Heima White Paper: The Chain Abstraction Protocol for User-Friendly DeFi

12 min read4 days ago

1. Introduction

The Rise of On-chain Activities

Decentralized applications (dApps) and decentralized finance (DeFi) are experiencing explosive growth. Users across the globe are actively engaging in on-chain opportunities like:

Meme Token Trading: Driven by viral attention and community hype, meme tokens have become the new frontier for retail traders.
Staking: Yield-generating mechanisms to earn passive income.
Arbitrage: Exploiting price differences across exchanges and chains.

However, these activities remain fragmented and technically demanding.

The Problem Space

Despite the growth, the current DeFi user experience is severely lacking in comparison to centralized exchanges (CEXs):

Complex Cross-Chain InteractionsUsers must manually switch wallets, bridge assets, and understand gas configurations across different networks.
Chain-Specific Pricing DisparitiesToken prices can differ dramatically between chains. Users often suffer slippage and missed opportunities because they can’t access the best pricing in time.
Lack of AutomationDeFi lacks automation primitives. Traders must track markets manually, adjust positions frequently, and manage gas and nonce settings themselves.

Our Vision

Heima aims to solve these problems by delivering a seamless, cross-chain DeFi experience that rivals CEX usability while maintaining decentralization. We combine:

A Layer 1 blockchain optimized for automation and abstraction.
An intent-based architecture to simplify cross-chain execution.
An agent hub to automate user-defined strategies.

Heima bridges the gap between the fractured, manual-first DeFi ecosystem and a unified, frictionless Web3 experience.

At the heart of the Heima ecosystem is our native token, HEI, which serves as the foundation for governance, gas fees, and cross-chain liquidity. HEI enables seamless operation across chains while ensuring the long-term sustainability and community-driven development of the platform.

In the sections that follow, we outline the current challenges in the DeFi landscape and how Heima addresses these issues with a comprehensive Layer 1 solution designed to unify and simplify cross-chain interactions, creating a chainless future for DeFi users and developers.

2. Architecture Overview: From Abstraction to Coordination

Heima is a full-stack coordination protocol designed to abstract complexity across accounts, chains, and agents. It introduces a unified omni-account layer, cross-chain intent routing infrastructure, a permissionless agent hub, and its programmable Layer 1 blockchain — all tied together by auditable execution and verifiable automation.

The system consists of four core components:

Heima Layer 1 Network: The coordination and registry layer that ensures all actors and executions are traceable, verifiable, and cross-domain auditable.
Account Abstraction: Omni-accounts unify user identity across chains and simplify onboarding with Web2-style authentication.
Chain Abstraction: A seamless intent infrastructure removes the need for users to understand or manage different networks.
Agent Hub: A permissionless marketplace for agents and bots to offer services ranging from trading to staking, all tied to intent execution.

Each of these components is designed to be modular yet tightly integrated, creating a chain-agnostic and intent-centric automation ecosystem. This four-pillar approach creates a comprehensive solution where operations across multiple blockchains become transparent and simple for both users and developers.

3. Heima Network: A Layer 1 Designed for Interoperability and Automation

Heima’s Layer 1 blockchain serves as the coordination layer for intents, agents, and cross-chain execution.

It is not just a settlement layer, but a programmable execution and automation layer — purpose-built for:

High-throughput, low-latency block production, with a goal to reach 500ms block time by the end of 2025.
Transparent registry of agents and intent fillers — enabling auditability across all activity across chains.
Native cross-chain and multi-network communication via prebuilt modules and proxy handlers.

By serving as a shared coordination and registry layer, Heima ensures that every task performed by agents is traceable, and intent fulfillment is verifiable by any party, on-chain.

3.1 Substrate-based Flexibility

Heima is built on Substrate, a framework for building custom blockchains. This gives Heima the advantage of:

WASM + EVM Compatibility: Developers can choose their preferred execution environment.
Governance Modules: Treasury, staking, bounty systems, and agent certification mechanisms are natively on-chain.
Runtime Upgradeability: Without hard forks, new features can be added or tuned in real-time.
Decentralized Scheduler Pallets: Allow agent tasks and user intents to be queued, re-tried, or timed.

