- The NUON flatcoin is pegged to the value of $1 on July 1, 2022 ā worth $2.04 as of Monday
- āWeāre trying to blend the best of both worlds where we take the user experience from the stablecoin market and the inflation hedge from bitcoin,ā Laguna Labsā founder said
As inflation rates go to the moon, so-called āflatcoinsā are coming along for the ride.
Flatcoins are a new category of stablecoins that are pegged to the cost of living instead of real-world assets such as fiat currencies. Blockchain development house Laguna Labs is launching one of the first digital assets in this new category. If successful, their flatcoin could represent a legitimate inflation-hedging cryptocurrency as globalĀ inflation figures remain hot.
Their NUON flatcoin is pegged to the value of what $1 was on July 1, 2022. Once a day, the flatcoinās value recalibrates to account for US dollar inflation. One NUON ā worth $1 four months ago ā was valued at $2.04 on Monday.Ā
To produce its daily inflation adjustment, Laguna Labs developed theĀ TruflationĀ algorithm, which tracks price movement across ten million items and produces a daily inflation estimate that mostly tracks with Fed estimates.
With inflation atĀ multiple-decade highs, dollar-pegged stablecoins such as Circleās USDC and Tetherās USDT depreciate in value relative to the cost of goods over time. A flatcoin such as NUON holds its value through periods of inflation. Coinbase CEOĀ Brian ArmstrongĀ and Ethereum co-founderĀ Vitalik ButerinĀ have both advocated for cryptos pegged to the cost of goods rather than fiat currencies.
Like most major stablecoins, NUON is intentionally overcollateralized ā and will automatically liquidate user loans if the value of their collateral falls below a given level. The hurdle Laguna Labs faces is maintaining an ever-increasing peg, asĀ US inflationĀ has occurred every year since 1954.Ā
NUONās algorithm tinkers with the coinās collateralization ratio so traders will keep NUON at its peg. TheĀ collapsed Terra stablecoinĀ used a similar system, though the coin was not fully collateralized. As long as investors are willing to mint and burn NUON, the flatcoinās value ought to remain roughly flat ā despite inflation.Ā
Stefan Rust, CEO of NUON developer Laguna Labs, said he doesnāt see NUONĀ competingĀ with the likes of Circle or Tether but hopes the flatcoin canĀ join bitcoin as investorsā go-to inflation hedge.
āBitcoin is an amazing hedge against inflation, but it has got a level of volatility to it,ā Rust said. āWeāre trying to blend the best of both worlds where we take the user experience from the stablecoin market and the inflation hedge from bitcoin.ā
A TradFi analogue for flatcoins isĀ inflation-linked bonds, which adjust interest rates based on inflation andĀ grewĀ in popularity following the Great Recession. Like inflation-linked bonds, flatcoins become a less desirable asset when inflation cools down.Ā
āIf deflation happens, you are underwater, if you will, but your purchasing power always stays the same,ā Rust said.
NUON is now running on a testnet with the intention of going live in the first quarter of 2023. The flatcoin will go live on decentralized crypto exchanges before seeking approval to be listed on centralized exchanges.