COTI Overview Document
COTI Overview Document
COTI Overview Document
V2
Contents
Executive Summary 3
1. Context 5
2. Objectives 8
3. COTI Ecosystem 12
5. Regulatory Approach 28
6. Team 30
7. Roadmap 33
2. OBJECTIVES To elucidate the scope of this solution, it is relevant to note that the online payment fees and more, which are imposed on both the consumer and
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM payments industry encompasses over 1.6 billion people worldwide . 1
the merchant.
Transactional volumes exceeded two trillion dollars in 2016 and are
4. APPLICATIONS & SERVICES
projected to double by 2020, while e-commerce has been amplified by • Long settlement periods with high rolling reserves3. A payment can take
5. REGULATORY APPROACH increasing mobile payments. According to recent research , the volume
2
up to two weeks to settle and for the merchant to be paid, particularly
of US in-store mobile payments is expected to grow at an annual CAGR as it concerns high-risk transactions designated by credit card
6. TEAM
of 80% between 2015 and 2020. Transaction volume is forecast to reach networks. In such instances, provisions are withheld from merchants,
7. ROADMAP $500 billion by 2020, and user growth is expected to increase concurrently, potentially causing severe liquidity issues and driving up the prices of
exceeding 150 million mobile users in the same year. goods and services.
8. RISK FACTORS
At present, decentralised online payment systems lack the ability to scale in • Absence of a shared trust mechanism. Currently, credit scores and
volume and speed, and the effect is most apparent with cryptocurrencies. ratings are marketplace-specific and non-transferable across platforms.
Although several blockchain technologies have tried to achieve a high Consumers and merchants who have worked hard to obtain high ratings
throughput of transactions per second (TPS), it has remained an elusive goal cannot migrate seamlessly to another marketplace without ceding their
due to scalability challenges. accumulated trust ratings.
What’s more, current online and mobile payment solutions have recently • Lack of multi-currency support. While credit cards support fiat
been dealing with inadequacies that have constrained market growth while money, users have no control over currency exchange rates. What’s
downgrading user and merchant satisfaction: more, digital currencies have not yet been integrated into credit card
networks.
• High processing fees. Credit card networks charge a number of fees
including annual fees, late fees, balance transfer fees, expedited
1
https://www.statista.com/topics/871/online-shopping/
2
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-mobile-payments-report
3
COTI Overview Document 3
Provision for chargebacks
To this end, COTI is developing a variety of technologies that will work seamless connectivity to the COTI network. For consumers, the COTI
in concert to provide consumers and merchants with a vastly improved wallet and debit card will facilitate the secure storage, transmission,
payment experience utilising a globally decentralised digital currency, and exchange of digital and fiat currencies. For merchants, COTI's
Currency Of The Internet (COTI), and a comprehensive payment ecosystem processing solutions will facilitate the acceptance of payments in
characterised by a number of key features: a variety of fiat and digital currencies while substantially lower
processing fees. For mediators, the dedicated client will enable
—— Instantaneous remittance that utilises distributed ledger technology mediators to contribute to, and be compensated for, the successful
in the form of a DAG (directed acyclic graph) structure. resolution of transaction disputes.
—— A global Trust Scoring Engine, which automatically assesses the COTI is currently laying down the licencing foundations that will enable
interactions between buyers and sellers over time, assigning each it to comply with existing regulations, both as a payments network and
1. CONTEXT
network participant a unique Trust Score. Trust Scores provide a a currency exchange. With respect to COTI – and the handling of digital
2. OBJECTIVES numerical representation of the relative value that each participant currencies more generally – the COTI team welcomes greater regulatory
contributes to the COTI network and are used to assign network clarity and believes digital currency-specific frameworks will serve as a
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM
fees. It also facilitates the decision-making process by users and catalyst for the mainstream adoption of digital currencies. To this effect,
4. APPLICATIONS & SERVICES merchants and removes the dependence on a single centralised COTI is in the process of applying for a distributed ledger technology (DLT)
marketplace for ratings. licence in Gibraltar and has initiated dialogues with regulators globally to
5. REGULATORY APPROACH
help shape its legal framework. In the interim, COTI is adopting banking
6. TEAM industry compliance standards to ensure that its digital currency-related
—— A Mediation System that resolves disputes between transacting
7. ROADMAP parties and maintains the integrity of the network. A first of activities do not serve as a conduit for money laundering or other illicit
its kind, the system leverages data science, game theory and activity.
