diff --git a/crates/chain/Cargo.toml b/crates/chain/Cargo.toml
index 8b4a3c32..a2f355df 100644
--- a/crates/chain/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/chain/Cargo.toml
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ rand = "0.8"
 proptest = "1.2.0"
 
 [features]
-default = ["std", "miniscript"]
+default = ["std", "miniscript", "persist"]
 std = ["bitcoin/std", "miniscript?/std"]
 serde = ["serde_crate", "bitcoin/serde", "miniscript?/serde"]
+persist = ["miniscript"]
diff --git a/crates/chain/src/lib.rs b/crates/chain/src/lib.rs
index 8204cf0e..976c3d0c 100644
--- a/crates/chain/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/chain/src/lib.rs
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ pub use descriptor_ext::{DescriptorExt, DescriptorId};
 mod spk_iter;
 #[cfg(feature = "miniscript")]
 pub use spk_iter::*;
+#[cfg(feature = "persist")]
+pub mod persist;
 pub mod spk_client;
 
 #[allow(unused_imports)]
diff --git a/crates/chain/src/persist.rs b/crates/chain/src/persist.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d52ebdf5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/chain/src/persist.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,317 @@
+//! This module is home to the [`Persist`] trait which defines the behavior of a data store
+//! required to persist changes made to BDK data structures.
+//!
+//! The [`StagedPersist`] type provides a convenient wrapper around implementations of [`Persist`] that
+//! allows changes to be staged before committing them.
+//!
+//! The [`CombinedChangeSet`] type encapsulates a combination of [`crate`] structures that are
+//! typically persisted together.
+
+use crate::{indexed_tx_graph, keychain, local_chain, Anchor, Append};
+use bitcoin::Network;
+use core::convert::Infallible;
+use core::default::Default;
+use core::fmt::{Debug, Display};
+use core::mem;
+
+/// A changeset containing [`crate`] structures typically persisted together.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq)]
+#[cfg_attr(
+    feature = "serde",
+    derive(crate::serde::Deserialize, crate::serde::Serialize),
+    serde(
+        crate = "crate::serde",
+        bound(
+            deserialize = "A: Ord + crate::serde::Deserialize<'de>, K: Ord + crate::serde::Deserialize<'de>",
+            serialize = "A: Ord + crate::serde::Serialize, K: Ord + crate::serde::Serialize",
+        ),
+    )
+)]
+pub struct CombinedChangeSet<K, A> {
+    /// Changes to the [`LocalChain`](local_chain::LocalChain).
+    pub chain: local_chain::ChangeSet,
+    /// Changes to [`IndexedTxGraph`](indexed_tx_graph::IndexedTxGraph).
+    pub indexed_tx_graph: indexed_tx_graph::ChangeSet<A, keychain::ChangeSet<K>>,
+    /// Stores the network type of the transaction data.
+    pub network: Option<Network>,
+}
+
+impl<K, A> Default for CombinedChangeSet<K, A> {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            chain: Default::default(),
+            indexed_tx_graph: Default::default(),
+            network: None,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<K: Ord, A: Anchor> Append for CombinedChangeSet<K, A> {
+    fn append(&mut self, other: Self) {
+        Append::append(&mut self.chain, other.chain);
+        Append::append(&mut self.indexed_tx_graph, other.indexed_tx_graph);
+        if other.network.is_some() {
+            debug_assert!(
+                self.network.is_none() || self.network == other.network,
+                "network type must either be just introduced or remain the same"
+            );
+            self.network = other.network;
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn is_empty(&self) -> bool {
+        self.chain.is_empty() && self.indexed_tx_graph.is_empty() && self.network.is_none()
+    }
+}
+
+impl<K, A> From<local_chain::ChangeSet> for CombinedChangeSet<K, A> {
+    fn from(chain: local_chain::ChangeSet) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            chain,
+            ..Default::default()
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<K, A> From<indexed_tx_graph::ChangeSet<A, keychain::ChangeSet<K>>>
+    for CombinedChangeSet<K, A>
+{
+    fn from(indexed_tx_graph: indexed_tx_graph::ChangeSet<A, keychain::ChangeSet<K>>) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            indexed_tx_graph,
+            ..Default::default()
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// A persistence backend for writing and loading changesets.
