# Why Canton *** ### Three properties that matter #### Privacy by default On Canton, transaction details are visible only to the authorised parties of each contract — not broadcast to all network participants. For a compliant financial product with KYC-gated access, this is non-negotiable. Subscription amounts, portfolio positions, and trading activity are not publicly visible on-chain. #### Sub-second finality Canton provides deterministic transaction settlement with sub-second finality. There are no probabilistic confirmation delays, no reorg risks, and no uncertainty about whether a transaction has settled. When a DFMREIT subscription confirms, it is final. #### DAML smart contract execution DAML is a purpose-built smart contract language designed for financial agreements. Unlike general-purpose bytecode languages, DAML has native support for obligations, rights, and complex multi-party workflows. It is the right tool for encoding the precise lifecycle of a financial product. *** ### Why not EVM? EVM chains broadcast all transaction data publicly by default, have probabilistic finality, and use general-purpose smart contract languages not optimised for financial contract semantics. None of these properties are compatible with a compliant, institutional-grade index product. Canton was built specifically for regulated financial markets. Fractit is built on the right foundation for what it is. *** ### Canton in the Fractit context | Property | Benefit for Fractit | | --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Privacy by default | User positions and transaction amounts are not publicly visible | | Sub-second finality | Subscriptions, trades, and redemptions settle immediately and deterministically | | DAML contracts | Every lifecycle event is governed by a formally specified financial contract | | CC as native asset | Fractit products participate directly in Canton-native market activity | | Whitelist enforcement | Transfer restrictions are enforced at the contract layer — not just the UI | --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.fractit.com/canton-network/why-canton.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.