8. RISK FACTORS
an independent network of crowdsourced mediators to resolve
disputes fairly and efficiently — without prompting a substantial The COTI team includes veterans of the payment, cryptography, asset
increase in transaction costs. management and banking industries. These experts possess experience in
worldwide payment solutions ranging from Processing.com and Markets.
—— Currency exchange integration that provides network participants com to Investec Bank, BlackRock and HSBC. The team has set ambitious
with a means of moving seamlessly between currencies — both fiat development targets and is on track to launch the first phase of the COTI
and digital — by aggregating liquidity from internal and external network in the fourth quarter of 2018. Thereafter, COTI will build upon
liquidity pools. The exchange is complemented by an automated its robust technical foundations and forge its way to streamline online
market-maker, which maintains fair and orderly markets in a range payments. Ultimately, COTI will enable higher global trade volumes by
of currencies. enabling the free flow of value in the same way that the Internet enables
the free flow of information.
—— COTI is developing a suite of applications and services that will
provide consumers, merchants and crowdsourced mediators with
1. CONTEXT
• Cross-border e-commerce. Cross-border B2C e-commerce is expected that lack the capital or appetite to manage the operational burden
2. OBJECTIVES
to reach one trillion dollars in annual transaction volume by 20204, of internalising these key functions are unable to offer payment
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM the clear majority of which will be performed using card-based capabilities to their marketplace participants.
solutions. However, as a consequence of the four-party model
4. APPLICATIONS & SERVICES
(consumers, retailers, issuers and acquirers) adhered to by major • Peer-to-peer commerce. Numerous non-bank service providers offer
5. REGULATORY APPROACH card networks, transactions involving card issuers and card acquirers solutions for peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions. These services handle
6. TEAM located in different regions are inherently less reliable than equivalent the money transfer aspect of P2P transactions effectively, but their
domestic transactions. Cross-border card payments are encumbered use is confined primarily to transactions that involve trusted parties.
7. ROADMAP
by higher fees, higher abandonment rates and lower approval rates These services fail to account for the conformity and delivery of
8. RISK FACTORS relative to domestic transactions. For US-based merchants, cross- goods or services. Rather, they focus solely on the authorisation,
border transactions are 2-3 times more likely to be declined relative clearing and settlement of money transfers. As such, they are not
to domestic transactions5, and some 31% of declined transactions turn complete payment solutions and are not suited to accommodate P2P
out to be false positives . 6
commerce involving parties that do not know each other and may
never transact again. Moreover, these solutions are costly and, in
• Online marketplaces. Online marketplaces connecting buyers and effect, inefficient for micro P2P transactions.
sellers can work with existing payment solutions to an extent.
However, key functions normally handled by the card networks The shortcomings faced by existing payment solutions when handling
(e.g., dispute resolution) must be administered internally by the these new payment scenarios are attributable to one key factor: the lack
marketplace operators. The internalisation of these functions adds of trust. In cross-border e-commerce, the lack of trust between issuers
considerable operational overhead to each marketplace and raises the and acquirers located in different jurisdictions results in high fees and
barriers to entry to would-be competitors. Moreover, marketplaces low approval rates. In online marketplaces, the long-tail distribution
4
Digital Globalization: The New Era of Global Flows, McKisnsey Global Institute, March 2016
5
https://www.ethoca.com/node/125 COTI Overview Document 5
6
True Cost of Fraud Study, LexisNexis, 2016
of merchants results in the need for marketplaces to internalise costly Some members of the blockchain community have rallied behind the
mediation functions normally administered by the card networks. And in notion that digital currencies will become widely used as currency in
P2P transactions, the lack of trust between parties that do not know one everyday payment scenarios. It has been argued that blockchain-based
another inhibits the growth of P2P commerce. Universally, the lack of currencies like Bitcoin provide a low-friction alternative to the traditional
trust represents a major source of friction, preventing buyers and sellers payment system. They promise greater security, faster settlement times,
everywhere from transacting to their fullest potential. lower transaction fees and relief from the interference of central banks
and intermediaries.
