1 pointby xklondon3 hours ago1 comment
  • xklondon3 hours ago
    Informal obligations (“I’ll return the tool next week”, “I’ll send the money later”, “I owe you a favor”) often default without but is it bad intent or a systemic issue?

    In our white paper we argue that the failure mode of informal peer-to-peer obligations is mostly structural:

    no persistent shared record ambiguous recall over time reminders feel socially costly settlement has logistical barriers

    The hypothesis: default isn’t primarily moral — it’s structural fragility.

    We built an early version of a system to test this in practice.

    Core mechanics:

    Bilateral acknowledgment (“virtual handshake”) Both parties explicitly confirm the obligation. Persistent shared state of terms underwriting by personal integrity Integrated settlement rails (for monetary obligations)

    The system is intentionally positioned in the high-trust / low-enforceability space (as opposed to centralised and trustless networks).

    It uses integrity for underwriting, not through institutional or trustless enforcement.

    We’re interested in real-world feedback:

    Do you think there is a use for such tool? We are using a virtual agreement for Acceptance and Settlement in the process, is that comprehendible?

    White paper: https://iou-wallet.com/IOU%20Wallet%20-%20White%20Paper.pdf

    It’s still early. Would appreciate people trying it, any friend owing you a bit of money or hasn`t returned a tool?