CIP-TBD: Add Halborn as a Weight 4 Super Validator - Edgar Cepin
CIP: CIP XXXX (to be assigned)
Title: Add Halborn as a Weight 4 Super Validator
Author: Edgar Cepin
Status: Draft
Type: Governance
Created: 2026-07-02
License: CC0-1.0
Abstract
Add Halborn Inc. as a Weight 4 Super Validator
Halborn agrees to a multi-year basket of security-focused contributions to the Canton ecosystem, including infrastructure and custody security audits, a public security standards publication, EU regulatory readiness advisory, a subsidized security-testing tier, and a Daml package audit pathway
Halborn agrees to earn its full Weight 4 progressively as these commitments are completed.
Halborn can operate its own Super Validator node on behalf of the Canton network.
Specification
Add up to 4 SV Weight for Halborn, earned progressively as commitments below are completed
Halborn onboards with an SV Weight of zero and is free to operate a Super Validator node at their discretion
Halborn will operate its Super Validator node.
Motivation
The infrastructure components Halborn proposes to audit (Splice validator/SV software, custody and key management integrations, cross-chain bridge implementations) are critical to the proper functioning and safety of the Canton Network, since they govern how assets, keys, and cross-application transactions are secured across the ecosystem.
It is critically important that these components are independently and regularly assessed for vulnerabilities, both to protect network participants from exploitation and to solidify the legitimacy of the Canton Network among the regulated financial institutions it targets
The codebase and configuration underlying this infrastructure is subject to change over time through upgrades and other maintenance-related activities. It is therefore important to revisit these audits periodically, and specifically after major upgrades, to ensure that changes do not introduce new vulnerabilities or undermine the security properties the network depends on
Rationale
Halborn is an award-winning security solutions firm, founded in 2019, that has completed 3,000+ engagements amounting to $1 trillion in value protected
Halborn's governance framework is validated by SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, and NIST certifications
Halborn already maintains a public Daml/Canton whitepaper positioning Canton as the trust layer for regulated financial infrastructure
Halborn commits to the following:
Complete a recurring independent security audit of a Canton infrastructure component (Splice validator/SV software or a designated cross-chain bridge implementation) once per year for 3 years, plus an additional review after any major Mainnet version change, excluding the Canton Coin Daml model.
Complete a recurring Canton-native custody security review series, covering SV/validator key management, institutional custody integrations, wallet software, and signing infrastructure, beginning within 12 months and continuing annually
Publish and maintain a Canton Security Standards Publication Track, combining an institutional security framework and threat model, with an initial publication within 12 months and one substantive revision per year thereafter
Publish quarterly EU regulatory readiness briefs (MiCA/DORA/VARA) beginning within 6 months, and deliver at least one subsidized regulatory advisory engagement to a Canton ecosystem participant annually
Extend a 10% subsidized tier of its Bastion offering to qualifying Canton ecosystem participants, beginning within 18 months and continuing on an ongoing basis with annual reporting, with eligibility defined jointly with the Foundation
Establish an official security review pathway for the Daml package registry, coordinated with Digital Asset, within 12 months
Actively and continuously participate in Canton Foundation working groups relevant to its contribution areas, including the Tokenomics Working Group
Participate in the CIP-0105 locking framework at the highest tier practical for a Weight 4 SV within 3 months of onboarding
Bear all costs of operating its Super Validator node, at no cost to the Foundation or the network
Why Halborn
Founded in 2019, Halborn is an award-winning, industry-leading security solutions firm, trusted by the world's largest banks and financial institutions
Halborn has discovered several zero-days and completed 3,000+ security engagements, amounting to $1 trillion in value protected
Halborn acts as a strategic security advisor across the engagement lifecycle, guiding architecture and design decisions, technical due diligence, custody and key management, and AI security strategy, while upskilling teams through technical training and backing it with hands-on smart contract, code, and web/mobile/cloud assessments
Halborn's governance framework, covering data protection, access controls, personnel screening, and incident response, is independently validated by SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, and NIST certifications
Halborn has already published a public Daml/Canton whitepaper positioning Canton as the trust layer for regulated financial infrastructure, reflecting direct, existing familiarity with the network ahead of this proposal
Because Canton bridges regulated institutional finance and on-chain infrastructure, Halborn is one of the few firms fluent in both, letting a single team assess the full trust surface rather than splitting the work across separate Web2 and Web3 specialists
SV Mechanics
An extraBeneficiary PartyID associated with the ‘escrowed’ Super Validator will be setup by the Foundation, or another SV node operator approved to provide SV rewards escrow services, with an SV Weight at the maximum earnable weight.
The Applicant is responsible for coordinating the process of setting up the escrowed weights with the GSF and the operator of the SV node.
The Applicant is responsible for all costs associated with the operation of the representative SV
The representative SV will NOT mint rewards on a block by block basis
All representative SV rewards will go to the Unclaimed Rewards pool
Applicant is required to present proof of successful completed milestones to the Tokenomics Working Group
Applicant is required to present a calculation for number of Canton Coin it should earn for meeting the requirements of the milestone
If the Tokenomics Working Group agrees the milestone has been met and agrees with the calculation, an announcement will be sent via the Tokenomics-Announce mailing List
⅔ of Super Validator Operators will then assign a portion of the Unclaimed Rewards to be minted by the Applicant’s Validator
⅔ of the Super Validator Operators will update their configurations to allow Applicant to takeover a portion of their SV Weight on a go-forward basis
If any milestones and associated rewards are not achieved by the deadline
Applicant will be notified they have not met a deliverable by the Foundation
Remaining SV Weight on the representative SV will be removed from the SV Operator configs
The Tokenomics Working Group will make a recommendation to the SVs on what to do with the Unclaimed Rewards
Copyright
This CIP is licensed under CC0-1.0.
Changelog
2026-07-02: Initial draft prepared from Halborn's Canton Foundation Membership Application.
