COOWN System Architecture¶

Version: 2.0
Last Updated: 2026-02-09
Classification: Technical Overview (Non-Confidential)

Overview¶

COOWN's technical architecture is built on the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP), providing a fully decentralized, high-performance blockchain infrastructure that enables web-speed financial applications with unprecedented security and user control.

Key Architectural Principles: 1. Non-custodial: Users control their private keys; COOWN team has zero access to funds 2. Decentralized: Backend runs entirely on-chain (ICP canisters) 3. EVM-compatible: Direct communication with Ethereum, Base, and other EVM chains 4. Web-speed: Sub-second transaction finality, seamless UX 5. Secure by design: Multi-signature wallets, spending controls, audit trails

High-Level Architecture Diagram¶

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        COOWN Platform                            │
│                    (Internet Computer Protocol)                  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                   │
│  ┌──────────────────┐         ┌──────────────────────┐         │
│  │  Frontend        │         │  Backend Canisters   │         │
│  │  (ReactJS)       │◄────────┤  (Motoko, Rust)      │         │
│  │                  │         │                       │         │
│  │  - UI/UX         │         │  - Business logic    │         │
│  │  - User wallet   │         │  - Multi-sig         │         │
│  │  - Dashboard     │         │  - Payment processing│         │
│  └──────────────────┘         │  - Accounting engine │         │
│                                │  - User management   │         │
│                                └──────────────────────┘         │
│                                          │                       │
│                                ┌─────────┴────────┐            │
│                                │  EVM Canister    │            │
│                                │  (ICP-hosted EVM)│            │
│                                └─────────┬────────┘            │
└────────────────────────────────────────┬─┬─────────────────────┘
                                         │ │
                     ┌───────────────────┘ └────────────────┐
                     │                                       │
            ┌────────▼────────┐                  ┌──────────▼──────────┐
            │  EVM Chains     │                  │  Native ICP Tokens  │
            │  - Ethereum     │                  │  - ICP               │
            │  - Base         │                  │  - ckBTC             │
            │  - Others       │                  │  - Others            │
            └────────┬────────┘                  └──────────────────────┘
                     │
        ┌────────────┴────────────┐
        │                         │
  ┌─────▼─────┐           ┌──────▼──────┐
  │ Monerium  │           │  Circle     │
  │ (EURe,    │           │  (USDC)     │
  │  IBAN)    │           │             │
  └───────────┘           └─────────────┘

Core Components¶

1. Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) Foundation¶

What is ICP? - Decentralized blockchain platform developed by DFINITY Foundation - "World Computer" - runs smart contracts (canisters) at web speed - Consensus: Chain Key Cryptography (threshold signatures) - Performance: ~1000 TPS, <1 second finality - Storage: On-chain (no off-chain databases needed)

Why ICP for COOWN? - ✅ Web-speed UX: Users experience COOWN like a traditional web app (no MetaMask pop-ups, fast loads) - ✅ Full decentralization: Frontend + backend entirely on-chain (no AWS, no central servers) - ✅ Cost-effective: Predictable hosting costs (~$0.50/GB/year for storage) - ✅ EVM compatibility: ICP canisters can run EVM, enabling direct cross-chain interactions - ✅ Scalability: Horizontal scaling via subnet architecture

COOWN's ICP Infrastructure: - Canisters: ~10-20 smart contracts handling different services (auth, payments, accounting, etc.) - Storage: All user data, transaction history, and state stored on-chain - Compute: All business logic executed on-chain (Motoko/Rust)

2. EVM Canister (Cross-Chain Bridge)¶

Architecture: - ICP canister runs embedded EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) - Enables direct interaction with Ethereum, Base, Polygon, and other EVM-compatible chains - No external bridge required (uses ICP's chain-key cryptography)

How It Works: 1. User initiates transaction on COOWN (e.g., send EURe via Monerium) 2. COOWN backend canister calls EVM canister 3. EVM canister executes smart contract call on target EVM chain (e.g., Ethereum mainnet) 4. Result returned to COOWN canister 5. Transaction confirmed, accounting entry created

Benefits: - No bridge fees: Direct execution, no third-party bridge - Security: ICP's chain-key cryptography secures cross-chain interactions - Speed: Near-instant cross-chain txns (limited only by target chain finality)

Supported Networks (Current/Planned): - Ethereum Mainnet (for USDC, EURe, other ERC-20s) - Base (Coinbase L2, low fees, fast) - Keeta Network (future - DAG-based, Base-compatible)

3. Non-Custodial Multi-Signature Wallet¶

Custody Model:

Critical Principle: COOWN developers have ZERO access to user funds.

