Difference between revisions of "Argent"

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Argent is a [[wallet]] for [[ETH]] and ETH [[tokens]] that tries to make on-boarding easier. [https://www.argent.xyz/security/ No paper back ups] because you can create your own [[circle]] of trust, free [[tx]], (they pay for [[gas]] costs), simple [[Address|addresses]] with names instead of numbers and an in-app [[DEX]] using [[Kyber Network (KNC)|Kyber]].
== Basics ==
== Basics ==
* [https://medium.com/argenthq/our-next-chapter-announcing-our-12m-series-a-d1a7af23d668 Launched] in 2018.
* [https://medium.com/argenthq/our-next-chapter-announcing-our-12m-series-a-d1a7af23d668 Launched] in 2018.
* [[Mainnet]] release: [https://blockonomi.com/ethereum-defi-wallet-argent-launches/ 19-5-2020]
* [[Mainnet]] release: [https://blockonomi.com/ethereum-defi-wallet-argent-launches/ 19-5-2020]
* Based in: London
* Based in: London
* A [[wallet]] for [[ETH]] and ETH [[tokens]] that tries to make on-boarding easier. [https://www.argent.xyz/security/ No paper back ups] because you can create your own circle of trust, free [[tx]], (they pay for [[gas]] costs), simple [[Address|addresses]] with names instead of numbers and an in-app [[DEX]] using [[Kyber Network (KNC)|Kyber]].
* From [https://medium.com/argenthq/ask-us-anything-383de76fa392 their] [[AMA]] (19-2-2020):
* From [https://medium.com/argenthq/ask-us-anything-383de76fa392 their] [[AMA]] (19-2-2020):
''"Only you (not us, not anyone else) can access your assets. You can earn interest with Maker and [[Compound]] in a tap; and enjoy peace of mind by locking and unlocking, [https://medium.com/argenthq/decentralised-and-seedless-wallet-recovery-5fcf7dddd78d recovering without a seed phrase], and setting a daily transfer limit."''
''"Only you (not us, not anyone else) can access your assets. You can [[earn]] interest with Maker and [[Compound]] in a tap; and enjoy peace of mind by locking and unlocking, [https://medium.com/argenthq/decentralised-and-seedless-wallet-recovery-5fcf7dddd78d recovering without a seed phrase], and setting a daily transfer limit."''
* Argent is [https://mashable.com/article/defi-guide-ethereum-decentralized-finance/ currently] (29-1-2020) in an invite-only beta, but it's fully functional.
* Argent is [https://mashable.com/article/defi-guide-ethereum-decentralized-finance/ currently] (29-1-2020) in an invite-only beta, but it's fully functional.
* [https://twitter.com/argentHQ/status/1205190291038318592 Integrated] with [[WalletConnect]]. Users of the Argent mobile wallet can now use [[Uniswap]], [[PoolTogether]] and many more [[Dapps]] thanks to this integration.
* [https://twitter.com/argentHQ/status/1205190291038318592 Integrated] with [[WalletConnect]]. Users of the Argent mobile wallet can now use [[Uniswap]], [[PoolTogether]] and [[MANY|many]] more [[Dapps]] thanks to this integration.
* The Dai Savings Rate from [[MakerDAO]] is [https://twitter.com/argenthq/status/1222527959074058241?s=21 live] (29-1-2020) in Argent.
* The Dai Savings Rate from [[MakerDAO]] is [https://twitter.com/argenthq/status/1222527959074058241?s=21 live] (29-1-2020) in Argent.