The unfulfilled promise of digital currencies
Without a doubt, blockchain technologies have revolutionised the way we
transact information. However, data structures such as linear approving
methodologies have become irrelevant to suit the needs of highly
1. CONTEXT
scalable payment solutions, creating the need for parallel transaction
2. OBJECTIVES confirmations.
7
Bitcoin: A peer-to-peer electronic cash system, Satoshi Nakamoto, 2008
COTI Overview Document 6
transactions per second on average, compared to Visa’s 65,000 and spending Bitcoin are too complicated, and new users of the
transactions per second8. currency face a significant learning curve.
• Speed and consistency. Transaction confirmation times on the Bitcoin Perhaps the single biggest impediment to Bitcoin and its peers in
network are not only slow, but fluctuate significantly. Since a Bitcoin becoming widely adopted in day-to-day payments is the fact that they
transaction needs to be confirmed six times to be validated, the solve only part of the payments challenge. While Bitcoin can successfully
process can take between 30 minutes and 16 hours on average. confirm that a payment has been made, it is unable to account for the
conformity and delivery of the goods or services associated with the
• Legality. Bitcoin has been denounced for facilitating illicit transactions payment. The Bitcoin blockchain can only rely on data from within the
and large-scale money laundering and may be called to account by Bitcoin ecosystem, without taking external data into account.
new global regulatory frameworks.
1. CONTEXT In their current form, Bitcoin and its peers can serve as cryptographically-
2. OBJECTIVES • Fungibility. Due to the illegal nature of certain Bitcoin transactions, secure cash layers. However, in order to cross the chasm and become
advanced backtracking technologies can link Bitcoins to a history widely used in day-to-day payments, digital currencies will need to be
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM
of illicit activity, thus downsizing acceptance by legitimate extended to offer the consumer and merchant protections that are now
4. APPLICATIONS & SERVICES counterparties. commonplace in the payments industry. For example, major card networks
allow for the correction of billing errors, the reversal of unauthorised
5. REGULATORY APPROACH
• Third party vulnerabilities. Although the Bitcoin network itself has charges and the issuance of refunds to purchasers who do not receive
6. TEAM the goods or services that they pay for. Each of these provisions serve
never been compromised, a number of Bitcoin exchanges, which
enable individuals to exchange fiat currency for Bitcoin, have been to instil greater peace of mind in consumers and merchants, driving their
7. ROADMAP
hacked. These hacks have resulted in the loss of hundreds of millions adoption of, or continued participation in, existing payments networks.
8. RISK FACTORS Interestingly, in the Bitcoin whitepaper, Nakamoto foresaw the need for
of dollars’ worth of Bitcoin.
buyer protection mechanisms. Yet, in its current form, the Bitcoin network
• Volatility. Merchants that accept Bitcoin either face a high degree of offers no such mechanisms.
exposure to fluctuating exchange rates, or face additional costs in
order to hedge against these fluctuations. Moreover, the appreciation •••
in Bitcoin’s value has prompted Bitcoin owners to retain their holdings
rather than use them for payments. While digital currencies have the potential to facilitate payments with
greater security and lower transaction fees, a variety of factors inhibit
• Immutability. Although a strength from a security standpoint, the their uptake in payment use cases — chief among which is the fact that
finality and irreversibility of Bitcoin transactions limit the currency’s they function as cash layers rather than as complete payment solutions.
utility in general payment contexts.
8
https://www.visaeurope.com/newsroom/global-news/detail?id=2288776 COTI Overview Document 7
2. Objectives
The COTI network was designed with the goal of developing a next-generation payments network that
could gain widespread adoption by consumers and merchants, serving as a catalyst for the mainstream
acceptance of digital currencies as a payment method.
