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International Conference on Financial Cryptography

FC 2000: Financial Cryptography pp 349–378Cite as

Capability-Based Financial Instruments

Part of the Lecture Notes in Computer Science book series (LNCS,volume 1962)

Abstract

Every novel cooperative arrangement of mutually suspicious parties interacting electronically - every smart contract - effectively requires a new cryptographic protocol. However, if every new contract requires new cryptographic protocol design, our dreams of cryptographically enabled electronic commerce would be unreachable. Cryptographic protocol design is too hard and expensive, given our unlimited need for new contracts.

Just as the digital logic gate abstraction allows digital circuit designers to create large analog circuits without doing analog circuit design, we present cryptographic capabilities as an abstraction allowing a similar economy of engineering effort in creating smart contracts. We explain the E system, which embodies these principles, and show a covered-call-option as a smart contract written in a simple security formalism independent of cryptography, but automatically implemented as a cryptographic protocol coordinating five mutually suspicious parties.

Keywords

  • Electronic Commerce
  • Financial Instrument
  • Cryptographic Protocol
  • Lambda Calculus
  • Perfect Forward Secrecy

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Erights.org, 27020 Purissima Rd., 94022, Los Altos Hills, CA, USA

    Mark S. Miller

  2. Communities.com, 10101 N. DeAnza Blvd., 95014, Cupertino, CA, USA

    Chip Morningstar & Bill Frantz

Authors
  1. Mark S. Miller
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  2. Chip Morningstar
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  3. Bill Frantz
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. 122 Harrison Ave, Westfield, 07090, NJ, USA

    Yair Frankel

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© 2001 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Miller, M.S., Morningstar, C., Frantz, B. (2001). Capability-Based Financial Instruments. In: Frankel, Y. (eds) Financial Cryptography. FC 2000. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1962. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-45472-1_24

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-45472-1_24

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-42700-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-45472-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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