How Keys Are Managed: 1. User Key Generation: - Private keys generated client-side (in user's browser/device) - Keys never transmitted to COOWN servers - Users can export keys for backup

Multi-Signature Architecture:
Business wallets use M-of-N signature schemes
Example: 2-of-3 multi-sig (CEO + CFO, or any 2 of 3 authorized signers)
Spending thresholds trigger approval requirements
Spending Controls:
Daily/weekly/monthly limits per user
Per-transaction approval thresholds (e.g., >€10,000 requires 2 signatures)
Role-based permissions (admin, approver, viewer)
Shareholder Mode:
Ultimate control layer for high-stakes decisions
Shareholders can override admin decisions
Used for: dividends, major expenditures, policy changes

Emergency Recovery (Conceptual): - If COOWN app is down for >30 days (catastrophic failure scenario): - Users can trigger emergency withdrawal - Funds transferred to user-designated EVM wallet address - Requires cryptographic proof of ownership (user's private key signature) - Status: Concept phase (not yet implemented)

4. Frontend (ReactJS)¶

Technology Stack: - Framework: React.js (modern JavaScript UI library) - Hosting: Served directly from ICP canisters (no centralized CDN) - State Management: Redux (for complex app state) - Styling: Tailwind CSS (utility-first CSS framework)

User Experience: - Progressive Web App (PWA): Works on desktop + mobile browsers - Responsive design: Optimized for phone, tablet, desktop - Offline capability: Core functions work offline (sync when reconnected)

Key UI Components: - Dashboard: Real-time balance, recent transactions, P&L - Wallet: Send/receive crypto + fiat, address management - Payments: Invoice/quote generation, POS interface - Treasury: Spending limits, approval queue, shareholder controls - Reporting: Financial statements, transaction history, export tools

5. Backend Canisters (Motoko + Rust)¶

Primary Language: Motoko - Domain-specific language for ICP - Designed for safe, secure smart contracts - Asynchronous message passing (actor model) - Built-in orthogonal persistence (state automatically persists)

Secondary Language: Rust - High-performance, systems-level language - Used for compute-intensive operations - Interoperability with Motoko canisters

Canister Structure (Simplified):

coown_backend/
├── auth_canister          # User authentication, session management
├── wallet_canister        # Wallet operations, balance tracking
├── payment_canister       # Invoice/POS/quote processing
├── treasury_canister      # Multi-sig, spending limits, approvals
├── accounting_canister    # Double-entry bookkeeping, financial reporting
├── kyc_canister           # KYC/KYB data management
├── aml_canister           # Transaction monitoring, risk scoring
├── integration_canister   # Monerium, GnosisPay, external APIs
└── governance_canister    # Admin functions, shareholder voting (future DAO)

Inter-Canister Communication: - Canisters communicate via asynchronous messages - Example: payment_canister calls accounting_canister to create ledger entry - Atomic transactions ensured via ICP consensus

6. Key Integrations¶

Monerium (E-Money, IBAN, EURe)¶

What Monerium Provides: - Licensed e-money institution (EMI) in Iceland/EU - IBAN accounts for users (EUR) - EURe stablecoin (1:1 EUR-backed, on Ethereum/Polygon) - SEPA Instant payment processing - KYC/KYB services (regulatory compliance)

Integration Method: - API: RESTful API for account creation, payments, KYC - Smart Contracts: EURe token interactions via EVM canister - Webhooks: Real-time notifications for incoming payments

COOWN ↔ Monerium Flow: 1. User completes KYC via Monerium (embedded in COOWN UI) 2. Monerium provisions IBAN + EURe wallet 3. User receives EUR via SEPA → COOWN wallet credited 4. User sends EUR via COOWN → Monerium processes SEPA Instant 5. User converts EUR ↔ EURe seamlessly (stablecoin on Ethereum)

