Hi all, I've been working on a sidechain protocol with no trusted third party. You can find the [whitepaper here](http://coins.github.io/coins.pdf). Abstract. Coins is a Bitcoin extension designed for payments at scale. We propose an efficient solution to the double-spending problem using a bitcoin-backed proof-of-stake. Validators vote on sidechain blocks with one-time signatures, forming a record that cannot be changed without destroying their collateral. Every user can become a validator by locking bitcoins. One-time signatures guarantee that validators loose their stake for publishing conflicting histories. Checkpoints can be additionally secured with a bitcoin-backed proof-of-burn. Assuming a rational majority of validators, the sidechain provides safety and liveness. The sidechain’s footprint within bitcoin’s blockchain is minimal. The protocol is a generic consensus mechanism allowing for arbitrary sidechain assets. Spawning multiple, independent instances scales horizontally. Feedback is highly appreciated! Thank you - Robin PS: [Here on Github you can find further research on scalability and usability](https://github.com/coins/coins.github.io).