== History ==
== History ==
== Audits & Exploits ==
* [[Bug bounty]] max payout is $50,000 ([https://consensys.github.io/blockchainSecurityDB/ 29-6-2020]).
* [[Blockchain Security DB]] (29-6-2020) shows [https://consensys.github.io/blockchainSecurityDB/ 7 audits]. The latest was in 5-2020.
*From [https://medium.com/argenthq/ask-us-anything-383de76fa392 their] [[AMA]] (19-2-2020):
''"In our [[case]], for example, we only push to production code that has been reviewed and tested internally AND audited by external auditors. There is no exception to that rule. You can find the audit reports [https://github.com/argentlabs/argent-contracts/tree/master/audit here]. On top of that we run a [https://www.argent.xyz/argent-bug-bounty/ bug bounty program], and our [[smart contracts]] are public and [[open-source]] to ensure maximum scrutiny."''
=== Bugs/Exploits ===
* Argent patched a really bad [https://medium.com/@braavos_starknet_wallet/zero-click-argent-contract-vulnerability-420740cc07eb account draining vulnerability] in its wallet software and contracts thanks to a responsible disclosure by Yoav Gaziel (2-12-2022).
* [https://decrypt.co/33009/bug-discovered-in-argent-ethereum-wallet From] [[Decrypt]] (20-6-2020):
''"Security audits firm [[OpenZeppelin]] [https://blog.openzeppelin.com/argent-vulnerability-report/ discovered] a bug that could have led to users losing their funds. The bug would have allowed hackers to steal funds from [[wallets]] that didn’t have a certain security feature enabled. The bug has now been fixed—and no funds were stolen."''
== Governance ==
=== Admin Keys ===
*In [https://medium.com/argenthq/a-new-era-for-crypto-security-57909a095ae3 their] [[AMA]] (19-2-2020) there were multiple questions surrounding [[centralization]] and censorship:


==== ''"What if Argent disappeared? Or Apple kicked you off the App store?'' ====
# <em>If our App is removed from the Appstore: This does not impact existing users as the App would still be on your phone and you can [[keep]] using it.</em>
# <em>The extreme scenario where Argent, the company, suddenly disappears, including our infrastructure: We have built the [https://medium.com/argenthq/the-ultimate-non-custodial-test-1b3b007e8a53 Argent Emergency Kit] just for that. You can sign a [[transaction]] on your phone but submit it to the [[blockchain]] through any other wallet such as [[MEW]] or [[Metamask]]. The emergency kit is live on iOS, and should be ready next month latest on Android.</em>
==== ''What if a dictatorship comes after you?'' ====
''We’ve put ourselves in a position where we cannot harm users. How?''
# ''We’re non-[[custodial]]: we can’t take users’ funds even if we were taken over by a malicious actor''
# ''We’re censorship resistant: users can [[move]] their funds even if our infrastructure is taken down.''
# ''We limit the data we hold on users (email and phone only), which is why we plan to enable wallets to be created without a phone number, we target this for Q2 latest. The email will stay but it’s very easy for users to create new private emails with service such as protonmail.''
==== ''What parts of Argent are centralized now?'' ====
''The main component of the Argent wallet that is [[centralized]] is the [[relayer]]. However, the relayer is fully [[non-custodial]] as it cannot tamper with a transaction and we make it possible to not use the relayer through the Argent Emergency Kit. To further [[decentralise]] the relayer we are considering [[options]] such as connecting to the [https://gsn.openzeppelin.com/ Gas Station Network].''
''We also have a [[centralised]] backend but its only purpose is to orchestrate certain flows between users and improve the user experience. However, by design the [[clients]] do not need to trust the backend, and all these flows can be achieved by interacting with the blockchain directly.''
''The Argent Guard Service can also be considered centralized but it’s not part of the wallet. It’s just a service that we offer to people for convenience and they can easily opt out. The overall Guardian model is fully [[decentralized]] since any Ethereum account can act as a guardian."''
== Tech ==
== Tech ==
* [[Whitepaper]] can be found [insert here].
* [[Whitepaper]] can be found [insert here].
Line 18: Line 51:


===How it works===
===How it works===
===Mining===
=== Fees ===
=== Upgrades ===
 
* They [https://blockonomi.com/ethereum-defi-wallet-argent-launches/ launched] (19-5-2020) its smart wallet app to the public after more than a year of beta development. 
 
