cryptocurrency
Enable an AI agent to identify a cryptocurrency, assess its ledger, supply, control and transfer conditions, and determine which actions are technically possible and authorised.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
5 bundles · 10 layers · 10 findings · 20 questions
Asset identity and continuity Establishes which cryptocurrency is being modelled and how its identity persists or branches.
Ledger-bound identity
Connects the asset to the ledger rules that recognise its units.
Authoritative asset locator
Record the network context, native identifier or contract address, denomination and evidence establishing the intended asset.
- Which ledger and native identifier or contract address uniquely identify this cryptocurrency? definition
- Which independently checkable records connect this identifier to the intended asset rather than a namesake or copy? provenance
Forks and representations
Separates continuity claims from distinct assets and dependent representations.
Continuity boundary
Record forks, migrations and representations with explicit reasons for treating them as the same asset or as linked assets.
- What evidence determines whether a fork or contract migration preserves this asset's identity? boundary
- Which similarly named units are separate bridged, wrapped or custodial claims, and what connects them to this asset? boundary
Units and supply Captures denomination, supply accounting and mechanisms that create or remove units.
Denomination and accounting
Defines how ledger quantities become asset amounts and how supply is counted.
Reproducible asset quantities
Record base-unit conversion and supply measures tied to a ledger state, including treatment of locked or inaccessible units.
- What is the smallest transferable unit, and how does it convert to the displayed denomination? measurement
- At which ledger state was each supply figure measured, and which units were included or excluded? measurement
Issuance and removal
Identifies mechanisms that change supply and the conditions governing them.
Supply change rules
Record minting, rewards, burning or rebasing mechanisms, including any limits and powers to alter those limits.
- Which executable rules or authorised actors can increase or decrease supply, and under what conditions? definition
- Can a stated supply cap or issuance schedule be changed, and through which mechanism? boundary
Transfer and settlement Captures the requirements for moving units and judging completion.
Transfer execution
Defines asset-specific preconditions and effects of a transfer.
Valid and authorised transfer
Record required spend authority, address constraints, available units, fees and transfer behaviour.
- What signing authority, spendable amount and recipient conditions must an authorised transfer satisfy? action
- Which asset pays execution fees, and can transfer taxes, deductions or asset rules change the recipient's amount? measurement
Settlement and availability
Connects transaction status to ledger operation and reversal conditions.
Acceptance of settlement
Record inclusion evidence, finality conditions and operational interruptions relevant to accepting a payment.
- What ledger evidence and acceptance policy distinguish a pending, included and sufficiently settled transfer? definition
- Which observed halt, reorganisation or settlement-dependency condition should delay acceptance or further transfer? action
Control and rule changes Identifies powers over asset behaviour and how those powers can be exercised or changed.
Privileged asset controls
Captures exceptional powers over balances, transfers and asset operation.
Intervention powers
Record evidenced freeze, pause, seizure, forced-transfer and comparable capabilities, together with their controllers.
- Which actors or mechanisms can restrict transfers, alter balances or move units without a holder's signature? boundary
- What deployed code, ledger configuration or execution history establishes each capability and its current controller? provenance
Upgrades and governance
Describes how asset rules change and when new rules become effective.
Rule change authority
Record proposal, approval, execution and adoption requirements for changes that affect the asset.
- How can asset rules be changed, and which approvals, delays or network adoption steps are required? definition
- Which pending or activated changes require an agent to recheck supply, transfer or redemption assumptions before acting? action
Economic role and dependencies Distinguishes protocol uses, external claims and practical conversion conditions.
Utility and redemption
Separates executable asset functions from promised rights and value targets.
Unit functions and claims
Record fee payment, staking, governance or other supported functions, and any backing or redemption claim with its conditions.
- Which actions or rights do units enable, and which are enforced by ledger rules versus an external party? definition
- If backing or redemption is claimed, what evidence identifies the obligor, eligible redeemers and delivery conditions? provenance
Conversion and dependency exposure
Captures observable exchange feasibility and dependencies that can impair use or value claims.
Usable conversion paths
Record available exchange or redemption routes, size-dependent execution conditions and critical dependencies without treating quoted prices as guaranteed proceeds.
- For a specified amount and observation time, what route, liquidity, fees and restrictions determine feasible conversion proceeds? measurement
- Which bridge, custodian, reserve, oracle or market dependency failures would require suspending a proposed conversion or redemption? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.OBJ
- Other names and narrower kinds
- digital currency exchanger, CoinMarketCap, proof-of-work cryptocurrency, meme coin, social token, altcoin, stablecoin, non-fungible token, Bitchcoin
What it is Filled
This model owns the identity and operational state of a cryptocurrency as a fungible digital asset whose issuance, holdings and transfers are governed by cryptographically authenticated ledger rules; it distinguishes the asset from its network, particular holdings, custody arrangements and representations on other networks.
