Tags: swaps, pools, mutual credit, risk

With the rapid evolution of distributed ledger technologies, a simple concept has emerged. This paradigm shift is known as a Swap Pool - a mechanism that allows a voucher's redeemable value to be utilized across multiple issuers. In essence, it's a versatile Economic Commons instrument where different vouchers can be swapped, making them universally usable within the pool.

The mechanism allows for a free-flowing voucher economy where liquidity is provided, and each voucher's use-case is expanded beyond its original issuer. Moreover, it opens up possibilities for creating niche, community-driven, and business network pools catering to diverse needs.

Pool creators, curators and liquidity providers, play a pivotal role in maintaining the balance, liquidity, utility, and value of the swap pool. This role involves managing several key areas to ensure the swap pool operates efficiently and fairly:

Swap Pool Creation: Pool creators can specify which vouchers can be added to the pool and to what maximum quantity.

e.g. A shoe store voucher (With symbol SHOE redeemable for 1 USD worth of shoes and shoe repair services at a particular store) is added to the list of vouchers that can be added to the pool. Another voucher FOOD redeemable for 1 USD worth of products at a grocery store is also added to the list of allowed vouchers. A maximum of 1000 SHOEs and 1000 FOODs are allowed in the pool based on the reputation of these vouchers.

Adding and Swapping: Vouchers can be added in the pool or swapped minus a pool fee that can remain in the pool or be directed toward service costs.

e.g. Pool creators buys 100 SHOEs and 100 FOODs and add them into the pool. The swap pool now holds 100 SHOEs and 100 FOODs. Jim who has 10 SHOEs can swap them with 10 FOODs. So the Pool now has 110 SHOEs and 90 FOODs. Jim can now use these to buy some groceries. Note that if there is a service fee on the pool administration then Jim might only receive 9.5 FOODs for his 10 SHOES. The extra 0.5 could remain in the pool and the pool balances would now be 110 SHOEs and 90.5 FOODs.

Balance and Liquidity Management: As the creator, it's crucial to maintain a balanced liquidity pool. This might involve periodically adjusting the proportion of different vouchers in the pool, ensuring that all vouchers have sufficient liquidity for users to swap. It might also require injecting more of a certain voucher if it's in high demand or buying back vouchers if the pool becomes oversupplied.

Trust and Credibility: The creators should diligently vet the issuers of the vouchers, ensuring they are reliable and will honor the value of their vouchers. This process could involve ongoing monitoring of the issuers to ensure they continue to meet their obligations.

Avoiding Mismanagement or Fraud: The creators should establish a clear and transparent governance structure for managing the pool. This structure should include robust checks and balances, clear guidelines for swapping, and protocols to prevent fraud and misuse. The pool should be auditable and transparent to maintain user confidence (hence on a public ledger like Celo blockchain).

Regulatory Compliance: As a pool creator, ensuring regulatory compliance is crucial. This involves staying abreast of relevant financial laws and regulations, potentially working with legal advisors to ensure the pool operates within legal bounds.

Mitigating Price Volatility: If the vouchers are tied to volatile commodities or cryptocurrencies, the creator could set up mechanisms to mitigate this risk, such as stablecoins or hedging mechanisms. As we begin and for simplicity we will assume each voucher has the same value and is redeemable as payment for 1 USD (or other national currencies) worth of products from the issuer of that voucher.

Encouraging Adoption and Participation: The creator should actively promote the use of the swap pool within the community. This could involve marketing efforts, educational events, or incentives to encourage participation. Additionally, making the process of swapping vouchers as simple and user-friendly as possible can help attract and retain users.

The vouchers in the pool may have gradual expiration and return to their issuers over time. So the pool creator will want to move the vouchers in the pool as much as possible – finding people that need these goods and services as well as those that are holding vouchers but not using them.

i.e. The pool creator make advertise or create online market places that help people holding SHOEs or FOODs know they are usable with each other.

Continuous Curation: The pool creator (which could be a community or business group) has the obligation to curate the pool allowing in only vouchers they know are of value and rejecting those that are not maintaining their value.

If one of the vouchers in the pool ends up being defunct - the issuer can no longer redeem them at quality, then anyone holding those vouchers can swap them with other vouchers that are good in the pool (up to a maximum quantity).

i.e. If the shoe store goes out of business and people holding SHOEs would otherwise be unable to redeem them – they can still swap them for FOODs until a maximum balance is reached (1000 SHOEs) as specified by the pool creator. This means that the pool reduced the risk to those holding SHOEs by making them swap-able for FOODs. The pool curators may at that point no longer allow anyone to swap FOODs for SHOEs knowing that that SHOEs are no longer viable – and remove them from the list of allowed vouchers.

Risk Management: Establish a maximum cap for each voucher in the pool to prevent overexposure to a particular voucher, especially if it becomes defunct.

By actively managing these areas, the curators can play a significant role in addressing the potential concerns associated with swap pools, helping to ensure their effectiveness and longevity as a tool for decentralized, community-focused exchange.

Examples of Swap Pools

Swap pools, as we've discussed, are a versatile tool that can be employed in various contexts, whether for community development, business networks, or specialty groups. Here are a few more examples of how swap pools might be utilized:

Specialty Pools: A collection of vegan restaurant vouchers - such that any one vegan restaurant voucher is now usable among all the others.

Community Groups: A group of neighbors may make vouchers representing commitments of hours of work. A common voucher used by the neighbors could be placed in the pool called COMMON and the neighbors could be invited to swap their personal vouchers for the COMMON voucher. This COMMON voucher could act as a mutual credit and used as a medium of exchange for the community. As their vouchers expire back to them out of the pool – they can re-up their commitment by adding them back to the pool each year.

