Nunchuk: Open-Source Mobile Multi-Sig Wallet Securing Over $1 Billion Bitcoin

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Nunchuk Inc. offers an open-source, multi-signature mobile wallet designed for advanced Bitcoin security, self-custody, and inheritance management. Launched in 2020, the app provides users with a comprehensive toolkit to create highly secure Bitcoin wallets, a feature rarely found in mobile apps offering multi-signature functionality. Unlike typical wallets that require a single private key to authorize Bitcoin transactions, multi-signature wallets mandate two or more keys to prevent fund transfers without multiple approvals, leveraging the full strength of the Bitcoin network and offering a robust asset protection method.

Specifically developed to safeguard autonomous custody, Nunchuk played a notable role during the 2022 Canadian Freedom Convoy protests by facilitating the collection of over one million dollars in Bitcoin donations through a multi-signature wallet to fund protest activities. Although Canadian authorities attempted legal action to block these funds, Nunchuk, as a self-custodial, non-custodial wallet, lacks the capability to identify users or freeze assets. According to founder Hugo Nguyen, the volume of donations during the protests necessitated wallet updates to streamline fund transfers, an experience that strengthened the Nunchuk team despite legal pressures and helped establish its reputation within the Bitcoin industry.

Built on the cutting-edge Bitcoin scripting language “Miniscript,” Nunchuk enables the creation of complex, secure smart contracts. The wallet supports various hardware devices and allows users to customize multi-signature configurations, including specialized features for inheritance planning. This enables users not only to protect their Bitcoin holdings but also to securely transfer them as part of estate management. While the wallet’s complex security settings can be prone to errors, standardized templates and inheritance features make it accessible even to less experienced users. As a fully open-source and reliable solution, Nunchuk now secures over one billion dollars in Bitcoin, underscoring its utility and trustworthiness in the field of Bitcoin security.

Source: bitcoinmagazine