Asset name schema

MASP notes carry balances that are some positive integer amount of an asset type. Per both the MASP specification and the implementation, the asset identifier is an 32-byte Blake2s hash (opens in a new tab) of an arbitrary asset name string, although the full 32-byte space is not used because the identifier must itself hash to an elliptic curve point (currently guaranteed by incrementing a nonce until the hash is a curve point). The final curve point is the asset type proper, used in computations.

The following is a schema for the arbitrary asset name string intended to support various uses - currently fungible tokens and NFTs, but possibly others in future.

The asset name string is built up from a number of segments, joined by a separator. We use / as the separator.

Segments may be one of the following:

• Controlling address segment: a Namada address which controls the asset. For example, this is the fungible token address for a fungible token. This segment must be present, and must be first; it should in theory be an error to transparently transact in assets of this type without invoking the controlling address's VP. This should be achieved automatically by all transparent changes involving storage keys under the controlling address.

• Epoch segment: An integer greater than zero, representing an epoch associated with an asset type. Mainly for use by the incentive circuit. This segment must be second if present. (should it be required? could be 0 if the asset is unepoched) (should it be first so we can exactly reuse storage keys?) This must be less than or equal to the current epoch.

• Address segment: An ancillary address somehow associated with the asset. This address probably should have its VP invoked, and is probably in the transparent balance storage key.

• ID segment: A nonnegative (?) integer identifying something, i.e., a NFT id. (should probably not be a u64 exactly - for instance, I think ERC721 NFTs are u256)

• Text segment: A piece of text, normatively but not necessarily short (50 characters or less), identifying something. For compatibility with non-numeric storage keys used in transparent assets generally; an example might be a ticker symbol for a specific sub-asset. The valid character set is the same as for storage keys.

For example, suppose there is a virtual stock certificate asset, incentivized (somehow), at transparent address addr123, which uses storage keys like addr123/[owner address]/[ticker symbol]/[id]. The asset name segments would be:

• Controlling address: just addr123
• Epoch: the epoch when the note was created
• Owner address: an address segment
• Ticker symbol: a text segment
• ID: an ID segment

This could be serialized to, e.g., addr123/addr456/tSPY/i12345.