Systems and methods for updating a distributed ledger based on partial validations of transactions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11023968-B2
Application number	US-201514639895-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2015
Priority date	Mar 5, 2015
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

The systems and methods described herein relate to processing financial transactions using a computer network that stores a distributed ledger, and particularly, to updating the distributed ledger based on data messages received from validation servers that each store a portion of the ledger corresponding to a respective asset. The systems and methods described herein employ the distributed ledger to control visibility of transactions to the general marketplace, but still provide swift and assured completion of transactions and visibility and audit capability for regulators.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a ledger administration server, a request to modify an account selected from a plurality of accounts stored in a data table, wherein the selected account is associated with a first asset corresponding to a first currency or a first bond and a second asset corresponding to a second currency or a second bond;
determining, at the ledger administration server, a know-your-customer (KYC) status of the selected account by receiving from a KYC validation server a verification of bank account information associated with the selected account;
determining, at the ledger administration server, an identity of first and second asset validation servers based on the received request and the first and second assets, wherein the first asset validation server is configured to validate the request in substantially real-time for the first asset and the second asset validation server is configured to validate the request in substantially real-time for the second asset, wherein the first asset validation server comprises at least one computing device that corresponds to a first issuing authority of the first currency or the first bond and the second asset validation server comprises at least one computing device that corresponds to a second issuing authority of the second currency or the second bond, wherein each issuing authority of each currency or each bond is a proxy for a central bank that issues the currency or a bond issuer that issues the bond;
encrypting, at the ledger administration server, first data of the first asset and second data of the second asset differently in the data table, such that a first decryption process used by the first asset validation server to access the first data of the first asset cannot be used to access the second data of the second asset and a second decryption process used by the second asset validation server to access the second data of the second asset cannot be used to access the first data of the first asset;
modifying, at the ledger administration server, the data table in substantially real-time in response to the first and second asset validation servers validating the request, wherein the first asset validation server is configured to store a first redundant copy of the data table and the second asset validation server is configured to store a second redundant copy of the data table; and
sending, by the ledger administration server, at least one modified portion of the data table to the first and second asset validation servers, wherein each asset validation server is configured to update the corresponding redundant copy of the data table with the at least one modified portion of the data table, wherein the at least one modified portion of the data table sent to the first and second asset validation servers comprises the differently encrypted first data of the first asset and second data of the second asset.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data table is modified to process a payment transaction or a deposit transaction.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the data table is modified to process a foreign exchange transaction;
the first asset corresponds to a first currency and the second asset corresponds to a second currency; and
the first issuing authority is an issuing authority of the first currency, and the second issuing authority is an issuing authority of the second currency.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein each asset validation server is configured to determine whether to validate the request based on:
retrieving a published balance from the data table for the selected account and the corresponding asset;
computing an available balance by reducing the published balance by shadow balances associated with pending and reserved payments;
approving the request when the available balance is greater than or equal to a transaction amount of the request; and
rejecting the request when the available balance is less than the transaction amount of the request.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein each asset validation server is configured to store the shadow balances associated with pending and reserved payments and the corresponding redundant copy of the data table.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein each asset validation server is configured to determine whether to validate the request based on:
verifying whether a party associated with the selected account is authorized to perform the request.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein each redundant copy of the data table is encrypted to prevent the corresponding asset validation server from accessing data for an asset different from the corresponding asset.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first asset validation server is restricted from accessing second portions of the data table that include account balances of the second asset, and
the second asset validation server is restricted from accessing first portions of the data table that include account balances of the first asset.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
before receiving the request to modify the account, receiving one or more authentication requests from one or more clients that are parties to the modification of the account.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the first asset validation server and the second asset validation server is associated with a different encryption key for verification of data messages received from the first asset validation server or the second asset validation server.

11. A system comprising:
a memory configured to store a data table having a plurality of accounts; and
at least one processor configured to:
receive a request to modify an account selected from the plurality of accounts, wherein the selected account is associated with a first asset corresponding to a first currency or a first bond and a second asset corresponding to a second currency or a second bond;
determine a know-your-customer (KYC) status of the selected account by receiving from a KYC validation server a verification of bank account information associated with the selected account;
determine an identity of first and second asset validation servers based on the received request and the first and second assets, wherein the first asset validation server is configured to validate the request in substantially real-time for the first asset and the second asset validation server is configured to validate the request in substantially real-time for the second asset, wherein the first asset validation server comprises at least one computing device that corresponds to a first issuing authority of the first currency or the first bond and the second asset validation server comprises at least one computing device that corresponds to a second issuing authority of the second currency or the second bond, wherein each issuing authority of each currency or each bond is a proxy for a central bank that issues the currency or a bond issuer that issues the bond;
encrypt first data of the first asset and second data of the second asset differently in the data table, such that a first decryption process used by the first asset validation server to access the first data of the first asset cannot be used to access the second data of the second asset and a second decryption process used by the second asset validation server to access the second data of the second asset cannot be used to access the first data of the first asset;
modify the data table in substantially real-time in response to the first and second asset validation servers validating the request, wherein the first asset validation server is configured to store a first redundant copy of the data table and the second asset val

Assignees

• Goldman Sachs & Co
• Goldman Sachs & Co Llc

Inventors

• Arnold Matthew Timothy
• Naeem Zartasha

Classifications

• G06Q20/401

  Transaction verification · CPC title

• H04L9/50

  using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees · CPC title

• G06Q40/128

  Check-book balancing, updating or printing arrangements · CPC title

• G06Q20/023

  the neutral party being a clearing house · CPC title

• G06Q40/04 Primary

  Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange · CPC title