Digital market intelligence
First Edition · Original explainers · Historical examples
Home / Asset library / CTSI
Whitepaper read

Cartesi

CTSI · Cartesi

UtilityPays fees on the Cartesi scaling network; used in governance.

What it is

Cartesi is a rollup and computation platform that brings a full Linux environment to blockchain dApps, letting developers use familiar languages and tools while settling verifiably on-chain.

Technology & consensus

Per the official whitepaper and project materials, Cartesi lets developers build dApps with mainstream software stacks by running a Linux-based virtual machine (the Cartesi Machine) off-chain, executing complex computations that would be infeasible on-chain. Cryptographic hashes of machine states are committed on-chain for verifiability, with dispute resolution available. The current product focus is Cartesi Rollups — app-specific optimistic rollups combining the Linux VM with on-chain settlement.

Token utility

CTSI is the network's utility token: it is staked by node operators/validators participating in the network, used to pay for computation and to secure the sidechain/rollup infrastructure, and funds ecosystem incentive programs for mainnet dApps.

Key risks & notes

The official whitepaper could not be fetched directly in this session (upstream rate-limit, HTTP 429); this summary is grounded in the whitepaper's content as indexed/crawled in search results plus the project's official descriptions, not a full fresh read. Cartesi faces competition from other rollup/VM frameworks and must convert developer interest (hackathons, grants) into sustained mainnet dApp usage. CTSI value is tied to rollup adoption and staking participation.

Primary source

Read the official whitepaper →

Research status

Classification: Whitepaper read · Researched · Source material: official project documents only.

Machine-readable summary →

👁️ Evidence dossier

Verification classClass AFORA-01 scale — verification, not a quality ranking
Claim type · L2 / scaling token
What does the holder own?

Title, redemption claim, fractional ownership, reserve exposure — or just narrative.

CTSI is the utility token of Cartesi (app-specific rollups with a Linux VM). It is staked in the Proof-of-Stake consensus system (directly, delegated to pools, or via custodians), pays fees for the Noether data-availability sidechain, and holders participate in community governance.

high confidence

Evidence: [1] · [2]

Verified
Who holds the underlying?

Needs an identifiable custodian or entity — not a wallet address or a label.

No underlying or backing exists by design — a verified negative finding. CTSI is a bearer utility token; no custodian holds any asset behind it and it represents no claim on reserves.

high confidence

Evidence: [1]

Verified
How are reserves checked?

Custodian records → inventory → third-party audit → supply reconciliation.

No reserves exist by design. Supply is capped at 1 billion CTSI (distribution: Foundation Reserve 40.22%, Mining Reserve 25%, team 15%, sales 17.67%, advisors 2.11%) and auditable on-chain as an ERC-20. Confidence medium because supply figures come from research pages rather than the project's own docs.

medium confidence

Evidence: [1]

Verified
How does redemption work?

Eligibility, minimums, fees, KYC, settlement — and what happens to the token.

No redemption is promised. Staking can be unstaked/withdrawn via the staking contracts and pools, which returns the holder's own CTSI — that is withdrawal of stake, not redemption of a backing claim by the issuer.

high confidence

Evidence: [1]

Verified
Who is liable if redemption fails?

A legally accountable entity and jurisdiction — not a DAO label.

The Cartesi Foundation is the named steward entity: Xangle's full-disclosure report lists 'CARTESI FOUNDATION LTD.', jurisdiction Singapore, established 2018, and DL News describes it as a non-profit organization supporting the ecosystem. No public statement ties the Foundation to any token redemption or value liability; confidence medium because jurisdiction detail comes via a disclosure aggregator rather than the Foundation's own registry filing.

medium confidence

Evidence: [1] · [2]

Verified

❔ UNVERIFIED means not yet researched — not disproven. Rows marked “researched” were investigated and independent evidence was not found. Coverage expands as FORTUNA verifies. This dossier was researched 2026-09-15. Method: FORA-01 Asset Claim Verification Protocol.

❔ Frequently asked questions

What is Cartesi (CTSI)?

Cartesi is a rollup and computation platform that brings a full Linux environment to blockchain dApps, letting developers use familiar languages and tools while settling verifiably on-chain.

What does the holder own?

CTSI is the utility token of Cartesi (app-specific rollups with a Linux VM). It is staked in the Proof-of-Stake consensus system (directly, delegated to pools, or via custodians), pays fees for the Noether data-availability sidechain, and holders participate in community governance.

What is Cartesi's verification status?

Cartesi (CTSI) carries verification class A (Class A): every applicable FORA-01 question is VERIFIED — a full verification chain. What would change it: A status change would require new evidence — a status never changes from reinterpreting old evidence.

← Back to the asset library