Cryptocurrency self-custody platform Casa has rolled out a new feature for its recently launched Ethereum (ETH) vault, allowing users to conduct transactions through relayers for added privacy.
Casa added a multi-signature Ethereum self-custody vault to its initial Bitcoin (BTC) custody offering in June 2023, allowing users to manage the self-custody of their ETH holdings with up to five private keys to protect their assets.
In order to provide more transaction privacy to ETH users, Casa has introduced a mechanism that allows users to create and conduct transactions from their vaults using an ETH payment wallet as a relay.
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As the company explained to Cointelegraph, Casa previously assisted users in interacting between ETH vaults and the ethereum blockchain through its in-house Casa Relay.
The bridge allows users to perform specific actions, including deploying contracts and sending transactions, while incurring gas costs. One caveat to this feature, the company noted, is that a user’s Ethereum address associated with Casa can be publicly viewed through blockchain scanning tools.
Casa’s solution involves using the ETH Pay wallet, a new alternative single-signature wallet that can be used as a relay for transactions from the vault. Gas fees and transactions sent from the ETH Pay wallet will not be associated with Casa on-chain, Casa CEO Nick Neuman told Cointelegraph.
Neuman added that the feature offers customization opportunities for its users and was already in development before the launch of the ETH custody vault.
“We are proactive in developing Pay Wallet Relay, knowing that some more advanced members will enjoy the enhanced on-chain privacy, while others will enjoy the simple convenience of Casa Relay.”
Neuman also clarified that the ETH Pay wallet will not provide the anonymity associated with obfuscation tools that exist in the cryptocurrency ecosystem:
“This is not an obfuscation service – all on-chain activity can be seen like any wallet. This just removes the connection to the on-chain Casa.”
Compared to Casa Relay, the service involves extra steps, and users need to use Pay Wallet to pay gas fees, at the expense of increased privacy for users who want to avoid on-chain ETH addresses connected to Casa.
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