# Getting Started *** ### description: An overview of S.I.G.N. and the underlying systems that power sovereign digital infrastructure. ## S.I.G.N. * [Overview](https://github.com/EthSign/sign-protocol-docs/blob/main/for-builders/getting-started/sign/README.md) * [Reference Architecture](https://github.com/EthSign/sign-protocol-docs/blob/main/for-builders/getting-started/sign/reference-architecture.md) * [Security & Privacy](https://github.com/EthSign/sign-protocol-docs/blob/main/for-builders/getting-started/sign/security-privacy.md) * [Governance & Operations](https://github.com/EthSign/sign-protocol-docs/blob/main/for-builders/getting-started/sign/governance-ops.md) ## Use Cases * [New Money System](https://github.com/EthSign/sign-protocol-docs/blob/main/for-builders/getting-started/use-cases/new-money-system.md) * [New ID System](https://github.com/EthSign/sign-protocol-docs/blob/main/for-builders/getting-started/use-cases/new-id-system.md) * [New Capital System](https://github.com/EthSign/sign-protocol-docs/blob/main/for-builders/getting-started/use-cases/new-capital-system.md) ## Getting Started with S.I.G.N. ### Introduction S.I.G.N. is sovereign-grade digital infrastructure designed to support national-scale systems for **money**, **identity**, and **capital**. Modern government and regulated financial systems increasingly rely on digital execution: CBDCs, regulated stablecoins, national ID systems, subsidy distribution, and tokenized real-world assets (RWA). While these systems appear different on the surface, they all depend on the same foundational requirements: * Verifiable identity and eligibility * Programmable execution rules * Durable, inspectable records * Interoperability across chains and systems * Auditability without sacrificing privacy S.I.G.N. provides a unified infrastructure layer that addresses these requirements through three interoperable systems. *** ### The Three Systems of S.I.G.N. #### New Money System The New Money System enables CBDCs and regulated stablecoins to operate on both public and private blockchains with policy controls, auditability, and interoperability. It supports: * Public-chain deployments (L1/L2) for transparency and composability * Private-chain deployments (e.g. Fabric-based CBDC rails) for confidentiality * Bridging between public and private money systems * Identity-bound and policy-constrained execution #### New ID System The New ID System provides national digital identity and verifiable credentials using open standards. It enables: * W3C Verifiable Credentials (VC) and DIDs * Selective disclosure and privacy-preserving proofs * Cross-agency and cross-platform verification * Trust registries and revocation mechanisms #### New Capital System The New Capital System supports tokenized real-world assets (RWA) and programmable capital distribution. It enables: * Large-scale allocation and distribution (grants, subsidies, incentives) * Compliance-aware transfers and vesting * Identity-gated participation * Real-time reporting and audit trails *** ### The Trust and Evidence Layer (Where Sign Protocol Fits) All three systems rely on a shared **trust and evidence layer** to record, verify, and query structured claims over time. This layer is implemented by **Sign Protocol**. Sign Protocol is an omni-chain attestation protocol that allows systems to define schemas and deposit verifiable data—called *attestations*—on-chain or via decentralized storage, while remaining easily discoverable and queryable. Without a shared trust layer like Sign Protocol, digital systems face the same fragmentation problems: 1. Data is scattered across contracts, chains, and storage systems. 2. Developers must reverse-engineer contract interfaces and data layouts. 3. Historical state changes are difficult to track consistently. 4. Indexing requires bespoke infrastructure for each application. 5. Auditing and inspection become manual and error-prone. Sign Protocol solves this by standardizing how structured data is defined, written, linked, and queried. *** ### How Sign Protocol Works Sign Protocol is composed of several interoperable components.

An architectural overview of Sign Protocol

#### Writing Data Sign Protocol organizes data into two core primitives: * **Schemas** — structured templates defining data formats * **Attestations** — signed instances of schema-conformant data Data can be written using three storage models: * Fully on-chain (EVM, Starknet, Solana, TON) * Fully Arweave * Hybrid (on-chain references + off-chain payloads)

Storage solutions supported by Sign Protocol

Fully on-chain and hybrid transactions can be initiated directly. Fully Arweave transactions are initiated through the Sign Protocol API. Once finalized, SignScan automatically indexes the data. #### Reading Data Data can be retrieved in two primary ways: * **Direct reads** from smart contracts and Arweave\ Suitable for low-level access, but limited in filtering and aggregation. * **SignScan APIs**\ SignScan is Sign’s indexing and aggregation service, providing REST and GraphQL APIs that unify data across all supported chains. It also powers the public explorer at . This architecture allows developers, auditors, and operators to focus on system logic rather than data plumbing. *** ### How This Enables Sovereign Systems By combining: * standardized attestations (Sign Protocol), * identity-bound credentials (New ID), * programmable execution (New Money, New Capital), S.I.G.N. enables governments and regulated institutions to build systems that are: * **Privacy-preserving to the public** * **Inspectable by authorized parties** * **Composable across programs** * **Auditable by design** *** ### What’s Next? Depending on your role: * **Builders** can dive deeper into: * Sign Protocol smart contracts * SDKs and APIs * Indexing and querying * **System designers** can explore: * Use cases for Money, ID, and Capital * Reference architectures * Governance and deployment models Continue to: * Sign Protocol Documentation * Use Case Guides * Integration Tutorials --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.sign.global/for-builders/getting-started.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.