3.2 Auditable by Design

Heima introduces transparency and verifiability as foundational design principles for intent execution — across on-chain, cross-chain, and off-chain contexts.

Unified Registry of Actors: All agents, intent fillers, relayers, and execution services are registered on-chain, with traceable identities and verifiable roles.
Omni-account Anchoring: Every execution is pegged to an Omni-account — a cryptographically linked identity that spans multiple chains and off-chain environments via secure TEE-based key derivation.
Cross-Domain Traceability: Activities carried out on external chains or off-chain (e.g., in trusted enclaves or external APIs) are anchored back to Heima via attestations and signed logs, making them provably accountable.
TEE-Secured Execution Proofs: Off-chain execution logic that interacts with real-world systems or sensitive data runs in Trusted Execution Environments (TEE), and emits cryptographic proofs of integrity and correctness back to Heima.
Intent Lifecycle Visibility: From submission to resolution, every stage of an intent is recorded immutably, enabling users, auditors, and protocols to inspect the full execution path — including agent selection, condition triggering, and final state change.

This system creates a trust-minimized coordination fabric where no single actor can alter execution flows undetected, and all participants are publicly accountable — even across heterogeneous systems. As the backbone of the Heima ecosystem, the Layer 1 network provides the necessary infrastructure for verifiable, secure cross-chain operations with high performance and native integration capabilities.

4. Account Abstraction: Unified Identity Across Web3

Heima’s account abstraction introduces a seamless identity experience through the concept of the omni-account, which acts as a user’s unified ID across chains. Instead of managing fragmented wallets and credentials, users interact with all blockchain applications through this single, cohesive identity layer.

The OmniAccount system simplifies user onboarding by supporting familiar Web2 login methods such as email, phone numbers, passkeys, and social accounts — integrated through partner authentication services. Behind the scenes, omni-accounts are represented on-chain via proxy accounts tailored to different network standards: EIP-7702 for EVM chains, native proxy contracts on Substrate-based networks, and TEE-backed secure proxies for environments where native wallet infrastructure is missing.

This identity layer not only unifies user experience. It also enables delegated operation — projected accounts can act on behalf of the omni-account with permissioned execution. Developers benefit from this abstraction by reducing the integration complexity required to support multi-chain identity and access logic. Additionally, Heima internally maintains an identity graph, linking user personas across applications and contexts, enabling intelligent personalization and interoperability without exposing sensitive metadata.

Overall, Heima’s account abstraction eliminates redundant key management, enhances security through smart contract and TEE-based authorization, and unlocks flexible programmability for user-centric Web3 experiences. This fundamental shift in how users interact with Web3 provides developers with powerful tools for building seamless cross-chain applications with reduced integration complexity.

5. Chain Abstraction: Seamless Cross-Chain Execution

Chain abstraction in Heima allows users and developers to operate across multiple blockchains without needing to manage the nuances of each one. At the heart of this model is the intent-centric execution framework, where users express desired outcomes, and the system determines how and where to fulfill them.

This is made possible through the omni-executor, a delegated execution entity that runs within a TEE-powered side-chain. When a user submits an intent (e.g., “swap token A for token B at the best price”), the omni-executor consults a routing engine to determine the most optimal cross-chain execution path. It can then access liquidity and contracts on other chains by using proxy handlers and relayers, performing the task as if the user interacted directly.

Chain abstraction also enables gas abstraction, allowing users to pay fees in any supported token across any network. The backend handles the conversions, removing the burden of needing native gas tokens on every chain.

The architecture is modular: transaction composition, cross-chain routing, and signature validation are decoupled into independent services. This allows different implementation strategies based on user priorities — for example, cheap off-chain Request for Quotation(RFQ) matching vs. trust-minimized on-chain Decentralized Exchange(DEX) usage.

All execution steps are recorded and validated on Heima’s Layer 1, ensuring traceability, verifiability, and auditability. This makes Heima’s chain abstraction infrastructure production-ready for complex DeFi workflows.

