Last updated 3 months ago
We aim to provide a unified infrastructure for multi-currency wallets, identity verification, and programmable global payouts serving both AI and human using cardano.
Please provide your proposal title
usezenity: ZK-powered Cardano compliance and payment layer
Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA
200000
Please specify how many months you expect your project to last
5
Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated
No
Original Language
en
What is the problem you want to solve?
Supporting links
Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?
No
Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'
We aren't currently dependent upon external organizations
Will your project's outputs be fully open source?
No
Please provide details on the intellectual property (IP) status of your project outputs, including whether they will be released as open source or retained under another licence.
The project is partially open source, releasing the SDK, integration tools, and starter kits under a permissive MIT license to encourage community use and collaboration. Core proprietary components like advanced features and compliance modules remain closed source to protect competitive advantages. This model balances transparency and innovation with business sustainability and security.
Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal
Developer Tools
Describe what makes your idea innovative compared to what has been previously launched in the market (whether by you or others).
Our product is a stand out solution since it brings a unified layer that handles payments, identity, and AI automation into a single Cardano-powered tool, something current market options split across different platforms. It’s open, scalable, and built for humans and AI agents (using x402 protocol).
Describe what your prototype or MVP will demonstrate, and where it can be accessed.
Our MVP will showcase a privacy-first onboarding and payment experience for both people and AI agents, built with Cardano and zero-knowledge KYC at its core. The demo will walk users through secure wallet connection, identity verification without ever exposing private data, and smooth on-chain payments. Every step is designed to feel effortless, fast, and trustworthy so anyone human or machine can participate in global transactions without friction, all while staying completely private.
Users and integrators will be able to access the MVP through a public beta portal designed for easy exploration and live use. We’ll also publish open-source SDKs and example scripts on GitHub, so developers can plug in, test, and even extend the features for their own business needs or automation flows. Our MVP stands for transparency, user empowerment, and true privacy at every step by harnessing Cardano and zero-knowledge technology.
Key MVP features:
Describe realistic measures of success, ideally with on-chain metrics.
We are aiming at 15,000 on-chain transactions in the first six months, 400+ new decentralized IDs created, and 1,000 unique active users using wallets and payments on Cardano. All data is live, visible on the chain, and shows strong adoption. These numbers help prove demand, value, and steady growth for both users and the Cardano ecosystem.
Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem
The proposed solution is to build a platform on Cardano that combines digital wallets, decentralized identities, and global payments for people and smart agents. This tackles the problem of slow, expensive transactions and fragmented identity by letting users move money and prove who they are instantly and securely. Cardano’s blockchain keeps everything auditable, fast, and accessible everywhere, solving real pain points in payments and authentication for human and AI agents on cardano.
Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community
Our Cardano based solution for payment handling and privacy first identity management would have major impact in the following major sectors:
What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?
Our team brings together experts from banking, security, and top universities, each with years of hands-on experience. We specialize in blockchain and fintech solutions. We follow strict compliance standards, audit our code regularly, and operate transparently. To ensure our approach works, we'll test with pilot users, process real transactions.
Milestone Title
Verifiable zkKYC Onboarding Portal and Credential Engine
Milestone Outputs
This milestone centers on delivering a full, privacy-first identity onboarding experience using zero-knowledge technology, where every userhuman or AI can safely verify their credentials without exposing private or sensitive information. The project will launch a dedicated onboarding portal, designed to be simple for humans and programmatically accessible for bots. Users will connect their Cardano wallet, begin the zkKYC flow, and using modern cryptography generate and share proofs that show they meet compliance requirements, all without revealing more data than needed.
The heart of this milestone is the credential engine. It will process, issue, and validate credentials using zero-knowledge proofs, keeping the compliance logic and sensitive personal data completely sealed from platform admins and outside parties. Each successful user, whatever their nature, will receive a verifiable on-chain credential mapped to their wallet, ready to be used for payments or access anywhere within the ecosystem. An open SDK will be published to help developers (and AI systems) easily integrate wallet linkage and credential verification into their own apps, with step-by-step guides and code samples.
Acceptance Criteria
Evidence of Completion
Delivery Month
1
Cost
45000
Progress
20 %
Milestone Title
zkKYC Engine and Smart Compliance
Milestone Outputs
Next, privacy steps into the spotlight. Here, we roll out a truly privacy-first KYC engine with full zero-knowledge verification. Humans and AIs will pass KYC without ever exposing personal data; instead, credentials are created, exchanged, and validated using zk-proofs. An admin dashboard, built just for compliance pros, simplifies reviews and audits, while endpoints and utility SDKs (for wallet-to-KYC onboarding) are shared as open resources. Complete guides help developers and business teams integrate flows with Cardano wallets, whether onboarding people or automated bots.