COTI began by looking at the key factors affecting the pace and extent
1. CONTEXT of payment system adoption and concluded that its next generation
payments network would need to build on top of the foundations of
2. OBJECTIVES
traditional payment systems and digital currencies, incorporating their
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM strengths while finding workarounds for their limitations.
Status Quo
Factor COTI’s Objective Further Reading
Card Networks Digital Currencies
• Centralised • Decentralised
4. APPLICATIONS & SERVICES Buyer-seller protections • None • 3.3: Mediation System
• Costly • Efficient
5. REGULATORY APPROACH
• High-cost • Zero-to-low cost
Transaction costs • Typically low-cost • 3.2: Trust Scoring Mechanism
6. TEAM • Based on broad categories • Based on behaviour
7. ROADMAP
• Trust-based(reliantontrusted • Trust-less (not reliant on
Trust model • Trust-generative • 3.2: Trust Scoring Mechansim
8. RISK FACTORS third parties) trusted third parties)
• Fully-compliant • Fully-compliant
Compliance • Largely unregulated • 5: Regulatory Approach
• Welcoming of regulation
*+
Transactions-per-second
Objective 7: Ease-of-use
The network should be accessible and user-friendly for buyers and
sellers by way of dedicated applications during the onboarding process
and transactional experience. The support of a multicurrency wallet will
further enable network participants to transact using a variety of fiat and
digital currencies.
1. CONTEXT
• Current payment methods. Card networks make the transaction
2. OBJECTIVES process convenient for buyers. For sellers, card acceptance is
relatively straightforward; however, depending on the nature
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM
of the business involved, they may need to undergo lengthy
4. APPLICATIONS & SERVICES onboarding procedures. In their current form, digital currencies are
5. REGULATORY APPROACH too complicated for the vast majority of buyers and sellers. While
card networks support virtually all fiat currencies, they have yet to
6. TEAM
integrate digital currencies. Digital currency networks, on the other
7. ROADMAP hand, tend to only process payments in their native currencies.
8. RISK FACTORS
Objective 8: Regulatory compliance
To develop digital currency-specific regulatory frameworks for widespread To provide a community based decentralised
consumer adoption, it will be necessary to comply with the legal
frameworks of all jurisdictions in which its users reside. payment system, it will be necessary to create
trust among community members by incentivising
• Current payment methods. Card networks interoperate seamlessly
with existing banking and legal systems and make strict provisions trustworthy ecosystem participants with lower fees
for complying with anti-money-laundering (AML) regulations. and higher transaction confirmations.
Digital currencies are pseudo-anonymous, uncensorable and largely
unregulated.
2. OBJECTIVES
3.1 Introduction to the Cluster
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM The Cluster, COTI’s distributed ledger, is based on a directed acyclic
3.1 Introduction to the Cluster graph (DAG) data structure consisting of transactions that propagate in a
unidirectional pathway. While greater scale in blockchain-based networks
3.2 Trust Scoring Mechanism
leads to adverse effects on network usability, in DAG-based networks
3.3 Mediation System greater network usage leads to improved network scalability. As such,
there is a positive correlation between the number of network users and
3.4 Native Currency
the rate at which transactions are confirmed.
3.5 Currency Exchange
This makes the DAG ideally suited for COTI’s network base layer protocol,
3.6 Decentralised Governance
enabling it to achieve full decentralisation without compromising on
4. APPLICATIONS & SERVICES COTI’s scalability, instantaneity and low-to-zero fees. Using COTI’s Trust
5. REGULATORY APPROACH Chain Algorithm, Trust Scores are the key mechanism by which new,
unconfirmed transactions select prior transactions to validate in order to
6. TEAM
reach faster transaction confirmation consensus.
7. ROADMAP
The Confirmation process
8. RISK FACTORS
To be added to the Cluster, each transaction – represented by the user’s
Trust Score – must validate two previous transactions with a similar
Trust Score threshold. As transactions are attached to the Cluster, they
collectively form Trust Chains, or transactional sets characterised by EXHIBIT 2
Components and participants in the COTI ecosystem
similar Trust Score thresholds.
