User Flow
Mint Flow (Deposit BTC → Mint CBTC)
High‑Level Narrative
Minting converts BTC into CBTC on Canton in six coordinated steps.
From the user’s point of view the whole journey feels like a normal on‑chain deposit; the heavy lifting—vault creation, threshold signing, and contract issuance—happens behind the scenes.
Step‑by‑Step Walk‑through
Authentication — Users start by logging into their Canton account, establishing their on-chain identity for the deposit
Request deposit address — The system generates a unique Bitcoin address tied to the user's account. Power users can request multiple addresses for operational convenience, though a single address works for unlimited deposits.
Send Bitcoin — Users initiate a Bitcoin transaction to the provided address using any standard wallet—no special software or complex procedures required.
Automated monitoring — The bridge continuously scans the Bitcoin network for incoming transactions. Once your deposit reaches 6 confirmations (roughly 60 minutes), it enters the verification queue.
Decentralized verification — Multiple independent Attestor nodes review the confirmed transaction, each submitting their approval through Canton's governance system. This distributed verification prevents any single party from controlling the minting process.
CBTC issuance — When a threshold of Attestor approvals are gathered, the next periodic system check (every 60-120 seconds) triggers the minting of equivalent CBTC via the decentralized party model and the governance model.
Timing & Finality
The minting and withdrawal processes are automated, requiring no manual coordination.
Burn Flow (Redeem CBTC → BTC)
High‑Level Narrative
Redeeming CBTC reverses the bridging process, unlocking native Bitcoin that backs your CBTC token balance.
From your perspective, it works like any crypto withdrawal—specify an amount and destination, then wait for Bitcoin to arrive in your wallet. The system handles the coordination between burning your CBTC tokens and releasing the underlying Bitcoin through decentralized Attestor approval.
Step‑by‑Step Walk‑through
Authentication — Sign into your Canton account to initiate the withdrawal process
Set up withdrawal destinations — Configure one or multiple Bitcoin addresses where you want to receive funds—your hardware wallet, exchange account, or any Bitcoin address you control. These addresses are stored for future withdrawals, making repeat transactions one-click simple.
Submit withdrawal request — Select how much CBTC to redeem and choose your destination address. Your CBTC tokens are immediately burned on Canton, ensuring they can't be double-spent, while your withdrawal enters the processing queue.
Automated processing — The system detects your pending withdrawal and constructs a Bitcoin transaction to your specified address. Multiple Attestors independently review and approve the transaction through Canton's governance system to burn the CBTC on Canton once the required threshold is reached.
Bitcoin delivery — Once Attestor approvals also reach the required threshold on the BTC L1, the fully-signed transaction is broadcast to the Bitcoin network. After standard confirmations (typically 6), your Bitcoin arrives at the destination address.
Reliability & Safeguards
The withdrawal system includes multiple failure-resistant mechanisms:
Automatic retry logic — If a Bitcoin transaction fails to broadcast initially, the system automatically detects the failure during subsequent checks and rebroadcasts using stored transaction data
Idempotent operations — Each withdrawal generates a unique transaction ID that prevents accidental double-spending, even if network issues cause retry attempts
Distributed verification — No single Attestor can block or manipulate withdrawals; the threshold approval system ensures continued operation even with some nodes offline
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