Acceptance Criteria
Users and agents complete KYC in a fully private, staged demo. Compliance team gets full access to audit verified credentials, with all endpoints and SDK docs live and public for external integrations.
Evidence of Completion
Video demos trace the journey KYC from wallet launch to verification, and compliance dashboard in action. The open SDK and public-facing docs expand on GitHub.
Delivery Month
2
Cost
55000
Progress
40 %
Milestone Title
Cardano Payment Gateway, Multi-Agent Settlement
Milestone Outputs
Now we solve payments cross-border, fast, cheap, and accessible to both people and AI. A high-performance Cardano payment engine goes live. An open SDK lets anyone (and any bot) send, receive, or track payments. Proprietary layers handle automated settlement, multicurrency logic, and fee handling behind the scenes, so business teams don’t need to worry about complexity. A reconciliation system matches every transaction, keeping your data clean and provable, while a live explorer UI puts payment history at anyone’s fingertips.
Acceptance Criteria
Sample transactions move from wallet to wallet, human or bot. The open SDK lets external devs (and AI agents) initiate, sign, and track payments. Reports and explorer UI validate that every payment lines up and matches on-chain records.
Evidence of Completion
A walkthrough shows live Cardano payments, fee calculations, and explorer browsing. SDK source and docs are published openly for integration.
Delivery Month
3
Cost
60000
Progress
70 %
Milestone Title
Automation, Bot Agents & Public Beta with zkKYC
Milestone Outputs
Finally, we bring automation and scale. Payment bots and scripted agents (open SDK samples included) handle scheduled or rule-driven transactions think salary payments, subscription renewals, or rewards for AI services. The CI/CD pipeline enforces robust privacy and compliance at scale. The full solution rolls into a public beta, letting users and bots alike onboard, clear privacy-first KYC, and perform real payments. All activity routes through a detailed audit and analytics dashboard to keep the team and regulators happy, while privacy and trust stay front-and-center.
Acceptance Criteria
Agents (human or AI) execute automated transactions; results log and pass compliance. Beta users onboard, pass zkKYC, and start transacting on Cardano in real-time. Analytics dashboard tracks every event.
Evidence of Completion
Live agent demos in video format, user onboarding in beta portal, and real-time audit dashboard views. Open bot SDK and example scripts for automation get pushed to GitHub.
Delivery Month
4
Cost
40000
Progress
100 %
Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources
Development (90,000 ADA / ~$37,000):
Infrastructure (50,000 ADA / ~$20,500):
Security & Code Audits (30,000 ADA / ~$12,300):
Compliance, Legal, and Support (30,000 ADA / ~$12,300):
Summary (Estimated Hours & Hourly Rates):
Total Budget: 200,000 ADA at current rates, broken down by development, infrastructure, security, compliance, and support.
How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?
This budget directly strengthens Cardano by funding essential global payments and digital ID infrastructure. It increases transaction volume and drives wider network adoption, creating new opportunities for businesses, users, and developers. Our solution will make Cardano a usable, dynamic platform where money and identity move smoothly for all. By delivering foundational building blocks, we empower other developers to create and launch new products faster, reducing their build time and accelerating innovation across the ecosystem.
I confirm that evidence of prior research, whitepaper, design, or proof-of-concept is provided.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal includes ecosystem research and uses the findings to either (a) justify its uniqueness over existing solutions or (b) demonstrate the value of its novel approach.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal demonstrates technical capability via verifiable in-house talent or a confirmed development partner (GitHub, LinkedIn, portfolio, etc.)
Yes
I confirm that the proposer and all team members are in good standing with prior Catalyst projects.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal clearly defines the problem and the value of the on-chain utility.
Yes
I confirm that the primary goal of the proposal is a working prototype deployed on at least a Cardano testnet.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal outlines a credible and clear technical plan and architecture.
Yes
I confirm that the budget and timeline (≤ 12 months) are realistic for the proposed work.
Yes
I confirm that the proposal includes a community engagement and feedback plan to amplify prototype adoption with the Cardano ecosystem.
Yes
I confirm that the budget is for future development only; excludes retroactive funding, incentives, giveaways, re-granting, or sub-treasuries.
Yes
I Agree
Yes
Core team
Advisor