Para

Para is an embedded wallet and authentication infrastructure platform that lets developers add self-custodial wallets and user onboarding to any application in under five minutes. Built by Capsule Labs, Inc., the project launched publicly in 2022 under the name Capsule and rebranded to Para in February 2025. Its core premise is that the biggest barrier to crypto adoption is not interest but friction: seed phrases, browser extension downloads, and a user experience that bears no resemblance to modern consumer software. Para attacks that friction directly, replacing it with email, phone, or social login while preserving genuine non-custodial key ownership underneath.

From Capsule to Para

Capsule was founded in 2022 by Nitya Subramanian, a former head of product at the Celo blockchain. In March 2023 the company raised a seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz and Geometry Research, with additional backing from Spice Capital, Anchorage co-founders Diogo Monica and Nathan McCauley, Celo co-founders Rene Reinsberg and Marek Olszewski, and Sommelier Finance co-founder Zaki Manian. After supporting hundreds of development teams across nearly every major blockchain ecosystem, the company rebranded to Para in February 2025 — a name chosen to reflect an expanded mandate covering new ecosystems, new cryptographic capabilities, and the full lifecycle of on-chain user interaction.

How the Architecture Works

Para's cryptographic foundation is Multi-Party Computation (MPC) with Distributed Key Generation. Instead of generating a private key in one place — whether on a server or a user device — Para splits the key between the user's device and Para's infrastructure. Neither party holds a complete key at any point. This means Para cannot unilaterally access user funds or sign transactions, and a compromise of Para's servers alone cannot yield user assets. Censorship resistance is built in by design: the documentation is explicit that private keys cannot be accessed by Para, the application developer, or any third party — only the user.

For authentication, users sign in with email, phone number, social logins such as Google or Apple, or passkeys stored in device secure enclaves. Passkeys tie wallet access to hardware-level biometric authentication — Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello, or hardware keys like YubiKeys — rather than remembered credentials. Session management is handled through signed, scoped sessions that persist across app restarts and multiple devices, so users do not re-authenticate on every interaction.

Solana Integration

Solana uses Ed25519 cryptography, while passkeys rely on the P-256 (secp256r1) curve, which historically made the two incompatible. Para solves this by using passkeys as an authorization layer rather than a direct signing tool: the passkey authenticates the user and establishes a session that then grants access to an MPC-managed Ed25519 signer. This produces full Solana transaction signing compatibility — with native support for web3.js and the Anchor framework — while preserving biometric authentication at the user layer.

Solana's addition of native on-chain verification of secp256r1 signatures via a new precompile in June 2025 extended this further, enabling on-chain validation of passkey-based authorizations directly on Solana mainnet.

Real-world adoption on Solana is documented through 375go, the mobile gateway for the 375AI decentralized data network. 375go migrated from Magic to Para in November 2025, citing stronger onboarding performance and first-class iOS support. Their implementation lets users register with email, Google, or Apple ID, automatically provisions a Solana wallet, and enables biometric transaction signing — with no seed phrases surfaced at any point and persistent cross-device session support.

Developer Tooling

Para offers three deployment patterns. The modal approach delivers a pre-built React component that manages the full authentication and wallet creation flow with minimal configuration. The custom UI path exposes React hooks, Vue, Svelte, or mobile SDK primitives while Para handles the cryptographic backend. The backend-driven approach uses a REST API or server-side SDKs for applications where server orchestration is required.

Framework coverage spans React, Next.js, Vue, Svelte, React Native, Expo, Flutter, Swift, and Node.js. Telegram bots, Chrome extensions, and desktop applications are also supported. The Developer Portal provides API key management, cross-chain analytics, a modal designer for white-label customization, and webhook support for event-driven application behavior without polling. A Para CLI enables wallet integration management from the terminal.

On the money movement side, Para's APIs handle on/off ramps, token transfers, bridges, and swaps, abstracting liquidity, compliance, and cross-chain complexity into a single integration layer. A policy engine lets developers configure programmable permissions and compliance rules per application. A partnership with Paxos Transit added in-wallet cross-chain stablecoin swaps, with developers able to take fees on any routed order.

Supported Networks

Beyond Solana, Para supports EVM chains including Ethereum, Base, Optimism, Arbitrum, Polygon, Avalanche, Sei, Linea, and Monad; Cosmos; Stellar; and institutional networks including Canton and Miden. The Canton Network partnership specifically targets enterprise finance, extending Para's MPC wallet infrastructure into institutional-grade applications.

Security Credentials

Para completed SOC 2 Type II certification in January 2025. The platform has undergone independent security audits from Least Authority in October 2023 and January 2024. Passkey key shares are held in device secure enclaves, reducing exposure to browser-based extraction attacks. The MPC architecture provides layered protection: the user's device share, Para's infrastructure share, and the signing operation itself are separated such that no single point of compromise is sufficient to access user funds.

Ecosystem and Adoption

Para reports 100+ active development teams and 15M+ users across the platform. Notable integrations include the Ethereum Foundation's Devconnect conference application (10,000 wallets provisioned for attendees), Vana, ENS, MetaMask, Eco, ElizaOS, Confetti, Juicebox, and Camp Network. Miden built an ecosystem wallet in ten days using Para's infrastructure. A case study from Decal documented $4.1M in stablecoin payment volume processed through Para-embedded wallets for merchants. Coala Pay used Para to deliver humanitarian aid via blockchain, citing 99% faster processing versus prior methods.

Token

Para does not have a native cryptocurrency or governance token. The business operates on an infrastructure services model, with a free tier for developers and paid tiers for scale.