=== Staking ===
=== Staking ===
===Liquidity Mining===
===Liquidity Mining===
Line 25: Line 62:
* [https://defiprime.substack.com/p/-your-weekly-defi-news-in-bite-sized?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzk3OTAwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjozMzcyNjgxNSwiXyI6InAwb0R1IiwiaWF0IjoxNjE1OTA1MDg5LCJleHAiOjE2MTU5MDg2ODksImlzcyI6InB1Yi05MDAwIiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.6iqCT3dNQbQGLc From] [[DeFi Prime]] (16-3-2021):
* [https://defiprime.substack.com/p/-your-weekly-defi-news-in-bite-sized?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMzk3OTAwLCJwb3N0X2lkIjozMzcyNjgxNSwiXyI6InAwb0R1IiwiaWF0IjoxNjE1OTA1MDg5LCJleHAiOjE2MTU5MDg2ODksImlzcyI6InB1Yi05MDAwIiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.6iqCT3dNQbQGLc From] [[DeFi Prime]] (16-3-2021):


''"The Argent team had a [https://www.argent.xyz/blog/layer-2-plans/ great write-up] on their [[L1]] and [[L2]] plans. For the near future, they’ll be focusing on integrating with [[zkSync]]."''
''"The Argent team had a [https://www.argent.xyz/blog/layer-2-plans/ great write-up] on their [[L1]] and [[L2]] plans. For the [[near]] future, they’ll be focusing on integrating with [[zkSync]]."''


* [https://twitter.com/StarkWareLtd/status/1455864646880137220?s=20 Partnered] up with [[StarkWare|Starkware]] (11-2021).
* [https://twitter.com/StarkWareLtd/status/1455864646880137220?s=20 Partnered] up with [[StarkWare|Starkware]] (11-2021).
Line 32: Line 69:
=== Other Details ===
=== Other Details ===
* From [https://medium.com/argenthq/ask-us-anything-383de76fa392 their] [[AMA]] (19-2-2020):
* From [https://medium.com/argenthq/ask-us-anything-383de76fa392 their] [[AMA]] (19-2-2020):
"''[https://medium.com/argenthq/a-new-era-for-crypto-security-57909a095ae3 Our security model] is based on ‘Guardians’. A Guardian can be any other [[Ethereum]] account (your hardware wallet, or a friend, for example). They help you with specific security actions (like recovery) but never have access to your funds.''
"''[https://medium.com/argenthq/a-new-era-for-crypto-security-57909a095ae3 Our security model] is based on ‘Guardians’. A Guardian can be any other [[Ethereum]] account (your [[Hardware Wallet|hardware wallet]], or a friend, for example). They help you with specific security actions (like recovery) but never have access to your funds.''


''The [[seed]] (in our case the [[private key]]) is generated and stored locally on your phone. By design it never leaves your phone. On your phone it is encrypted with (a slow [[hash]] of) your PIN and if available the Secure Enclave, then stored in the local Keychain (the most secure element of you phone).''
''The [[seed]] (in our case the [[private key]]) is generated and stored locally on your phone. By design it never leaves your phone. On your phone it is encrypted with (a slow [[hash]] of) your PIN and if available the Secure Enclave, then stored in the local Keychain (the most secure element of you phone).''


''Since the private key never leaves the phone it cannot be restored by your Guardians. But [https://medium.com/argenthq/a-new-era-for-crypto-security-57909a095ae3 what your Guardians can do] is collectively define a new private key as the legitimate owner of your wallet. This is only possible because Argent is a smart-contract wallet."''
''Since the [[Private Key|private key]] never leaves the phone it cannot be restored by your Guardians. But [https://medium.com/argenthq/a-new-era-for-crypto-security-57909a095ae3 what your Guardians can do] is collectively define a new [[Private Key|private key]] as the legitimate owner of your wallet. This is only possible because Argent is a smart-[[contract]] wallet."''


