RFPs Now Open for Fast Auth and Multichain One-Click

The Infrastructure Committee is seeking teams to take over NEAR’s proven Fast Auth network (serving 800,000+ SWEAT users), build Fast Auth 2.0, and develop Multichain One-Click Connect for seamless cross-chain authentication

Web3 adoption needs seamless user experiences. Today, we’re announcing two strategic RFPs (Request for Proposals) that will transform how users interact with blockchain technology:

• Maintaining and evolving the current Fast Auth network
• Building a new chain-abstracted embedded wallet solution with automatic authentication across apps

The Opportunity

Selected teams will:

• Take over and maintain the existing Fast Auth network powering over 800,000 SWEAT users
• Build Fast Auth 2.0—a developer-friendly Chain-Abstracted embedded wallet and facilitate Fast Auth 1.0 migration (part of Fast Auth RFP)
• Create Multichain One-Click Connect for automatic authentication across applications

While it’s preferred that the same team applies for both Multichain One-Click Connect and Fast Auth since the solutions complement each other well, this is not required.

NEAR’s Unique Advantage

NEAR stands apart through its innovative key rotation capabilities. Unlike traditional MPC solutions, NEAR allows true custody transfer through the ability to add and delete full access keys. This means users maintain their NEAR accounts while controlling assets across Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other chains – all while reducing dependence on centralized key holders.

NEAR’s account model gives us a competitive edge. With named accounts, subaccounts, and linkdrop technology, we offer Web2-like accounts using usernames and passwords, plus the ability to program on-chain interactions for users who don’t yet have accounts. While we recognize the need for simpler Web2-style authentication—and acknowledge solutions like Privy and Web3Auth and clean wallets contributing to growth in ecosystems like Solana and Base—we believe true crypto ownership requires self-custody. Users should be confident that regardless of which service they use to set up their wallet, they can safely transfer it without anyone else retaining access. Chain Signatures will enable us to combine easy onboarding with decentralized progressive custody not just for the NEAR ecosystem, but for every supported chain’s ecosystem.

The Power of Chain Signatures

Chain Signatures, a novel threshold signature protocol utilizing an MPC (multi-party computation) signer network on NEAR, enables account aggregation—the ability to sign transactions on any chain from a single NEAR account through one interface. This groundbreaking innovation in 2024 has already seen a rich ecosystem including Bitcoin-to-email transfers, bitcoin lending, multichain agents, and cross-chain swaps. While its potential is immense, developers currently face integration challenges requiring manual setup of chains and supporting wallets, significant hurdles remain for the average application developer.

Building the Complete Solution

This isn’t just an infrastructure build—the new maintainers of Fast Auth are being asked to build a complete embeddable wallet that works with all chains’ major wallet providers, which application developers and other wallet providers can integrate as infrastructure. Creating a truly seamless Web3 experience requires multiple components working in harmony: Chain Signatures for account creation and signing, Multichain One-Click Connect for seamless authentication, Gas Abstraction for application-subsidized transactions, and Chain-Abstracted oracles and explorers to properly display cross-chain balances and transactions. Together, these elements will enable users to transact across chains without managing private keys.

To achieve this vision, we’re launching RFPs for:

• FastAuth 1.0 Takeover + Fast Auth 2.0 – Chain Abstraction

• Multichain One-Click Connect

Why Now?

Following Keypom’s acquisition by Infinex and the sunset of Pagoda (formerly NEAR Inc), we’re taking a new approach. Rather than building in-house, we’re funding multiple qualified teams to maintain, integrate, and evolve these technologies. This strategy will create a more competitive and decentralized ecosystem.

Join Us in Building the Future

We’re seeking multiple qualified teams with experience in cross-chain products and embedded wallet solutions. The Infrastructure Committee, NEAR’s dedicated infrastructure funding body, will evaluate proposals two weeks after the submission period ends. Apply directly here and learn more about the Committee’s vision in their yearly recap here.