5. REGULATORY APPROACH
6. TEAM
7. ROADMAP
8. RISK FACTORS
Our new transaction Two other source New transactions validate our Our transaction is confirmed by the path of
(bold circle) transactions of similar trust transaction highest cumulative trust (the cumulative Trust
are validated Score is boldened and the path of highest
cumulative trust is highlighted in green)
9
Please refer to section 8 and Appendix A of the technical whitepaper COTI Overview Document 13
3.2 Trust Scoring Mechanism questionnaire and document verification. Trust Scores update
automatically according to a user’s payment history and Big Data collected
A key source of friction in commerce today is the lack of reliable metrics by the network. For more details, please refer to the technical whitepaper.
pertaining to the trustworthiness of buyers and sellers. The difficulty in
assessing the trustworthiness of prospective counterparties undermines Figure 2
COTI's Trust Scoring mechanism
confidence and reduces the likelihood of potential transactions being seen
through to completion, particularly in cross-border scenarios.
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM
COTI takes a novel approach to building trust between transacting parties
3.1 Introduction to the Cluster through its Trust Score mechanism. The Trust Score servers analyse user
3.2 Trust Scoring Mechanism data, user behaviour, and network payment statistics to calculate a Trust
Score for each COTI network participant. The Trust Score as a metric helps
3.3 Mediation System
to rate participants according to their trustworthiness and contribution to
3.4 Native Currency the COTI network.
Using an approach broadly resembling how Google’s search engine COTI’s Trust Score mechanism ensures that parties with low Trust Scores
1. CONTEXT
algorithms consider multiple parameters to determine web page rankings have a clear path to achieving higher Trust Scores. COTI has no intention
2. OBJECTIVES and adjust rankings as new information becomes available, the Trust of enforcing low Trust Scores on any one party in perpetuity, and actively
Scoring Algorithm considers the following parameters when determining encourages network participants to engage in organic, good-faith efforts
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM
Trust Scores: to increase their scores. If a low-scoring party can demonstrate its value
3.1 Introduction to the Cluster to the network by honest, trustworthy conduct, this value will be reflected
3.2 Trust Scoring Mechanism • Account balance - the aggregate value of transactions that the in the party’s Trust Score over time.
participant has engaged in over a set period.
3.3 Mediation System
• Dispute occurrence - the amount of transaction disputes that the The Trust Score mechanism is an essential component in the road to
3.4 Native Currency participant has been involved in, if any. achieving network objectives, as it encourages trustworthy user conduct
• Disputes won - the amount of disputes that were resolved in favour of and deters dishonest transacting parties. This will contribute to a more
3.5 Currency Exchange
the participant. secure and reliable network that rewards trusted ecosystem participants
3.6 Decentralised Governance • Disputes lost - the amount of disputes which were resolved in favour with low-to-zero fees.
of the counterparty.
4. APPLICATIONS & SERVICES
• User ratings - the ratings that other transacting parties have assigned
5. REGULATORY APPROACH to the participant, calibrated according to the Trust Scores of the
6. TEAM parties providing the ratings.
7. ROADMAP
The set of parameters outlined above is non-exhaustive. COTI’s technical
8. RISK FACTORS whitepaper provides further details of the mechanisms used to determine
Trust Scores.
Figure 3
Measures against Trust Score manipulation The different Trust Chain lengths needed to confirm moderately trusted transactions (left)
and highly trusted transactions (right).
1. CONTEXT
Typical scenarios requiring mediation include the following:
2. OBJECTIVES
• Billing errors. The buyer completes a purchase, but later realises that
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM
the amount paid for the goods or services was incorrect.
3.1 Introduction to the Cluster
• Inadvertent transfers. The user inadvertently sends funds to the
3.2 Trust Scoring
wrong party.
3.3 Mediation System
3.4 Native Currency • Unauthorised charges. The user is charged an amount without having
authorised the transaction.
3.5 Currency Exchange
3.6 Decentralised Governance • Undelivered goods or services. The buyer pays a merchant for goods
or services but the delivery of those goods or services is not fulfilled.