On privacy
On privacy


''"Personal data: we only store your email and phone number, we do not have other personal information. If you go through KYC for fiat to crypto on-ramp in Argent, it’s always done through 3rd parties, and they are the only ones seeing that data. We will soon make phone numbers optional.''
''"Personal data: we only store your email and phone number, we do not have other personal information. If you go through KYC for [[FIAT|fiat]] to crypto on-ramp in Argent, it’s always done through 3rd parties, and they are the only ones seeing that data. We will soon make phone numbers optional.''


<em>App usage data: we use Amplitude for typical app metrics such as new downloads, on-boarding funnels (i.e. where do users drop in the process), % of users using Wallet Connect etc. Data in Amplitude is anonymized, we do not send any personal information (no email, no phone, no ens, no 0x [[address]], etc…)</em>
<em>App usage data: we use Amplitude for typical app metrics such as new downloads, on-boarding funnels (i.e. where do users drop in the process), % of users using Wallet Connect etc. Data in Amplitude is anonymized, we do not send any personal information (no email, no phone, no ens, no 0x [[address]], etc…)</em>


==== ''Why do you need a phone number when creating a wallet?'' ====
==== ''Why do you need a phone number when creating a wallet?'' ====
''We wanted to prevent mass wallet creation without the need for you to prepay for [[gas]]. We’re now able to upgrade our wallet creation flow in a way that will remove the risks associated with this by leveraging the new [https://hackernoon.com/the-create2-opcode-and-dapp-onboarding-in-ethereum-e2178e6c20cb Create2] EVM opcode."''
''We wanted to prevent mass wallet creation without the need for you to prepay for [[gas]]. We’re now able to upgrade our wallet creation [[flow]] in a way that will remove the risks associated with this by leveraging the new [https://hackernoon.com/the-create2-opcode-and-dapp-onboarding-in-ethereum-e2178e6c20cb Create2] EVM opcode."''


On how they cover gas
On how they [[cover]] gas


''"We use [[meta-transactions]] which allows us to pay for [[gas]]. In case anyone would like a quick explainer of meta-transactions, they’re similar to regular transactions but we add a relayer. With this you authorise a transaction and this information is sent to a relayer that pays the transaction and sends it to the destination. This means you don’t need assets to pay the fees.''
''"We use [[meta-transactions]] which allows us to pay for [[gas]]. In case anyone would like a quick explainer of [[META|meta]]-[[transactions]], they’re similar to regular transactions but we add a relayer. With this you authorise a transaction and this information is sent to a relayer that pays the transaction and sends it to the destination. This means you don’t need assets to pay the [[fees]].''


''The cost of this is not a significant at all compared to all our other costs (infrastructure, salaries, etc…).''
''The cost of this is not a significant at all compared to all our other costs (infrastructure, salaries, etc…).''


