Hi all, I wanted to present an idea for expanding the use case for SAND token into the real world.
Executive Summary
The Sandbox’s SAND token currently operates exclusively within the Ethereum ecosystem & Sandbox metaverse. I propose a strategic partnership with XDC Network to enable real-world utility for SAND tokens by using the established fintech infrastructure of XDC starting with Singapore and Hong Kong markets.
Background
Right now, there is a boom in real-world adoption of crypto from tokenised stocks to credit cards.
I think we have an opportunity here to expand the use case for SAND token and take it into the real world by partnering with XDC Network. The idea is to converge gaming & real world spending. XDC network is an enterprise grade L1 with a lot of good fintech products enabling real world purchases. Their cards are already live in Singapore & I know they are also working with Octopus for Hong Kong. Given XDC is EVM compatible, I think we have an opportunity to expand $SAND use cases especially look at gaming-to-real-world reward system.
Proposal
Establish secure SAND ↔ XDC token conversion mechanism, and then enable real-world spending of $SAND through $XDC’s payment card infrastructure
Benefits
-Enable greater $SAND use case for SANDFam - access to everyday purchases.
-Revenue for DAO: 0.1-0.5% take rate for conversions.
-Provider greater spending flexibility while maintaining gaming rewards.
-XDC is ISO 20022 compliant, so it offers a strong regulatory foundation as well. The use case for $SAND will only expand as XDC moves into newer geographies.
-Higher token demand and value appreciation starting with key Asian geographies (SGP, HK)
Conclusion
By partnering with XDC, We can offer Sandbox community immediate value. More importantly, I feel there is real value in the gaming-to-real-world reward system which will be a first in the world.
I am eager to hear from others on the forum. Does it make sense to make a full proposal and pitch to DAO as well as XDC?
My opinion on this is that its still too early for this to be executed. As much as it sounds ideal to allow real world use case of $SAND, it’s more likely that SAND will still be used for 2 purposes, digital transactions, and speculation. The infra and maintainence cost will likely be more than the potential rev we can earn from such txs for the foreseeable future.
Recommend you put that Sandbox operates exclusively within the Ethereum and Polygon. It’s primarily in Polygon more than Ethereum. FinTech isn’t my area of expertise so I don’t have much of an opinion. Why Hong Kong and Singapore?
Recommend you include a paragraph about what XDC is.
This idea is excellent, but its execution will depend on country-specific regulations and reporting. I can’t speak for Singapore or Hong Kong, but in Indonesia, this is currently unapproved. Many local fintech companies have tried, but none have yet gained regulatory clearance for linking cryptocurrency to financial transactions other than local currency.
Thank you everyone for taking the time to reply to this. It’s the only way we move forward.
@DAO Revenue is def one aspect of this but what I am more keen to enable is gaming-to-real-world rewards for players. The time that players and creators spend on the platform should be directly linked to real world.
I am very active on beermoney sub on Reddit - there are so many posts on surveys/activities you can do to just earn beer money. I was just wondering why can’t Sandbox add to that? Like play or create on sandbox to earn beer money.
In my mind that’s a great pitch for players and creators especially given the time people spend on those surveys and websites on the beer money sub. Even if we get a small portion of that - it can be a huge boost. What do you think?
On the cost side yes, I have not really gone into detail for the infra & maintenance cost but I am happy to do that if DAO shows interest. I myself would not like to do anything with major recurring costs for the DAO.
@Lanzer I looked into the technical feasibility bit, and as long as it’s the Ethereum ecosystem (or Polygon) it should work. The reason for choosing Singapore & Hong Kong is just that XDC is live in those two countries right now. It will increase as XDC increases its footprint and SAND’s use case will increase with that.
We just need to create a bridge for SAND (ETH) to SAND (XDC) swap and mint some tokens on the XDC chain. I am sure XDC will be open to supporting this if we speak with them.
Sorry for missing that out. XDC is an EVM compatible L1 focused on tokenization of real world assets. They are currently at a market cap of $1.58B. And they are very heavy on fintech.
They have good partnerships in Singapore and Hong Kong (Octopus). They also have a debit card live in Singapore which can be used to pay at retail shops. One in Hong Kong should come soon. And they are launching in US in 2026 with similar products.
All I want is to piggyback on this to offer more with SAND without losing our core which is gaming. We will obviously need support from XDC as well to pull this off. Does this make sense?
@hishmad I agree. The implementation will be very country-dependent and not all countries will approve of it. That’s why I dont suggest we do it ourselves.
But, why not go atleast where its allowed for now. Just need to piggyback on XDC. They will open the doors for us - we just need to bridge to them. Everywhere they go, we go.
Players and creators in those countries get the most benefit. I am not from either of those countries btw but I just believe in the gaming-to-real-world value proposition for Sandbox and Sand token.
We are in a world where the acceptance of crypto is only going to increase. It’s just a matter of When and who can be the best partner for Sandbox to enable this? XDC currently is most well positioned for regulatory clearances. They have ISO certifications and proof of concepts in two major geographies - SGP and HK.
Hi Sebga, I just replied there. Did not see your message here.
For others, Sebga asked what is unique about this solution as compared to converting SAND to USDT and using that for payments? Great question I’d say. The difference lies in XDC chain vs Ethereum. It becomes more of an XDC pitch in that case.
XDC is basically an L1 focused on fintech. They already have partnerships with major financial institutions in Singapore and HK. I want to piggyback off them to reach retail in these countries.
SAND can be interchanged to USDT and can be used for retail payments. There is no difference as long as we have some cards issued in some geographies which accept USDT. But I have not seen such products in Ethereum with regulatory clearance.
With XDC on the other hand we are moving to one chain which is focused on fintech and retail payments. They have regulatory clearance in a country like Singapore. They are highly institution focused so compliance is top notch.
I am sure it can be done for Solana also - but again we are yet to see successful projects there. Might be more difficult due to general nature of the blockchain. XDC is more fintech and institution focused. They already have usable cards in SGP and very soon in Hong Kong. So, it will always be easier for them to expand. And with their expansion, SAND will also expand. But yes, if Ethereum starts seeing such fintech products with regulatory clearance, then there is likely no additional value.
Also, there is a chance that I am not aware of similar products in Eth but they exist. In which case, please do let me know.
I don’t see any immediate benefit. I could be wrong, but personally, I’m hesitant. I’m also not sure this is something users are expecting or asking for.
We’re touching on a very specific aspect of the token that feels somewhat disconnected from The Sandbox’s core sector.
This would require a dedicated department to handle the economic side of the token. I can imagine that happening one day and I would really like to see it, but it feels a bit early for that right now.
The idea is merely to find additional use cases for SAND and increase the token’s value. If done well, it can lead to a price jump and differentiate SAND in the sea of GameFi tokens.
