Subject: [bitcoin-dev] Coins: A trustless sidechain protocol

From: Robin Linus <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2020 18:54:57 +0000

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).