Tokenomics Blueprint
Tokenomics Blueprint
Tokenomics Blueprint
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This report examines the blueprint for successful token economics through the use
of this framework, 1) Value Creation 2) Value Capture 3) Value Protection 4) Demand
and supply management and 5) Existing risks and hurdles.
“Back in 2017, ICO was a novel mechanism and people just saw it as a massive
Gold Rush. There was a lot of craze in the market and demand for these tokens.
Today, we are glad to see projects giving more thought into how a token would
make sense for the project and how to best utilize the benefits of the token.
Overall, there has been a very positive evolution in the quality of the token
projects.”
1 Value Creation
2 Value Capture
3 Value Protection
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“Tokens create a paradigm shift in terms of how utility could be measured, how
value could be accrued, and even how the utility of the system could be
dynamically valued and represented. And good token economics makes all the
difference.”
This positive sentiment was reflected across the board. Xinshu Dong (“Dong”),
Partner of IOSG Ventures, shared his bullish outlook on the space, having observed
several projects gaining traction from both the user and volume side with tokens.
Head of Research of HashKey Capital, Jupiter Zheng (“Zheng”) also highlights how
the explosion of decentralized finance during the past summer had propelled
tokens back into the limelight, with token fundraising allowing innovation to
happen at a much faster pace compared to equity.
Chu emphasizes that tokenization does not achieve anything by itself. Ultimately,
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the underlying application must be useful; it must solve a problem; and it must
cater to and build a community who is empowered to access, use and pay for
such an application. Token economics, in turn, help to create a more efficient
system to create and capture this intrinsic value.
Ong further clarifies, “The token is typically an incentive layer, and while it's a very
powerful thing for a project to have, incentivization isn't a new concept in
blockchain or any internet platforms such as Reddit, or super applications like
Uber or Grab.” Dong similarly agrees, stating that “Token is not a panacea for
everything. Some projects might be a better fit for a more traditional equity
model.”
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As mentioned earlier, the utility or value proposition of the underlying product or
service creates value. Token accelerates the creation of the value through various
mechanisms outlined below.
In the initial phase of most blockchain projects, the core team would mainly drive
the development. Over time, as the protocol’s user base expands, it is hard to rely
on the core team alone and its sustained growth relies very much on the continued
innovation and improvement contributed by dedicated developers. Awarding
tokens from the treasury helps incentivize innovation so that developers could
continue to create new features such as front end analytics, liquidity mining and
governance mechanism. Founding Partner of NGC Ventures, Tony Gu (“Gu”),
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shares that Yearn. Finance, a prominent DeFi platform, has attracted many active
contributors from its community and compensated them with its YFI tokens.
Another example is SushiSwap, which rewards the developers with its native SUSHI
tokens and engages its community to vote on the proposed hiring plan or
developer’s compensation. SushiSwap openly discusses their compensation
guidelines here - a good practice to engage and win the trust of the community.
(Here is an example of hiring a team member and compensating with SUSHI tokens
and here is an example of paying for development work with SUSHI tokens).
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3. Distribute tokens to participants who provide liquidity for the protocol’s native
tokens
n order for the token to realise its potential of accelerating value creation, there has
to be sufficient liquidity for the token. Since the beginning of 2020, the rise of
Automated Market Makers (AMMs) such as Balancer and Uniswap has allowed
blockchain projects to create liquidity for their token. Prior to that, projects
required high initial capital to start their liquidity programme as exchange listing
fees can be upwards of $250,000 and paying market makers can be even more
expensive. With AMMs, projects would provide their native tokens to incentivise
liquidity providers to contribute to its pools. In the initial phase, the native tokens
can be distributed via airdrops or Initial DEX Offering (IDO) to bootstrap the
liquidity programme (Refer to infographic below for the main token distribution
mechanisms). There has been ongoing trial-and-error around AMMs to create
liquidity for tokens. Balancer discusses two approaches for Liquidity Bootstrapping
Pools: Linear example of Pool Weights and exponential curve example (read more
here).
Last but not least, for the value creation mechanisms we discussed above to work
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well, it is essential to distribute the token in a decentralized manner. Here are three
ways to distribute your token and the best practices.
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Creating value drives demand for the token and good token mechanism design
allows the token to effectively capture the value created by the project. Capturing
value is important because it enables token’s price to grow sustainably in tandem
with network growth.
● Give token holders the power to shape the future of the protocol
However, governance mechanism design is still in its infancy and at a constant state
of experimentation. On the voting mechanism aspect alone, the common practices
are “one token, one vote”, quadratic voting system and diminishing voting system
but each has its own drawbacks.
“Voting mechanisms similar to “one token, one vote” may ‘disenfranchise’ token
holders who hold less tokens, because they do not think that their vote will make
a difference.”
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Hence, small token holders may end up not participating at all in governance.
One alternative to overcome that issue could be how the protocol Polkadot does
it -- token holders get to increase the weight of their vote by locking up DOT
tokens with their vote for extended periods of time.
