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Definitions of the core terms used across confidential digital assets and the Ryle platform. Each entry is a single, self-contained definition.

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Confidential digital asset

An onchain asset whose balances and transaction amounts are encrypted but remain cryptographically verifiable, letting value move on public chains without exposing sensitive financial activity. See what are confidential digital assets.

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Custody

The safekeeping of assets, reserves, or signing keys. Ryle is not a custodian — it is a technology provider. Partners connect a custody or signing solution they already operate (institutional custodian, MPC vendor, or equivalent) for treasury, reserve, and issuer operations; Ryle binds each asset to that connection. End-user wallet keys are held by the embedded-wallet provider (e.g. Privy), not by Ryle. Ryle never holds or controls assets, reserves, or wallet keys. See FAQ and compliance overview.

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Custody connection

The configuration that links a confidential asset to a partner-operated custody or signing provider for treasury, reserve, and mint/redeem operations. Ryle orchestrates operations against this connection but does not hold the keys.

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Selective disclosure

The ability to reveal specific confidential activity to a chosen party — auditor, regulator, or counterparty — through a scoped, time-bounded, and logged view, without making the data public. See selective disclosure.

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Confidential account

The identity that holds and transacts a confidential asset, with an encrypted balance and policy-based permissions. In Ryle, an account is a policy record per identity, not a public balance. See confidential accounts.

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Zero-knowledge proof

A cryptographic proof that a statement is true — such as a transaction being valid — without revealing the underlying data. Confidential assets use them to keep amounts private while proving correctness.

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Confidential by default, visible by policy, auditable always

Ryle’s operating principle: activity is private unless an explicit policy or disclosure grants visibility, and every privileged action is recorded in an immutable audit log.

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Mint

The operation that creates units of a confidential asset, typically against reserves, across the public/confidential boundary.

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Redeem

The operation that removes units of a confidential asset from circulation, reconciled against reserves.

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Policy

The configuration governing an asset or account — allowlists, role assignments, caps, KYC requirements, and pause flags — that determines who can do what.

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Audit log

An immutable, attributed record of every privileged operation (mint, redeem, role change, policy update, disclosure), exportable on demand.

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Reserves

The backing held against a confidential asset’s supply; reconciliation proves supply matches reserves without exposing individual balances.

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Relayer

Ryle’s service that sponsors and submits transactions, so end users and agents never need to hold the chain’s native gas asset.

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White-label wallet

An optional customer-facing wallet partners ship under their own brand, with per-user embedded EVM wallets provisioned automatically.

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EVM-compatible chain

A blockchain compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (for example Ethereum, Polygon, Base, Arc, Plasma, Tempo) where confidential assets settle. See supported networks.