Through this intent-based system, Heima transforms how users interact with multiple blockchains. Users simply express what they want to accomplish, and the platform handles the complex routing and execution across chains, maintaining complete transparency while adapting to different user priorities.

6. Agent Hub: A Permissionless and Extensible Agent Ecosystem

The Agent Hub is Heima’s infrastructure layer for registering, deploying, and managing autonomous agents — bots that act on behalf of users or protocols. These agents can be programmed to monitor markets, execute trading strategies, rebalance staking positions, or react to external signals such as news events or price feeds.

Agent developers interact with Heima through a set of powerful APIs and SDKs. Agents register their capabilities and logic, optionally verify their code or operator identity, and begin offering services on the intent execution marketplace. Agents can plug into the omni-account system or use external signing mechanisms to act on users’ behalf.

To support agents in real-time, Heima offers:

Access to live on-chain data (e.g., token prices, vault positions, arbitrage windows) via HTTPS and WebSocket APIs.
Integration with off-chain data through social media crawlers and oracle feeds.
Event-driven triggers via decentralized schedulers and external signals.

To encourage the growth of the agent economy, Heima includes native support for:

Rebate and incentive models: Agents earn from successful executions.
Push notification services: Inform users via dApps or email when actions are taken.
Staking-based guarantees: Agents stake tokens to back their actions with skin in the game, enabling trustless delegation.

Ultimately, the Agent Hub turns Heima into a marketplace for intelligence — where agents compete to fulfill intents more efficiently, securely, and transparently. This vibrant ecosystem transforms DeFi from a manual process to an automated, intelligence-driven experience where specialized agents can perform a wide range of tasks with security guarantees and real-time data access.

7. HEI Token: Core Utility and Economics

The Heima ecosystem is powered by its native token, HEI, which serves multiple crucial functions within the platform. HEI is designed to align incentives between users, developers, and the broader Heima community while facilitating seamless cross-chain operations.

7.1 Governance Framework

Inspired by Polkadot’s governance model, HEI enables a multi-layered decision-making system starting with Proposals that any token holder can submit by bonding a minimum amount of HEI. These proposals range from runtime upgrades to parameter adjustments.

The Heima Council, elected by token holders, evaluates proposals and transforms them into Motions for deliberation. Approved motions advance to Referenda — the final stage where all HEI holders vote. The system employs adaptive quorum biasing where approval thresholds adjust based on voter turnout and the proposal’s origin, ensuring sufficient community backing while preventing governance deadlocks.

For urgent technical matters, a Technical Committee comprising blockchain experts can fast-track critical proposals like security patches by shortening voting periods. This balanced governance structure allows Heima to evolve with community input while maintaining operational security.

7.2 Gasless User Experience

While HEI serves as the network’s gas token, users never need to hold it themselves — one of Heima’s most distinctive features. The platform aims to operate invisibly in the background, with the intent filler network sponsoring all gas fees on behalf of users.

This gas abstraction layer removes a significant friction point in blockchain interaction. Developers can create seamless user experiences without forcing users to acquire yet another token. The economics balance through a rebate system where intent fillers earn transaction fees, creating sustainable incentives to cover gas costs while maintaining profitability.

7.3 Cross-Chain Liquidity Pools

HEI’s most transformative function is enabling the Heima Chain Liquidity Pool system, where it serves as a mediation asset for exchanging network-native tokens across blockchains.

By depositing HEI into these liquidity pools, users help facilitate cross-chain transactions. When someone initiates a cross-chain operation, the system utilizes these pools to efficiently acquire necessary native tokens on target chains, significantly reducing slippage and fees compared to traditional bridging.

Liquidity providers earn transaction fees proportional to their contributions, creating a virtuous cycle: more cross-chain activity generates more fees for providers, attracting more liquidity, which improves execution quality and reduces costs. This approach represents a significant advancement over conventional bridging mechanisms by creating a more integrated, efficient, and secure cross-chain liquidity solution.

Through these interconnected functions — governance, gas abstraction, and liquidity facilitation — HEI enables the seamless, user-friendly experience central to Heima’s vision of a chainless future.