+///
+/// `C` represents the changeset; a datatype that records changes made to in-memory data structures
+/// that are to be persisted, or retrieved from persistence.
+pub trait Persist<C> {
+    /// The error the backend returns when it fails to write.
+    type WriteError: Debug + Display;
+
+    /// The error the backend returns when it fails to load changesets `C`.
+    type LoadError: Debug + Display;
+
+    /// Writes a changeset to the persistence backend.
+    ///
+    /// It is up to the backend what it does with this. It could store every changeset in a list or
+    /// it inserts the actual changes into a more structured database. All it needs to guarantee is
+    /// that [`load_from_persistence`] restores a keychain tracker to what it should be if all
+    /// changesets had been applied sequentially.
+    ///
+    /// [`load_from_persistence`]: Self::load_changes
+    fn write_changes(&mut self, changeset: &C) -> Result<(), Self::WriteError>;
+
+    /// Return the aggregate changeset `C` from persistence.
+    fn load_changes(&mut self) -> Result<Option<C>, Self::LoadError>;
+}
+
+impl<C> Persist<C> for () {
+    type WriteError = Infallible;
+    type LoadError = Infallible;
+
+    fn write_changes(&mut self, _changeset: &C) -> Result<(), Self::WriteError> {
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    fn load_changes(&mut self) -> Result<Option<C>, Self::LoadError> {
+        Ok(None)
+    }
+}
+
+/// `StagedPersist` adds a convenient staging area for changesets before they are persisted.
+///
+/// Not all changes to the in-memory representation needs to be written to disk right away, so
+/// [`crate::persist::StagedPersist::stage`] can be used to *stage* changes first and then
+/// [`crate::persist::StagedPersist::commit`] can be used to write changes to disk.
+pub struct StagedPersist<C, P: Persist<C>> {
+    inner: P,
+    stage: C,
+}
+
+impl<C, P: Persist<C>> Persist<C> for StagedPersist<C, P> {
+    type WriteError = P::WriteError;
+    type LoadError = P::LoadError;
+
+    fn write_changes(&mut self, changeset: &C) -> Result<(), Self::WriteError> {
+        self.inner.write_changes(changeset)
+    }
+
+    fn load_changes(&mut self) -> Result<Option<C>, Self::LoadError> {
+        self.inner.load_changes()
+    }
+}
+
+impl<C, P> StagedPersist<C, P>
+where
+    C: Default + Append,
+    P: Persist<C>,
+{
+    /// Create a new [`StagedPersist`] adding staging to an inner data store that implements
+    /// [`Persist`].
+    pub fn new(persist: P) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            inner: persist,
+            stage: Default::default(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Stage a `changeset` to be committed later with [`commit`].
+    ///
+    /// [`commit`]: Self::commit
+    pub fn stage(&mut self, changeset: C) {
+        self.stage.append(changeset)
+    }
+
+    /// Get the changes that have not been committed yet.
+    pub fn staged(&self) -> &C {
+        &self.stage
+    }
+
+    /// Take the changes that have not been committed yet.
+    ///
+    /// New staged is set to default;
+    pub fn take_staged(&mut self) -> C {
+        mem::take(&mut self.stage)
+    }
+
+    /// Commit the staged changes to the underlying persistence backend.
+    ///
+    /// Changes that are committed (if any) are returned.
+    ///
+    /// # Error
+    ///
+    /// Returns a backend-defined error if this fails.
