Atomence -- Cross-Chain Settlement Layer
U.S. Patent Application 63/998,160 (Filed March 6, 2026)
Atomence is Vexidus's cross-chain settlement layer for outbound exits. While VexBridge handles inbound token migration (depositing tokens from other chains into Vexidus), Atomence handles outbound settlement (exiting tokens back to their origin chains).
Why Not Just Reverse the Bridge?
VexBridge uses a burn-and-mint model -- tokens on the source chain are burned or rendered stateless, then canonical equivalents are minted on Vexidus. Reversing this process presents fundamental challenges:
| Problem | Impact |
|---|---|
| No vault to withdraw from | VexBridge has no locked assets -- tokens were burned, not deposited |
| Cross-chain finality delays | Waiting for origin chain confirmation adds minutes to hours of latency |
| Gas cost on origin chain | Every exit requires an on-chain transaction on the destination (Ethereum gas, Solana fees) |
| Liquidity fragmentation | Each bridge direction needs independent liquidity and verification infrastructure |
Atomence solves this by introducing market makers who hold inventory on both sides and settle exits from their own reserves.
How It Works
User wants to exit 1 SOL from Vexidus back to Solana:
1. USER → Atomence: "I want to exit 1 SOL to [Solana address]"
2. ATOMENCE → Matches to best Market Maker (lowest spread, sufficient inventory)
3. MM → Sends 1 SOL on Solana directly to user's Solana address
4. MM → Submits Solana TX hash as settlement proof
5. ATOMENCE → Verifies TX on-chain (confirms recipient + amount via Solana RPC)
6. SETTLED → Fees split, inventory updated, user has SOL on Solana
No vault. No escrow smart contract. No wrapped tokens. The market maker settles from their own inventory, and the proof is verified directly on the origin chain.
Market Maker Tiers
Market makers register by staking VXS, which determines their tier and capabilities:
| Tier | VXS Stake | Max Spread | Priority | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 10,000 VXS | 50 bps | Standard | Individual market makers |
| Tier 2 | 50,000 VXS | 30 bps | Preferred | Professional desks |
| Tier 3 | 500,000 VXS | 20 bps | Highest | Institutional market makers |
Higher tiers get priority matching on larger orders and tighter maximum spread bands.
Settlement Verification
Atomence verifies every settlement directly on the origin chain -- no trust assumptions:
| Chain | Verification Method |
|---|---|
| Solana | RPC getTransaction -- confirms recipient address and lamport transfer amount |
| Ethereum / BSC / EVM | RPC eth_getTransactionReceipt -- confirms recipient, value, and success status |
| ERC-20 / SPL Tokens | Transfer event log parsing (EVM) or token account balance diff (Solana) |
Settlement proofs are checked in real-time. If the MM's transaction doesn't match the expected recipient and amount, the settlement is rejected.
Real-Time Features
WebSocket Notifications
Atomence provides a WebSocket hub for real-time updates:
| Event | Recipient | Description |
|---|---|---|
order:new | All MMs | New exit order available for matching |
order:matched | Assigned MM | Order matched, settlement window opens |
order:settled | MM + User | Settlement verified, fees distributed |
order:timed_out | MM + User | Settlement window expired |
inventory:update | MM | Post-settlement inventory balances |
inventory:alert | MM | Rebalance warning (inventory skew >80/20) |
price:update | All clients | 2-second price ticker with live oracle prices |
Oracle Pricing
Atomence integrates Pyth Network oracles for real-time pricing of all supported assets. Prices are cached with 500ms freshness and include confidence interval filtering to reject stale or unreliable quotes.
Fee Model
Fees are split 50/50 between the market maker and the protocol:
Exit 1 SOL at $175 (20 bps spread):
User pays: $0.35 total fee
MM receives: $0.175 (incentive to provide liquidity)
Protocol: $0.175 (Vexidus treasury)
Spread is set by the market maker within their tier's maximum. Competition between MMs drives spreads down.