In scope
- Asset identity, authoritative ledger and continuity across upgrades or forks
- Rules for issuance, distribution, burning and effective supply
- Transfer validity, settlement, fees and dependencies on ledger operation
- Asset-specific administrative powers, restrictions and upgrade mechanisms
- Economic roles, backing or redemption claims, and representation dependencies
Out of scope
- Complete blockchain network architecture and node operations
- Wallet software, private-key storage and individual custody arrangements
- Individual accounts, balances, portfolios and transaction histories
- Exchange operations, trading strategies and investment recommendations
- Issuer organisation management and reserve-asset models
- Non-fungible tokens and conventional bank-account money
Why it exists Filled
Enable an AI agent to identify a cryptocurrency, assess its ledger, supply, control and transfer conditions, and determine which actions are technically possible and authorised.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Identify the asset through its ledger and native-asset identifier or token contract; a matching name or ticker alone does not establish identity.
- Establish whether units are fungible under the asset rules; individually identified assets with materially different rights belong to a neighbouring model.
- Distinguish ledger-recognised units from an exchange balance or custodial receipt that merely promises delivery of those units.
- Determine whether transfer authority is exercised through cryptographically authenticated ledger instructions, rather than solely through updates to a conventional account provider's database.
- Distinguish a native asset from a wrapped or bridged representation by identifying any separate minting, custody, redemption or bridge dependency.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Transfer, trade or convert holdings without the holder's explicit authorization.
- Ask for, store or reveal private keys or seed phrases.
- Promote an asset with false claims or hype to move its price.
- Help launder funds or evade sanctions.
Only with a human decision
- Any transfer or trade of holdings.
- Choosing where holdings are kept.
May
- Report prices, supply and ledger data from public sources, stating the time and source.
- Explain how an asset's ledger and rules work in general terms.
Moral aspects Filled
- Lost keys and fraud wipe out savings that cannot be recovered.
- Scams target people with promises of quick wealth.
Who is affected
- Holders, including inexperienced buyers
- Victims of fraud
Owners Filled
Steward
The holder of the keys controls holdings; the asset's rules are set by its protocol and community.
Master systems
- Public ledgers of the asset
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q10836209 - registry parent class
- Q19892282 - registry parent class
- Q986008 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.cryptocurrency
- Wikidata: Q13479982 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q13479982)
Direct properties required Filled
- Asset locator: Ledger or network reference plus native denomination identifier or token contract address
- Asset implementation: Native ledger asset | contract-issued token | other ledger-issued asset | unresolved
- Unit precision: Smallest transferable fraction of one named unit, with display conversion
- Supply at reference state: Asset units at a specified block or ledger state, with supply definition and exclusions
- Issuance authority: Protocol rule, contract function or authorised actor able to create units, with conditions
- Transfer availability: Available | restricted | paused | ledger unavailable | unknown, at a stated observation point
- Settlement criterion: Protocol finality | confirmation-based policy | external settlement dependency | unresolved, with acceptance rule
- Administrative capabilities: Actors or governance mechanisms linked to mint, burn, freeze, seize, pause or upgrade powers; absence requires evidence
- Backing and redemption dependency: Claimed backing, reference asset, obligor, redemption mechanism and supporting evidence, or none established
Recognition not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Cryptocurrency has no intrinsic visible form, and displayed names, symbols or wallet graphics do not establish its identity.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Resolve and verify an asset identifier before accepting a balance, quote or transfer instruction.
- Inspect supply and asset rules at a specified ledger state and identify changes affecting use.
- Evaluate a proposed transfer for amount precision, spend authority, restrictions, fee requirements and settlement conditions.
- Prepare or submit an explicitly authorised transfer when the required signing and execution capabilities are available.
- Assess whether an authorised mint, burn, wrap, unwrap or redemption operation exists and identify its prerequisites.
- Monitor forks, administrative changes, pauses and dependency failures, and flag affected actions for reassessment.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Loss or compromise of private keys can make assets inaccessible or enable unauthorized transfers.
- Transfers to an incorrect destination may be irreversible and cause permanent loss.
- Market volatility, limited liquidity and service-provider failure can cause substantial financial losses.
- Software vulnerabilities and deceptive transaction requests can expose assets to theft.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 on markets in crypto-assets, issued by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, regulates covered crypto-assets and associated activities within its scope.
- Recommendation 15 and its Interpretive Note, issued by the Financial Action Task Force, establish international anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing standards for virtual assets and virtual asset service providers.
Context of use required Filled
- Cryptocurrency is encountered in digital wallets, distributed ledgers and services that support asset transfers or exchange.
- It can be used to transfer value, pay network transaction fees or participate in applications whose operation depends on a particular ledger.
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q13479982: cryptocurrency - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Cryptocurrency - general description of the item
Open questions
- With no registry definition recorded, does cryptocurrency include all fungible ledger tokens, including stablecoins, tokenised claims and governance tokens, or a narrower subset?
- How should the registry's PHY / PHY.OBJ placement relate to the distinction between an asset type, its ledger representation and a particular holding?
- What identity policy should determine continuity across contentious forks, contract migrations and multiple issuer-designated deployments?
- Which supply definitions and evidence thresholds should be required when circulating, inaccessible or economically redeemable quantities cannot be directly established?
- Which jurisdictional and holder-specific rights should be linked from neighbouring models when assessing redemption eligibility and authorised use?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q13479982/spec.json