4. APPLICATIONS & SERVICES
5. REGULATORY APPROACH • Non-conforming goods or services. The buyer pays for and receives
the goods or services, but the goods or services do not conform with
6. TEAM
the description or standards the seller conveyed at the time of the
7. ROADMAP purchase.
8. RISK FACTORS
In each of the above scenarios, if the sender and receiver of funds are
unable to resolve the dispute directly, the unsatisfied party can initiate
mediation.
5. REGULATORY APPROACH After mediators’ votes have been cast, they are assessed using a voting
6. TEAM matrix that determines consensus automatically. Once a mediated outcome
has been arbitrated by a quorum of mediators, the system compensates
7. ROADMAP
the winning party and returns that party’s balance to its rightful state.
8. RISK FACTORS If the customer is the winning party, he/she is remunerated using funds
from the merchant’s rolling reserve. In case of insufficient rolling reserve
funds, compensation is remitted from the Reserve Credit Fund (RCF). When
the merchant is the winning party, on the other hand, no further action is
needed.
3.6 Decentralised Governance • Merchant rolling reserve. A share of a merchant’s transactions that
is temporarily set aside to cover potential business risks, such as
4. APPLICATIONS & SERVICES
when a merchant loses a mediated dispute and must compensate the
5. REGULATORY APPROACH consumer. Rolling reserve funds are denominated in COTI coins and
automatically accumulate in the merchant’s account for a defined
6. TEAM
term.
7. ROADMAP
8. RISK FACTORS • Node operators. Operators of all node types will be incentivised in
COTI coins and will be required to hold COTI whenever they wish to
validate node activity.
10
The Theory of Money and Credit, Ludwig von Mises, 1912 COTI Overview Document 19
3.5 Currency Exchange
COTI aims for its payments network to be versatile with respect to currencies, thus providing an easy-
to-use payment solution. To this end, COTI is developing a currency exchange that provides network
participants with continuous access to liquid markets in a range of digital and fiat currency pairs.
1. CONTEXT
• First, it serves as an enabler of cross-currency payments by providing
2. OBJECTIVES network participants a straightforward mechanism for paying or
receiving funds in whichever currencies they choose, regardless of
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM
their counterparties’ preferred currencies.
3.1 Introduction to the Cluster
3.2 Trust Scoring • Second, it provides end-users with a direct mechanism for transferring
their holdings from one currency to another, if for whatever reason
3.3 Mediation System
end-users wish to increase or reduce their exposure to a specific
3.4 Currency Exchange currency.
1. CONTEXT
2. OBJECTIVES
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM
5. REGULATORY APPROACH
6. TEAM
7. ROADMAP
8. RISK FACTORS
8. RISK FACTORS • Peer to peer transactions. COTI users will be able to make instant,
secure transfers to their peers who hold COTI wallets. Transfers will
be instant with low-to-zero fees (depending on the users’ Trust Scores
and currency selections).
Debit cards
To connect the COTI network with other payment rails, COTI is offering
users access to debit cards that link directly to COTI wallets. The rationale
for offering these cards is that they will enable users to effect payments
from their COTI wallets when dealing with merchants that have not yet
integrated with COTI.
1. CONTEXT
2. OBJECTIVES COTI users will be able to specify their preferred currency each time
they create a virtual debit card. When a purchase is made using a card
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM
linked to a currency that does not match the payment currency, COTI’s
4. APPLICATIONS & SERVICES exchange will automatically convert the required amount of the card-
4.1 For Consumers linked currency to the purchase currency, thereby mitigating third-party
currency exchange fees.
4.2 For Merchants
8. RISK FACTORS
In addition to supporting a variety of payment, storage and exchange
use cases, COTI’s wallet will provide an ideal entry point for mainstream
consumers looking to venture into the digital currency domain for the first
time.
The second pillar of the COTI network’s success is the extent to which it As COTI’s network grows, COTI will introduce additional solutions for
can attract and retain a large base of merchants that accept payments merchants, including supplier and employee payments, thereby enabling
using COTI’s rails. To this end, COTI is developing a suite of merchant tools merchants to carry out a greater variety of payment functions from within
and services that make COTI a compelling proposition for merchants, as an the COTI network.
addition to, or as a replacement for, their existing payment systems.