+    pub fn commit(&mut self) -> Result<Option<C>, P::WriteError> {
+        if self.staged().is_empty() {
+            return Ok(None);
+        }
+        let staged = self.take_staged();
+        self.write_changes(&staged)
+            // if written successfully, take and return `self.stage`
+            .map(|_| Some(staged))
+    }
+
+    /// Stages a new changeset and commits it (along with any other previously staged changes) to
+    /// the persistence backend
+    ///
+    /// Convenience method for calling [`stage`] and then [`commit`].
+    ///
+    /// [`stage`]: Self::stage
+    /// [`commit`]: Self::commit
+    pub fn stage_and_commit(&mut self, changeset: C) -> Result<Option<C>, P::WriteError> {
+        self.stage(changeset);
+        self.commit()
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod test {
+    extern crate core;
+
+    use crate::persist::{Persist, StagedPersist};
+    use crate::Append;
+    use std::error::Error;
+    use std::fmt::{self, Display, Formatter};
+    use std::prelude::rust_2015::{String, ToString};
+    use TestError::FailedWrite;
+
+    struct TestBackend<C: Default + Append + Clone + ToString> {
+        changeset: C,
+    }
+
+    #[derive(Debug, Eq, PartialEq)]
+    enum TestError {
+        FailedWrite,
+        FailedLoad,
+    }
+
+    impl Display for TestError {
+        fn fmt(&self, f: &mut Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
+            write!(f, "{:?}", self)
+        }
+    }
+
+    impl Error for TestError {}
+
+    #[derive(Clone, Default)]
+    struct TestChangeSet(Option<String>);
+
+    impl fmt::Display for TestChangeSet {
+        fn fmt(&self, f: &mut Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
+            write!(f, "{}", self.clone().0.unwrap_or_default())
+        }
+    }
+
+    impl Append for TestChangeSet {
+        fn append(&mut self, other: Self) {
+            if other.0.is_some() {
+                self.0 = other.0
+            }
+        }
+
+        fn is_empty(&self) -> bool {
+            self.0.is_none()
+        }
+    }
+
+    impl<C> Persist<C> for TestBackend<C>
+    where
+        C: Default + Append + Clone + ToString,
+    {
+        type WriteError = TestError;
+        type LoadError = TestError;
+
+        fn write_changes(&mut self, changeset: &C) -> Result<(), Self::WriteError> {
+            if changeset.to_string() == "ERROR" {
+                Err(FailedWrite)
+            } else {
+                self.changeset = changeset.clone();
+                Ok(())
+            }
+        }
+
+        fn load_changes(&mut self) -> Result<Option<C>, Self::LoadError> {
+            if self.changeset.to_string() == "ERROR" {
+                Err(Self::LoadError::FailedLoad)
+            } else {
+                Ok(Some(self.changeset.clone()))
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_persist_stage_commit() {
+        let backend = TestBackend {
+            changeset: TestChangeSet(None),
+        };
+
+        let mut staged_backend = StagedPersist::new(backend);
+        staged_backend.stage(TestChangeSet(Some("ONE".to_string())));
+        staged_backend.stage(TestChangeSet(None));
+        staged_backend.stage(TestChangeSet(Some("TWO".to_string())));
+        let result = staged_backend.commit();
+        assert!(matches!(result, Ok(Some(TestChangeSet(Some(v)))) if v == *"TWO".to_string()));
+
+        let result = staged_backend.commit();
+        assert!(matches!(result, Ok(None)));
+
+        staged_backend.stage(TestChangeSet(Some("TWO".to_string())));
+        let result = staged_backend.stage_and_commit(TestChangeSet(Some("ONE".to_string())));
+        assert!(matches!(result, Ok(Some(TestChangeSet(Some(v)))) if v == *"ONE".to_string()));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_persist_commit_error() {
+        let backend = TestBackend {
+            changeset: TestChangeSet(None),
+        };
+        let mut staged_backend = StagedPersist::new(backend);
+        staged_backend.stage(TestChangeSet(Some("ERROR".to_string())));
+        let result = staged_backend.commit();
+        assert!(matches!(result, Err(e) if e == FailedWrite));
+    }
+}