@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
11+++
22title = "Interplanetary Commerce"
33date = 2021-04-08
4−description = "Commercial primitives at the OS-level."
4+description = "OS-level commercial primitives."
55[extra]
66author = "Christian Langalis"
77ship = "~pindet-timmut"
@@ -14,19 +14,17 @@ image = "https://media.urbit.org/site/posts/essays/ocean.jpeg"
1414
1515<br>
1616
17−**Interplanetary Commerce**
18−
1917## Paying
2018
2119A year ago, we started [integrating](https://urbit.org/blog/urbit-and-bitcoin/) Bitcoin into Urbit to be an OS-level primitive for money. Our initial objective: build a payments wallet, equally sovereign and ergonomic. The first public version, releasing this month, will have a broad set of capabilities including ship-to-ship payments, hardware wallet support, and full node integration. We’ll be unveiling this wallet on [April 27th](https://www.meetup.com/urbit-sf/events/276741426/). Do join us.
2220
23−Things only accelerate from here. Our next objective, to integrate Lightning Network capability, is now an [active bounty] (https://gist.github.com/timlucmiptev/53ef1d290e55ea2fa25d9df681c32695) and open for applicants. Early on, we [recognized](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTvRVHMbrcY) the congruence and compatibility between the Urbit and Lightning networks. Routing Lightning payments is an obvious business model for Urbit providers, one that can even nucleate new features onto Lightning itself. What we’re ultimately driving at is fully-sovereign Bitcoin usage, with the UX of the Cash App.
21+Things only accelerate from here. Our next objective, to integrate Lightning Network capability, is now an [active bounty](https://gist.github.com/timlucmiptev/53ef1d290e55ea2fa25d9df681c32695) and open for applicants. Early on, we [recognized](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTvRVHMbrcY) the congruence and compatibility between the Urbit and Lightning networks. Routing Lightning payments is an obvious business model for Urbit providers, one that can even nucleate new features onto Lightning itself. What we’re ultimately driving at is fully-sovereign Bitcoin usage, with the UX of the Cash App.
2422
2523## Being Paid
2624
2725However, a good wallet is only half the equation for a holistic P2P commercial experience. Interfaces for offering goods and services for money is the other half. While we don’t part with our Bitcoin [easily](https://nakamotoinstitute.org/mempool/everyones-a-scammer/), two initial markets appear logical and attractive: content and Urbit-native services.
2826
29−First, digital cottage industry, the “creator economy”, is blossoming. Streaming, podcasting, and writing on platforms like Youtube, Patreon, and Substack has been [big business]( lately. What fintech did to “unbundle the banks", we will now do to media monopolies and their centralized distribution platforms. With the introduction of Urbit payments, you can syndicate and distribute your media on Urbit. By gating access to your private group, you can begin doing this today.
27+First, digital cottage industry, the “creator economy”, is blossoming. Streaming, podcasting, and writing on platforms like Youtube, Patreon, and Substack has been big business lately. What fintech did to “unbundle the banks", we will now do to media monopolies and their centralized distribution platforms. With the introduction of Urbit payments, you can syndicate and distribute your media on Urbit. By gating access to your private group, you can begin doing this today.
3028
3129Second, Urbit-native [service providers](https://urbit.org/blog/providers/), are now operating at scale. Companies offering Urbit hosting, onboarding, Urbit IDs, and software now communicate with their customers directly on the network. A basic set of commercial tools will make their processes more efficient. Storefront interfaces, paywalls, CRM, and reputation tools will replace the ad-hoc assemblages they currently use.
3230