# FAQ – Stove Protocol ### 🔹 General Overview **Q1: What is Stove Protocol?**\ **A:** Stove Protocol is a **public, non-profit protocol** that brings real-world equities on-chain at a **1:1 ratio** through a secure and transparent mechanism. It serves as **public infrastructure** for tokenized equities, enabling minting, redemption, and ecosystem integration without centralized intermediaries. **Q2: Who operates Stove Protocol?**\ **A:** Stove Protocol is maintained by a **non-profit foundation** supported by its initiators — **HabitTrade** (a licensed Australian brokerage) and **Tritium Labs** (a Web3 infrastructure and R\&D lab). Together, they ensure regulatory compliance, technical security, and open access. **Q3: Is Stove Protocol a company or a DeFi project?**\ **A:** Stove is **not a company**; it is a **public-goods protocol**. The foundation ensures its neutrality and sustainability, while all contracts are open-source and community-verifiable. **Q4: Is Stove Protocol free to use?**\ **A:** Yes. Minting and redeeming are **free of charge**, apart from standard network gas fees. Stove’s mission is to make tokenized stock access open and barrier-free for all. ### 🔹 Tokenized Stocks & Mint/Redeem **Q5: What is a StockToken?**\ **A:** A StockToken (e.g., `sAAPL`, `sTSLA`) is an **ERC-20 token with 0 decimals**, representing **one whole share** of a listed stock. Each token is fully backed 1:1 by real shares held by a licensed custodian. **Q6: How does minting work?**\ **A:** Users create a **Request-for-Quote (RFQ)** order signed with EIP-712.\ Authorized takers then execute the order on-chain — minting StockTokens directly to the user’s address once verified. **Q7: How does redemption work?**\ **A:** When users redeem, the taker executes an opposite RFQ order. The corresponding StockTokens are burned, and the underlying shares are sold off-chain. Users receive the settlement proceeds in stablecoins. **Q8: Are these tokens synthetic or backed?**\ **A:** All Stove StockTokens are **fully backed** by real shares — not synthetics, not mirrored derivatives. The protocol uses a verifiable custody model with audit transparency. ### 🔹 Architecture & Security **Q9: What makes Stove Protocol secure?**\ **A:** * **Audited smart contracts** * **EIP-712 signatures** for tamper-proof off-chain orders * **Timelock protection** for governance actions * **Multisig wallets** for critical operations * **Vault isolation** for secure fund custody * **Public-source code transparency** **Q10: Can contracts be upgraded?**\ **A:** Yes — Stove uses the **UUPS upgrade pattern**, allowing contract improvements while preserving all user balances and historical data. Every upgrade passes through **timelock delays** for public review. **Q11: What happens if a stock is delisted or merged?**\ **A:** Stove’s **Corporate Actions System** automatically processes these events: * **Delisting** → Tokens are retired and compensation distributed via Vault. * **Stock Split/Reverse Split** → Balances are adjusted automatically. * **Dividend** → Distributed proportionally to token holders. **Q12: Are user assets ever at risk?**\ **A:** Assets are isolated per token and protected by custody and vault layers. However, as with all DeFi systems, risks such as smart contract vulnerabilities and market volatility may exist. ### 🔹 Ecosystem & Governance **Q13: How can developers build on Stove Protocol?**\ **A:** Developers can integrate via the open **RFQ Settlement API** and smart contract interfaces. All documentation and SDKs are available in the Developer Docs. **Q14: Can other platforms use Stove’s infrastructure?**\ **A:** Yes. Any DeFi, CeFi, or RWA platform can integrate Stove’s aggregation or stock token standard to provide tokenized equity access or use Stove’s verified tickers for price feeds. **Q15: How can institutions collaborate?**\ **A:** Institutions (custodians, brokers, exchanges, DeFi protocols) can partner through the **Issuer Integration Program**, which allows direct stock issuance and aggregation through Stove’s network. ### 🔹 Legal, Compliance & Miscellaneous **Q16: Is Stove Protocol compliant with financial regulations?**\ **A:** Stove partners with **licensed custodians and brokers** (like HabitTrade) to ensure all off-chain equity holdings comply with local securities laws.\ Users are still responsible for complying with their own jurisdictions’ regulations. **Q17: Is there a native token?**\ **A:** Stove Protocol currently has **no native token**. All interactions are performed with existing stablecoins or through partner integrations. Any future governance token will be publicly announced by the foundation. **Q18: Can I verify the backing of StockTokens?**\ **A:** Yes. Custodian proofs and corporate action reports will be made publicly auditable through on-chain references and official statements published by the Stove Foundation. **Q19: How can I contact the team or report issues?**\ **A:**\ 📧 **Email:** \ 🐦 **Twitter/X:** [@StoveProtocol](https://x.com/StoveProtocol)\ 💬 **Telegram:** [stove\_protocol](https://t.me/stove_protocol) --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.stove.finance/resource/faq-stove-protocol.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. 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