GnosisPay (VISA Debit Card)¶

What GnosisPay Provides: - VISA debit card program (physical + virtual) - Crypto-to-fiat conversion at point of sale - Multi-currency support - Real-time spending notifications

Integration Method: - API for card issuance, balance top-up, transaction history - Users fund card from COOWN wallet (crypto or fiat) - Spend anywhere VISA is accepted

Circle (USDC)¶

What Circle Provides: - USDC stablecoin (USD-pegged, 1:1 reserves) - Yield-bearing USDC products (future integration)

Integration Method: - Smart contract interactions via EVM canister - USDC transfer, balance queries, swap integrations

Native Blockchain Integrations¶

Blockchain	Token	Integration Method
Bitcoin	BTC	ckBTC (ICP-wrapped Bitcoin, 1:1 backed)
Ethereum	EURe, USDC, ERUC	EVM canister + smart contracts
Base	Various ERC-20s	EVM canister
ICP	ICP, ckBTC, others	Native canister interactions
Frankencoin	zCHF	Smart contract (EVM)
GLDT	GLDT (gold token)	Smart contract (EVM)
Keeta (future)	Various	Cross-chain bridge or direct integration

Security Architecture¶

Threat Model¶

Threats Mitigated: 1. ✅ Server compromise: No central server (fully on-chain) 2. ✅ Database breach: No off-chain database (ICP state is replicated + encrypted) 3. ✅ Insider theft: Team has no access to user keys 4. ✅ Single point of failure: ICP's decentralized consensus (no single node can fail) 5. ✅ Smart contract exploits: Formal verification (Motoko's type system), audits (planned)

Residual Risks: 1. ⚠️ User key loss: If user loses private key + recovery phrase, funds are irrecoverable (education + UX critical) 2. ⚠️ Phishing: Malicious sites impersonating COOWN (domain verification, security education) 3. ⚠️ Protocol vulnerabilities: ICP or integrated chains (Ethereum, Base) could have bugs 4. ⚠️ Regulatory seizure: Authorities could compel ICP subnet nodes to halt COOWN canisters (mitigated by governance + multi-jurisdiction)

Access Control¶

User Roles: - Admin: Full wallet control (unlimited spending, can add/remove users) - Approver: Can approve high-value transactions - User: Can initiate transactions within spending limits - Viewer: Read-only access to wallet/reports - Shareholder: Ultimate control (can override admins in shareholder mode)

Permission Model: - Role-based access control (RBAC) - Spending limits per role (daily/weekly/monthly caps) - Multi-signature thresholds (e.g., >€10k requires 2 approvals)

Audit Trail¶

Every Action Logged: - User authentication (login, logout, session expiry) - Wallet transactions (send, receive, approve, reject) - Configuration changes (limits, roles, approvals) - Admin actions (add user, change permissions)

Immutable Log: - All logs stored on-chain (ICP canister state) - Cannot be tampered with (ICP consensus ensures immutability) - Full audit trail for compliance (PolyReg, tax authorities)

Data Architecture¶

On-Chain Storage (ICP)¶

What's Stored On-Chain: - User accounts (metadata, roles, preferences) - Wallet addresses (public keys) - Transaction history (all payments, transfers) - Accounting ledger (double-entry bookkeeping) - Configuration (spending limits, approval workflows) - KYC/AML metadata (risk scores, verification status)

Sensitive Data Handling: - Private keys: NEVER stored on-chain (client-side only) - KYC documents: Stored with Monerium (COOWN only stores verification status + hash) - Personally Identifiable Information (PII): Minimized; only essential data on-chain (name, email encrypted)

Off-Chain Storage (Minimal)¶

What's NOT on ICP: - KYC documents (PDFs, ID scans): Stored by Monerium (licensed EMI) - Large media files: If user uploads receipts, stored in ICP asset canister or (future) decentralized storage (IPFS)

Scalability & Performance¶

Current Capacity¶

ICP Subnet Performance: - ~1,000 transactions per second (TPS) - <1 second finality - ~10,000 queries per second

COOWN Load Estimates (2026): - Expected users: 1,000-5,000 active businesses - Transactions: ~10,000-50,000 per day - Well within ICP capacity (room for 10x+ growth)

