Blockstream has launched an enterprise custody solution that runs multi-party computation (MPC) signing entirely inside hardware security modules (HSMs) from Thales, the company said in a press release dated 13 Nov. CryptoWatchDesk last covered Blockstream in early November, when Liquid backing was fully restored after the 6 Sep exploit.
The claim worth testing is architectural. In ordinary MPC custody, several parties each hold a share of a key and sign together, without any one device holding the whole key. Blockstream says its version, called Secure-MPC, goes further: the whole signing protocol runs inside the HSM, so key material does not pass through general-purpose servers, according to the release.
It adds that the product uses FROST, a threshold signature scheme that lets several approvers jointly produce one signature without rebuilding the private key. That is the release’s description of FROST. It does not say which parts of the product are new and which already existed in Blockstream’s enterprise platform.
The product is delivered through Blockstream Enterprise, its institutional platform. President and COO Michael Minkevich called it “an important step in delivering secure, institutional-grade infrastructure for managing digital assets,” and said it builds on a two-year relationship with Thales.
The release names no client, gives no price or availability date, and cites no independent audit or certification.
What it describes is where keys are held, not who is allowed to approve a payment. That distinction matters: on 13 Nov, BitGo said Unocoin’s own user and backup keys signed the transfers out of its frozen wallet, which is a question of authorisation rather than of cryptography. For the role of a provider in that chain, see what a crypto custodian does.
Blockstream was founded in 2014, according to the release, and lists custody, settlement, payments and asset issuance among its businesses.
This article is for information only and is not investment advice.