An open, layered payment architecture that standardizes payment intent, signing, and settlement across stablecoins and banking systems.
Four layers of open, interoperable payment infrastructure
What this layer is: Consumer and business-facing applications that create and consume payment intents.
What ZFF does NOT do: We do not build consumer apps or compete with existing applications.
Key principle: Any application can generate or consume a standard payment intent.
This is the heart of the foundation: Defines canonical payment intent format and signing rules.
What a payment intent is: A signed, portable description of who pays whom, how much, under what conditions.
Properties: Rail-agnostic, cryptographically verifiable, serializable, can exist before settlement.
Purpose: Translate signed payment intents into actual settlement on specific rails.
Examples: Stablecoin adapter (USDC, EURC), Bank transfer adapter (SEPA, ACH), Card adapter.
Key principle: Settlement is an implementation detail — intent is universal.
What this layer is: The existing financial infrastructure that we compose with, not replace.
You do not replace: Banks, Blockchains, Card networks.
This is why: Regulators and institutions can engage without existential fear.
Real-world benefits of open payment infrastructure
Enable stablecoins to be used seamlessly for daily transactions without proprietary gateways or complex integrations.
Bridge the gap between traditional banking systems and digital payment methods through standardized interfaces.
Create payment instruments that work with limited connectivity, expanding financial inclusion globally.
Enable seamless transactions between different wallet providers and merchant systems without custom integrations.
Establish governance structures that serve all participants equally, preventing vendor lock-in.
Maintain all regulatory enforcement at the settlement layer while improving auditability and transparency.
Clarifying misconceptions about our approach
How payment intents move through the architecture
Application creates a payment intent with all necessary details and conditions.
Intent is signed by the payer using standardized cryptographic methods.
Intent is transmitted via online or offline methods (QR, NFC, API, etc.).
Receiver verifies the signature and validates the intent without external calls.
A settlement adapter executes the transfer on the chosen payment rail.
Settlement proof is attached back to the intent for complete audit trail.
Real-world scenarios enabled by this architecture
Seamless transfers between different stablecoins and cryptocurrencies using standardized payment intents.
Modernized bank transfers with improved transparency and reduced integration complexity.
Bridge between digital assets and traditional banking systems without proprietary gateways.
Payment instruments that work in areas with limited connectivity and settle when connectivity is restored.
Foundation projects organized by architectural layer
Project Types: Reference apps, demos, SDKs for application developers
Goal: Demonstrate how to create and consume payment intents
Project Types: Core protocols, standards, cryptographic libraries
Goal: Define and maintain the canonical payment intent specification
Project Types: Stablecoin adapters, bank transfer adapters, card adapters
Goal: Enable payment intents to settle on various financial rails
Project Types: SDKs, test suites, validators, developer tools
Goal: Support development and testing of payment infrastructure