AMADAO Gig Pay

Secure P2P escrow cross border payment for contract talent.

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Do the work. Get paid.

On time, every time.

Simple and efficient cross border payments.

Inspiration

For contract talent, centralised platforms like Expert360, Upwork, Fiverr etc have popularised the opportunity to work remotely and ad-hoc for multiple clients. Such platforms solve the problem of obtaining new work and managing payments. Both of these problems are no longer significant; many independent workers have their own regular clients and the decentralised blockchain can provide payment and security. In many cases, work can be performed between the Client and the Contractor peer-to-peer (P2P) with no recognisable benefit provided by the centralised work platform.

Specifically, Ripples' decentralised ledger makes it possible to lock a payment for automated release based on a set of conditions via their built in Escow facility.

Vision

We've previously developed solutions in this market and implemented CBDCs (APIX Singapore Sandbox) and have a strong vision of how bank backed digital currencies can transform this space. With Ripple workers in all corners of the globe could receive funds in their regular bank accounts in an instant without a third party intermediary.

In Phase I, we developed a simple dApp for inclusion in the Xumm xApps library that solves the required workflow of a P2P interaction between a contractor and their client. Our goal was to help the Ripple team see the potential in this market segment and consider supporting our collaborative implementation of CBDCs for this application.

On acceptance into Phase II, we've built on this dApp to include business rules for the release of the escrow, supported by a communications process. The Ripple secured escrow can be prematurely released (on request) if the other party has failed to respond in a given timeframe. This process disinter-mediates dispute resolution to ensure an escrow is always released. Further, we've built on the assumption XLS-0034d - Token-Enabled Escrows & Payment Channels will be enabled by the Ripple team and thus Central Bank Digital Currencies ready for production release at a future date.

What it does

With AMADAO Gig Pay:

  • Contractors create quotes, set licensing, terms and attribution - all in a few simple steps.
  • The client receives a quote and on acceptance, funds the escrow on XRPL.
  • The escrow funds reside on the blockchain, ensuring both parties fulfil their obligations without risk. Iterations of the works continue through convenient messaging and progress updates within the dApp.
  • On final acceptance, the funds in escrow are released, the work and rights transferred.

This all sounds complex but it's all done through a clean, familiar UX and tidy dApp that guides users through the process.

How we built it

We're experienced in developing escrow smart contracts and P2P payment solutions. In the case of Ripple there was no need for a Smart Contract. Calls are made over secure websockets and integration with Xumm wallet to sign the transactions and secure the funds on the ledger.

  • Front end is built on NextJS + React.
  • IPFS for decentralised storage (for the delivered assets).

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • The simplicity of the implementation.
  • A powerful use-case and demonstration of blockchain, escrow, XRPL and CBDCs
  • From Phase I to Phase II, seeing the XRPL team include the Escrow capability in the CBDC related technologies (PayChannels, Escrow and Checks).

What we learned

XRPL offers a relatively simple 'out of the box' escrow capability. The implementation was more akin to implementing an API than a the usual work effort required on the blockchain. With the proposed changes (XLS-0034d) an end-to-end CBDC enabled escrow will be possible with AMADAO Gig Pay.

  • Xumm account profiles can be leveraged to show user avatars and account information. KYC could be integrated easily making it optional to only work with contractors who have passed KYC requirements.

What's next

We're delighted to see the Ripple team has considered a CBDC implementation for their escrow capability. We look forward to side-by-side collaboration to see the production release of the two technologies. In terms of roadmap:

  • Application and acceptance in the Xumm xApp list.
  • Enhanced dispute resolution: An incentivised pool for a jury skilled in the art being disputed.
  • Extend AMADAO Gig Pay for inclusion in our DAO work payments - Accord App in order to offer payment by CBDCs or DAO treasury tokens.
  • Work3 CV - Integrate on-chain work history, ratings and reviews from our work3 CV initiative.
  • Protect digital deliverables - Ripple NFTs support digital rights management. We'll offer a minting option to bind the royalties and rights from the creator into the NFToken. Ultimately, improving traceability of the works where beneficial.

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