> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://novacont.gitbook.io/nova-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://novacont.gitbook.io/nova-docs/getting-started/roadmap.md).
# Roadmap
NovaCont is not a finished product. It is the foundation of a broader financial infrastructure protocol designed to become the trust layer of digital commerce. On-chain and off-chain alike.
This page outlines where NovaCont stands today, what is being built next, and the long-term vision for the protocol.
### Phase 1 - Foundation (Current)
The first phase focuses on establishing a reliable, secure, and usable escrow platform and proving the core concept in a live environment.
**What is live:**
* Dual smart contract architecture: NovaCont escrow layer and NovaJury arbitration layer deployed and functional
* Full agreement lifecycle: creation, acceptance, delivery, approval, cancellation, and timeout
* Adaptive collateralization: dynamic 1x and 1.25x deposit logic based on agreement value
* Multi-token payment support: native ETH and USDT with Chainlink oracle integration on Base
* Administered dispute resolution: human-reviewed dispute settlement while the juror pool is being established
* Platform interface: full web application with wallet integration, dashboard, contract management, and proposal link system
**What is in progress:**
* Security audit engagement: formal third-party audit prior to mainnet deployment
* Juror pool development: building the initial community of economically committed jurors required to activate decentralized dispute resolution
* Mainnet deployment: NovaCont is live on **Base**, an Ethereum Layer 2 network. Gas fees are approximately 100x lower than Ethereum mainnet, making the protocol accessible for everyday use.
### Phase 2 - Decentralization
Once the juror pool reaches a size sufficient to guarantee fair and manipulation-resistant case assignment, the NovaJury decentralized mode will be activated. This marks NovaCont's transition from a partially administered system to a fully autonomous dispute resolution protocol.
**What this phase includes:**
**NovaJury Activation** The jury system goes live. Disputes are no longer reviewed by an administrator. They are routed automatically to randomly selected jurors from the registered pool. The administrator's role in individual case outcomes is eliminated entirely. Verdicts are determined by majority vote and executed on-chain without human intervention.
**Juror Onboarding Campaign** A structured effort to grow the juror pool to a healthy operational size. This includes documentation, outreach, and economic incentives designed to attract committed long-term participants who understand the responsibilities of the role.
**Enhanced Evidence Infrastructure** Guidance and tooling to help parties submit stronger, more structured evidence. This may include IPFS integration for permanent evidence storage, standardized dispute templates, and on-chain evidence hash verification to ensure submitted materials have not been tampered with after submission.
**Governance Foundations** Initial steps toward reducing owner authority over the protocol. This includes introducing timelocks on sensitive administrative functions and moving toward multisig control of the owner address, reducing the single-point-of-failure risk associated with centralized ownership.
### Phase 3 - NovaCont Protocol
Phase 3 represents the most significant expansion in the protocol's history. NovaCont evolves from a standalone escrow platform into a **modular, distributable financial infrastructure layer.** One that any marketplace, platform, or application can integrate directly into their own product.
#### The Two-Layer Architecture
NovaCont Protocol is built around a clean separation between two independent layers:
**Payment Core** The escrow and fund management layer. Responsible for locking funds, enforcing agreement timelines, and releasing payments based on predefined conditions. This layer is audited, battle-tested, and designed to operate with zero downtime.
**Dispute and Resolver Layer** The arbitration layer. Responsible for handling disagreements between parties. Critically, this layer is fully decoupled from the Payment Core integrating platforms can choose their own resolution mechanism without modifying or compromising the payment infrastructure.
This separation is the defining architectural decision of NovaCont Protocol. It means that an integrating platform does not have to accept NovaCont's dispute resolution in order to benefit from NovaCont's payment security. They plug in the payment layer and choose their own resolver.
#### Escrow-as-a-Service
NovaCont Protocol will offer a modular **Escrow-as-a-Service** infrastructure that any marketplace or platform can integrate directly into their product without building payment security from scratch and without taking on the legal and technical risks of custodying user funds themselves.
A freelance marketplace, a digital goods platform, a service exchange, or any other environment where two parties transact with each other can integrate NovaCont Protocol and immediately offer their users:
* On-chain fund locking and escrow security
* Automated payment release upon agreed conditions
* Transparent, auditable transaction records
* Configurable dispute resolution, using their own administrators, a private arbitration panel, or NovaCont's own jury network
The integration model is designed for speed. Platforms with existing Web2 infrastructure can embed NovaCont's payment layer without rebuilding their entire stack. The goal is mainnet-ready integration within 24 hours for platforms that are technically prepared.
