TRP (Travel Rule Protocol)

TRP (Travel Rule Protocol) is an open Open-API specification describing how VASPs (crypto exchanges, custodial wallets, OTC desks) exchange Travel Rule messages over HTTPS. Unlike IVMS-101, which defines only the data format, TRP standardises the transport: endpoints, headers, authentication, error semantics. It is a “format plus protocol” pair, analogous to the split between JSON and HTTP in ordinary APIs.

History

TRP was launched in 2020 by a consortium of major exchanges and custodians including Standard Chartered (Zodia Custody), ING, Fidelity Digital Assets, BitGo and Coinbase Custody. The aim was an open, lightweight alternative to proprietary Travel-Rule networks. The specification is published on GitHub and evolves through the TRP Working Group.

How it works

• Transport: REST/HTTPS, TLS 1.2+ mandatory.
• Authentication: mTLS (mutual TLS certificate) plus JWT tokens at the request level.
• Payload: IVMS-101 JSON.
• Endpoints: a transfer-inquiry → transfer-confirmation flow to negotiate, then both sides confirm readiness for the on-chain transaction.
• Failure handling: standardised codes (beneficiary unknown, sanctions hit, KYC insufficient, etc.).

The idea is that VASP A makes an HTTPS request to VASP B’s endpoint with an IVMS payload; B replies “accepted” or “rejected” with a reason. Once accepted, A submits the on-chain transaction.

TRP vs alternatives

• TRP — open standard, peer-to-peer without an intermediary.
• Notabene, Sumsub Travel Rule, Sygna Bridge — commercial services using IVMS-101 as payload but with proprietary transports routed through their own networks.
• TRISA — open-source alternative, gRPC-based with its own X.509 PKI.
• Sygna Bridge — one of the early commercial standards, gradually losing share.

By 2026 the Travel-Rule provider market remains fragmented: no protocol covers all VASPs, and the largest providers increasingly maintain bridges to several standards at once so they can reach any counterparty.

Relevance to the TON ecosystem

TRP adoption among TON-aware VASPs is partial as of 2026. The dominant integrations for TON are done by Sumsub and Notabene; a pure TRP-only stack from a TON-oriented provider is not publicly documented yet. In practice, exchanges with TON pairs that need MiCA / TFR compliance in the EU connect through a commercial provider, with TRP supported as one of several available channels.

Practical significance

• A user never sees the TRP protocol directly — it lives between VASPs.
• A technically minded user can check an exchange’s documentation to see which Travel Rule provider it uses; some publish this openly.
• This is not legal advice; whether TRP or another protocol is required depends on the jurisdiction and the internal compliance policy of the specific VASP.