''As we add more functionalities to Argent, the cost will increase so we’re likely to introduce a fair use policy (i.e. a max amount per user per month). We are also believers that as Ethereum scales gas cost should decrease."''
''As we add more functionalities to Argent, the cost will increase so we’re likely to introduce a fair use policy (i.e. a max amount per user per month). We are also believers that as Ethereum scales gas cost should decrease."''
== Privacy Method being used ==
==Oracle Method ==
== Oracle Method being used ==
==Privacy Method ==
== Their Other Projects ==
== Their Other Projects ==
== Governance ==
* In [https://medium.com/argenthq/a-new-era-for-crypto-security-57909a095ae3 their] [[AMA]] (19-2-2020) there were multiple questions surrounding [[centralization]] and censorship:
==== ''"What if Argent disappeared? Or Apple kicked you off the App store?'' ====
# <em>If our App is removed from the Appstore: This does not impact existing users as the App would still be on your phone and you can keep using it.</em>
# <em>The extreme scenario where Argent, the company, suddenly disappears, including our infrastructure: We have built the [https://medium.com/argenthq/the-ultimate-non-custodial-test-1b3b007e8a53 Argent Emergency Kit] just for that. You can sign a [[transaction]] on your phone but submit it to the [[blockchain]] through any other wallet such as [[MEW]] or [[Metamask]]. The emergency kit is live on iOS, and should be ready next month latest on Android.</em>
==== ''What if a dictatorship comes after you?'' ====
''We’ve put ourselves in a position where we cannot harm users. How?''
# ''We’re non-custodial: we can’t take users’ funds even if we were taken over by a malicious actor''
# ''We’re censorship resistant: users can move their funds even if our infrastructure is taken down.''
# ''We limit the data we hold on users (email and phone only), which is why we plan to enable wallets to be created without a phone number, we target this for Q2 latest. The email will stay but it’s very easy for users to create new private emails with service such as protonmail.''
==== ''What parts of Argent are centralized now?'' ====
''The main component of the Argent wallet that is [[centralized]] is the [[relayer]]. However, the relayer is fully non-custodial as it cannot tamper with a transaction and we make it possible to not use the relayer through the Argent Emergency Kit. To further decentralise the relayer we are considering options such as connecting to the [https://gsn.openzeppelin.com/ Gas Station Network].''
''We also have a centralised backend but its only purpose is to orchestrate certain flows between users and improve the user experience. However, by design the clients do not need to trust the backend, and all these flows can be achieved by interacting with the blockchain directly.''
''The Argent Guard Service can also be considered centralized but it’s not part of the wallet. It’s just a service that we offer to people for convenience and they can easily opt out. The overall Guardian model is fully [[decentralized]] since any Ethereum account can act as a guardian."''
== Upgrades ==
* They [https://blockonomi.com/ethereum-defi-wallet-argent-launches/ launched] (19-5-2020) its smart wallet app to the public after more than a year of beta development. 
== Roadmap ==
* Can be found [Insert link here].
== Audits ==
* [[Bug bounty]] max payout is $50,000 ([https://consensys.github.io/blockchainSecurityDB/ 29-6-2020]).
* [[Blockchain Security DB]] (29-6-2020) shows [https://consensys.github.io/blockchainSecurityDB/ 7 audits]. The latest was in 5-2020.
* From [https://medium.com/argenthq/ask-us-anything-383de76fa392 their] [[AMA]] (19-2-2020):
''"In our case, for example, we only push to production code that has been reviewed and tested internally AND audited by external auditors. There is no exception to that rule. You can find the audit reports [https://github.com/argentlabs/argent-contracts/tree/master/audit here]. On top of that we run a [https://www.argent.xyz/argent-bug-bounty/ bug bounty program], and our [[smart contracts]] are public and [[open-source]] to ensure maximum scrutiny."''
=== Bugs ===
* [https://decrypt.co/33009/bug-discovered-in-argent-ethereum-wallet From] [[Decrypt]] (20-6-2020):
''"Security audits firm [[OpenZeppelin]] [https://blog.openzeppelin.com/argent-vulnerability-report/ discovered] a bug that could have led to users losing their funds. The bug would have allowed hackers to steal funds from wallets that didn’t have a certain security feature enabled. The bug has now been fixed—and no funds were stolen."''
== Roadmap ==
== Roadmap ==
* From [https://medium.com/argenthq/ask-us-anything-383de76fa392 their] [[AMA]] (19-2-2020):
* From [https://medium.com/argenthq/ask-us-anything-383de76fa392 their] [[AMA]] (19-2-2020):
Line 110: Line 112:
== Pros and Cons ==
== Pros and Cons ==


== Team, investors, partners ==
== Team, Funding, Partners ==


=== Team ===
=== Team ===
* [https://www.argent.xyz/about-us/ Team] can be found in the link.
* [https://www.argent.xyz/about-us/ Team] can be found in the [[LINK|link]].
 
