Flatcoins: A New Form of Crypto Asset That Could Replace Stablecoins

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said this in a post on X while endorsing the decentralized flatcoin SPOT protocol.

An emerging crypto asset class called flatcoins is poised to replace stablecoins in the future, according to Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong. In a post on X, Armstrong endorsed the decentralized flatcoin SPOT protocol and its native asset SPOT.

SPOT is a flatcoin designed to serve as a low-volatility commodity money that is decentralized and inflation-resistant. It is described as a commodity like gold or BTC that can be used for everyday transactions, similar to stablecoins.

What are Flatcoins?

Armstrong highlighted the importance of flatcoins as a new innovation and a valuable alternative to stablecoins, which he noted are prone to inflation. Flatcoins aim to maintain their purchasing power over time through various mechanisms, such as tracking the consumer price index (CPI) to achieve inflation resistance.

“Stablecoins are great, but they also suffer from inflation. Having a medium of exchange that doesn’t suffer from inflation is an important update to the financial system.”

no surprise, given that Coinbase Ventures played a role in the SPOT protocol’s development. The exchange’s venture arm reportedly contributed $1 million to a strategic funding round for the protocol, which has launched on Ethereum and Base.

SPOT is a product of Fragments, the company behind the decentralized finance (DeFi) platform Ampleforth. The Ampleforth native token AMPL serves as the collateral for SPOT, and the project aims to achieve inflation resistance through a complex design that involves reorganizing AMPL’s volatility. The volatility is then split between two derivatives: SPOT (low volatility) and stAMPL (high volatility).

According to the project documentation, the core concept is to shift volatility from SPOT to stAMPL, enabling SPOT to maintain stability.

“AMPL is a decentralized unit of account, meaning it is price-stable but supply-volatile. To achieve price stability, the AMPL Protocol targets a CPI-adjusted US dollar, making AMPL truly inflation-resistant and suitable for creating new derivatives like SPOT.”

notably, SPOT is not the first flatcoin to be created. Several other projects, including Nuon, International Stable Currency, and LendrUSD, have also been working on developing flatcoins. However, this asset class is still in its early stages of development.

Stablecoins Gaining Traction

Despite the promising concept of flatcoins, stablecoins continue to be one of the most widely adopted applications of crypto technology. Stablecoins are designed to remain stable and maintain a consistent value relative to fiat currencies like the US Dollar. They are particularly popular in emerging markets like Argentina, where people use them extensively to protect themselves from their country’s struggling national currency. Stablecoins are also increasingly being used for payments.

This high adoption rate has prompted tech giants like Visa and PayPal to introduce various products aimed at tapping into the sector. Moreover, reports indicate that Tether’s USDT, the leading stablecoin, has a higher trading volume than major crypto assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum combined.