Paper #5

Atomic Cross-chain Swaps: Development, Trajectory and Potential of Non-monetary Digital Token Swap Facilities

Mahdi H. Miraz and David C. Donald

Abstract: Since the introduction of Bitcoin in 2008, many other cryptocurrencies have been introduced and gained popularity. Lack of interoperability and scalability amongst these cryptocurrencies was - and still is - acting as a significant impediment to the general adoption of cryptocurrencies and coloured tokens. Atomic Swaps – a smart exchange protocol for cryptocurrencies - is designed to facilitate a wallet-to-wallet transfer enabling direct trades amongst different cryptocurrencies. Since swaps between cryptocurrencies are still relatively unknown, this article will investigate the operation and market development thus far and query the advantages they offer and the future challenges they face. The paper contains detailed literature and technology reviews, followed by the main analysis and findings.

Keywords: Atomic Swaps; Cross-chain Trading; Blockchain; Cryptocurrencies; Cross-listing; Wallet-to-Wallet Transfer; On-Chain; Off-Chain; Layer 2; Hashed Timelock Contracts (HTLC), Lightning Network; Payment Channels; State Channels; Coloured Coins; DAO; ICO; DApps.