What is Terra?

Terra is a decentralized financial payment network that rebuilds the traditional payment stack on the blockchain. It utilizes a basket of fiat-pegged stablecoins, algorithmically stabilized by its reserve currency Luna, to facilitate programmable payments and open financial infrastructure development. As of December 2020, the network has transacted an estimated $299 billion for over 2 million users.

What is Luna?
Luna is the reserve currency of the Terra platform. It has three core functions: i) mine Terra transactions through staking, ii) ensure the price stability of Terra stablecoins and iii) provide incentives for the platform’s blockchain validators.

The Terra protocol runs on a Proof of Stake ( PoS ) blockchain, whereby miners must stake their Luna in order to mine transactions. All else being equal, a validator who has staked more Luna has a higher chance of generating the next Terra block compared to another validator who has staked less. In essence, Luna represents a validator’s mining power.

However, in providing network security and validation, Luna holders and stakers are exposed to the price risks associated with the asset. This is because the Terra protocol readily exchanges Terra stablecoins for Luna at their determined exchange rate to maintain the peg. When demand is high and prices are above the peg, it will sell stablecoins for Luna. When demand is low and prices are below the peg, it does the opposite. In this way, validators absorb the short-term volatility of the network.

To compensate for this, validators are given rewards in the form of: i) staking rewards, ii) gas fees, iii) taxes, and iv) seigniorage rewards. Staking rewards are determined by the size of a validator’s stake and are structured to incentivize transaction volume increases. Gas fees and taxes are similar in that a small fee is imposed on all Terra transactions, distributed to validators on a pro-rata basis. Finally, seigniorage rewards are given to validators who participate in the Luna exchange rate oracle process.

These rewards seek to create mining demand that is stable and evergreen throughout all economic conditions. If rewards are increasing, the protocol decreases network fees and seigniorage rewards, and vice versa. More information on Luna and its rewards can be found in Terra’s Docs website, as well as in its whitepaper. Alternatively, you can watch our video to learn about the Luna ecosystem.