GoodDollar 2020 recap: This year took us all by surprise
Now we’re more convinced than ever before that the time for digital basic income is now.
Whoa! What a year it has been. Kobe Bryant died, Australia faced devastating wildfires, and a global pandemic took over our lives. It’s now December 2020 (when this article was originally published here) and while the world is counting its losses, this is a reminder to also highlight and appreciate our global gains.
So, what’s the good news in all of this? The economic fall-out driven and accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic has renewed new conversations around economic stimulus and the impact of cash relief in reviving shocked economies. This was the year basic income had its moment in the sun, as over 20 different countries discussing UBI implementations at national level.
And, of course, it was a pivotal year for crypto adoption and global acceptance of digital assets, with Bitcoin emerging as a “safe haven” store of value for investors as the US government printed more than an estimated US $15 trillion in the past several months. Within the nascent and emerging space of DeFi (decentralized finance on Ethereum), the market category exploded in 2020. It has boomed in investment from less than US$1 billion to over US$16 billion over the past 12 months.
Simultaneously and not coincidentally, 2020 is also the year GoodDollar became the world’s leading basic income experiment to date. For GoodDollar — which leverages other leading protocols such as Compound, Aave and others — this inflow of users and capital is an extremely promising indicator as we move into 2021. But before we get there, let’s take a moment to recap this last year.
Highlights of the Year
- Published GoodDollar White Paper, outlining a new mechanism to create a distributed global basic income sustainably.
- Our WhitePaper advanced social impact investing by presenting a new financial model presenting how capital can be used sustainably to generate and deploy impact. The paper presents this model in the context of delivering a global basic income via G$ that could scale to support millions (if not billions) of people.
- We also published the lite paper for those who don’t like to read long-form 🤩 Here are the English and Spanish versions.
- Distributed over US$100,000 of Covid-19 aid using the GoodDollar wallet demo, in partnership with eToro.
- Launched the GoodDollar Protocol Smart Contracts (with 56k DAI locked in the GoodStaking contracting), marking the first time smart contracts were used to autonomously create and distribute global digital basic income.
- GoodDollar became the largest basic income experiment to date, attracting over 50,000 users from over 180 countries, distributing over 44 million G$ into the hands of people globally.
- Community members around the world have begun to experiment in using their G$ as part of a global digital economy and in their communities, creating marketplaces and using their G$s as a “crypto Fiverr” for a range of digital services, for artwork and course work, to plant trees, to grow their social media channels, and much more!
- GoodDollar is named as one of the top projects driving mass adoption of crypto in 2020, alongside industry leaders such as PayPal, Uniswap, JP Morgan, and more!
Our Top #GoodData To Round It Off
- US $4,700 is the value of G$ distributed to the hands of users since launch
- 44 million G$ distributed to date
- 61,200 G$ wallets opened
- 20,000 — users claiming G$ every day
- 217 addresses holding G$ on Ethereum
- 25+ community-initiated Facebook groups from over 25 different countries
- 5 GoodPeople we have profiled, that are spearheading and leading our community
- 10,846 — number of people reading the GoodNews, our weekly newsletter on all things basic income, impact and crypto — sign up if you haven’t yet!
All data is publicly available sourced from the GoodDollar dashboard, Etherscan, and Fuse.io explorer
So, What’s Next?
This coming year will be an even more impactful 12 months for GoodDollar as we work hard to release the remaining core functionality of the protocol — most notably the ability to stake and earn rewards in GoodDollars — in addition to our governance model, and also expand the number of destinations where G$ can be accessed and used. Our recent roadmap post showcases what is next in the pipeline for immediate release, including the much anticipated release of G$ referral bonuses, for existing users to expand and grow the network. Back to the good stuff:
- Staking: this coming year we will release the ability to stake to GoodDollar, so you will be able to use your crypto for good and stake your DAI or ETH to power the GoodDollar digital basic income ecosystem, and earn rewards in G$! This will first be released at the smart contract level, with interfaces to be released later in the year.
- GoodDAO Governance: GoodDollar is meant to be a distributed basic income that is managed by its stakeholders, which includes any human being who is holding G$. Over the next few months, the Foundation will draft and release its initial governance model,, as well as its first initial votes.
- Expanded G$ Liquidity: Working to increase the ease and value of being a GoodDollar community member, through increasing the number of places where G$ can be acquired, accessed, and exchanged.
- And more…
If you’re reading this part, you should know this isn’t another business tactic to get you to use our product (did you remember to claim your G$s today? 😉)
Truly and honestly, from the entire GoodDollar team, we thank you for your daily claims, your Twitter enthusiasm, and Telegram conversations that inspire us everyday. Here’s to a happier and more prosperous 2021, with free digital income for all!