Gridlock Network

Gridlock Network is a non-custodial cryptocurrency wallet that uses Multi-Party Computation (MPC) and threshold signature cryptography to eliminate the two most common failure modes in self-custody: seed phrase loss and single-device compromise. Traditional self-custody wallets burden users with a 12- or 24-word seed phrase that, if lost or stolen, means permanent loss of funds. Exchanges offer convenience but require surrendering custody to a third party. Gridlock sits between these extremes, delivering exchange-level usability with genuine self-custody security.

How It Works

At the heart of Gridlock is a full-threshold ECDSA Threshold Signature Scheme (TSS), with Ed25519 multi-party support for chains like Solana that use Edwards-curve signatures. Rather than storing a complete private key on a single device, Gridlock splits the key into shares distributed across a network of guardian nodes. The default configuration uses a 3-of-5 model: five key shares are created and distributed, and any three must collaborate to authorize a transaction.

The five share holders span distinct trust domains:

• The user's own mobile device
• Gridlock-operated nodes running inside Intel SGX Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs)
• Personal cloud microservers under the user's control
• Trusted acquaintances the user designates as guardians

No single guardian ever holds the full private key, and guardians cannot initiate transactions — they only participate in signing when the account owner's device triggers a request. This means neither Gridlock as a company nor any individual guardian can move funds unilaterally.

The core engine powering this system is guardian-node, an open-source Rust implementation (GPL-3.0) of Gridlock's threshold signature operations. The organization also maintains open-source Rust libraries for multi-party EdDSA signatures, which handle Solana's native Ed25519 scheme.

Account Recovery Without Seed Phrases

Gridlock's recovery mechanism is one of its most distinctive features. The wallet uses a "fading security" model: if a user loses their primary device, recovery requirements progress through tiers as guardians verify identity — from full credential confirmation at Tier 0 down to identity-based recovery backed by cryptocurrency collateral at Tier 4. This allows legitimate recovery within minutes while ensuring that brute-force attempts remain prohibitively difficult at every stage. Guardians receive notifications throughout a recovery attempt, adding a human fraud-detection layer.

Key Products and Features

Gridlock Mobile App (iOS and Android) is the primary interface for storing, sending, and receiving crypto and NFTs. Setup requires no hardware device and no seed phrase — users invite guardians and go.

The Guardian System lets users designate trusted contacts to hold key shares. Guardians have no spending authority; their role is limited to participating in recovery and co-signing when called upon by the account owner.

Watchlight Service provides professional network monitoring that tracks suspicious activity patterns across the guardian network and alerts on anomalies.

Gridlock Pro is a paid subscription tier offering additional guardians, network monitoring, first access to new features, security reports, and customizable storage configurations.

An integrated in-app on-ramp allows users to buy crypto directly within the wallet.

Supported Assets and Chains

Gridlock supports over 1,000 cryptocurrencies across six primary networks: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Cosmos, Polkadot, and multichain EVM environments. Highlighted assets include BTC, ETH, SOL, USDC, USDT, DAI, Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC), Chainlink (LINK), Polygon (MATIC), Cosmos (ATOM), NEAR Protocol, and Uniswap (UNI). Solana assets — including SOL and Solana-native NFTs — are supported through the wallet's EdDSA multi-party library, matching Solana's native Ed25519 signature algorithm.

Security and Audit Status

Gridlock's core code is open source under Apache-2.0, GPL-3.0, and MIT licenses, with the guardian-node engine publicly available for inspection. The project claims its technology is third-party audited, though specific auditor names and published reports are not prominently documented. Gridlock is a licensed Money Service Business (MSB) registered with FinCEN, meeting U.S. regulatory requirements for financial services operations.

Team and Backers

The project was architected by Derek Rodriguez, with contributions from Francesca Sage-Ling, Kiran Fitzsimons, and Artur Frenszek-Iwicki. Gridlock has received backing from Polygon, Scytale (a Web3-focused venture firm), the West of England Combined Authority, and the European Commission — a mix of private investment and public sector support. GitHub activity showed continued development through mid-2025.

Solana Fit

Solana is one of Gridlock's six supported layer-1 networks. The wallet's multi-party EdDSA library specifically targets Ed25519, Solana's native signature scheme, enabling MPC-protected custody of SOL and Solana-native tokens without ever exposing the private key to a single device or party. For Solana holders who want genuine self-custody without the fragility of a seed phrase — or who need institutional-grade key management for larger positions — Gridlock offers a cryptographically robust alternative to both hardware wallets and custodial exchanges.