Jul 1, 2020

5 min read

An introduction to Velo Labs

A brief overview of Velo Labs, the Federated Credit Exchange Network and the Velo Protocol to get you started.

Please Note: This article is meant as an introduction for newcomers. This article may be periodically updated as necessary.

Who is Velo Labs?

Backed by the Stellar Network and the CP Group — one of the biggest conglomerates in the world — Velo Labs is a fintech company currently serving business partners in Southeast Asia. Velo Labs’ mission is to build a Federated Credit Exchange Network, powered by the Velo Protocol. By connecting the legacy finance, CeFi and DeFi industries, Velo Labs’ Federated Credit Exchange Network positions Velo Labs as one of few blockchain projects with a clear path towards mass adoption.

What is the Federated Credit Exchange Network?

The Federated Credit Exchange Network (FCX) is a unique distributed network that connects an array of traditional, centralized and decentralized finance partners. Standing firmly in the Federated Finance category, the FCX combines the efficiencies and freedom of DeFi with the well-worn, mature practices and standards of CeFi and legacy systems. It is this approach that makes it possible for the FCX to enable the liquid exchange of digital credits pegged to any fiat currency while guaranteeing last mile settlement using the VELO token.

Before participating in Velo Labs’ FCX, there are several stipulations to which all network participants must abide. These include:

VELO tokens serve as the FCX’s universal collateral;
VELO token transactions are confirmed using a Federated Byzantine Agreement — the Stellar Consensus Protocol;
The FCX’s core function — issuing and transacting with digital credits pegged to any fiat currency — is built on the Velo Protocol.

Behaviours outside the scope of these stipulations are left to the network participants to govern. A more detailed write-up can be found here.

What are VELO tokens?

VELO is a cryptocurrency issued on the Stellar Network. As a “bridge asset,” VELO tokens link the value of traditional assets to digital credits pegged 1:1 with any fiat currency, via the Velo Protocol. As VELO tokens back every transaction made on Velo Labs’ FCX, VELO tokens serve as the network’s universal collateral.

VELO tokens can currently be traded on the following exchanges:

KuCoin,
Gate.io
Bitfinex
Bithumb
OKEx
Indodax
MEXC
Bitazza
VCC

VELO tokens can be stored in any wallet compatible with Stellar-based assets. More details here.

What is the Velo Protocol?

The Velo Protocol is a financial protocol that issues digital credits pegged to any fiat currency, and ensures that these digital credits are always collateralized by the right amount of VELO tokens to maintain a 1:1 digital credit to fiat currency value ratio. It is made up of two primary components: the Digital Credit Issuance Mechanism and the Digital Reserve System.

Digital Credit Issuance Mechanism

The Digital Credit Issuance Mechanism issues digital credits pegged to any fiat currency by staking VELO tokens in collateral pools.

Digital Reserve System

The Digital Reserve System automatically rebalances the VELO token collateral pools to maintain a 1:1 value ration between issued digital credits and their related fiat currency. This process is best illustrated via the following example:

Both the Digital Credit Issuance Mechanism and the Digital Reserve System require Turing-complete smart contracts. As VELO tokens are Stellar-based tokens, and the Stellar Network does not support Turing-complete smart contracts, Velo Labs uses the Hermes Warp Protocol to engage a proprietary blockchain called Evrynet to achieve these vital functions.

The Hermes Warp Protocol

The Hermes Warp Protocol is a cross-chain protocol that bridges the Stellar Network, Evrynet and Ethereum. The Hermes Warp Protocol allows digital assets to “move” from one blockchain to another. Technically, a given digital asset exists on all chains simultaneously. However, while a digital asset is active on one chain, it is automatically locked on the others. More detailed explanations about the Hermes Warp Protocol can be found here.

What is Velo Labs solving?

Velo Labs’ Federated Credit Exchange Network, powered by the Velo Protocol, is a foundation upon which financial services providers are able to construct real-world applications in service of today’s increasingly complex user and business landscape.

By using the Velo Protocol, Velo Labs’ partners can issue digital credits pegged to any fiat currency for use in their day-to-day operations. This gives partners the ability to conveniently transact with businesses across the globe, without necessitating fiat deposits in every market. Additionally, because the number of VELO tokens collateralizing these digital credits are automatically rebalanced as the value of VELO tokens fluctuates on the open market, partners are protected from default and overcollateralization scenarios. This approach also sidesteps the issues of market volatility that plague the adoption of blockchain solutions.

The Velo Protocol’s first real-world partner use case — developed by Lightnet Group — is an inclusive international remittance ecosystem aimed at empowering the region’s large underbanked and financially underserved population. By working hand-in-hand with partners in the legacy, CeFi and DeFi market segments, Velo Labs is able to bridge the multiple, formally disconnected networks that comprise international remittance, across the five layers of today’s international remittance system.

Read more to learn about how Velo Labs solves issues with:

Who are Velo Labs’ Partners?

Major Backers

CP Group
Stellar Foundation
Uni-President
UOB Venture Management
Hashkey
Signum Capital
Inception
DU Capital
Ausvic Capital
Settle Network
Everest Ventures Group

First Use Case — International Remittance

Ecosystem Partnerships

Visa
Inter/stellar
Kyber Network
KogoPay
Carry Protocol

Oracle Partnerships

Liquidity Partnerships

Terra

Custodian Partnerships

Notable Further Reading

Glossary

Follow Velo Labs

★ Website ★ Whitepaper ★ Twitter ★ Telegram (EN) ★