One rule of thumb in web development is that every page on a website should be within three clicks of the landing page. While this rule, like all arbitrary rules with arbitrary numbers, is arbitrary, it reaffirms that users are lost to friction.
As I’m sure many of you are aware, two months ago, Carbon launched the first and only EOS stablecoin. Alongside this, we quietly added a fiat off ramp directly into EOS Lynx, the most frictionless wallet on EOS as a way to test our new product, Carbon Fiber.
Pre Fiber
Before Fiber was integrated into Lynx, users would have go through Coinbase in order to initiate the process of purchasing EOS. Only once the user’s identity was verified by Coinbase upon registration, were they able purchase ETH. Then, after they uploaded their driver’s license to Binance and verified their identity they would have to manually type in the Binance’s Ethereum wallet and transfer the ETH or BTC from Coinbase to Binance. With both Coinbase and Binance, the funds are out of the user’s custody. On Binance, users can purchase EOS. Once they have purchased EOS, they can type in their EOS wallet address and transfer the EOS to their EOS wallet.
Time (from fund settlement): 30 minutes
Cost: 2.05 Dollars ≈4%
Websites/Security Confirmations: 5
Post Fiber
With Fiber, users only need to upload their documents once and can do so in the wallet of their choice. The issuance and transferring process is non-custodial, meaning that the only party they need to trust is Carbon’s banking partners. Welcome to the decentralized future!
Time (from fund settlement): 0
Cost: 0
Websites/security confirmations: 1
Users can move money into and out of EOS directly inside Lynx. Prior to Fiber, the easiest option was liquidating into EOS, transferring to Binance, converting into a Coinbase supported coin, and then sending to Coinbase. This is slow, risky, and technically challenging. Now all it takes is a click. And it’s free!
We want a world with less friction because at the end of the day, friction is waste. The time, risk, and cost of moving value hurts everyone besides rent seekers. In the same way that software is eating the world, Carbon is eating friction.
But we didn’t stop there. Wires, as a means of payment and money transfer, have been the name of the game for crypto. That said, only 20% of our team had ever used wires prior to joining Carbon! Wires are the norm for the space because they are simple: there is (usually) a flat fee and they are irreversible. These same traits make them inconvenient for everyday users. So we implemented Automated Clearing House (ACH) support. Even if you don’t know what ACH is, you’ve probably used it. If you’ve ever been paid, transferred money between banks, or paid a credit card bill (online), you’ve used ACH. We are the first stablecoin to do this. This is also the first time ACH has been used to transfer money directly into a non-custodial cryptocurrency wallet.
We envision a future where there are no walls nor powerful gatekeepers, and value can flow freely between all systems. We believe Fiber is a step towards this future.
We consolidated an arduous, expensive process into a single click, and let that click move money directly into users’ checking accounts using technology most people use everyday. We’re working with many groups in both the Ethereum and EOS space to build payment rails directly into their platforms. So if you too hate friction, reach out!
We have conviction that Fiber will reduce a lot of friction for a lot of people. And in a nutshell, that’s Carbon’s primary mission.