# Key Terms

**Canton Network** – A privacy-enabled, permissioned blockchain network designed for institutional finance, enabling compliant DeFi settlement with sub-transaction privacy and regulatory alignment.

**Chain Fusion** – ICP's trust-minimized cross-chain verification technology that enables decentralized, bidirectional communication between multiple blockchains without traditional bridge dependencies or wrapped token security risks.

**Institutional DeFi** – Decentralized finance infrastructure built for regulated financial institutions, incorporating compliance requirements, privacy guarantees, and permissioned architecture.

**L1 (Layer 1)** – Base blockchain networks such as Ethereum, Cardano, ICP, Aptos, Sui, and Solana, which provide foundational security and consensus mechanisms.

**LST (Liquid Staking Token)** – A tokenized representation of staked assets that enables liquidity while continuing to earn native staking rewards, allowing holders to use their staked position in DeFi protocols.

**Native Validator** – Blockchain infrastructure operated directly on a Layer 1 network, providing validator services without intermediary bridges or custodians, enabling direct control of underlying staked assets.

**Trust-Minimized Verification** – Cryptographic proof systems that enable cross-chain asset verification without relying on centralized bridges, multisig custodians, or trusted third parties.


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