ARX

What ARX does

Arx Research, Inc. is a US-based (Middletown) secure-chip manufacturer founded in 2022 that builds hardware-rooted cryptographic infrastructure for connecting physical objects to blockchain-based digital assets. Its core products are the HaLo and SiLo chip lines — NFC chips that self-generate non-extractable secp256k1 ECDSA keypairs at manufacture, supporting EIP-191 and EIP-712 signatures for on-chain authentication, ERC-721-style physically backed tokens (PBTs), and multisig or wallet signer use cases. The company layers an open-source developer stack (LibHaLo, libBurner) and the Ethereum Reality Service (ERS) protocol — a smart-contract layer for decentralized chip provenance and resolution — on top of the chips, and has extended into consumer hardware via the Burner wallet and, in November 2025, the Burner Terminal, a handheld POS device accepting both card and stablecoin payments targeted at small merchants in early 2026.

The company's primary customers are web3-native brands, DAOs, NFT projects, and creators — most prominently KONG Land, for which Arx serves as the primary manufacturing hub and supplies chips to an ecosystem of web3 projects including Azuki, Metafactory, Rags, Poolsuite, OCR, CabinDAO, and KONG Cash. Revenue mechanics are anchored in hardware sales: HaLo chips are sold directly to consumers and developers through store.arx.org (2-pack at $49, with 10-pack and custom form factors available), with bespoke volume pricing handled via a direct sales motion ([email protected]). The November 2025 $6.1M seed round, led by Castle Island Ventures with participation from 1kx, Inflection Point Ventures, Placeholder, and Seed Club Ventures, is the company's first institutional capital and is earmarked to commercialize the Burner Terminal. Arx employs 1–10 people, has not disclosed revenue, and operates as a private, venture-backed independent entity with no parent company identified.

Name

ARX

Legal name

ARX Research, Inc.

Website

https://arx.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Arx Research manufactures secure NFC chips (HaLo/SiLo) with non-extractable cryptographic keys that link physical objects to on-chain assets, serving web3 brands, DAOs, and creators while expanding into crypto-accepting POS hardware.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secure Cryptographic Hardware Chips

NAICS

Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (3344), Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing (334413), Bare Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing (334412)

SIC

Printed Circuit Boards (3672)

akta.pro primary industry

Security & Trusted Hardware ICs (Secure Element/TPM/Crypto) (HDAHABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Secure Elements & Trusted Execution Processors (TPM/TEE/Crypto MCUs) (HDAHAJAK), Confidential Computing & Hardware-backed Protection (TEE/HSM) (HDADAFAJ), Crypto Custody & Exchange Wallet Services (Integrated) (FSADAAAG)

Keywords

• Secure NFC chips
• Hardware crypto wallets
• Physical NFT chips
• Blockchain authentication chips
• Crypto payment terminals

Headquarters

HQ city

Middletown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - HaLo Chips: Direct sales of HaLo secure NFC chips in various form factors (round tags, CR80 cards, rectangular tags, wristbands). Sold in packs of 2 or 10 units through the Arx store. Volume pricing available for larger orders.
2. Hardware Sales - Burner Terminal: Handheld POS device supporting both traditional card payments and stablecoin/cryptocurrency transactions. Planned for commercial release in early 2026, targeting small businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ARX Research manufactures secure NFC chips (HaLo and SiLo) with non-extractable secp256k1 ECDSA keypairs that authenticate physical items on-chain and enable Physically Backed Tokens (PBTs) for linking physical goods to digital assets. The company also offers the Burner hardware wallet, the ERS (Ethereum Reality Service) open smart contract protocol for decentralized chip resolution, and is developing the Burner Terminal, a handheld POS device that accepts both traditional card payments and stablecoin transactions.

