Chat-ching: Crypto Access for All Through WhatsApp
Discover Chat-ching, a WhatsApp-based DeFi platform offering peer-to-peer payments, token trading, and yield generation with zero app installation or private key handling.
TL;DR
Chat-ching is a proof-of-concept that brings DeFi into WhatsApp. Users send natural-language commands to make peer-to-peer payments, trade tokens, and deposit into yield-generating vaults. Coinbase smart wallets are auto-generated at registration, the bot never holds private data, and gas is sponsored. It runs on Coinbase's L2 and supports Ethereum, Polygon, and other EVM chains.
Chat-ching is a proof-of-concept that bridges the gap between familiar messaging platforms and the more complex blockchain technology. By integrating DeFi capabilities directly into the world's most popular messaging app this project demonstrates how crypto finance can become truly accessible to mainstream users.
How is it done?
Architecture
Chat-ching implements a modular architecture, comprised of three main components:
- WhatsApp Bot: Handles user interactions through natural language commands, manages user authentication, session management, and API orchestration.
- Frontend: Manages On/Off-Ramps, user registration and authorization of actions, in accordance to the user's preferences.****
- On-chain contracts: Contract that transfers tokens to external vaults
to passively generate yields and handle payments, deposits and withdrawals.
Smart Wallet Management
- Automatic wallet generation with coinbase's smart wallet for new users upon registration
- The Bot server never holds user’s private data
- Support for multiple risk profiles with corresponding vault strategies
Financial Operations
- Payments: Peer-to-peer payments to a contact through simple WhatsApp commands
- Token Trading: Buy/sell operations for tokens
- Vault Deposits: Yield-generating deposits with configurable APY rates
Security Framework
- Multi-factor Authentication: Whatsapp credentials, PIN-based access and user signed transaction with **configurable authorization profiles**
- Session Management: Centralized 5-minute timeout with PIN restoration
- Risk Profiling: User-configurable risk levels affecting vault allocation
Blockchain Infrastructure
- Fast transactions: Leveraging Coinbase's L2 for low-cost, fast transactions
- Coinbase's Smart wallet: Passphrase authentication, enabling the familiar biometric sign in
- Multi-network Support: Ready for Ethereum, Polygon, and other EVM chains. Easily extendable to non EVM chains
- Sponsored Gas: All authorizations signed by the user are sponsored by the app
- Contract Verification: Full smart contract audit trail and transparency
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to install an app or manage private keys to use Chat-ching?
No. Chat-ching works entirely through WhatsApp, so there is no separate app to install. A Coinbase smart wallet is automatically generated for new users at registration, and the bot server never holds your private data. Sign-in uses familiar passphrase and biometric authentication.
What financial operations can I perform through Chat-ching?
You can send peer-to-peer payments to a contact using simple WhatsApp commands, buy and sell tokens, and make vault deposits that generate yield at configurable APY rates. These actions run on Coinbase's L2 for low-cost, fast transactions, with gas sponsored by the app.
How does Chat-ching keep transactions secure?
It uses multi-factor authentication combining WhatsApp credentials, PIN-based access, and user-signed transactions with configurable authorization profiles. Sessions have a centralized 5-minute timeout with PIN restoration, and users can set risk levels that affect vault allocation. Smart contracts provide a full audit trail and transparency.