Offline value that behaves like cash, inspired by the pioneers of ecash.
Mali is built on the shoulders of the researchers who proved you can hold digital money without surrendering your identity. Their work lets us reimagine cash for a world that spends online, off network, and in person.
Read the source material
David Chaum — Blind Signatures for Untraceable Payments (1982)The original vision of ecash
David Chaum’s blind-signature construction showed that a mint can issue tokens, verify them on redemption, and still never learn who paid whom. That insight created an entire class of systems where the mint is a referee—not an all-seeing ledger.
Mali follows the same pattern: we separate issuance from identity, allow devices to verify signatures locally, and retire tokens the moment they’re redeemed so doubles never slip through.
Core principles we keep alive
- Blind signatures keep the mint from building a dossier on every payment.
- Tokens are just numbers with proofs, so they travel offline in milliseconds.
- Redemption destroys spent tokens, preventing replay without invasive surveillance.
What we’ve modernised
- Solana settlement provides transparent reserves and fast swaps back to stablecoins.
- Modern secure enclaves and biometric gates keep wallets safe even if a phone is lost.
- Open-source SDKs invite communities to mint and distribute their own local value.
Privacy keeps commerce human
Not every transaction should trail permanent metadata. Cash thrives because it lets neighbours help neighbours, travellers tip guides, and families share support without paperwork. Ecash preserves that familiar discretion while bringing cryptographic guarantees to the table.
Offline by design
Crowded festival or remote village—it works without a connection.
No identity dragnet
Mint operators verify reserves, not the faces of every participant.
Redeemable safety
Tokens convert back to stablecoins whenever you choose to cash out.