Processing tools
1. CONTEXT COTI is developing processing tools that will enable merchants to start
2. OBJECTIVES accepting payments from COTI wallet holders. Consumers who visit COTI-
powered merchants’ websites, but do not hold COTI wallets, will be invited
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM
to open wallets instantly as part of the checkout process. Merchants will
4. APPLICATIONS & SERVICES be able to choose whether they wish to connect to COTI’s payment rails
via API or by embedding an iFrame into their websites. The merchant
4.1 For Consumers
onboarding process will be streamlined to the point that integration can
4.2 For Merchants be completed within a few hours. The integration process will be made
simpler by the fact that COTI’s processing solutions will be compatible
4.3 For Mediators
with several widely-adopted e-commerce platforms (e.g., Shopify and
4.4 For External Projects Magento).
5. REGULATORY APPROACH
COTI-powered merchants will have access to a dashboard that provides
6. TEAM
detailed data and reporting functionality on their COTI network
7. ROADMAP transactions. Within this dashboard, merchants will choose which COTI-
supported currencies they wish to accept, as well as their preferred
8. RISK FACTORS
settlement currencies. Moreover, the dashboard will provide merchants
with wallet-like functionality that enables them to make payments to COTI
wallet holders and to other COTI-powered merchants, as well as to use
COTI’s currency exchange facility. Merchants will also be able to run their
own Full Node with a customised wallet to streamline the transactional
experience for customers.
of digital currencies is the volatility they may be exposed to between the Simplified example of a 30-day COTI put option
time a payment is received and the time of settlement. COTI will remove
this barrier by providing COTI-powered merchants with access to hedging
services that enable them to reduce, or eliminate, their exposure to near-
term currency fluctuations.
4.1 For Consumers A simplified example of a 30-day option contract that would enable
a merchant to hedge its downside exposure to COTI relative to the
4.2 For Merchants
USD, together with a simplified depiction of the option’s hypothetical
4.3 For Mediators payoffs, is provided in Exhibit 4: Simplified example of a 30-day put
option.
4.4 For External Projects
5. REGULATORY APPROACH —— COTI will create an internal derivatives market that enables network
participants to enter forwards contracts and buy and sell put/call
6. TEAM
options that are denominated in COTI coins. Over time, derivative
7. ROADMAP pairings, such as COTI/USD, will be expanded to meet market
8. RISK FACTORS developments.
5. REGULATORY APPROACH
6. TEAM
7. ROADMAP
8. RISK FACTORS
1. CONTEXT
Early adopters of digital currencies have long held the view that digital coin offering warnings and the People's Republic of China's ban on it all
2. OBJECTIVES
currencies will continue to thrive outside the strictures of governments. together.
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM The COTI team’s somewhat contrarian view is that, like the Internet
before it, digital currencies will only come of age — and yield the greatest To promote the onset of suitable digital currency-specific legislation, the
4. APPLICATIONS & SERVICES
benefits to consumers and businesses — by operating within the bounds of COTI team and its legal advisors are working with regulators globally
5. REGULATORY APPROACH the laws and regulations of sovereign states. to help shape the relevant regulatory frameworks and to share COTI’s
6. TEAM experiences as a global digital currency initiative.
In order for digital currencies to achieve widespread adoption in payment,
7. ROADMAP
digital currency-related organisations — whether decentralised or not —
8. RISK FACTORS they will need to adhere to the laws and regulations of the jurisdictions
in which their end-users reside. And in the absence of digital currency-
specific regulations, organisations should take a proactive approach by
adhering to the know your customer (KYC), anti-money-laundering (AML)
and Treat Clients Fair (TCF) standards, which are now commonplace in the
provision of financial services-oriented activities.
• Payments and money services. Such licenses cover the provision of •••
merchant processing solutions in fiat currency, enabling COTI-powered
merchants to accept payments in digital and fiat currencies. COTI is laying a global licencing footprint for its licensable activity, and is
adhering to strict AML and KYC standards in all aspects of its activity —
• Exchange and e-wallet services. Such licences cover the provision even those which are not currently subject to formal regulatory oversight.