*[[Gerald Goldstein]]; CTO, ''"Gerald is Chief Technology Officer of Argent. Before this he was the CTO of Peak, which he co-founded with Itamar. Peak is a leading mobile cognitive training service with over 50M users. It was acquired by Lagardere in 2016. Prior to Peak he founded a start-up in the travel sector. He holds a PhD in nuclear physics."''
* [[Gerald Goldstein]]; CTO, ''"Gerald is Chief Technology Officer of Argent. Before this he was the CTO of Peak, which he co-founded with Itamar. Peak is a leading mobile cognitive training service with over 50M users. It was acquired by Lagardere in 2016. Prior to Peak he founded a start-up in the travel sector. He holds a PhD in nuclear physics."''
* [[Julien Niset]]; CSO, ''"Julien is Chief Science Officer of Argent. He previously founded SQR Technologies, a quantum information startup. The IP was successfully acquired by ID Quantique, the world leader in quantum cryptography and quantum security hardware. He holds three patents related to his PhD in quantum information and quantum cryptography."''
* [[Julien Niset]]; CSO, ''"Julien is Chief Science Officer of Argent. He previously founded SQR Technologies, a quantum information startup. The IP was successfully acquired by ID Quantique, the world leader in quantum cryptography and quantum security hardware. He holds three patents related to his PhD in quantum information and quantum cryptography."''
* [[Itamar Lesuisse]]; CEO, ''"Itamar is CEO of Argent. He was previously the CEO of Peak, which he co-founded with Gerald. Peak was acquired by Lagardere in 2016. Prior to Peak he worked at [[Visa]], [[Amazon]] and [[BCG]]. He holds four payments-related patents and has a Masters in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering."''
* [[Itamar Lesuisse]]; CEO, ''"Itamar is CEO of Argent. He was previously the CEO of Peak, which he co-founded with Gerald. Peak was acquired by Lagardere in 2016. Prior to Peak he worked at [[Visa]], [[Amazon]] and [[BCG]]. He holds four payments-related patents and has a Masters in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering."''


=== Investors ===
=== Funding ===
* [https://www.argent.xyz/about-us/ Backed] by six companies
* Raised a [https://twitter.com/argentHQ/status/1519677973611220992 $40m Series B] (28-4-2022).
* From their [https://medium.com/argenthq/our-next-chapter-announcing-our-12m-series-a-d1a7af23d668 own blog] (9-3-2020):
*From their [https://medium.com/argenthq/our-next-chapter-announcing-our-12m-series-a-d1a7af23d668 own blog] (9-3-2020):
"''Raised a $12m Series A, led by [[Paradigm]]. Also backing us are [[Robert Leshner]], founder of [[Compound]], and our existing investors: [[Index Ventures]], [https://www.creandum.com/ Creandum] and [https://firstminute.capital/ firstminute]."''
"''Raised a $12m Series A, led by [[Paradigm]]. Also backing us are [[Robert Leshner]], founder of [[Compound]], and our existing investors: [[Index Ventures]], [https://www.creandum.com/ Creandum] and [https://firstminute.capital/ firstminute]."''


== Partners ==
* [https://www.argent.xyz/about-us/ Backed] by six companies.
* [https://www.duneanalytics.com/ One of] (23-3-2020) the customers of [[Dune Analytics]].
 
* Is a [https://joindefination.com/ member] of [[DeFi Nation]], created by [[Mosendo]] (24-5-2020)[[Category:Companies/Organisations]]
=== Partners ===
 
* [https://twitter.com/indexcoop/status/1503447262852272132?s=21 Partnered] with [[Index Coop (INDEX)|Index COOP]] (15-3-2022).
*Is a [https://joindefination.com/ member] of [[DeFi Nation]], created by [[Mosendo]] (24-5-2020)
*[https://www.duneanalytics.com/ One of] (23-3-2020) the customers of [[Dune Analytics]].
*From their [https://www.argent.xyz/blog/how-to-fund-your-argent-l2-account-from-an-exchange/ blog] (8-2-2022):
 
''"Partnered with [[LayerSwap]] to give you an easy way to fund your Argent [[Layer Two|Layer 2]] account from a crypto exchange like [[Coinbase (COIN)|Coinbase]] or [[Binance Smart Chain (BSC)|Binance]]."''
==(: ==
Knowledge empowers all and will help us get closer to the [[decentralised|decentralized]] world we all want to live in!
 
