Tessera TSR

Tessera (TSR) is an open-source Layer 1 cryptocurrency whose mainnet launched on August 12, 2026. The project retains much of Bitcoin Core’s UTXO, Script, peer-to-peer networking and full-node architecture while replacing elliptic-curve cryptography with post-quantum alternatives.

Transaction authorization uses ML-DSA-44, the lattice-based digital signature scheme standardized under NIST FIPS 204. Tessera removes libsecp256k1 from its codebase entirely, meaning standard elliptic-curve signatures are not used for spending funds. Its version-2 peer-to-peer transport also replaces elliptic-curve key exchange with ML-KEM-768, standardized under FIPS 203.

The network is secured through Proof of Work using SHA3-256d. SHA3-256 is also used for transaction IDs, block hashes and Merkle-tree hashing. Tessera keeps Bitcoin-style ten-minute block targets, a 2,016-block difficulty adjustment period and a 210,000-block subsidy halving schedule.

TSR is the network’s native cryptocurrency. Mining began with a 50 TSR block subsidy and no premine, ICO, developer fund or masternode allocation. The genesis block reward was made provably unspendable, while the monetary rules retain Bitcoin’s 21 million coin ceiling.

Tessera ships with a full node, command-line client, desktop wallet and multi-threaded CPU miner. Mainnet began at difficulty 1 so ordinary CPUs could participate during the network’s earliest stage, although the protocol does not prevent GPU or other optimized mining implementations.

Post-quantum security introduces trade-offs. ML-DSA-44 signatures are substantially larger than Bitcoin-style ECDSA signatures, increasing transaction size and potential blockchain growth. The project also remains very young, has a small network history and has not established the security track record of older Proof-of-Work networks.