1. CONTEXT
of exchange and wallet functionality, enabling COTI to provide
2. OBJECTIVES individuals and merchants with the ability to hold, exchange and The COTI network will benefit from greater regulatory clarity in respect
transact in digital currencies. of digital currencies. If properly designed, regulations will not constrain
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM
innovation, but rather function as enablers of mainstream digital currency
4. APPLICATIONS & SERVICES Pursuant to advice from its legal advisors, the COTI network will expand adoption. The COTI team and its legal advisors aim to serve as catalysts
5. REGULATORY APPROACH its licence portfolio to ensure maximum geographic coverage. for positive regulatory change and are working with regulators globally to
make a meaningful contribution to the dialogue.
6. TEAM
AML and KYC procedures
7. ROADMAP The COTI network is adopting appropriate AML and KYC procedures to
ensure that its network cannot be used to facilitate money laundering or
8. RISK FACTORS
other illicit activity. COTI is inherently not conducive to money-laundering,
as any user of COTI’s wallet, exchange or processing solutions must
undergo strict onboarding procedures. Notwithstanding its commitment to
AML and KYC, COTI is similarly committed to protecting user privacy and
has appropriate consumer data protection mechanisms in place.
1. CONTEXT
2. OBJECTIVES
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM
Yoni is a graduate in computer science from Stav is a Yahoo! Inc researcher, a previous Anton is an expert in blockchain technology,
Tel Aviv University. He has previously held software developer at Intel Corporation and applied mathematics and data science.
roles as a software engineer and full stack researcher at IBM. She holds an MSc degree in
developer at a number of tech companies. computer science from the Technion.
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM
5. REGULATORY APPROACH
6. TEAM
7. ROADMAP
8. RISK FACTORS
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM
5. REGULATORY APPROACH
6. TEAM
1. CONTEXT
2. OBJECTIVES
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM
5. REGULATORY APPROACH
6. TEAM
7. ROADMAP
8. RISK FACTORS
•••
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM
5. REGULATORY APPROACH
6. TEAM
7. ROADMAP
8. RISK FACTORS
3. COTI ECOSYSTEM
4. APPLICATIONS & SERVICES Please note that this is a summary of the full terms, which can be found Information and the Token Sale (such terms hereinafter referred to as
on www.coti.io, and must be read in full before: (i) making use of this the “Terms”).
5. REGULATORY APPROACH
Overview Document, the technical whitepaper, the Token Sale Summary
6. TEAM and any and all information available (the “Available Information”) on the • The information set forth in the “Legal Considerations, Risks and
website(s) of COTI Limited (the “Company”) at www.coti.io (the “Website”); Disclaimers” section may not be exhaustive and does not imply
7. ROADMAP
and/or (ii) participating in the Company’s token sale outlined in the any elements of a contractual relationship. While we make every
8. RISK FACTORS Available Information (the “Token Sale”). Any undefined capitalised terms reasonable effort to ensure that all information — (i) in the Available
below shall have the meaning set out in the “Legal Considerations, Risks Information; and (ii) as available on the Website — is accurate and up
and Disclaimers” section. This summary should not be relied on in place of to date, such material does not constitute professional advice in any
reading the “Legal Considerations, Risks and Disclaimers” paper in full. way.
• The full version of the “Legal Considerations, Risks and Disclaimers” • The Company does not recommend purchasing coins for speculative
mentioned above applies to the Available Information and to all investment purposes. Coins do not entitle you to any equity,
information available on the Website. The contents of the “Legal governance, dividend, voting or similar right or entitlement in the
Considerations, Risks and Disclaimer” section outlines the terms and Company or in any of its affiliated companies. Coins are sold as digital
conditions applicable to you in connection with (i) your use of this assets, similar to downloadable software, digital music and the like.
Token Sale Summary, the technical whitepaper and of any and all The Company does not recommend that you purchase coins unless
information available on the Website; and/or (ii) your participation you have prior experience with cryptographic coins, blockchain-based
in the Token Sale, in each case in addition to any other terms and software and distributed ledger technology and unless you have taken
conditions that we may publish from time to time relating to Available independent professional advice.