Scaling Strategy¶

Horizontal Scaling: - Add more canisters as load increases - Partition data by region or customer (e.g., separate canister per regional operator)

Vertical Scaling: - ICP subnets can increase capacity via governance proposals - More nodes = more throughput

Future Optimizations: - Layer 2 solutions (e.g., Base for high-frequency micro-transactions) - Batch processing for accounting entries (reduce canister calls)

Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity¶

ICP Fault Tolerance¶

How ICP Ensures Uptime: - Decentralized consensus (Byzantine fault tolerance) - Replicated state across 13-40 nodes per subnet - Automatic failover (if node goes down, others continue)

Historical Uptime: - ICP mainnet: >99.9% uptime since launch (2021) - No single point of failure

COOWN-Specific Continuity Plan¶

Scenario 1: ICP Subnet Outage (Very Low Probability) - Probability: <0.1% (entire subnet would need to fail) - Mitigation: COOWN canisters deployed across multiple subnets (geo-diverse) - Recovery Time: Automatic (subnet consensus recovers within minutes)

Scenario 2: COOWN Canister Bug (Higher Probability) - Probability: ~1-5% (software bugs happen) - Mitigation: Rollback to previous canister version (ICP governance) - Recovery Time: Hours (requires governance vote + deployment)

Scenario 3: Prolonged COOWN Unavailability (>30 Days) - Emergency Recovery: Users can withdraw funds via EVM wallet - Status: Concept phase (not yet implemented) - Mechanism: Cryptographic proof of ownership → transfer to user-designated address

Compliance & Regulatory Architecture¶

KYC/KYB Data Flow¶

User Registration
    │
    ├─ Crypto-only (<€1000/day) → COOWN KYC (basic: name, email, DOB)
    │                           → Risk score: Low
    │                           → No document verification
    │
    └─ Fiat-enabled (>€1000/day) → Monerium KYC (full: ID scan, proof of address)
                                 → Risk score: Medium/High (based on factors)
                                 → Document verification via Monerium

Transaction Monitoring¶

Current State (Manual + Semi-Automated): 1. All transactions logged on-chain 2. High-value transactions (>€10,000) flagged for review 3. AML officer (regional operator) reviews flagged txns 4. Manual investigation if suspicious activity detected 5. SAR (Suspicious Activity Report) filed via PolyReg (once member)

Future State (Automated): - Machine learning risk scoring (in development) - Integration with blockchain analysis tools (AMLBot or open-source alternative) - Real-time alerts for suspicious patterns

Technology Roadmap¶

2026 Q1-Q2: COOWN 2.0 Launch¶

✅ Monerium integration complete
✅ IBAN + SEPA Instant live
✅ EURe stablecoin support
✅ VISA card via GnosisPay
🎯 Production-ready transaction monitoring

2026 Q3-Q4: Enhancements¶

🎯 Uniswap API integration (token swaps)
🎯 Additional stablecoins (Arc Network, Stellar)
🎯 Blockchain analysis tool integration
🎯 Mobile app (iOS + Android PWA optimization)

2027: Scale & Token¶

🎯 Keeta network integration (if viable)
🎯 COOWN token launch (ICO)
🎯 Staking rewards system
🎯 DAO governance prototype

2028+: Advanced Features¶

🎯 Company shares tokenization (for customer fundraising)
🎯 Yield-bearing integrations (Ondo, Circle)
🎯 DeFi protocol integrations (lending, borrowing)
🎯 AI-powered financial insights

Technical Documentation & Resources¶

Public: - ICP Developer Docs: https://internetcomputer.org/docs - Motoko Language: https://sdk.dfinity.org/docs/language-guide/motoko.html - Chain Key Cryptography: https://internetcomputer.org/how-it-works/chain-key-technology/

Internal (COOWN): - GitHub repositories (backend, frontend, smart contracts) - Figma designs (UI/UX specs) - Notion (product roadmap, technical specs)

For Auditors/Regulators: - This document provides high-level architecture - Detailed technical audit available upon request (NDA required)

Document Control: - Version: 2.0 - Approved by: Simon (CEO), CTO - Prepared by: Agent Maya-COOWN - Date: 2026-02-09 - Classification: Public (Technical Overview)