Making these free wiki pages is fun but takes a lot of effort and time.
 
If you have enjoyed reading, tips are appreciated :) This will help us to keep expanding this archive of information.
 
[[ETH]] tip [[address]]: 0x83460bE5F218b1520B69D702cE60A1DE37dD8E31
[[Category:Companies/Organisations]]

Latest revision as of 13:20, 8 December 2022

Argent is a wallet for ETH and ETH tokens that tries to make on-boarding easier. No paper back ups because you can create your own circle of trust, free tx, (they pay for gas costs), simple addresses with names instead of numbers and an in-app DEX using Kyber.

Basics

"Only you (not us, not anyone else) can access your assets. You can earn interest with Maker and Compound in a tap; and enjoy peace of mind by locking and unlocking, recovering without a seed phrase, and setting a daily transfer limit."

History

Audits & Exploits

"In our case, for example, we only push to production code that has been reviewed and tested internally AND audited by external auditors. There is no exception to that rule. You can find the audit reports here. On top of that we run a bug bounty program, and our smart contracts are public and open-source to ensure maximum scrutiny."

Bugs/Exploits

"Security audits firm OpenZeppelin discovered a bug that could have led to users losing their funds. The bug would have allowed hackers to steal funds from wallets that didn’t have a certain security feature enabled. The bug has now been fixed—and no funds were stolen."

Governance

Admin Keys

"What if Argent disappeared? Or Apple kicked you off the App store?

  1. If our App is removed from the Appstore: This does not impact existing users as the App would still be on your phone and you can keep using it.
  2. The extreme scenario where Argent, the company, suddenly disappears, including our infrastructure: We have built the Argent Emergency Kit just for that. You can sign a transaction on your phone but submit it to the blockchain through any other wallet such as MEW or Metamask. The emergency kit is live on iOS, and should be ready next month latest on Android.

What if a dictatorship comes after you?

We’ve put ourselves in a position where we cannot harm users. How?

  1. We’re non-custodial: we can’t take users’ funds even if we were taken over by a malicious actor
  2. We’re censorship resistant: users can move their funds even if our infrastructure is taken down.
  3. We limit the data we hold on users (email and phone only), which is why we plan to enable wallets to be created without a phone number, we target this for Q2 latest. The email will stay but it’s very easy for users to create new private emails with service such as protonmail.

What parts of Argent are centralized now?

The main component of the Argent wallet that is centralized is the relayer. However, the relayer is fully non-custodial as it cannot tamper with a transaction and we make it possible to not use the relayer through the Argent Emergency Kit. To further decentralise the relayer we are considering options such as connecting to the Gas Station Network.

We also have a centralised backend but its only purpose is to orchestrate certain flows between users and improve the user experience. However, by design the clients do not need to trust the backend, and all these flows can be achieved by interacting with the blockchain directly.

The Argent Guard Service can also be considered centralized but it’s not part of the wallet. It’s just a service that we offer to people for convenience and they can easily opt out. The overall Guardian model is fully decentralized since any Ethereum account can act as a guardian."

Tech

  • Whitepaper can be found [insert here].
  • Code can be viewed [insert here].
  • Built on: Ethereum

How it works

Fees

Upgrades

  • They launched (19-5-2020) its smart wallet app to the public after more than a year of beta development. 

Staking

Liquidity Mining

Scaling

"The Argent team had a great write-up on their L1 and L2 plans. For the near future, they’ll be focusing on integrating with zkSync."

Interoperability

Other Details

"Our security model is based on ‘Guardians’. A Guardian can be any other Ethereum account (your hardware wallet, or a friend, for example). They help you with specific security actions (like recovery) but never have access to your funds.

