diff --git a/libraries/chain/database.cpp b/libraries/chain/database.cpp
index 9625ca299d53349ff847fea4e38f8d4a431a36d2..107fa621a332adfabb60de8a63851ed22dfb3747 100644
--- a/libraries/chain/database.cpp
+++ b/libraries/chain/database.cpp
@@ -738,6 +738,7 @@ void database::init_genesis(const genesis_state_type& genesis_state)
       a.name = "sys";
    });
    register_message_type("sys", "Transfer");
+   register_message_type("sys", "CreateAccount");
 
    // Create initial accounts
    for (const auto& acct : genesis_state.initial_accounts) {
diff --git a/libraries/chain/include/eos/chain/account_object.hpp b/libraries/chain/include/eos/chain/account_object.hpp
index cbeb1fafa8875708abc7e96980eb21613daf15e4..55bd9b6a050e04ed00cb67a9b2a76d63d74703d9 100644
--- a/libraries/chain/include/eos/chain/account_object.hpp
+++ b/libraries/chain/include/eos/chain/account_object.hpp
@@ -29,11 +29,28 @@
 
 namespace eos { namespace chain {
 
-   class shared_authority {
+   struct shared_authority {
       shared_authority( chainbase::allocator<char> alloc )
       :accounts(alloc),keys(alloc)
       {}
 
+      shared_authority& operator=(const Authority& a) {
+         threshold = a.threshold;
+         accounts = decltype(accounts)(a.accounts.begin(), a.accounts.end(), accounts.get_allocator());
+         keys = decltype(keys)(a.keys.begin(), a.keys.end(), keys.get_allocator());
+         return *this;
+      }
+      shared_authority& operator=(Authority&& a) {
+         threshold = a.threshold;
+         accounts.reserve(a.accounts.size());
+         for (auto& p : a.accounts)
+            accounts.emplace_back(std::move(p));
+         keys.reserve(a.keys.size());
+         for (auto& p : a.keys)
+            keys.emplace_back(std::move(p));
+         return *this;
+      }
+
       uint32_t                         threshold = 0;
       shared_vector<PermissionLevel>   accounts;
       shared_vector<KeyPermission>     keys;
@@ -41,10 +58,10 @@ namespace eos { namespace chain {
    
    class account_object : public chainbase::object<account_object_type, account_object>
    {
-      OBJECT_CTOR(account_object, (name))
+      OBJECT_CTOR(account_object)
 
       id_type           id;
-      shared_string     name;
+      account_name      name;
       uint64_t          balance                = 0;
       uint64_t          votes                  = 0;
       uint64_t          converting_votes       = 0;
@@ -56,8 +73,7 @@ namespace eos { namespace chain {
       account_object,
       indexed_by<
          ordered_unique<tag<by_id>, member<account_object, account_object::id_type, &account_object::id>>,
-         ordered_unique<tag<by_name>, member<account_object, shared_string, &account_object::name>,
-                        chainbase::strcmp_less>
+         ordered_unique<tag<by_name>, member<account_object, account_name, &account_object::name>>
       >
    >;
 
diff --git a/libraries/chain/include/eos/chain/authority.hpp b/libraries/chain/include/eos/chain/authority.hpp
index b16507fd3b0d96238aa2245b8b1b81d226c3e811..f5defd0239ec2b646f223671690015c5e8692495 100644
--- a/libraries/chain/include/eos/chain/authority.hpp
+++ b/libraries/chain/include/eos/chain/authority.hpp
@@ -19,8 +19,27 @@ namespace eos { namespace chain {
       uint32_t                threshold = 0;
       vector<PermissionLevel> accounts;
       vector<KeyPermission>   keys;
+
+      bool validate() const {
+         if (threshold == 0)
+            return false;
+         uint32_t score = 0;
+         for (const auto& p : accounts)
+            score += p.weight;
+         for (const auto& p : keys)
+            score += p.weight;
+         return score >= threshold;
+      }
+      set<account_name> referenced_accounts() const {
+         set<account_name> results;
+         std::transform(accounts.begin(), accounts.end(), std::inserter(results, results.begin()),
+                        [](const PermissionLevel& p) { return p.account; });
+         return results;
+      }
    };
 
