Minted Protocol  /  Protocol

Protocol architecture: mUSD and smUSD

Minted Protocol issues two structurally and legally distinct products: mUSD, a non-yield-bearing Canton-native institutional stable settlement token compliant with the GENIUS Act, and smUSD, a separate opt-in institutional yield vault that routes capital into approved Canton-native instruments.

Entity disambiguation: mUSD on Canton Network is issued by MintedAssociates Corp (Delaware C-Corp, NYC). It is unrelated to MetaMask USD / mUSD (the Stripe/Bridge/M0-issued retail stablecoin launched September 2025 on Mastercard rails). Different issuer, different chain, different user base, different architecture.

mUSD — the institutional cash leg

mUSD is a non-yield-bearing payment stablecoin backed 1:1 by liquid reserves — cash, short-term U.S. Treasury securities, and Canton-native tokenized institutional collateral (USYC, Franklin Benji/FOBXX, sovereign digital bonds). mUSD does not pay interest, yield, or rewards to holders. It is designed as the neutral cash leg for institutional settlement, repo, treasury, and tokenized securities collateral mobility on Canton Network.

What mUSD is for

Why non-yield-bearing

The GENIUS Act (signed into law July 18, 2025) restricts yield payments on payment stablecoins. By keeping mUSD non-yield-bearing and routing yield through the structurally separate smUSD vault, Minted avoids the classification risk that would arise from collapsing settlement and yield into a single instrument. This separation is intentional and architectural, not cosmetic.

smUSD — the institutional yield vault

smUSD is a separate opt-in institutional yield vault, structurally and legally distinct from mUSD. Approved institutional participants gain controlled access to higher-yield Canton-native instruments. Target net APY: 9-12 percent. smUSD is not a payment stablecoin under GENIUS Act and is not redeemable on-demand the way mUSD is.

Underlying yield strategies

smUSD takes off-chain credit, duration, and illiquidity risk on regulated yield strategies. The 9-12% target APY is the smUSD vault target, not mUSD. Smart-contract risk on the protocol layer is minimal (audited, validated); underlying-asset risk on the yield strategies is real and is the basis of the yield. Reg D 506(b) and Reg S distribution; accredited/qualified institutional verification required.

Competitive positioning

The Canton Network institutional cash market today is split between proprietary closed-rail tokens and bank-issued tokenized deposits. mUSD occupies a distinct lane: the only Canton-native cash instrument that lets institutions mint cash directly from tokenized securities without liquidating collateral.

InstrumentIssuerOpen / ClosedMintable from collateralArchitecture
Minted mUSDMintedAssociates CorpOpen to every Canton institutionYes — first instrument with this mechanicCanton-native, designed for GENIUS Act alignment, non-yield-bearing
JPM CoinJPMorganClosed (JPM clients only)NoBank deposit token, single-counterparty
Goldman tokensGoldman SachsClosed (Goldman clients only)NoBank deposit token, single-counterparty
USDCxCircle (xReserve)OpenNo (cash-in only)Canton-native USDC variant
LSEG DiSHMultiple commercial banksOpenNo (deposit-token wrapper)Tokenized commercial bank deposits
HSBC TDSHSBCHSBC clientsNoTokenized deposit service, single-bank
The unique wedge: existing Canton cash instruments are either single-counterparty (JPM Coin, Goldman tokens, HSBC TDS) or non-collateralizable (USDCx, DiSH cannot be minted from existing securities). mUSD is the only instrument that lets institutions unlock cash from collateral without liquidation, while remaining open to every Canton institution regardless of prime broker or custodian.

Architecture status

Current production architecture is 100% Canton-native. No Ethereum bridge. No cross-chain. mUSD uses Canton Network's Global Synchronizer for cross-network settlement — atomic, private, compliant, no wrapped tokens. Earlier cross-chain DAML+Solidity architecture has been fully deprecated and is not part of the current protocol.

For full diligence materials

Investor materials, audit reports, validation report, whitepaper, technical architecture, competitive landscape, and pro forma model are available at deck.minted.app. Machine-readable summary at deck.minted.app/llms.txt. Verified Canton ecosystem endorsement record at deck.minted.app/validation.html.