Have you ever heard of Soul-bound Tokens (SBTs)? If you’re a World of Warcraft gamer, the term might ring a bell. But SBTs are more than just a game element; they are a novel concept in the Web3 space. In this article, we’ll explore what SBTs are and why they are becoming increasingly popular in the decentralized finance (DeFi) world.
What are Soul-bound Tokens?
At their core, SBTs are non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that are non-transferable. Unlike other NFTs that can be traded and sold by their owners, SBTs are bound to the owner’s wallet, also known as a “soul.” The concept was introduced by Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, who envisioned SBTs as a means to represent personal information, such as academic achievements, work history, or health records.
The idea behind SBTs is to allow individuals to establish their digital reputation based on past experiences through their “souls” and wallets. Since all the information will be on the blockchain, it will be verifiable, providing a secure and reliable way to showcase one’s credentials.
How do SBTs work in Web3?
SBTs can tackle one of the biggest challenges in the Web3 industry: trust. The industry was designed to be trustless, but this poses some limitations on Web3 systems. For instance, most lending platforms currently work without trust by requiring over-collateralization, limiting capital efficiency and making under-collateralized loans tricky.
SBTs can provide a way to track additional metrics aside from a user’s DeFi credit history to determine their risk profile. They allow for reputation to be used as collateral to get under-collateralized loans in DeFi, revolutionizing the lending space.
Furthermore, SBTs can provide an alternative for decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) voting. Currently, most DAO governance models assign voting power based on the number of tokens held by a member. Integrating SBTs into governance could help create a model that prioritizes voting power for the most dedicated users with a strong reputation and commitment to the project. This will not only improve user interaction with the project and community but also the integrity of DAO voting by defending it against whales who hold a large number of tokens or civil attacks.
The Pros and Cons of SBTs
Despite their potential benefits, SBTs have some disadvantages that are worth noting. There are debates about how SBT-based credit systems could lead to dystopian scenarios by providing a way of targeting and discriminating against members of specific communities. Additionally, SBTs could bring up some troubling privacy issues since holders of a specific SBT could be denied entrance to facilities, medical care, travel permits, or even have their voting rights revoked.
Another valid concern is what happens if your soul wallet is hacked. Identity theft can be taken to a new level through SBTs. To address this problem, the SBT white paper proposes a social recovery model where users can appoint a set of individuals or institutions as guardians to access and change their wallet’s private keys should it get compromised.
Conclusion:
SBTs have the potential to transform the Web3 space by creating a decentralized society where individuals can establish their digital reputation and assess someone else’s on the blockchain. With the increasing popularity of the concept, more projects are expected to adopt SBTs, and their full potential is yet to be unlocked. However, it’s important to iron out the creases and address the potential drawbacks before fully embracing the technology. As we move towards a more decentralized future, SBTs could become a strong foundation for Web3’s growth and development.