Business Networks and Malls: A group of service providers can make a swap pool in order to swap their services with each other and sell these to clients.

Farmers' Markets and Local Producers: Swap pools could be used among local farmers and producers to trade their goods and services without needing to rely on external currencies. For instance, a dairy farmer could swap their "MILK" vouchers for "VEG" vouchers issued by a vegetable grower.

Educational Institutions: Schools, colleges, or other educational institutions could create a swap pool allowing students to exchange vouchers for various services, such as tutoring, mentoring, technical help, etc.

Green Initiatives: A swap pool could be set up to incentivize eco-friendly practices. For example, vouchers could be issued for participating in recycling programs, planting trees, or using public transportation, which could then be swapped for other goods or services in the pool.

Local Government Services: A town or city could issue vouchers for the use of public facilities, like libraries, parks, or recreation centers. Residents could then swap these vouchers as needed, ensuring all residents can utilize the services they need.

Health and Wellness Sector: Healthcare providers, fitness centers, and wellness practitioners could form a swap pool allowing for the exchange of health-related services. A massage therapist's "MASSAGE" vouchers could be swapped for a yoga instructor's "YOGA" vouchers.

In each of these cases, the swap pool provides a decentralized, flexible system for exchanging goods and services, fostering community engagement, promoting equitable access to resources, and encouraging local economic growth. It's a concept that, while simple, has broad potential for empowering communities and reimagining how value is exchanged.

An era of Grassroots Economics

The concept of a swap pool, as simple as it may seem, holds enormous potential to instigate a transformation towards grassroots economics and change the cycle of traditional systems that may lead to economic disparity. It enables local economies to thrive by building upon community strengths and resources and encouraging local circulation of wealth.

Let's break down how swap pools could help to enable an era of Grassroots Economics:

Decentralization: Swap pools are a decentralized system, putting power in the hands of the people. The traditional finance system often sees wealth concentrated in the hands of a few. Swap pools can help change this by democratizing access to resources, allowing community members to dictate the flow and use of local resources, rather than being dictated by external or centralized entities.

Local Empowerment: Swap pools allow for the creation of a local economy based on real local needs. For instance, a community pool could be established where neighbors exchange services represented by vouchers. This could foster cooperation, mutual support, and strengthen the local economy.

Reduction of Dependency: A system where resources can be traded freely within a community or a network reduces dependence on outside markets and currencies. This reduction of dependency can be a way to resist economic systems that may contribute to wealth disparity and domination.

Resilience: Swap pools could help build economic resilience within communities. For example, in case of economic shocks, having a local voucher system that can continue to function provides a safety net for the community.

Equality: Swap pools foster a more egalitarian system where each voucher has an equal value, unlike the capitalist system where the value of money can be influenced by numerous external factors. This helps in creating an economy where everyone is on an equal footing.

Encouraging Sustainable Practices: With community-focused swap pools, there can be an emphasis on sustainability. For example, a swap pool could be created to incentivize recycling or the use of renewable energy. This direct benefit to the community can encourage more people to take part in sustainable practices.

Ancestral Wisdom

The fundamental principles that underpin this groundbreaking yet simple model are anything but new. In fact, they reflect the time-honored wisdom of ancestral communities worldwide, embodying the spirit of pooled commitments, mutual aid, and reciprocal credit systems.

In traditional societies, communities frequently came together to pool resources, honoring a commitment to mutual support and survival. There was an understanding that by sharing and exchanging resources, everyone in the community had a better chance of thriving. This ancestral wisdom is reflected in swap pools, where technology enables this collaborative economic approach on a scale like never before.

Just as in ancestral communities, Swap Pools are based on pooled commitments, where multiple issuers contribute their vouchers to a collective pool. These pooled vouchers are redeemable for goods and services from their respective issuers, allowing participants to utilize the pool's resources according to their individual needs. This arrangement echoes the cooperative resource management of our ancestors, promoting a balanced and reciprocal system of exchange that fosters community resilience.

A central tenet of Swap Pools is the mechanism of mutual aid, a principle deeply rooted in indigenous cultures. Historically, community members would step in to help each other during times of need, understanding that everyone's well-being was interconnected. Swap Pools adopt this ethos, creating a platform where commitments (ala vouchers) can be swapped freely, allowing for the smooth flow of resources, and pooling of risk - ensuring nobody is left without the means to meet their needs.

The practice of mutual credit, often used in indigenous trade systems, is another ancestral principle incorporated into Swap Pools. These reciprocal credit systems allowed individuals to access goods and services even if they lacked immediate resources, with the understanding that they would repay the value at a later date. Swap Pools mimic this, allowing individuals to access different vouchers within the pool according to their needs, thereby ensuring equitable access to resources.

By adopting these age-old principles, Swap Pools are charting a course towards a more inclusive and balanced economy, transcending the traditional barriers of resource distribution. The Swap Pool model brings the community-focused wisdom of our ancestors into the digital age, providing an innovative solution for managing and exchanging value in our increasingly interconnected world. As such, Swap Pools offer not just a novel application of blockchain technology, but also a return to the core values of mutual aid, shared commitments, and equitable exchange – values that have sustained communities throughout history.

In essence, the advent of Swap Pools represents an amalgamation of traditional wisdom and modern innovation. As we continue to navigate the complexities of the digital age, solutions like these — those that blend time-tested principles with cutting-edge technology — may very well be the key to building sustainable, inclusive, and equitable economies for the future.