Edwin [new.capital]:
Physical TWINS coins - a new idea for discussion and consideration
Due to our involvement in the LBCoin project and our observation of the behaviour of the participants in this exercise, we have realised the following:
Many people in the global community would still prefer to store value in a physical form, as opposed to a digital format.
This started us thinking: what if TWINS were also to be available in a physical form? What if we could mint collector's coins having their nominal value in TWINS? Could we, as New Capital, a legal, EU-based entity operate as the issuer of such a coin and also offer deposit and withdrawal facilities for the physical coin holders?
What problem does this idea solve? We believe that there are many users out there who would be interested in holding TWINS, but the technological knowledge, security levels and effort required to store digital assets are currently way beyond the capabilities of the average user.
So what would we offer, and how would this all work? Anyone could purchase a physical coin that would be also an awesome, limited edition collector's item, and then deposit X amount of TWINS with our custodian service at New Capital. New Capital would then use these deposits to set up masternodes and staking pools to support the TWINS blockchain network, and use the received rewards as method of funding this custodian service. The customer could at any time request the full withdrawal of digital TWINS in exchange for the physical coin, all at no cost. These physical coins then would be available for other users to purchase, and would require the deposit of the nominal value TWINS collateral.
We’ve been discussing this idea internally for some time now. We initially highlighted and discussed a number of potential challenges, and we are now ready to share this idea with you publicly in order to get your valuable feedback and ideas. Also, it is important for us to gauge the general level of interest in such an initiative.
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Regulatory challenges
The first and main challenge is related to regulations. Specifically, these issues have been discussed:
1) Is it legal for New Capital to issue a physical coin with a nominal value in cryptocurrency?
Our findings: There is no legal issue as long as we do not sell the physical coin pre-loaded with TWINS. Instead, the participant has to independently purchase TWINS, and then deposit the amount of TWINS corresponding to the nominal value of the physical coin to a custodian wallet address. This could be done directly from the New Capital Exchange. In addition, any independent secondary market of pre-loaded coins would not be a matter of concern for New Capital.
2) Is it legal for New Capital to operate as a custodian wallet and provide deposits and withdrawal facilities?
Our findings: As long as we are in full compliance with the required regulations (including satisfying anti-money laundering procedures), custodian wallet operations are acceptable.
3) Would regulators see this initiative as “money issuing”?
Our thoughts: This initiative could possibly be perceived as a “money issuing” service. Therefore, to improve legitimacy, we would be very focused on involving as many "high authority" institutions as possible in this process. For example, we would like to mint the coins at the Lithuanian national coin minting facility. In addition, we would request that these coins be included in global coin catalogues, with Lithuania being listed as the origin of the issuance. We would also sign an exclusive agreement with the Lithuanian minting facility, making them the only legal entity to mint coins with the nominal value in TWINS. The actions listed above, together with a few more ideas that we have in our “pocket”, would improve the legitimacy of the project and reduce legal risks.
Security of the physical coin
Another challenge is regarding the security of the physical coin. Imagine a coin with a nominal value of 1M TWINS. While this would be equivalent of approximately 80 Euro in TWINS value today, at some point in time, TWINS could increase in value. This would make the physical coin valuable, encouraging bad actors to try and counterfeit this coin and then attempt to withdraw the equivalent nominal collateral. How could we avoid this? What are the optional security features available for physical coins?
We’ve been in discussions with the relevant personnel at the Lithuanian national mint to explore this subject, and the currently available options are as follows:
1. Physical parameters, such as size, weight and metal purity
2. Micro texts embedded in the graphics
3. Individual serial numbering
4. Holographic elements
5. Packaging and enclosure
6. Certificates
While each of the available security features would make it more difficult to fake the coins, these technologies are available in any modern minting facility. We don’t think that any legitimate mint would become involved in issuing counterfeit coins, but we cannot discount this completely, as it is possible that there are private minting facilities controlled by bad actors.
We have challenged the management team at the Lithuanian mint with this security problem, and there is a possibility that they will be able to employ an innovation in this field. One of the ideas is to develop special holographic elements based on current scientific research, and then embed these elements into our design using a very specific technique, enhancing both the security and the attractive appearance of the coin.
See
https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/journals/journal-of-nanophotonics/volume-8/issue-1/083988/Angle-independent-structural-colors-of-silicon/10.1117/1.JNP.8.083988.short?SSO=1 for additional information regarding this holographic innovation.
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However, we are not sure that it is even possible to use this holographic technique, how much time is required, how much this would actually cost, and how many of us will be prepared to pay the additional cost for this feature.
Another idea would be include a FIX SIM card with every coin in the packaging. The SIM card would include an embedded private key, with a corresponding visible public key for users to scan and check the current value of their collateral. The private key would be used in a multi-signature process for releasing the digital collateral in the event of a withdrawal, making the security required for the physical coin obsolete. This option would also present a compelling use-case for FIX Network as security mechanism.
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Nominal value, issuance and design
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Here is where we need your input the most, as there are so many options available.
The year 2020 is very special, and therefore these commemorative collector’s coins have the opportunity to permanently record important historical events of our choice. What are these events? Are they limited to New Capital’s eco-system only? Digital money only? Crypto exchanges only? The blockchain eco-system only? Or are they general, global events? The selected events will also have the chance to influence the PR regarding this issuance and the related entities. We’ve though of some of ideas such as FIX ID launch, Symbol launch, LBCoin launch, New Capital Exchange, SourceForce, Chain.review, etc,
but we need your help here.
Once we have the approved list of events, we can make the decision of how many different coins we want to issue. Another component of this initiative is that we will host a coin design contest, in which your participation would be invaluable.
We also need to discuss the nominal values of this issuance, for example 2 TWINS, 20 TWINS, 2K TWINS, 20K TWINS, 2M TWINS, 20M TWINS. What are the pros and cons for each of the possible nominal values? How many of you would be willing to deposit TWINS in order to hold the physical collector's item?
If we complete the 2020 issuance successfully, then it may make sense to repeat this every year. Then the question is: how much of the total TWINS in circulation do we want to allow in a physical format? 10% 30% 50%? Every year? This subject has hardly been touched yet, and here too, we need your input.
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Size, weight, metal and purity
These physical parameters of the coin would directly affect the cost of production, and therefore the cost to the participants. There are a wide range of materials available, such as aluminium, copper, bronze, silver, gold and platinum. Also, there are the questions of metal purity or simply plating the coin, as well as coin size and weight. There are a myriad of possibilities, all affecting the budget, collectability and desirability of the coins. We are still compiling the cost figures for each of the parameters, and we will share this information with you when we have the details.
In summary...
This could be an interesting and exciting initiative, with far-reaching possibilities and implications for both the crypto community and also for those who are being left behind
and cannot directly participate in the blockchain revolution. Also, this project should generate high visibility and global PR, thereby raising the profile of TWINS. Most importantly, this initiative would advance the legitimacy and relationships that are essential for building the legal infrastructure required by the future win.win DEX.
At this point, we would like to open up the discussion and start receiving initial feedback from you, our community members. We will collect your feedback and ideas @everyone, and will suggest a more formal voting process later. So, what do you think? Does this project make sense to you? Is it exciting? Would you be willing to participate? How many TWINS would you deposit in exchange for a physical coin? What events would make sense to memorise in our 2020 issuance?
We are very much looking forward to your input in the #💡ideas channel!
https://discord.gg/7CmDJyV
