Rails & chain strategy

AURA does not build a new blockchain. It owns the account, privacy, compliance and routing layers, and settles on established networks chosen per payment. The privacy engine sits behind an adapter, so AURA is never married to one protocol.

The adapter boundary

flowchart TB
    APP["AURA Account"] --> PA["Privacy adapter<br/>shield · transfer · prove · disclose"]
    PA --> STRK["Starknet / STRK20"]
    PA --> AZ["Aztec"]
    PA --> FUT["Future privacy rail"]
    APP --> CA["Chain adapter"]
    CA --> ETH["Ethereum"]
    CA --> BASE["Base"]
    CA --> POLY["Polygon"]

If a better privacy protocol appears, it becomes a new adapter, not a rewrite. The application, the account model and the user experience are unchanged.

The rails, and how AURA uses each

Rail	Role in AURA	Why	Status
Starknet + STRK20	First private-payment rail	Shielded ERC-20 incl. USDC, private transfers, viewing-key disclosure, already live	Evaluating
Ethereum	Settlement and security anchor	Deepest liquidity and trust; the place high-value settlement lands	Planned
Aztec	Private programmable contracts	Private state and execution, native account abstraction; best fit for private SmartMoney	Research
Polygon CDK	Institutional private-chain option	Permissioned, confidential, settles proofs to Ethereum; a separate bank-facing product	Research
Native USDC + CCTP	The asset and cross-chain movement	Burn-and-mint, not wrapped; addresses resolved from Circle at deploy, never hard-coded	Planned

Why Starknet/STRK20 first

STRK20 already does the specific thing AURA needs: shield a regulated stablecoin into encrypted notes, transfer it privately with a ZK proof, and disclose selectively with viewing keys. It is a closer fit than assembling stealth addresses on a transparent chain. Aztec is tracked as research rather than a production dependency: its mainnet is Alpha and disclosed a proving-system vulnerability in 2026, so it is excellent to build against, not yet a sole foundation for institutional money.

Routing: public or private, per payment

AURA Flow chooses the rail for each payment rather than forcing everything through one mode.

flowchart LR
    PAY["Send $X"] --> F{AURA Flow}
    F -->|needs privacy| PRIV["Starknet · shielded"]
    F -->|merchant wants transparent USDC| PUB["Base · public USDC"]
    F -->|large institutional settlement| ETHR["Ethereum"]

A merchant that requires a transparent on-chain receipt gets one; a person paying rent gets a private transfer; a treasury desk settling at size gets Ethereum. The customer does not choose a chain, and the asset stays USDC throughout via CCTP.

Status

Planned The adapter layer and the Starknet/STRK20 integration are the first phase of the roadmap. Ethereum settlement, CCTP routing and the institutional Polygon track follow; Aztec remains research.