Abstract.Apurelypeer-to-peerversionofelectroniccashwouldallowonlinepaymentstobesentdirectlyfromonepartytoanotherwithoutgoingthroughafinancialinstitution.Digitalsignaturesprovidepartofthesolution,butthemainbenefitsarelostifatrustedthirdpartyisstillrequiredtopreventdouble-spending.We