Circles UBI (CRC) / Circles Protocol
Circles is a decentralized, blockchain-based currency and basic-income protocol on Gnosis Chain in which every verified human account continuously mints 1 CRC per hour, with value made fungible through a peer-to-peer web of trust rather than a central issuer. It began with a Berlin pilot (2020-2024) run by the now-dissolved Circles Cooperative, and a smaller Bali, Indonesia pilot that remains active. The original protocol (v1) relaunched as "Circles v2" on Gnosis Chain in May 2025, adding group currencies, 7% annual demurrage, and the Metri smart wallet. CRC is not pegged to any fiat currency and functions more like a mutual-credit community currency than a conventional cash-transfer UBI.
Blockchain, Gnosis Chain, Web of Trust, Mutual Credit, Community Currency, Decentralized, Demurrage, Bali, Berlin
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Circles Protocol (open-source; core development led by Gnosis Chain / Gnosis Ltd.; formerly Circles Cooperative eG, Berlin — dissolved Jan 2024; Bali pilot run by CirclesUBI Indonesia)
- Country
- Global (decentralized; no fixed HQ)
Contact
- Website
- https://aboutcircles.com
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Rolling
- Number of recipients
- 10,000
- Funding type
- Nonprofit, Corporate, Research Pilot
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Crypto
- Payment frequency
- Variable
- Ongoing / unconditional
- Yes
- Distribution Type
- Blockchain wallet (Metri smart wallet / Gnosis Safe, formerly Circles.garden web wallet)
- Benefit details
Each verified human account accrues 1 CRC/hour (up to 24 CRC/day), claimable retroactively for up to 14 days. All balances decay via a 7% annual demurrage (~0.0199%/day) to discourage hoarding and keep new issuance meaningful. Personal CRC only becomes spendable/fungible through direct or indirect trust connections (web of trust) or by joining a group currency. New members must be invited by an existing user (inviter pays 96 CRC, invitee receives a 48 CRC welcome bonus) and require 3 trust connections to activate. CRC has no USD/fiat peg; only "Backer" accounts (holding 48 CRC plus $100 in USDC/other reserve assets) or "Indirect Backers" can swap a portion of CRC for stablecoins.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Open to any real individual human who receives an invitation from an existing member and is trusted/vouched for (historically in person) by at least 3 existing verified Circles users. Enforces a strict "one human, one account" policy; organizations, groups, and AI agents may hold non-personal Group/Organization accounts but cannot create personal CRC.
Geography
- Cities covered
- Berlin, Germany (v1 pilot, active 2020-2024, now defunct), Ubud/Bali, Indonesia (active community pilot)
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Optional
- Research / participation requirements
Not required for general use; the Berlin and Bali pilots have been studied by independent/academic researchers (e.g., a 2024 Frontiers in Blockchain case study and a 2025 arXiv impact-assessment paper) with participants opting into surveys/interviews.
Application Process
- How to apply
Receive an invitation from an existing Circles member (via the Metri wallet / app.gnosis.io/circles), then obtain trust connections from at least 3 existing verified members to activate personal CRC creation. Existing Circles.garden (v1) users must migrate their 24-word seed phrase into a new Gnosis/Metri account to continue as v2 users.
- Selection process
No formal application review; access is gated entirely by the social web of trust. Existing members choose whom to invite and trust, and are asked to only vouch for people they know personally (in-person vetting encouraged) to prevent fake or duplicate accounts.
