Frameworks

How Analysis Is Done Here

Frameworks are not opinions.
They are repeatable analytical lenses used to interpret systems consistently across time, assets, and market regimes.

At Blockchain University, frameworks exist to:

• reduce narrative bias
• prevent reactive interpretation
• separate structure from outcome
• make assumptions explicit

Every market note, research piece, and structural essay published here applies one or more of these frameworks.

If you understand these frameworks, you understand how analysis is done on this site.

Core Analytical Frameworks

The frameworks below are intentionally simple.
They describe constraints, not predictions.

They are designed to hold under stress.

Custody ≠ Ownership

What it addresses
The difference between legal ownership, economic exposure, and operational control.

Used to analyze

• exchanges and custodians
• ETFs and fund structures
• wallets and intermediaries
• asset access during market stress

Core principle
Owning an asset in name does not guarantee control when conditions change.

Failures attributed to “technology” are often custody failures in disguise.

Liquidity ≠ Solvency

What it addresses
The distinction between short-term funding ability and long-term system health.

Used to analyze

• banks and funds
• leveraged portfolios
• stablecoins
• protocols and clearing systems

Core principle
Systems fail from liquidity constraints long before insolvency becomes visible.

Price often reacts last.

Incentives → Outcomes

What it addresses
Why behavior follows structure, not intention.

Used to analyze

• protocol design
• market behavior
• regulation and compliance
• risk transfer mechanisms

Core principle
Outcomes are the mechanical result of incentives embedded in a system.

Moral narratives do not override incentive structures.

Where Control Lives

What it addresses
Who can act, restrict, override, or halt activity under stress.

Used to analyze

• governance systems
• settlement layers
• intermediaries and administrators
• emergency controls and backstops

Core principle
Control is often invisible during normal conditions and decisive during stress.

Settlement Speed vs Settlement Finality

What it addresses
The difference between perceived speed and actual completion of economic transfer.

Used to analyze

• blockchains
• payment rails
• clearing and settlement systems
• cross-border transactions

Core principle
Speed without finality transfers risk rather than removing it.

Memory & Survivability

What it addresses
Whether systems preserve decision context across cycles.

Used to analyze

• portfolios and treasury systems
• institutions and family offices
• protocol design
• long-term capital allocation

Core principle
Systems without memory repeat failure, regardless of intelligence or intent.

Survivability compounds more reliably than returns.

How Frameworks Are Applied

Most analysis applies multiple frameworks simultaneously.

Examples:

• Market volatility is examined through liquidity, incentives, and control
• Custodial risk is examined through ownership, settlement, and memory
• Regulatory change is examined through incentives and control surfaces

No single framework explains reality on its own.
Together, they reduce blind spots.

How to Read Using Frameworks

If you are new:

• Start with the Beginner Learning Path
• Then return here as you read market notes and research

If you are experienced:

• Identify which framework is being applied
• Ask what assumptions it relies on
• Ask what would invalidate the conclusion

This is how analysis stays disciplined over time.

What This Section Is Not

This section is not:

• a prediction engine
• a trading strategy
• a narrative library

Frameworks do not tell you what will happen.
They help clarify what cannot happen without structural change.

That distinction matters.

How This Section Will Evolve

Frameworks are living tools.

Over time, this section will expand to include:

• applied case studies
• historical failures
• framework comparisons
• revisions as systems evolve

Frameworks gain value when they are tested — not when they are protected.

Suggested Starting Points

• Begin with the Beginner Learning Path
• Read the latest Market Structure Note
• Explore applied research using these frameworks

Understanding compounds.
Narratives decay.