Integra's Three-tier Architecture
Integra is structured as a three-tier stack that separates consensus, shared infrastructure, and end-user protocols. This design keeps the base chain simple and robust while allowing identity, compliance, and market applications to evolve independently.
Together, these tiers provide a vertically integrated environment where regulated real estate workflows can run end-to-end on a single, interoperable substrate.
Tier 1 – Foundational Blockchain (Cosmos SDK + Ethermint EVM)
Integra operates an EVM-compatible, Cosmos-based blockchain optimized for regulated real estate workflows. The network targets predictable block times and deterministic finality, making it suitable for primary issuance, secondary trading, and escrow events. Core network parameters – such as validator set size, block time, unbonding period, and slashing rules – are managed through on-chain governance and documented in the technical specification.
The chain uses a delegated proof of stake (DPoS) model with a curated validator set composed of regulated infrastructure providers, trusted institutional validators, and other identifiable entities that meet strict operational and compliance criteria. Validators are subject to minimum self-stake requirements, slashing for double signing and downtime, and ongoing performance monitoring. This model balances decentralisation with the accountability expectations of institutional real estate partners.
The execution layer is provided by Ethermint and offers full Ethereum bytecode compatibility. Existing Solidity contracts can be deployed without modification, and standard tooling such as MetaMask, Hardhat, Foundry, and Remix can be used out of the box. This lowers integration cost for RWA protocols and enterprise developers while preserving the sovereignty and customisability of a Cosmos blockchain.
Tier 2 – Infrastructure Services
Tier 2 hosts shared services that sit between the base chain and the application layer. These services provide identity, compliance, and data attestation and are invariably consumed by multiple applications.
Identity and Compliance Layer
Integra adopts W3C Decentralized Identifiers (DID) and Verifiable Credentials (VC) as the foundation for identity and access control. Participants – such as investors, issuers, brokers, custodians, and validators – are represented by DIDs. Regulated entities (for example, KYC providers, registries, and regulated intermediaries) issue verifiable credentials that encode attributes such as KYC status, accreditation, jurisdiction, sanctions screening, or licence type.
Compliance policies are expressed as machine-readable rules that reference these credentials and asset-level restrictions. Before a transaction is accepted on chain, the compliance engine validates that the sender, receiver, asset, and trade type satisfy applicable rules (for example, investor eligibility, transfer restrictions, lock-up periods, or travel rule requirements). These checks can be enforced at the smart contract level, as pre-execution hooks in the EVM, or via Cosmos modules that gate state transitions, depending on the use case.
Data Attestation Services
Real estate requires high-quality off-chain data: title information, valuations, audits, covenants, and property management records. Integra provides a standard attestation framework where authorised attesters (such as registries, valuers, auditors, and notaries) sign structured attestations that are anchored on-chain. References to underlying documents are stored as content hashes or encrypted references rather than raw files, enabling integrity verification without exposing sensitive information.
Tier 3 – Core Protocol Applications
Tier 3 contains Integra’s native applications. These are built on top of the foundational chain and consume Tier 2 services for identity, compliance, and data. The initial core modules are:
Summary View of the Three Tiers
Foundational L1 Blockchain
Cosmos SDK with Ethermint EVM execution
Curated, regulated validator set with DPoS and slashing
Deterministic finality and full Ethereum tooling compatibility
Middle Layer – Cross-Application Infrastructure
Identity and compliance layer based on DIDs and verifiable credentials
Data attestation framework for title, valuations, audits, and other off-chain records
Core Native DApps
Asset Passport registry for standardised, verifiable asset profiles
Global Orderbook for cross-venue liquidity, routing, and commission tracking
Native stablecoin for compliant on-chain settlement and pricing
This three-tier architecture grounds Integra’s positioning as a real estate-specific Layer-1: the base chain remains general-purpose and EVM compatible, while the infrastructure and application tiers encode the compliance, data, and settlement primitives required for institutional-scale real estate markets.
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