1. Introduction

Pistachio is building the next generation of mobile-first, self-custody crypto infrastructure. We believe that using Ethereum should be simple, safe, and yield-optimized, without sacrificing decentralization or control. Our mission is to abstract away complexity without hiding the onchain nature of the system.

Pistachio enables users to onboard in seconds, earn real yield across protocols, and move their money seamlessly between chains. Our stack prioritizes security, composability, and compliance while delivering a sleek user experience. This paper outlines the technical design of our architecture, wallet infrastructure, DeFi integrations, and compliance systems that underpin the Pistachio mobile app.

We serve users across the United States and Latin America, with a specific focus on making crypto easy and secure for everyday people who want to earn yield and access onchain finance through a single mobile interface.

This document provides a detailed explanation of the technologies, protocols, partners, and systems that power Pistachio.

2. System Architecture Overview

Pistachio is built with a modular, mobile-first architecture designed for maximum interoperability, composability, and scalability. The architecture comprises three main layers:

1. Mobile Application Layer – The React Native frontend that handles all user interactions, notifications, wallet creation, and transactions.

2. Backend & Orchestration Layer – A TypeScript-based orchestration server running on Strapi, coordinating API calls to onchain and offchain services.

3. Smart Contract & Protocol Layer – A set of battle-tested DeFi protocols and smart contract infrastructure enabling account abstraction, lending, swaps, and compliance.

Core Architecture Principles

• Abstract complexity, not control: Users stay in control while complexity is hidden behind simple actions.

• Chain-agnostic design: Supports multiple EVM-compatible chains with seamless bridging and swapping.

• Security by default: Private keys are never exposed and recovery mechanisms use MPC and multi-factor authentication.

• Composable and upgradable: All integrations are modular, allowing for fast updates and continuous optimization.

Supported Networks

Pistachio is live on the following networks:

• Ethereum Mainnet

• Arbitrum

• Optimism

• Base

• Polygon

• Scroll

• Mantle

Upcoming support includes:

• Plume

• MegaETH

These chains are unified under a single user experience, enabling users to manage balances, transact, and earn yield without switching networks manually.

The architecture is built to support automatic gas abstraction, chain detection, and asset routing to ensure that transactions complete successfully and securely.

3. Frontend Application

The Pistachio mobile app is built in React Native using TypeScript, enabling rapid development and cross-platform compatibility. The frontend is designed to deliver a seamless user experience, with clear visual flows and responsive feedback for every action.

Features

• Animated Onboarding: New users can create a smart wallet in under 40 seconds. The onboarding includes OTP verification (via email or SMS), biometric/PIN setup, username creation, and account deployment.

• Username System: Every user picks a unique handle, enabling peer-to-peer transfers without needing to remember wallet addresses.

• Notifications: In-app alerts inform users of completed swaps, TVL activity, gas savings, rewards, and streak status.

• Integrated Swaps and Vaults: One-tap access to swap and yield features, powered by backend integrations with LI.FI, Compound, IPOR, and more.

Design Philosophy

• Minimalist and intuitive UI

• Fast load times and low memory usage

• Mobile-native animations and transitions

• Consistent performance across iOS and Android

Strapi powers our dynamic content management system, allowing us to push updates, news, and modular UI components without requiring an app store update.

4. Wallet & Identity Architecture

Pistachio uses a dual-layer wallet infrastructure combining externally owned accounts (EOAs) with smart contract wallets for maximum flexibility and security.

Onboarding & Identity Flow

• Users sign up via OTP (email or SMS).

• They immediately set a PIN or enable biometric authentication.

• While the user views an onboarding animation, their EOA is created in the background using PortalHQ’s MPC engine.

• Once created, we deploy a smart account using Pimlico’s infrastructure. The total process takes ~40 seconds.

Key Management via PortalHQ

• EOA private key is stored securely on the device.

• Two encrypted MPC key shares are created:

  • One is saved to the user’s iCloud or Google Drive.

  • The other is stored encrypted on our servers.

• These shares are not signing keys and are individually useless.

• They cannot be reconstructed or used together unless recovery is explicitly initiated by the user through biometric authentication and OTP verification.

Smart Wallet Infrastructure

• Each EOA is linked to a smart contract wallet using Pimlico’s Smart Account.

• This enables:

  • Batch transactions

  • Gas abstraction through Paymasters

  • Automated approvals and bundling

This architecture gives users the flexibility and security of a self-custody wallet with the UX of a modern fintech app, without compromising onchain transparency or permissionless access.

5. Transaction Flow & Cross-Chain Routing

Pistachio is designed to make complex crypto transactions feel like simple fintech actions. Our routing and execution flow intelligently abstracts away friction while preserving user intent and control.

