Description
Bankless Card is building an easy-to-use tool to connect users with web3. The card (and companion mobile app) will serve as a bridge between the IRL world and the crypto world by eliminating common UX barriers—helping more users go from web3-curious to web3-native.
Manifesto/Vision:
Our purpose is to bridge the UX gulf between web3 and the real world.
Our vision is to make accessing web3 as easy as swiping a credit card.
Problem
It’s easy to forget the barriers to joining web3 when you’re already “in”. Knowledge barriers (like understanding non-custodial wallets), security barriers (like private key storage), and economic barriers (like gas fees) are blockers to potential web3 users. Artists looking to mint their own NFTs, not-for-profits looking for contributors and funding, and skilled labor in emerging economies looking for work may not have the time, know-how, or gumption to take the leap.
Solution
A card and companion app that makes accessing web3 as easy as swiping.
- Crypto rewards give you access to DAO communities without understanding complicated onramps and decentralized exchanges (DEXs).
- Using the app teaches you about basic decentralized finance concepts, such as swapping, staking, and more.
- Integration with famous web3 tooling (Snapshot for voting, PoolTogether for saving, etc.) makes participation safe and easy.
Product
Based on our survey of >100 DAO members, we’ve identified the following launch features:
- Allow users to download the app and instantly access a virtual debit card (physical card mailed to the user).
- Users can add fiat funds to the card to make purchases.
- Reward fiat spending with rewards in a DAO social token of choice, creating a virtuous tokenomics cycle that can increase a social token’s value over time.
- Users/DAOs could also choose to have rewards sent directly to the DAO’s treasury as direct, on-chain revenue.
- Access a feed of pertinent DAO news, including open votes and social publications.
Post-Launch Roadmap
- (Launch a.k.a Month 0) A mobile app that allows users to load fiat currency onto a VISA debit and spend fiat to get rewards in the social token of their choice (i.e. BANK)
- Market: DAO users, DAO leaders
- (Month 3) Buy ETH using fiat currency (i.e. on-ramp)
- Market: DAO users, crypto-curious consumers
- (Month 5) Buy social tokens using fiat currency (i.e. decentralized exchange)
- (Month 6+) TBD, but would likely include the following
- Swap social tokens for fiat (i.e. off-ramp)
- In-app web3 integrations (buy an ENS, save on PoolTogether, vote on Snapshot)
- Custom card designs (i.e. your NFT, your fav DAO)
Validation
We’ve [accomplished a lot] in the last 6 months. Here’s a subset:
- 3 secured offers from potential card-issuing-as-a-service providers.
- 650+ users on the pre-launch waitlist.
- 5+ DAOs interested in being launch partners, including MakerDAO and PoolTogether.
- Met with VISA and MasterCard about joining their accelerator programs.
- Grants from DAOpunks (1.1 ETH) and BanklessDAO (4.4M BANK).
Progress
We have 25 contributors on 6 continents working weekly to make this card a reality. We’re making progress on the following fronts:
- Operations: secured offers from card issuers, validated financial models showing positive cash flow within 2 years, secured grants, validated legal and compliance needs, set up team coordination structure, and more.
- Product: iterated over product designs (currently on v4), built alpha app on react native, validated custodial wallet solutions, deployed tooling and infrastructure, emails, domain, etc.), and more.
- Communication: created skeleton funnel for user acquisition, draft brand handbook, community strategy, content strategy, pitch assets, and more.
Differentiation
We segment the crypto card market in the following way:
- Crypto-savvy cards (i.e. crypto (dot) com and Wirex**)** offer complicated tokenomics schemes to increase rewards to up to 5%. These cards require funding from a crypto wallet, and typically have interfaces built for power users.
- Casual crypto cards (i.e. Coinbase and Gemini) offer 2-3% cash back rewards in select cryptocurrencies as well as additional partner rewards for popular consumer products like Uber, DoorDash, Netflix, Spotify, etc. These cards also require funding from a crypto wallet and have interfaces that are slightly less complicated.
- Beginner crypto cards (i.e. BlockFi and Shakepay) offer 1-2% cash back rewards in BTC or ETH. These cards can be funded from bank accounts, and have extremely simple user interfaces.
Unlike crypto-savvy and casual-crypto cards, Bankless Card is easy-to-use (i.e. no gas fees, no complicated wallet setup) and doesn’t require an existing crypto wallet.
Unlike beginner crypto cards, Bankless Card provides engagement mechanisms (connection with DAOs and other web3 entities) to keep people coming back.
Unlike all other cards, Bankless Card gives users shared ownership with the ecosystem by virtue of being a DAO. While all other cards on the market focus on individual rewards and benefits, Bankless Card will focus our messaging on redirecting interchange fees, which normally go to banks, towards worthy DAO causes that are near and dear to our users’ hearts.
Team
Bankless Card has been an effort by over 25 contributors. A subset:
- links: Product strategist, technology leader, startup artist. He’s led teams to create award-winning products and seeks to build products that millions of people love. He’s a powerhouse DAO contributor and extremely thoughtful about building sustainable teams.
- Rene: Operations workstream lead. He is an economist, has experience in audit, and accounting, and many years of driving change in teams through digitization.
- NF Thinker: Biz Dev lead and product/user experience advisor. A leader within BanklessDAO and other Web3 communities. We are focused on improving lives through digital ownership and comprehensive user experiences.
- Jasu: Product Coordinator: Product Designer and Business Consultant for LATAM tech innovators companies. With experience in agile design and implementation of business models, leading teams in design, technology, marketing, and sales. Currently advises different companies to scale in a sustainable way.
Grant Request: $10,000
Before we can move forward, we’ll need a legal entity. We are seeking a grant from MetaCartel to help set up fiat legal entities (Marshall Islands not-for-profit and Delaware C Corp) and infrastructure that allows us to issue credit cards as well as to evaluate and mitigate compliance risks related to launching our card in the U.S.
This grant will be used specifically for the purpose of setting up legal entities.
Funds
Bankless received the following grants:
- 1.1 ETH from DAOpunks
- 4,405,020 BANK from BanklessDAO
Help
As a DAO, we’re always looking for new contributors! If you’re passionate about bridging the UX gap between web3 and the real world, come join us on our Discord: