One embodiment provides for monotonic transactions in a multi-master database with loosely coupled nodes including performing, by a processor, a write transaction protocol including: a client device issuing write transactions at any of the nodes, recording a write transaction locally at a node that issues a write transaction and asynchronously replicating the write transaction to at least one other node, and waiting for reception of an acknowledgment from at least a quorum of the nodes before returning a response to the client device. The quorum is any set of the nodes that includes a special node and at least one other node.