Hive can deliver a decentralised BTC insurance solution for Hive Backed Dollars (HBD)

Direct from the desk of Dane Williams.
With Terra using BTC as insurance against UST breaking from its peg, I take a look at why Hive Backed Dollars (HBD) implementing a similar solution would be superior in every way.
There’s no denying the success of Terra (LUNA)’s algorithmic stablecoin.
UST is currently the best algorithmic stablecoin on the market, hands down.
But as a primarily centralised solution to a problem that needs to be decentralised, I have to keep asking why does the crypto community love UST’s latest BTC insurance fund so much?
Hive is actually in a much better place to provide a solution, using their own algorithmic stablecoin called Hive Backed Dollars (HBD).
Let’s take a look at how LUNA is using BTC to insure against any significant break from its USD peg and then why 3speak’s latest proposition can turn HBD into a truly decentralised competitor to UST.

Terra (LUNA)’s BTC insurance solution
Terra have set a highly expansionary APR return on their algo stable coin that works similarly to what is already in place with HBD and Hive.
But they have recently been forced to reduce their UST stablecoin APR due to an acceptance that their current yields were unsustainable over the long term.
The project recently announced that they are insuring UST with a partial BTC (and importantly other altcoin) backing.
This would mean that if UST’s peg goes below a certain price, they use the Bitcoin and other altcoins that the team holds in a multisig account, to ensure its return.
Once the peg has been stabilised and normal service between LUNA and UST can return, the BTC insurance account is then replenished over time via dollar cost averaged purchases.
But the thing is, the multisig account in charge of Terra’s BTC insurance solution is entirely centralised, thus making the idea of solving the problem of an algorithmic stablecoin losing its peg this way, completely mute.
Hive however, is different.
Hive’s potential BTC insurance solution for HBD
There is no question that Hive can deliver a decentralised BTC insurance solution for HBD.
A solution that makes HBD far superior to UST in every way.
Here’s how this could be achieved:
Decentralised multisig: Terra says that their stablecoin insurance backing is "partially centralised" which in layman’s terms means it is centralised.
You see, Terra’s multisig BTC account is controlled by the coin’s founder and only a few key VC investors.
Instead of a self appointed, closed shop in control of the project’s BTC insurance on Terra, Hive could see the community elected, consensus witnesses act as guardians of the BTC multisig account.
Thus ensuring the solution is truly decentralised.
Sustainable APR rate: Terra’s high APR return is paid from a finite, private fund that was initially funded by their treasury.
It’s effectively a fixed, limited amount and not protocol driven or inflation based like the Hive DAO is.
This means that the HBD APR payout would be far more sustainable over the long term than that which Luna provides.
Not to mention that the insurance fund could more easily be topped up on Hive if needed.
Impossible to regulate: The Terra team actually sold LUNA to buy $1.7B of BTC at current value.
Since this purchase was made using LUNA… an ICO token, it is likely to eventually be regulated as a security.
Voting for a proposal on the Hive DAO DHF using a decentralised vote to create the funds required to purchase the BTC and holding the BTC in a multi sig wallet makes it essentially impossible to regulate as a security.
Only BTC to be used: Additionally, the LUNA team has insurance backed their stablecoin with other altcoins.
Since BTC is decentralised and therefore impossible to regulate itself (as opposed to the eventual wave of regulation coming to the centralised altcoins of the world), Hive should only use a partial BTC backed insurance.
No altcoins.
Just Bitcoin.
Room to expand: HBD expansion is starting from a much smaller market cap, meaning the long term growth of the token is significantly more sustainable.
HBD is starting off at a market cap of approximately $24Mn and UST market cap is now $17Bn.
This is 700x the market cap of HBD!
Obviously what this shows is that there is a market for decentralised algorithmic stablecoins, free from the prying arms of regulators.
HBD offers a much greater, long term return over Terra’s UST.
Opportunity to directly swap liquidity between BTC and HBD: It could be possible to anonymously send BTC to the insurance multisig wallet, in exchange for HBD.
Directly from the Hive protocol in an autonomous way.
Terra also does this, however their BTC multisig account is centralised and the UST stablecoin is issued to the investor in a centralised way for this transaction.
If this feature is implemented on Hive, this would create an additional supply of liquidity to assist investors accumulating HBD.
Hive Backed Dollars (HBD) will ultimately trump UST
Long term, the future is extremely bright for HBD.
We saw how much the crypto community and mainstream media lapped up Terra’s centralised solution to the problem facing their own algorithmic stablecoin.
There’s no reason why a similar positive response to a truly decentralised solution by Hive, should not be met with the same fanfare.
The end result from Hive implementing this proposal would be a truly decentralised BTC insurance solution for HBD.
Yes, actual decentralised insurance backing for HBD.
Ultimately trumping Terra’s centralised BTC insurance solution for UST.
Best of probabilities to you.
Note: This is a cleaned up version of the key section from @threespeak’s post which I’ve linked to in the opening section.
I encourage you to use your witness votes in a manner that facilitates getting this and similar projects geared toward expanding HBD, done.
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Do you have any thoughts on a decentralised insurance solution for HBD?
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I am trusting those with more crypto experience to come up with the ideas there. Decentralization itself is a form of insurance, at least against some bad actors.