Onramping

• Users can purchase crypto directly from fiat using Onramper, which aggregates 23+ payment providers.

• We plan to integrate Bridge and Coinbase Onramp for deeper coverage, redundancy, and lower fees.

• Coinbase Onramp will enable U.S. users to onramp up to $1000 USD per week via Apple Pay with no KYC and no Coinbase account required.

Cross-Chain Swaps and Zaps

• Swaps are routed through LI.FI, a leading aggregator that handles bridging, swapping, and routing logic.

• Soon we will integrate Relay as an additional router to enhance path coverage and pricing, while improving Pistachio's profit margins.

• Zaps allow users to bridge and deposit into yield vaults in one tap, streamlining the experience.

Vault Deposits

• Funds can be deposited directly into yield strategies:

  • Compound for Standard Lending

  • IPOR for Optimized Lending (supports USDC, ETH, and cbBTC)

• Our current vaults are deployed on the Base network.

Execution and Bundling

• Pimlico’s Paymaster handles gas sponsorship across chains.

• Pistachio sponsors gas for:

  • In-network peer-to-peer payments

  • Vault deposits and withdrawals

  • General user withdrawals

• Zaps incur a small swap fee, but gas for the final deposit step is still sponsored.

• Token approvals are abstracted and approved using Face ID to sign the intent.

• Transactions are bundled, signed, and broadcast through smart wallets using batched calls.

• Execution paths are optimized for cost, speed, and success rate.

Our infrastructure enables a full-cycle user journey: from fiat onramp to yield deployment to active swaps, all without users needing to understand or manage the underlying chains or assets.

6. Compliance & Risk Monitoring

Pistachio integrates real-time compliance and risk screening to protect users from interacting with sanctioned entities, high-risk addresses, or known threats.

Circle Compliance Engine

• All outgoing transactions are scanned through the Circle Compliance Engine.

• Transactions flagged as high-risk prompt an in-app warning, allowing the user to cancel or proceed with awareness.

• This system helps users avoid interacting with blacklisted addresses without enforcing custodial control.

Wavynode Integration

• Pistachio also integrates with Wavynode for enhanced AML telemetry in Mexico.

• Wallet behavior, transactional patterns, and token flows are monitored against a growing database of risk signals.

• Data is processed with privacy in mind and used solely to inform compliance warnings.

Non-Custodial Philosophy

• Pistachio does not block transactions.

• Instead, we provide proactive alerts and leave final decisions in the hands of the user.

• The user's private signing key is only stored on their personal device and is never accessible to Pistachio.

• Pistachio does not have the ability to access funds, initiate transactions, or sign on the user’s behalf.

• The only key material we store is an encrypted MPC share, which is useless without the user's cloud-stored counterpart and cannot be reconstructed without a user-initiated recovery process.

• This approach respects the ethos of decentralization while meeting regulatory expectations.

Together, these tools offer a silent security layer that helps users stay compliant without compromising autonomy or privacy.

7. Data Infrastructure

Pistachio is built for performance and interoperability, powered by a lean and unified data architecture that enables fast, accurate insights across all supported chains and protocols.

Cross-Chain Data Aggregation

We use Mobula as our primary data layer to fetch balances, prices, transaction histories, and vault positions across multiple chains. This enables us to:

• Display unified portfolio views across supported networks

• Calculate real-time TVL and yield metrics

• Monitor wallet activity and automate reward logic

Unified API Layer

All third-party data is aggregated and normalized into a single internal API schema, reducing overhead and improving reliability. This allows our frontend to query data without worrying about chain-specific formats or rate limits.

We chose this architecture to support:

• Faster app performance and load times

• Real-time updates for vault APRs and user balances

• Modular future integrations with GraphQL endpoints, subgraphs, and protocol SDKs

Analytics & Attribution

To power our points system and referral engine, we log:

• Swap volume and frequency

• TVL contributions and durations

• Referral chains and downstream activity

These metrics are calculated offchain and stored in a privacy-conscious manner, supporting transparent rewards while preserving user anonymity.

8. Interoperability & Wallet Connectivity

Pistachio is a vertically integrated system that does not support external wallet connections. All transactions, swaps, and vault interactions occur through the Pistachio smart wallet, ensuring maximum control, gas abstraction, and security.

Smart Account Routing

• Every action in the app is routed through the user's smart account by default.

• Smart accounts are chain-agnostic and support:

  • Gas sponsorship

  • Transaction batching

  • Vault deposits and cross-chain swaps

MeshConnect Integration

• Pistachio integrates with MeshConnect to enable secure, read-only connections to existing CEX and self-custody accounts.

