quantum computers. This is not a problem in the immediate future but will eventually challenge all legacy blockchain protocols including Bitcoin, EVMs and Antelope IO protocols.

Who is behind the EASE Protocol?

The EASE Protocol was created by Douglas Horn and the GoodBlock team and is first detailed in the EASE Protocol Whitepaper: “A Framework for Building Value and Data Platforms for Everyone,” first released on August 24, 2024. As of January 1, 2025, development of The EASE Protocol is from the EASE Company, a C-corporation established under the laws of Delaware, USA. Michael Terpin serves as the Chairman of the Board and Douglas Horn serves as the CEO. The GoodBlock development team continues to contribute to EASE development.

What’s the relationship between EASE blockchains and Telos, EOS or the Antelope Coalition?

EASE was created by Douglas Horn, who also created the Telos Blockchain Network, launched in 2018, the Telos Core Developers, and was a co-founder of the Antelope Coalition of four blockchains (EOS, Telos, WAX, UX Network) that teamed up to address the technical debt and needed development of the underlying blockchain technology that they shared (re-named Antelope IO). EASE utilizes, and expands on, the latest versions of the Antelope IO software including developments like IBC and Instant Finality that were created through the efforts of the coalition. EASE intends to share many of its developments with other Antelope IO blockchains. Douglas Horn and GoodBlock ended their official work with Telos and the Antelope Coalition in 2023.