Armor Wallets

Armor is a non-custodial wallets solutions employing MPC-TEE technology

Non-Custodial Wallets Stack: MPC + TEE + Account Abstraction

Armor employs a modern crypto wallet design, the combination of MPC, TEEs, and Account Abstraction offers a powerful architectural stack that significantly improves upon traditional wallets in terms of security, resilience, and programmability—without requiring users to compromise on performance or usability.

1. MPC – Distributed Key Security

Multi-Party Computation (MPC) replaces the traditional concept of a single private key with a distributed signing process. A private key is never generated or stored in one place; instead, it is broken into multiple cryptographic shares, which are held by separate entities (such as servers, devices, or even users).

When a user initiates a transaction:

  • Each party holding a share participates in a secure computation to generate a partial signature.

  • These partial signatures are combined into a valid final signature—without ever reconstructing the original key.

This provides robust protection against key theft, eliminates single points of failure, and enables threshold-based authorization (e.g., 2-of-3 approval for transactions).

2. TEEs – Secure Local Computation

Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) add another layer of protection by ensuring that sensitive operations, like key-share handling and partial signing, occur inside isolated and hardware-protected environments.

Each MPC share can be stored and operated on within a TEE, such as:

  • Armor AI Agent

  • Hardware security modules (HSMs)

  • Cloud-based enclaves like AWS Nitro Enclaves

Because TEEs prevent external access—even from the host operating system—they protect against malware, insider threats, and runtime tampering. Importantly, they allow secure computation to occur on-device or in the cloud, maintaining speed while preserving privacy.

MPC and TEE combined ensures that key shares are:

  • Never exposed to insecure environments

  • Stored and used securely in isolation

  • Computed only during coordinated signing events

3. Account Abstraction – Programmable Wallet Logic

On top of secure key management, Account Abstraction (AA) changes how wallet accounts behave on-chain. Instead of using a traditional Externally Owned Account (EOA) that directly controls funds via a single private key, AA uses smart contract wallets (Smart Accounts).

These smart accounts allow for:

  • Custom authentication logic (e.g., multisig, guardians, AI Agents)

  • Session keys and usage limits

  • Bundled transactions and more

This gives developers the ability to build custom rules and flows tailored to the user's needs while separating wallet logic from rigid protocol rules.

How They Work Together

Here's how this stack powers a high-performance, non-custodial wallet:

Layer
Role

MPC

Provides decentralized, secure key management without exposing full private keys

TEE

Ensures that each MPC share is stored and computed in a tamper-proof hardware enclave

AA

Adds programmable, on-chain logic to control account behavior, transactions, and recovery

Together, this enables:

  • Non-custodial control: The user owns and controls the wallet without relying on a centralized party.

  • High security: The key is never whole, never exposed, and always protected—resistant to phishing, malware, and server compromise.

  • Performance: TEEs allow for fast signing, suitable for high-frequency actions like trading or token swaps.

  • User experience: AA eliminates the need for seed phrases, supports gasless onboarding, and introduces advanced recovery and automation features.

Real-World Implications

With this architecture, a user can:

  • Sign into a wallet with no seed phrase

  • Execute transactions instantly using a mobile device or browser wallet

  • Automatically recover their wallet if they lose access, using social recovery or trusted devices

  • Enjoy better performance than MPC-only setups

  • Interact with dApps without worrying about gas fees or switching chains

At the same time, developers gain:

  • A secure backend using MPC + TEE

  • A flexible frontend powered by AA

  • The ability to adapt the wallet to consumer apps, institutional tools, or DeFi protocols—all from the same foundation

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