Source: https://twitter.com/idlefinance/status/1360360013798268928
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● Distribute revenue directly to token holders
Cheong shares that the rewards could be paid in either the native token or
exogenous rewards (an asset that is unrelated to the token’s native system) in the
form of stable coins or popular coins like ETH and Bitcoin To the token holders, the
exogenous rewards (such as ETH and stable coins) could mean higher certainty of
calculating their returns because of their high liquidity, use-cases, and diverse
influences. The additional advantage is that it mitigates the sell pressure which
most networks suffer from when they issue rewards using their native tokens. One
project that provides exogenous rewards is 88MPH which LongHash Ventures
invested into, provides rewards in DAI. Another project, 0x, generates income in
ETH and re-distributes the ETH proportionally to those who stake ZRX token and
market-make on the network.
It is possible for token projects to issue their native tokens as rewards initially and
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then exogenous tokens later because the cost of doing that versus issuing ETH or
stable coins like the DAI stablecoins is perceived to be lower. Cheong explains that
in the initial stage, when the token price is lower, that might be true. But as the
price of the native tokens increases, the opportunity costs of using native tokens as
rewards increase as well. This also limits sell-side pressure of the native token.
Zheng shares that projects can consider adopting a hybrid approach: Rewarding
with native tokens in the initial stage and switching over to exogenous tokens as
rewards later.
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● Translate participation in the protocol into buying pressure
Another way of capturing value is the use of a work token mechanism. This helps
create buying pressure for the tokens as distributed contributors must stake the
native in order to earn the right to perform work for the network. They are also
rewarded with the native network token for work that is deemed “correct”.
However, if the work is “incorrect”, its supporting stakes can be slashed.” (Source:
On the immaturity of tokenized value capture mechanisms) Chainlink is a good
example of the work token mechanism. Node operators which provide useful data
will be rewarded with LINK tokens and those that provided inaccurate information
would be penalised by having their staked tokens slashed.
Bonding curve, a built-in feature of AMMs like SushiSwap, naturally raises the value
of tokens upon subsequent purchase. Projects can use the bonding curve to
capture value due to the demand for the token. Nexus Mutual and Aavegotchi are
examples of projects that use a bonding curve too.
Ong shares that “the bonding curve can be used at two different stages: At the
initial sale of the project tokens stage, before allowing the token price to float
freely in the market. And it can be used at another stage, a bonding curve can be
used permanently to determine the price of the tokens. For example, Nexus
Mutual and Rally utilize a permanent bonding curve. This also helps limit liquidity
outside of their platform.” He cautions, “Bonding curve may also function as a way
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of balancing the supply and demand of a particular token. However, this is more of
a one-use method and may not help with capturing its value sustainably. The price
increase does not change to the network value, as this mechanism is not sufficient
on its own to do that.
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A token is extremely useful in bootstrapping the initial growth of active users and
building a community. But to sustain growth, it is important that projects take into
account the plans to protect the network from economic attacks, mercenary capital
moving away from the network, users from leaving the network as well as copycats
which siphon away their users.
● Give token holders the power to shape the future of the protocol
Requiring a high stake ratio helps protect the security of a PoS (Proof of
Stake) network. The more tokens are staked, the more tokens hackers would
need to achieve the attack threshold and control the network. Malicious
actors with staked tokens will also be slashed in the process.
For projects that suffered from attacks, staked tokens in liquidity pools also
provide a means to recover. Good examples are projects like Aave and
Maker. They already have the following mechanism in place: Its tokens will
be first auctioned off to fill the deficit, followed by using token inflation as a
backstop.
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3. Using tokens to achieve shield mining effect
An attractive product with a valuable token is a natural magnet for new users but
retaining them is a separate challenge. Retention is even more of a battle these
days, given the rapidly growing number of token projects all competing for similar
userpool. In the decentralized finance space specifically, almost all projects are
tempting users with attractive yields. Putting in place an effective loyalty
mechanism and rewarding those who stake or stay longer could help with standing
out from the competition.
Examples of projects that reward users for their loyalty include BarnBridge, where
users have to deposit their funds for the entire epoch in order to receive the BOND
reward. The amount of reward also depends on whether the users participate from
the beginning of the epoch or midway through. Other examples include Curve,
where token users would lock up their CRV tokens for a longer period of time to
receive more incentive rewards. This just means that they are locked and cannot be
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transferred during that time, or BadgerDAO (which also provides a multiplier the
longer the tokens are staked)
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Having discussed the various token economics best practices, one has to bear in
mind that deploying any of the above affect the demand and supply of the tokens.
It is thus, important to manage demand and supply carefully to ensure sustainable
growth of the token value.
There are two main best practices: 1. Managing liquidity and inflation 2. Slow down
the velocity of the tokens.
In general, Ong highlights that balancing demand and supply of tokens is a tricky
formula that most projects will need to figure out over time. He advises projects to
hold off on issuing or listing the token for as long as possible. It has become
increasingly common for token projects to launch cautiously with just five to ten per
cent of their tokens into circulation and impose lock up and vesting schedules. For
projects, this means having a less aggressive schedule to gradually grow their
community pool and developer pool.
Synths. The team decided to introduce an inflationary reward system and “inflate
the supply across a five year period, increasing total supply from 100m to ~250m,
with diminishing yearly distribution.”
