Principal · POC 01
Every autonomous agent derives authority from a legal person — individual or entity. The principal is anchored to KYC/KYB infrastructure: government ID, LEI, or EIN. ACK-ID's W3C DID architecture resolves an agent's identity chain back to its authorizing principal.
Compliance Brief
Catena Labs' ACK-ID uses W3C Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable
Credentials (VCs) to establish agent identity. Each agent holds a DID that resolves
to a DID Document containing its public keys and service endpoints. The
controller
field creates the cryptographic link to the principal's DID.
This architecture is issuer-independent — any counterparty can verify the delegation chain without contacting the principal or a central authority. The EU AI Act requires traceability from autonomous system to responsible person. The FATF Travel Rule requires originator identification. Principal resolution satisfies both.
Architecture
The eight STP stages of an agentic payment. Identity verification (Stage 2) is the first compliance gate — before discovery, negotiation, or execution can proceed.
Interactive Demo
Enter a DID string to simulate resolution. The resolver returns the DID Document (verification methods, service endpoints) and traces the delegation chain from agent to principal.
Resolve DID strings to view delegation chains and identity documents
Example DIDs: ,
Enter a DID and click Resolve to view the delegation chain
Regulatory Alignment
| Requirement | Source | Principal Resolution Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Entity identification | GENIUS Act §4(a) | DID resolves to principal with KYC/KYB-anchored identity |
| Originator identification | FATF Travel Rule R.16 | Controller field provides cryptographic link to legal entity |
| AI system traceability | EU AI Act | Verifiable chain from autonomous agent to responsible person |
| Beneficial ownership | BSA | Principal DID anchors to registered business entity (LEI, EIN) |