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It depends on how it is developed as I am starting to think if Terra's moves will work. At the end of the day the reserves are being bought with UST so it's being dumped as fast as Bitcoin is being bought.
Long term will be interesting.
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The fact that when UST's Bitcoin reserves are used is at the discretion of a select group of individuals, just leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
But like you said, it's all about the long term and we just don't know how everything is going to play out.
This whole space is so new and outside the box.
I'm just happy to be along for the ride and contribute in my own small way here on Hive :)
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To me, it is about building the value into the coin itself, not relying upon the backing. From what I can see, TerraUSD is looking to have their value come, at least in part, from BTC.
To me, we need to generate the value ourselves, in our token, HBD, and then build the collateral from that.
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They're strategy atm is to get UST out there as it grows Luna the more UST that is minted.
The second point with their reserves isn't to build value but to have pools that when people sell instead of exiting the network to a dex lowering price. They swap it for their desired coin.
In effect they would have their own internal DEX
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Ah okay. I see what you are saying.
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It's really ingenious and I can't wait to see it work. However, the token doesn't look like it will go down anytime soon.
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expecting long term effects...but what do I know ...
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Haha well you know as much as anyone else.
We're on the cutting edge here and literally nobody knows what's going to happen.
Happy to be along for the ride :)
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Experimentation is key. A lot of different things being tried and copying going on.
Like Justin Sun with his 30% on his new stablecoin.
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Everything truly depends on the plans for solutions which any arise for Hbd, when we are one step ahead in this game we will definitely win the race
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Things are certainly rolling for HBD now that the witnesses have changed the APR to 20%.
LeoFinance has quickly added the pHBD:HBD LP on PolyCub, which is a huge step forward in terms of adding liquidity.
Now this proposal from the 3Speak lads to add a decentralised insurance solution using Bitcoin.
It's like nothing was happening and now everything is happening at once!
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That is how breakthroughs take place. It all start with the HBD Stabilizer last year and then the Witnesses deciding to pay 3% on HBD savings.
Just think, a year ago there was no payment on them.
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I am not sure we are one step ahead but we are moving quickly. A lot of attention being paid to HBD right now.
We have the advantage in that we can move quickly when we want to.
HBD needs to be incorporated into a lot of applications. We need to start the payment layer.
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We are moving fast and moving in a right direction
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Okay I feel better now.
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I think I saw somewhere that multi-sig would end up centralized into a few people's hands. Of course, they will probably put trustworthy people in those positions but I don't think the changes to require multi-sig would work out that well.
Also to note, I am of the belief that the 20% APR and other factors are probably only short to mid term. If Hive inflation does get out of hand, I have no doubt that the witnesses would change it. At the same time, wouldn't the pHBD/USDC pool give enough arbitrage opportunities for people? It's not like the stabilizer is going away.
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Can you create a multisig wallet with 20 signatures required?
So for example the full suite of top 20 witnesses need to sign for a BTC insurance transaction to be approved?
You're right that there are still a ton of questions to be both asked and answered, but it's a great start.
HBD has so much momentum at the moment, we've gotta keep it rolling!
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Seems like a lot of work for some insurance. I think Smooth provided an answer in the 3Speak post.
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A lot of this is marketing. The reality is the stablecoins need to be able to stand on their own. This is something that will take time. However, if developed it can work out.
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Yep, HBD and UST are meant to be algorithmic stablecoins that run on autopilot, not via human intervention.
Just because our human intervention would be more decentralised than Terra's, doesn't make it a good thing.
Gotta remember that this BTC insurance solution would only ever be triggered in an absolute worst case, death spiralling scenario.
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Yes. Something people forget. Plus if we want it to stand on its own, we need to build the value into HBD, not some other asset that is backing it.
Nothing wrong with the plan for now in terms of the attention it could bring. And since I am bullish, what the hell, buy $1M worth of Bitcoin...it will be worth more at a later date.
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I think it would be awesome to have a Bitcoin treasury for HBD.
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There are still a ton of questions that need to be answered before it happens, but I'm just glad Hive is capitalising on the momentum behind HBD and things are progressing.
Exciting time to be involved in my small way :)
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I love to see stablecoins backed by BTC. It makes more sense to me that BTC will be the gold version of cryptocurrencies. Also, it’s curious how the crypto market is creating its own Gold Standard.
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The crypto market gold standard angle is an interesting one!
But we've gotta remember that this BTC insurance solution would only ever be triggered in an absolute worst case, death spiralling scenario.
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Something that failed repeatedly. The idea of a backed currency goes against the ability to generate economic output. Without elasticity, stability, and liquidity, there is no way to meet economic market condititions.
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I don't know if HBD can beat UST anytime soon but I also agree that starting with a smaller market cap is a huge advantage.
We can test and try things they aren't allowed to and even if we mess up the damage would be minimal.
We do need some form of marketing to get people in the ecosystem though. pHBD is a good start.
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I take it that Khal is funding pHBD's PR drive with his own capital?
Pretty wild what he alone is doing for all of Hive.
The entire network owes him a lot imo.
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Yes they do.
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The fact is we can be agile and have a foundation for many use cases. That is something UST doesnt really have.
To me, the starting point is existing apps to build HBD as a payment into their platforms. That should be a starting point.
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This sounds like great news or not. I am too dumb for this lol!
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Don't say that!
This entire space is brand new and we're all on