Getting to the right inflation rate is often the outcome of trial and error. Zheng
advises starting with an arbitrary rate and then cautiously reducing it if the sell
pressure is too high. It could be higher initially to bootstrap initial users but
eventually the inflation needs to come down. He cautions that effective
communication to community and stakeholders is key when adjusting inflation rate.
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Several projects have way too high inflation such as 100 percent a year, with no
lock up period. The oversupply has ramifications on the token value/ price as well
as the token holders’ morale. Cheong shares that in general, if there is no lockup
period, a more sustainable inflation rate is around 30 percent a year for the initial
phase and then tapers down after that. Good examples of projects that manage
inflation well are Compound and Uniswap.
Chu shares that while not creating an oversupply is important, creating enough
liquidity for the token at the right stage is just as important. There still has to be
enough liquidity, such that users can easily buy the tokens at an efficient price
when they want to use the application. For example, paying a 3% spread in order
to purchase the token would lead to low token trading activity and that can create
friction. To avoid that, projects can work with market makers such as GSR Market,
Jump Trading, Three Arrows or Wintermute who will work with either the
centralized exchanges, or even the automated market makers to provide liquidity
and make sure that there is an efficient market for the token.
Lock up: Projects can also set up lock up requirements for early investors. Ong
shares that it is now common for projects to limit the circulating supply of their
tokens in the early days and this is different compared to 2017 when there was
almost no lockup period for 70% to 80% of the tokens. The massive oversupply
and under demand due to the release of the tokens made it hard for those tokens
to sustain their value.
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Chu shares that two to three years of lock up period with a one year cliff are
common but Kenetic Capital has invested in Serum, where the lock up period for
investors is seven years. Many early investors were turned off by the long period. In
general, projects need to strike a balance between protecting token value and
raising initial investments. Chu shares that “For projects with longer lock up
periods, it is actually possible to create a plan for initial investors to recover their
principal, without directly selling into the market. This can be done through more
limited and programmatic selling methods, which could be organized by the
foundation or market makers.”
Vesting: Vesting typically starts from the genesis block and the vesting period can
be between 3 to 6 years. Vesting period can differ for different groups of token
holders. The vesting period for the core team is usually longer (around four years
vesting period with 9months or one year cliff) compared to early investors (around
two years vesting period with 6/9/12 months cliff).
Dong also shares that in the case of Barnbridge, the tokens allocated to the
founders, seed Investors and advisors are locked up in a smart contract that
releases the tokens (vest) on a weekly basis over a two-year period.
Staking: Staking has been discussed in the earlier sections. This is commonly
encouraged in Proof of Stake protocols or on decentralised apps that provide
rewards in return for staking.
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Preparing ahead for Regulations
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Preventing Security Breaches
It is helpful for projects to comply with Hacks and attacks are the worst PR
the jurisdictional laws where the token disaster for any token project.
is launched. Besides engaging legal
counsel with experience in this space Partner of Pantera Capital, Paul
early, Zheng encourages teams to be Veradittakit (“Veradittakit”) cautions
compliant from the beginning and that it is critical to prevent attacks and
one example is Blockstack whose work closely with security auditors and
tokens have been compliant with the get multiple audits along the way.
U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC).
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Protecting against Forking
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Balancing the interests of equity
holders and token holders
Forking has been common in the
decentralized space, with the most If projects raise their initial round via
popular examples being Uniswap and equity and then token subsequently,
SushiSwap. Nurturing a strong Gu cautions that a conflict between
community and continuous innovation the equity and token holders may
to meet user needs are two of the arise. Chu explains that the token will
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“Because of what happened in 2017, you really have to try and provide as much
credibility as possible for your project because of the scammers that are out
there. In 2017, all it takes is to launch one public token offering and that's it. But
now, launching a token is just the very beginning of your journey. You need to
continue to get more people involved in your community, to get tokens in the
hands of those users. That means continuously innovating, marketing or raising
more capital so that you can get more people involved with your network
excited and continuing to sort of talk about it.”
“While you can have the perfect tokenomics design, things can still go wrong.
Nothing substitute having a great team of people who can deal with the
unknowns and communicate effectively and frequently with your community and
stakeholders. Token projects demand a lot from the core team— you need to
blog, chat and constantly innovate to stay successful.”
Edits have been made to the interview content for brevity and clarity. Our heartfelt
gratitude to the following contributors who have generously shared their time and
thoughts with us:
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LongHash Ventures is a global blockchain accelerator and investor building the native Web
3.0 blockchain economy. With a global network established across key technological hubs
including Singapore, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, the company is committed to catalyzing
growth for the next generation of blockchain startups. In parallel, LongHash Ventures offers
end-to-end support across the spectrum of strategy formulation, go-to-market execution,
and subject matter guidance across technology, marketing, and fundraising. LongHash
Ventures is supported by Fenbushi Capital, Hashkey Capital under Wanxiang Group, and
Enterprise Singapore, a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
General inquiries
[email protected]
longhashventures.com
twitter.com/longhashventure
linkedin.com/company/longhashventures
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