The seed (in our case the private key) is generated and stored locally on your phone. By design it never leaves your phone. On your phone it is encrypted with (a slow hash of) your PIN and if available the Secure Enclave, then stored in the local Keychain (the most secure element of you phone).

Since the private key never leaves the phone it cannot be restored by your Guardians. But what your Guardians can do is collectively define a new private key as the legitimate owner of your wallet. This is only possible because Argent is a smart-contract wallet."

On privacy

"Personal data: we only store your email and phone number, we do not have other personal information. If you go through KYC for fiat to crypto on-ramp in Argent, it’s always done through 3rd parties, and they are the only ones seeing that data. We will soon make phone numbers optional.

App usage data: we use Amplitude for typical app metrics such as new downloads, on-boarding funnels (i.e. where do users drop in the process), % of users using Wallet Connect etc. Data in Amplitude is anonymized, we do not send any personal information (no email, no phone, no ens, no 0x address, etc…)

Why do you need a phone number when creating a wallet?

We wanted to prevent mass wallet creation without the need for you to prepay for gas. We’re now able to upgrade our wallet creation flow in a way that will remove the risks associated with this by leveraging the new Create2 EVM opcode."

On how they cover gas

"We use meta-transactions which allows us to pay for gas. In case anyone would like a quick explainer of meta-transactions, they’re similar to regular transactions but we add a relayer. With this you authorise a transaction and this information is sent to a relayer that pays the transaction and sends it to the destination. This means you don’t need assets to pay the fees.

The cost of this is not a significant at all compared to all our other costs (infrastructure, salaries, etc…).

As we add more functionalities to Argent, the cost will increase so we’re likely to introduce a fair use policy (i.e. a max amount per user per month). We are also believers that as Ethereum scales gas cost should decrease."

Oracle Method

Privacy Method

Their Other Projects

Roadmap

"We’re now able to upgrade our wallet creation flow in a way that will remove the risks associated with [mass wallet creation] by leveraging the new Create2 EVM opcode. Shortly after this we’ll allow wallet creation without a phone. The exact date is not confirmed but April would be my current estimate.

When are you adding Maker Vaults?

We’re aiming for around Q2 of this year. The smart-contract integration is complete but awaiting external audit. When that is done we’ll start the integration in the iOS and Android clients.

Fiat on and off-ramps

For onramp we use Moonpay and Wyre. We’re exploring the best options for off-ramps at the moment.

TokenSets and Pool Together?

We’re on it!"

Usage

  • From DeFi Weekly (12-5-2020): "Argent has a $30m+ valuation with less than 3,000 users."

Pros and Cons

Team, Funding, Partners

Team

  • Team can be found in the link.
  • Gerald Goldstein; CTO, "Gerald is Chief Technology Officer of Argent. Before this he was the CTO of Peak, which he co-founded with Itamar. Peak is a leading mobile cognitive training service with over 50M users. It was acquired by Lagardere in 2016. Prior to Peak he founded a start-up in the travel sector. He holds a PhD in nuclear physics."
  • Julien Niset; CSO, "Julien is Chief Science Officer of Argent. He previously founded SQR Technologies, a quantum information startup. The IP was successfully acquired by ID Quantique, the world leader in quantum cryptography and quantum security hardware. He holds three patents related to his PhD in quantum information and quantum cryptography."
  • Itamar Lesuisse; CEO, "Itamar is CEO of Argent. He was previously the CEO of Peak, which he co-founded with Gerald. Peak was acquired by Lagardere in 2016. Prior to Peak he worked at Visa, Amazon and BCG. He holds four payments-related patents and has a Masters in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering."

Funding

"Raised a $12m Series A, led by Paradigm. Also backing us are Robert Leshner, founder of Compound, and our existing investors: Index VenturesCreandum and firstminute."

Partners

"Partnered with LayerSwap to give you an easy way to fund your Argent Layer 2 account from a crypto exchange like Coinbase or Binance."

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