Supported Chains
| Chain | Native Asset | Token Support | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solana | SOL | SPL tokens | Live (devnet proven) |
| Ethereum | ETH | ERC-20 | Client built |
| BNB Chain | BNB | BEP-20 | Client built |
| Bitcoin | BTC | -- | Planned |
Current Status
| Milestone | Status |
|---|---|
| Foundation + API | Complete |
| WebSocket real-time hub | Complete |
| Real Solana devnet settlement (0.01 SOL E2E) | Proven |
| Inventory rebalance monitoring | Complete |
| Multi-chain EVM settlement | In progress |
| Frontend integration | Planned |
Atomence vs Traditional Bridge Exits
| Dimension | Atomence | Traditional Bridge Exit |
|---|---|---|
| Settlement speed | Seconds (MM sends immediately) | Minutes to hours (finality + relay) |
| Counterparty risk | MM inventory (verified on-chain) | Vault/relayer (trust assumptions) |
| Gas costs | Single origin-chain TX | Multiple TXs (unlock + verify + relay) |
| Liquidity source | Market maker reserves | Locked vault capital |
| Proof verification | Direct origin-chain RPC | Oracle attestation or light client |
| User experience | Request → receive (2 steps) | Initiate → wait → claim (3+ steps) |
| Capital efficiency | MMs deploy capital productively | Capital locked idle in vaults |
On-Chain Settlement Operations
As of April 4, 2026, Atomence settlement is a native L1 protocol with three on-chain operations:
| Operation | Description |
|---|---|
| AtomenceCreateOrder | User locks tokens in on-chain escrow for settlement. Generates a deterministic order ID. Configurable expiry (default 15 minutes, up to 1 hour for cross-zone). |
| AtomenceMatchOrder | Market maker accepts an order and commits to deliver. The order transitions to "Matched" state — the user can no longer cancel. Auto-expires and refunds if the order has already timed out. |
| AtomenceSettle | Market maker submits proof of delivery on the destination chain (or zone). Proof is verified against the bridge oracle system. On success, escrowed tokens are released to the MM minus fees. |
Settlement fees: 0.30% total — 50% to market maker, 30% to Foundation (staker pool), 20% burned.
Cross-Zone Settlement (VIMS)
The same three operations also power cross-zone currency exchange for the Vexidus Interplanetary Monetary System (VIMS). When settling between Vexcelon zones (e.g., VGD on Earth to VLD on the Lunar zone), the settlement proof is a Vexcelon Anchor attestation instead of a VexBridge oracle proof. The on-chain operations are identical — only the proof format differs.
This means Atomence serves as the unified exchange mechanism for both:
- Cross-chain exits (VXS/SOL/ETH between Vexidus and other blockchains)
- Cross-zone currency exchange (VGD/VLD/VMD between planetary economic zones)
Relationship to VexBridge
Atomence and VexBridge are complementary:
INBOUND (deposit): Source Chain → VexBridge (burn/limbo) → Vexidus (canonical mint)
OUTBOUND (exit): Vexidus → Atomence (MM-matched) → Origin Chain (direct send)
VexBridge handles the cryptographic proof that tokens were destroyed on the source chain. Atomence handles the economic settlement of getting tokens back to users on origin chains. Together, they provide complete cross-chain interoperability without vaults.
API Endpoints
| Endpoint | Method | Description |
|---|---|---|
/vbamm/assets | GET | List supported assets with live prices |
/vbamm/price/:ca/:chain_id | GET | Price quote for specific asset and chain |
/vbamm/order | POST | Submit exit order |
/vbamm/order/:id | GET | Check order status |
/vbamm/order/:id/settle | POST | Submit settlement proof |
/vbamm/mm/register | POST | Register as market maker |
/vbamm/mm/inventory | POST | Update MM inventory |
/vbamm/ws | WS | Real-time WebSocket hub |
/vbamm/ws/stats | GET | WebSocket connection statistics |