 } }  // eos::chain
 
-FC_REFLECT( eos::chain::Authority, (threshold)(accounts)(keys) )
+FC_REFLECT(eos::chain::PermissionLevel, (account)(level)(weight))
+FC_REFLECT(eos::chain::KeyPermission, (key)(weight))
+FC_REFLECT(eos::chain::Authority, (threshold)(accounts)(keys))
diff --git a/plugins/native_system_contract_plugin/native_system_contract_plugin.cpp b/plugins/native_system_contract_plugin/native_system_contract_plugin.cpp
index d82b8dce5be02614738036da8f4c80045eb29110..1c81af570e1dbf858091cbefa71f5a7fb1f4d950 100644
--- a/plugins/native_system_contract_plugin/native_system_contract_plugin.cpp
+++ b/plugins/native_system_contract_plugin/native_system_contract_plugin.cpp
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ void Transfer_validate_preconditions(chain::precondition_validate_context& conte
    const auto& db = context.db;
    auto transfer = context.msg.as<Transfer>();
    const auto& from = db.get_account(context.msg.sender);
-   EOS_ASSERT(from.balance > transfer.amount, message_precondition_exception, "Insufficient Funds",
+   EOS_ASSERT(from.balance >= transfer.amount, message_precondition_exception, "Insufficient Funds",
               ("from.balance",from.balance)("transfer.amount",transfer.amount));
 }
 void Transfer_apply(chain::apply_context& context) {
@@ -30,6 +30,52 @@ void Transfer_apply(chain::apply_context& context) {
    });
 }
 
+void CreateAccount_validate(chain::message_validate_context& context) {
+   auto create = context.msg.as<CreateAccount>();
+   EOS_ASSERT(create.owner.validate(), message_validate_exception, "Invalid owner authority");
+   EOS_ASSERT(create.active.validate(), message_validate_exception, "Invalid active authority");
+}
+void CreateAccount_validate_preconditions(chain::precondition_validate_context& context) {
+   const auto& db = context.db;
+   auto create = context.msg.as<CreateAccount>();
+
+   auto existing_account = db.find<account_object, by_name>(create.new_account);
+   EOS_ASSERT(existing_account == nullptr, message_precondition_exception,
+              "Cannot create account named ${name}, as that name is already taken",
+              ("name", create.new_account));
+
+   const auto& creator = db.get_account(context.msg.sender);
+   EOS_ASSERT(creator.balance >= create.initial_balance, message_precondition_exception, "Insufficient Funds");
+
+   for (const auto& account : create.owner.referenced_accounts())
+      db.get_account(account);
+   for (const auto& account : create.active.referenced_accounts())
+      db.get_account(account);
+}
+void CreateAccount_apply(chain::apply_context& context) {
+   auto& db = context.mutable_db;
+   auto create = context.msg.as<CreateAccount>();
+   db.modify(db.get_account(context.msg.sender), [&create](account_object& a) {
+      a.balance -= create.initial_balance;
+   });
+   const auto& new_account = db.create<account_object>([&create](account_object& a) {
+      a.name = create.new_account;
+      a.balance = create.initial_balance;
+   });
+   const auto& owner_permission = db.create<permission_object>([&create, &new_account](permission_object& p) {
+      p.name = "owner";
+      p.parent = 0;
+      p.owner = new_account.id;
+      p.auth = std::move(create.owner);
+   });
+   db.create<permission_object>([&create, &owner_permission](permission_object& p) {
+      p.name = "active";
+      p.parent = owner_permission.id;
+      p.owner = owner_permission.owner;
+      p.auth = std::move(create.active);
+   });
+}
+
 class native_system_contract_plugin_impl {
 public:
    native_system_contract_plugin_impl(database& db)
@@ -61,5 +107,6 @@ void native_system_contract_plugin::install(database& db) {
    db.set_apply_handler("sys", "sys", #name, &name ## _apply)
 
    SET_HANDLERS(Transfer);
+   SET_HANDLERS(CreateAccount);
 }
 }