Kima & Aeredium: Settlement and Token Conversion

Short answer

Kima Network built TSS-based bridgeless cross-chain settlement: value movement between blockchains and payment systems without wrapped tokens, without smart contracts on the sending chain, and without a centralized operator. That technology is being migrated into Aeredium; the June 25 AMA clarified that AERLink is still R&D/reprogramming work rather than finished production infrastructure.

White paper v3.7 (May 2026) describes the intended architecture as a full merger: Kima cross-chain settlement intended to run as Trust Contracts under AERKey threshold signing. The June 25 AMA updated the implementation status: AERLink is being reprogrammed from Cosmos into Aeredium and may take more engineering time. The team also upgraded Kima's TSS from GG20 to CGGMP24 and placed it inside Nitro Enclaves, hardware-protected environments where no single operator controls the signing keys.

For KIMA token holders, the practical question is the conversion deadline. Aeredium white paper v3.7 reserves 42,000,000 AERX (4.2% of total supply) for KIMA holders to swap at 5:1 through StablePro Wallet. The current transfer page extends the deadline through August 1, 2026. Always use official links from Aeredium, Kima, and StablePro only, never third-party swap sites.

What Kima Network built

Kima Network's original thesis was straightforward and still relevant: blockchains, banks, payment rails, and DeFi protocols are separate islands. Moving value between them is either slow, expensive, risky (wrapped tokens can be compromised), or locked behind a centralized custodian.

Kima's solution was to act as a settlement layer, a protocol that coordinates value movement using Threshold Signature Schemes and Trusted Execution Environments rather than smart contract wrappers or bridge operators. TSS means no single party holds the full signing key. TEE means the signing activity happens inside hardware-isolated environments with attestation proofs.

That combination, TSS for decentralized key management and TEE for hardware-isolated execution, is directly relevant to Aeredium's architecture. Aeredium runs validators inside AWS Nitro Enclaves, Azure SEV-SNP, and GCP Confidential Space. Kima's settlement tech isn't foreign to that environment; it's native to it.

Full merger, not a partnership

Most cross-chain "integrations" are just partnerships: one project calls another project's API. White paper v3.7 uses stronger language: this is a full merger. It describes Kima cross-chain settlement as intended to run as Trust Contracts under AERKey threshold signing inside Aeredium's execution layer. The June 25 AMA adds the status caveat: AERLink is currently being reprogrammed from Cosmos into Aeredium, so this should be described as migration work until a production deployment is confirmed. The July 9 AMA said "all of the Kima system" was being brought onto Aeredium and that Kima-derived interoperability transactions using the threshold-signature process go on-chain. This clarifies the intended execution boundary: settlement transactions on Aeredium are on-chain and use AERX gas, unlike AER Police policy checks and audit traces, which can remain off-chain. It confirms migration direction, not completed deployment.

The AMA framing reinforced this. Aeredium is not a replacement for Kima's thesis but the infrastructure platform that thesis always needed. The original Kima vision (TradFi/DeFi interoperability, settlement without counterparty risk, hardware-attested execution) found its natural home in Aeredium's multi-cloud TEE architecture.

The 10 confirmed networks named in Aeredium materials: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Tron, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Polygon, BNB Chain, and Avalanche. Public pages should still distinguish intended Aeredium integration from currently observable production routes.

The technical upgrade: TSS inside Nitro Enclave

The AMA gave a specific technical detail worth noting. The team described taking the TSS technology from Kima and placing it inside AWS Nitro Enclaves, and upgrading the TSS protocol from GG20 to CGGMP24. This matters for anyone evaluating Aeredium's security model.

These details come from the AMA and align with the white paper architecture. For full security assurance, an independent audit of the TSS implementation inside the enclave environment would be required. That audit has not been publicly announced yet. Albert also said on July 9 that Aeredium had filed a patent the previous week for a smart-contract design intended to prevent six major bridge-attack patterns and that deployment was underway. No public application, technical specification, audit, or production evidence was identified, so this is an AMA claim rather than verified proof that bridge attacks are eliminated.

The KIMA-to-AERX conversion

Most time-sensitive section for KIMA holders. What follows is what the official Aeredium tokenomics page states, combined with AMA context. This is an explanation of the official claim, not step-by-step swap instructions. Always follow official links from Aeredium and Kima for the actual execution.

Decubate staking update for KIMA holders

The July 2 AMA added an operational update for KIMA stakers. Eitan said the KIMA staking program used Decubate and one third-party smart contract. The intended resolution is to release staked tokens plus promised rewards to the wallet that originally staked them, as if the staking period had elapsed, so holders can then use the KIMA-to-AERX conversion route.

Timing was described as likely days, but not fully under Kima's control because it depends on coordination with Decubate. Public pages should treat this as an AMA claim, not as a completed release, until official written instructions or portal changes confirm it.

Vesting schedule for converted AERX

AERX received through the KIMA conversion is not immediately liquid. The tokenomics document says converted AERX follows founder-style vesting: a 12-month cliff followed by 36-month linear vesting, with full vesting at month 48 from TGE.

The AMA said users will see a vesting schedule, next unlock dates, and claim mechanics on a dashboard inside StablePro Wallet. KIMA tokens are locked permanently on deposit with no reversal. Early exit returns your principal only if you choose not to participate in vesting, but accrued AERX rewards would be forfeited in that scenario.

What happens to the Kima identity

A real concern for Kima community members is whether they're being asked to accept a token swap in exchange for project abandonment. The AMA addressed this head-on.

The team said the Kima identity stays alive. The Kima layer will keep being called the Kima layer inside Aeredium. Kima is embedded in the tokenomics, wallet, genesis allocation, and the full ecosystem evolution, not archived or footnoted. The transition is positioned as strategic continuity, not an exit.

The reasoning from the AMA: the broader market shifted toward stablecoins, institutional settlement, compliance infrastructure, and hardware-attested execution, exactly where Aeredium is positioned. Moving the cross-chain settlement technology into Aeredium's TEE-attested infrastructure gave Kima's core capabilities a stronger foundation than a standalone chain could provide.

Whether that holds up depends on how Aeredium executes. What's confirmed right now: white paper v3.7 describes the intended full-merger architecture, tokenomics reserve a dedicated 42M AERX allocation for KIMA holders, the June 25 AMA says AERLink migration work is still underway, and the team has publicly committed to keeping the Kima layer identity alive. That's a more substantive commitment than most project transitions offer.

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