#### The Plug-and-Play Resolver Model
One of the most powerful features of NovaCont Protocol is that integrating platforms retain full control over how disputes are resolved on their platform.
**Three resolver options will be available:**
**Platform Admin Resolution** The integrating platform's own team handles disputes through NovaCont's administered mode interface. Suitable for platforms that want to maintain full control over their user relationships and dispute outcomes.
**Private Arbitration Panel** The platform designates a custom arbitration body (a legal team, an industry association, or any trusted third party) as the resolver for disputes on their platform. NovaCont executes their decisions on-chain.
**NovaCont Jury Network** The platform routes disputes directly to NovaJury's decentralized juror pool. Verdicts are determined by independent, economically incentivized jurors with no affiliation to either the platform or the disputing parties.
Platforms can switch between resolver modes or offer their users a choice. The Payment Core remains unchanged regardless of which resolver is selected.
#### The Gateway Model - How Revenue Flows
NovaCont Protocol operates on a **Gateway Model** a on-chain licensing structure where integrating platforms pay a small infrastructure fee on every successful transaction processed through the NovaCont Payment Core.
**How it works:**
* Each integrating platform sets its own commission rate for its users
* On every successful settlement, a small percentage of the collected commission flows automatically to the NovaCont protocol owner's wallet as an infrastructure usage fee
* This flow is enforced by the smart contract. It requires no invoicing, no payment processing, and no trust between the platform and the protocol
This model transforms NovaCont from a consumer-facing application into a **global financial infrastructure layer**. one that generates protocol revenue from every marketplace, platform, and application built on top of it, passively and automatically, at scale.
#### Who Is NovaCont Protocol For?
NovaCont Protocol is designed for any platform where trust between two transacting parties is a bottleneck:
* **Freelance and service marketplaces**: where clients and providers need payment protection without relying on platform escrow
* **Digital goods platforms:** where delivery verification and conditional payment release add value
* **B2B transaction platforms**:where high-value agreements require transparent, auditable payment infrastructure
* **Emerging market applications**: where access to traditional financial trust infrastructure is limited or expensive
Any platform processing peer-to-peer transactions where one party must trust the other before funds change hands is a candidate for NovaCont Protocol integration.
### Phase 4 - Ecosystem Expansion
Phase 4 looks beyond the protocol itself toward the broader ecosystem that grows around it.
**Protocol Governance** As the juror pool and integrating platform network reach sufficient scale, governance of the protocol's core parameters (fee structures, resolver standards, juror requirements) transitions toward a more decentralized model where long-term stakeholders have a voice in protocol direction.
**Cross-Chain Deployment** NovaCont Protocol expands beyond the Base network in two directions. On the EVM side, the protocol can be deployed on additional compatible chains as user demand grows. On a separate track, **NovaCont Lite** is planned for the **TON blockchain** a lightweight escrow contract accessible natively within the Telegram ecosystem through a mini app and bot integration. NovaCont Lite is intentionally minimal: no jury, no admin settlement, native TON payments. It is designed for fast, small-scale trust-based transactions, with users directed to the full Base deployment for agreements requiring dispute resolution.
**Juror Network Growth** The NovaJury pool grows into a recognized, professional arbitration network. Jurors build verifiable track records on-chain. Platforms integrating NovaCont Protocol can select juror pools with specific expertise categories relevant to their industry technical disputes handled by technically experienced jurors, creative disputes by creatively experienced ones.
**Enterprise Integration Program** A structured program for larger platforms and enterprises seeking to integrate NovaCont Protocol with dedicated technical support, custom resolver configurations, and SLA-backed integration assistance.
### A Note on Timelines
This roadmap reflects the current vision and direction of NovaCont and NOVA. Specific timelines are intentionally omitted — blockchain infrastructure development does not conform to fixed schedules, and publishing dates we cannot confidently commit to would be misleading.
What we can commit to is transparency. Every significant milestone — audit completion, jury activation, protocol launch, governance changes — will be announced publicly and documented in full before it takes effect. This documentation will be updated to reflect the current state of the protocol at every stage.