📔Terminology

This page explains the common terms used in Kinto.

Kinto ID

An NFT token that grants access to Kinto - minted upon successful KYC completion by the user. Once users receive an NFT, they are verified participants in the network.

Verified Participant

All users on Kinto are verified participants - this means they are KYC'ed, and the network runs AML on them continuously.

User-owned KYC

Kinto's KYC process is owned by its users. This means that users effectively curate the list of KYC providers available and pick their own when onboarding into the network. For more information, please read the medium post on User-Owned KYC.

Engen

“Engen” means Origin. Engen is Kinto’s pre-launch campaign.

Partner

A partner describes an entity that has built or will build a product on Kinto or contributes to Kinto's ecosystem, such as a third-party KYC provider.

Nios

“Nio” means Guardian. For Kinto, there will be 9 Nios that form a crucial part of Kinto governance. Voters will elect the Nios on-chain on a 6-month rolling basis. System upgrades, treasury allocations, and fee changes will be voted on-chain by the 9 Nios (Guardians), requiring a majority to pass.

Identity Nodes

Identity Nodes are part of Kinto's KYC architecture. They interact with Kinto IDs and leverage KYC providers who store users' PII. Identity nodes perform actions such as minting the Kinto ID NFT, granting access for applications built on Kinto to specific PII when a user permissions this via signing a message, processing AML/KYC updates and handling stolen identities/lost wallets.

KYC Provider

KYC providers are third-party partners who form part of Kinto's KYC architecture. These providers undertake KYC checks for users on the network in order for them to access Kinto. Users are able to select their preferred KYC provider from those approved by governance. KYC providers do not have access to on-chain account information at any time.