• This allows users to pull funds into their Pistachio smart wallet directly from linked accounts.

• Connections are user-initiated and encrypted, with no ongoing access or control by Pistachio.

Internal Wallet Consistency

• Users always interact with a consistent, in-app experience.

• No third-party wallet connections or external signers are required.

• All balances, activity, and yield are managed through a single interface.

By maintaining a closed-loop wallet system, Pistachio ensures an optimized, secure, and reliable user journey with no external dependencies.

9. In-House Systems

Pistachio develops and maintains several core systems internally to ensure a secure, seamless, and engaging user experience.

Username System

• Every user claims a unique username, enabling peer-to-peer transfers using human-readable names instead of wallet addresses.

• Usernames are mapped to smart accounts and can be updated or reassigned based on availability and verification.

Notification Engine

• In-app push and banner notifications deliver important updates:

  • Swap confirmations

  • Vault rewards

  • Daily streak status

  • Referral activity

• Notifications are encrypted, private, and stored locally unless critical for account functionality.

Peer-to-Peer Payments

• Users can send funds to other Pistachio usernames across chains with zero gas fees, sponsored by the platform.

• Transfers are instant and abstracted into a familiar, fintech-like experience.

These in-house systems ensure that Pistachio delivers a tightly integrated, secure, and user-friendly experience that supports self-custody at scale.

10. Future Modules

Pistachio’s roadmap includes the integration of advanced financial tools, infrastructure, and real-world asset access.

Credit & Spending

• Integration with providers like Wirex or Bridge to issue virtual and physical cards.

• Cards will connect directly to smart wallets, enabling onchain assets to fund real-world purchases.

International Banking Access

• Through our Bridge integration, users will gain access to:

  • Virtual IBANs (EU)

  • ACH accounts (US)

  • SPEI accounts (Mexico)

• These will allow for seamless fiat inflow and outflow across supported regions.

Real World Asset Vaults

• In partnership with Plume, we will offer tokenized yield products backed by real-world assets.

• Users will be able to diversify into onchain treasuries, private credit, and fixed-income strategies.

Auto-Rebalancing Portfolios

• With Glider, users will be able to deposit into onchain portfolios that automatically rebalance across supported assets.

• These portfolios will initially launch on Base, with the intent to expand cross-chain.

Bitcoin MPC Wallets

• A native BTC experience is in development.

• Users will be able to hold and send Bitcoin using the same Pistachio interface, secured by MPC infrastructure.

These modules reflect Pistachio’s goal of becoming a full-service, globally accessible, onchain checking account with yield, payments, and fiat connectivity.

11. Security Design

Security is foundational to every layer of Pistachio's architecture. From key management to transaction signing, our system is built to minimize attack surfaces and maximize user protection.

Private Key Control

• Private keys are generated and stored on the user’s device.

• Pistachio cannot access, reconstruct, or use these keys at any point.

• Recovery is only possible through user-initiated OTP verification and biometric/PIN confirmation.

Multi-Party Computation (MPC)

• Two encrypted MPC key shares are created:

  • One stored in the user’s cloud storage (iCloud or Google Drive)

  • One encrypted and stored on Pistachio’s server

• These shares are useless individually and cannot be combined without user-initiated recovery.

Smart Wallet Safety

• Smart accounts are deployed through Pimlico, a leading provider of audited account abstraction infrastructure.

• Paymasters enforce strict sponsorship logic to prevent gas abuse.

• Vault contracts used in the app are non-custodial and sourced from reputable DeFi protocols.

Onchain Integrity

• All actions initiated in the app are reflected transparently onchain.

• Users can verify their balances, swaps, deposits, and transactions directly via block explorers.

Secure Authentication

• Account recovery and access are protected through OTP authentication and biometric/PIN verification.

• Face ID is used for critical signing flows such as token approvals.

Dependency Auditing

• Pistachio only integrates with protocols that have undergone rigorous auditing and are widely used in production.

• We do not deploy custom smart contracts unless necessary. Our approach reduces the surface area for vulnerabilities.

This layered security model ensures that users remain in control while benefiting from a mobile-first, abstracted experience without compromising safety.

12. Conclusion

Pistachio is building a fully integrated, self-custodial mobile platform that brings the power of DeFi to everyday users. By combining MPC-secured key management, account abstraction, gasless transactions, real yield strategies, and best-in-class compliance, we deliver a crypto-native checking account with the polish and performance of modern fintech.

Our modular stack allows us to continuously expand functionality, introducing new chains, partners, and real-world assets, without compromising security or user experience.

Whether users are onramping, earning, spending, or simply holding, Pistachio provides a secure, compliant, and user-first gateway to the onchain economy.