Paper: arXiv 2610.02838

Authors: Maksym Nechepurenko

Abstract

Hybrid on-chain financial protocols are frequently evaluated with evidence that is individually useful but collectively insufficient: a unit test, transaction receipt, screenshot, service response, or several matching hashes may be presented as proof of a complete workflow even when the layers share one generated source or omit the financial authority that matters. This paper develops a manifest-bound evidence architecture for such systems. A sealed execution manifest binds declared system identities, roles, schemas, and release identity. Seven evidence layers are retained with registered derivations and linked by a common correlation identity. A conjunctive claim-promotion rule requires provenance, predicate-specific root conditions, negative controls, reproducible packaging, historical replay, and independent review in addition to hash equality. We formalize the evidence graph, prove that copied hashes cannot establish independent derivation, show how collision-resistant commitments make specified tampering detectable, define exactly-once financial-effect evidence, and distinguish original historical identities from later reproducibility attestations. The registered local case study records twelve parent Financial Interaction Assertions in one accepted cohort: 84 retained ACTUAL_EVIDENCE positions, two clean materializations with one byte-identical file index, a deterministic strict archive accepted by a separate verifier, and a selected ordered replay bound to that archive. FIA-011 is conjunctive and retains both stale-before-admission and book-epoch-change-mid-position subcases. The result demonstrates a reviewable chain of custody from financial assertion to replay-bound package while preserving the difference between observed evidence, interpretation, and future hypotheses.

Complexity vs Empirical Score

  • Math Complexity: 7.0/10
  • Empirical Rigor: 8.0/10
  • Quadrant: Holy Grail — high math complexity, high empirical rigor

Why this score: This paper presents a highly novel and rigorous framework for evidence management in on-chain financial protocols, addressing critical issues of trust and auditability. Its detailed formalization and emphasis on reproducible packaging and historical replay contribute significantly to the field. The work is well-structured and provides a strong foundation for future research and implementation.

Research Flowchart

  flowchart TD
    A[Research Goal: Develop Robust Evidence Architecture for Hybrid On-Chain Financial Protocols] --> B{Key Methodology Steps};
    B --> C[Formalize Evidence Graph & Proofs];
    B --> D[Design Manifest-Bound Evidence Architecture];
    B --> E[Define Conjunctive Claim-Promotion Rule];
    C --> F{Computational Processes};
    D --> F;
    E --> F;
    F --> G[Data/Inputs: 12 Parent Financial Interaction Assertions (FIAs), 84 ACTUAL_EVIDENCE positions, Materializations, Archives];
    G --> H[Key Findings/Outcomes: Reviewable Chain of Custody (Financial Assertion to Replay-Bound Package)];
    H --> I[Demonstrated Tamper Rejection & Reproducible Claim Promotion];
    H --> J[Distinguished Original Historical Identities from Reproducibility Attestations];