Introduction

Welcome to Arch Network — the execution and settlement infrastructure for Bitcoin-native capital markets.

Arch is not a general-purpose blockchain. It is a vertically integrated financial infrastructure stack purpose-built to make Bitcoin productive. At its core, Arch combines high-performance deterministic execution (300ms block times, ~1,000 TPS), native Bitcoin settlement via UTXO anchoring, and a FROST + ROAST threshold signature scheme — all designed to power scalable Bitcoin-backed credit.

Why credit? Because capital markets don't scale without it. Derivatives, structured products, and yield instruments all require a lending foundation with reliable collateral enforcement. Arch provides that foundation through Arch Lend, with Arch Swap for trading and Arch Prime for portfolio management completing the integrated stack.

Arch is not an L2, nor a meta-protocol. It is an independent chain with its own VM, consensus, and validator network. Execution output is native Bitcoin transactions — constructed by the ArchVM, signed by validators via threshold cryptography, and settled directly on Bitcoin's base layer.

No bridging. No wrapping. No custodial risk. Your Bitcoin never leaves the Bitcoin network.