8. Partner Integration: Plug-and-Play Omni-Chain Enablement

Heima offers a comprehensive suite of solutions for business partners — reducing migration overhead, accelerating go-to-market timelines, and unlocking omni-chain capabilities with minimal architectural disruption.

Whether you’re a centralized exchange, a multi-chain DEX, or launching a new dApp, Heima provides a seamless pathway into a unified cross-chain ecosystem — without requiring major infrastructure overhauls.

8.1 Modular and Flexible Integration

Partners have full flexibility in how they integrate with Heima:

Signer Options: Choose from: Self-custodial signers (for user sovereignty), Partner-managed custodians, or Heima-provided SMPC-backed signer modules for secure multi-party control.
Authentication: Heima supports both Web3 wallet login and Web2 login methods (email, passkey, social account), enabling developers to fully remove registration flows and offer instant user onboarding.
Custom Routing and Intent Handling: Builders can leverage Heima’s existing routing and intent execution network, or plug in their own intent fillers, cross-chain routers, or logic layers to fit specific product strategies.
Customizable Monetization: The rebate module can be tailored to specific business models, allowing partners to define their own revenue-sharing mechanics.

8.2 Built for Builders

Heima’s infrastructure is designed to be plug-and-play — offering account abstraction, intent routing, and authentication layers out of the box. New projects can focus entirely on product development and user experience, while Heima takes care of the underlying cross-chain and execution complexity.

Developer-friendly APIs and SDKs
Turnkey support for omni-chain workflows
Full interoperability with existing wallets, identity providers, and backend stacks

This flexible approach allows developers to focus on user experience and product features, rather than the complexities of cross-chain execution and authentication, minimizing migration overhead while maximizing cross-chain capabilities.

9. Case Study: PumpX

PumpX demonstrates the transformative potential of Heima’s omni-chain infrastructure in real-world applications.

PumpX started as a single-chain DEX focused on meme tokens within the Solana ecosystem. Despite strong initial traction, user growth was limited by Solana-specific onboarding friction, token support, and gas awareness.

By integrating Heima’s account, chain, and agent abstraction layers, PumpX was able to seamlessly upgrade its platform without rewriting core logic:

Onboarding: Plug in for Web2-style login. Automatically creates Omni-accounts.
Key Management: PumpX continues to use its custodians as the master signer, while Heima’s omni-executor requests authorizations from PumpX.
Execution: Leverage Heima’s cross-chain routing and agent-based automation.

Before Heima:

Only supported SOL for purchase
Prices were shown in SOL
No bridging or chain support outside Solana

After Heima:

Pay with Any Token: USDT, BNB, ETH, etc. — from any chain
Unified Price Display: All meme tokens are priced in USD regardless of the origin chain
Zero Gas Management: User never sees or pays gas directly — it’s abstracted by intent and routing layer
Cross-chain Routing: Heima routes to the cheapest market across Solana, BNB, Base, etc.
No Compromise on Speed: Heima prioritizes the trading speed with specified intent filler.

This transformation demonstrates Heima’s ability to simplify complex blockchain interactions, abstract away technical barriers, and create seamless, user-friendly DeFi experiences without requiring extensive rebuilding of existing infrastructure.

Conclusion

Heima represents a paradigm shift in how we think about and interact with blockchain networks. By abstracting away the complexities of accounts, chains, and execution, Heima creates a unified experience that rivals centralized exchanges while preserving the benefits of decentralization.

The four pillars of Heima’s architecture — Layer 1 Network, Account Abstraction, Chain Abstraction, and Agent Hub — work together to create an ecosystem where users can focus on outcomes rather than technical details. This intent-centric approach, combined with transparent, auditable execution, establishes a new standard for DeFi usability and accessibility.

As demonstrated by the PumpX case study, Heima’s infrastructure enables existing applications to transform their capabilities without significant redevelopment, accelerating the adoption of cross-chain functionality throughout the ecosystem.

Heima envisions a future where blockchain interactions are seamless, automated, and user-centric — a future where DeFi isn’t just for the technically savvy but accessible to everyone. By building this comprehensive coordination layer, Heima is taking a significant step toward making the chain-agnostic future of finance a reality.