Product overview

ARX Research offers a portfolio of secure chip products and protocols for transforming physical items into digital assets. The core offering consists of HaLo chips (Hardware Locked Smart Contracts) - NFC chips with non-extractable secp256k1 cryptographic keypairs that enable physical-digital asset linking for fashion, collectibles, and art. Built on HaLo technology, the Burner hardware wallet provides token storage and message signing via BurnerOS. The Ethereum Reality Service (ERS) protocol layer enables decentralized chip authentication and attestation. The recently launched Burner Terminal extends the portfolio into POS payments accepting both traditional cards and stablecoins. HaLo chip sample packs are sold through the Arx store for developers and creators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HaLo: Hardware Locked Smart Contracts — a line of secure NFC chips that self-generate non-extractable secp256k1 ECDSA keypairs, enabling on-chain authentication and physical asset tokenization. Available in multiple form factors including round tags, CR80 cards, rectangular tags, and wrist bracelets.
• Burner
• ERS (Ethereum Reality Service)

Products and services

• HaLo Chips Secure NFC chips with non-extractable secp256k1 ECDSA cryptographic keypairs that authenticate physical items on-chain. Chips self-generate keypairs at manufacture and sign EIP-191 and EIP-712 messages for on-chain/off-chain authentication, asset transfer, and whitelist management. Available in round tags, CR80 cards, rectangular tags, and wristbands. Sold direct to creators and in volume to brands.
• Burner Hardware Wallet Full hardware wallet built on HaLo technology that can store tokens and sign messages. Accessed via the BurnerOS browser web app which leverages libHaLo and libBurner libraries for wallet functionality including EIP-712 and EIP-191 signature support.
• ERS (Ethereum Reality Service) Open set of smart contracts enabling decentralized authentication, claims, and redirection for secure chips. Tracks chip provenance from manufacturer enrollment through brand distribution to end-user authentication and allows brands to attach unique experiences accessible in a decentralized manner. Currently permissioned and in alpha.
• Burner Terminal Handheld point-of-sale device capable of accepting both traditional card payments and stablecoin or cryptocurrency transactions. Designed for small businesses, enabling mobile payments via WiFi and LTE for direct crypto transactions without intermediaries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10+ years chip longevity
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• KONG LandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArx Research serves as the primary manufacturing hub for KONG Land, supplying secure chips to many DAOs and web3 projects within the KONG ecosystem. KONG Land is described as an experimental cryptostate bridging the physical world to the digital metaverse.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Block (formerly Square): Block ships the Square/Block reader POS hardware and Bitcoin/crypto initiatives. It is comparable to ARX's Burner Terminal ambitions in small-merchant hardware payments, though at vastly larger scale.
• Ledger: Ledger is the dominant consumer hardware crypto wallet maker (Ledger Nano/Stax). It overlaps with ARX's Burner wallet product line and shares the goal of securing private keys in hardware, though Ledger is far broader (full wallet stack, exchange integrations) versus ARX's chip-primitive focus.
• Infineon Technologies: Infineon produces the secure elements and TPMs found in many hardware wallets and government IDs. It is a relevant semiconductor incumbent against which ARX's secp256k1-native keypair offering must differentiate.
• NXP Semiconductors: NXP is a leading supplier of secure element ICs and NFC chips used in payment cards, passports, and crypto hardware wallets. It is the incumbent chip-level competitor to ARX's in-house HaLo secure-element design.
• Yubico (YubiKey): Yubico makes hardware-backed authentication keys used as second-factor and signing devices. Its use of secure elements for non-extractable keys parallels HaLo's core security architecture.
• Trezor: Trezor (by SatoshiLabs) is one of the original hardware crypto wallet brands. It competes for the same hardware-wallet customer ARX targets with Burner and shares a security-first, self-custody positioning.

Direct peers

• Tangem: Tangem makes NFC-based hardware wallets in card form factors — the closest direct analog to ARX's HaLo CR80 cards and round tags with embedded secure elements. Both target tap-to-sign consumer and enterprise use cases.
• CoolBitX / CoolWallet:

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/arxresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ARX