Using a centralized form of Know-Your-Customer (KYC) identification and a payments platform, Metal proposes to fairly distribute cryptocurrency via Proof-of-Processed-Payments (PoPP) on top of the ethereum blockchain. Satoshi’s original vision for bitcoin was to distribute miner rewards fairly through Proof-of-Work (Pow). However, we have seen mining become highly centralized in China. With a centralized group of miners, distribution of the cryptocurrency becomes highly skewed and becomes near impossible for the layperson to earn, instead forcing them to purchase through an exchange.
Without an incentive to purchase, cryptocurrency may never reach mass adoption. Metal proposes a system utilizing provable payments attached to verified identities to distribute currency. Anyone can participate to earn METAL as a reward for converting fiat to cryptocurrency.
Bitcoin has shown currency can exist outside of the current financial system. It is technologically resistant to counterfeiting via block-chain technology. However, this by itself is not inherently strong enough to spark a technological payments revolution. Rather, bitcoin is exciting and motivating entrepreneurs to build a better mousetrap. One challenge is that bitcoin is extremely volatile and scares away many would-be users due to the fact it is accepted almost nowhere, including brick and mortar businesses and online. Financial institutions, for the most part, avoid bitcoin. They are creating private blockchains to identify sources of funds as well as users on these systems.
The goal is to provide all of the financial services small to medium sized businesses (SMB) might need, but can’t access currently. Typically, cash-based businesses find it hard to get credit because they have no credit history. This has led to seeking alternative financing which comes with exorbitant fees and loan financing charges. The initial target market will be high risk merchants, cash intensive merchants, and merchants who already accept or want to accept more cryptocurrency. At a later stage, it will be to acquire traditional merchants like Square, Venmo and PayPal.
Transactions
Metal will offer services through software to make transactions accessible for regular users. This strategy will prove valuable as peer-to-peer payments are incentivized to leave traditional rails. opting for an open network of cryptocurrency payments. These transactions will settle faster and provide real world value beyond traditional cash-based payments.
Target Markets
The market potential for unbanked and disenfranchised industry is worth billions of dollars. There are a number of industries that face problems accepting credit card payments. Often times this is due to the fact that processors consider particular businesses as high-risk.
Metal’s initial target markets are underbanked industries in the United States that are operating legally and are compliant with state laws.
This focus will allow Metal to have reach into a multiple-billion dollar market in payment processing volume turned away by traditional payment companies because of high-risk status or vice. Traditional processors like PayPal and Square reject these merchants solely to avoid stigma, while Metal will welcome many of these industries. Furthermore, Metal will make cryptocurrency go mainstream for consumers through ease of use and promotion of multiple blockchains and tokens.
Reward vs. Penalty
The current state of cryptocurrency is a penalty over a reward. In order to enter cryptocurrency one must have a fundamental understanding of the software that it runs on, the best security practices, ability to get in and out, avoid fluctuation and find the lowest possible fees. In addition, even armed with these skills, many users are forced to wait days for their payments to clear before they have coins on-chain.
In the case of Metal, payments are approved or declined immediately and displayed as spendable off-chain credit until they settle on chain. This makes the entire experience unusable for the layman. Proof of Processed Payments (PoPP) changes the experience from an unpleasant penalty, to a simple reward. Earn crypto when you spend money, earn crypto when you receive money. Through PoPP and the Metal platform, its founders are incentivizing usage and adoption of cryptocurrency and building an ecosystem for users and merchants.
Underlying Technology
To implement a provably fair distribution model, Metal uses the public ethereum blockchain. It uses Ethash as its Proof-of-Work for security. In an attempt to keep cryptocurrency distributed, the Ethereum Foundation chose an ASIC-resistant scheme, however this still does not make mining accessible to the layman. Proof-of-Work merely slows down the inevitable: centralization and the inability to participate with consumer hardware.
Metal aims to be blockchain agnostic and recognizes the need for multiple cryptocurrencies. If cryptocurrency adoption is to take off it must utilize multiple blockchains. For example, many users wish to see the currency in terms of United States Dollars or Euros. For this reason Metal is using financial instruments that will offer stability. Metal recognized the need for Interoperability and Metal will use inter-blockchain exchanges to transfer between multiple cryptocurrencies and cryptoassets.
Meanwhile, loyalty-based tokens that merchants can create will be on the ethereum network as well as METAL the token. Metal also recognizes the need for privacy-based tokens like DASH, Monero and Zcash, which will also be supported. Bitcoin is the underlying currency powering all transactions and purchases. However, this may change at a later time with sufficient volume to switch to METAL, ethereum or something different entirely.
Proof-of-Processed-Payments
Proof-of-Processed-Payments (PoPP) acts as a provable way of identifying users and distributing new currency into the system. At the same time, it rewards users who convert fiat currency into cryptocurrency.
For this identity-based, volume-dependent distribution network, Metal first identifies a user through a social security number or passport ID with identification software. Second, Metal gets a photograph on file, either a selfie or picture of identifying documents. Third, Metal can link a credit or debit card number in preparation for processing a payment. If no credit/debit card is available, a user can sign up with only an email address and invoice credit/debit/ach accounts into cryptocurrency.
Provided all data points check out and the registered name on the identification matches the name on the credit or debit card, Metal initiates a payment using proprietary anti-money-laundering (AML) and anti-fraud technology. The payment typically declines or accepts in under one minute. The pending payment notification shows on the transaction list for the receiver of funds.
Metal (MTL)Token
Overview:
Current coin Value: $7.66
Market Cap: $147,920,695
Total Supply: 66,588,888 MTL
Circulating Supply: 19,300,994 MTL
The MTL token is the native currency within the Metal system. A total of 66,588,888 METAL tokens will be created at the genesis. The Metal token will be ERC20 compliant which means that a stakeholders addresses can be linked to a name or tag, or fetched by an identity security provider.
A 31% initial amount of METAL tokens will be saved from the cap of 66,588,888 METAL, which is 20,658,888. This will be deducted from the total amount available for distribution through PoPP (26,341,112) and locked up for 12 months, leaving 19,588,888 METAL for the token sale.
A portion of the company reserve will be set aside 3,360,000 METAL will be broken down to 1,000,000 METAL each for the initial two co-founders: whereas 200,000 METAL will be distributed among each of the first five employees and 40,000 METAL will be distributed each for nine advisors (3,360,000 total).
METAL tokens will vest every month for twelve months until fully vested with co-founders, first employees and advisors. If for any reason a founder, employee or advisor ceases to be with the company during their vesting period, all vesting will cease and be returned to the Metallicus Limited operational pool.
This leaves an additional 17,448,888 METAL in Metallicus Limited operational pool to be used at the company’s discretion. The operational pool may not be drawn from by Metallicus Limited for up to twelve months from the completion of the token sale. The Metallicus Limited operational pool may be used for such efforts but not limited to: Attracting top talent to the company, marketing purposes and performance-based bonuses for employees.
Equity investors in Metal are entitled to the average token sale price of METAL at $0.18, for their equity investment to be matched in METAL tokens. This financing of $556,000 in private equity takes exactly 3,088,888 METAL from the initial token sale amount, reducing it to 16,500,000 METAL available at the start of the token sale.
Metal Digital Wallet
Earn rewards every time you send or spend. The metal digital wallet is:
• Powerful. Take control of your money with actual digital cash.
• Gamified. Earn METAL, loyalty coins and more as you spend.
• Connected. Send payments to friends and family with a click.
• Instant. Lightning clearance time on every transaction.
• Secure. Your personal data is kept safe through encryption.
• Legendary. World class technical support available 24/7.
Exchanges
• Bittrex
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