At the end of this How-To Guide, there is a disclaimer explaining the risks and possible scenarios when holding SigRSV. It is highly recommended that you read and understand this information.

As our Ergonaut community continues to grow, we are receiving so many great questions about the Ergo ecosystem. For those who are diving into crypto for the first time, it can be a daunting experience learning how wallets work and how they can interact with dApps (decentralized applications). We want to remove any uncertainty and offer simple guides so that users can be confident when navigating our dApps for the first time. As Ergo builds the future tools for a secure and efficient DeFi future, we aim to ensure these dApps are accessible to everyone.

In a previous blog post, we covered how to use Ergo Utils to mint NFT's and new tokens. For this article, we will explore how users can interact with the first algorithmic crypto-backed stablecoin, SigUSD. The SigUSD token is based on the AgeUSD protocol and users can mint either SigUSD (pegged to the USD) or SigRSV (the reserve coin) - where both coins are backed by the ERG token.

With SigUSD, you can send payments anywhere with a currency that is always pegged to the value of the United States Dollar. There is a 2.25% fee for minting protocol tokens, which goes to reserve (SigRSV) token holders. When the reserve ratios are below or above certain levels, the protocol will lock itself to protect and maintain the value of the peg and the reserve token holders. For a comprehensive overview of how the reserve ratios are set, please see our article: Ergo’s AgeUSD Protocol: SigRSV and SigUSD. 

Because SigUSD and SigRSV are native tokens on the Ergo blockchain, they are easily stored in a user's Ergo wallet. There are several wallets available for Ergo but for the purposes of this demonstration we will be referencing the Ergo Yoroi wallet. 

Our first step is to access the SigUSD dApp via https://sigmausd.io/#/. Once there, you will be presented with the Dashboard as well as links to Stablecoin, ReserveCoin and Set Wallet.

In order to mint any coins you must first link your Ergo wallet. Linking your wallet ensures that any SigUSD/SigRSV you mint are properly sent back to you. It also protects your funds in the event of a failed transaction. A failed transaction could be a scenario where your transaction times out or the network experiences a heavy load. Rest assured that if a contract is not properly executed, your assets are safe and will be returned to your wallet.

Click on the Set Wallet link.

For the next step it is important to have your Ergo wallet receiving address at the ready so that it can be entered once prompted. You will see the following on your screen:

After saving your Ergo wallet receiving address (the address you give to people when they are sending you ERG) you are ready to begin minting SigUSD and SigRSV tokens.

In order to get comfortable with minting these tokens, we will start by guiding you through how to purchase SigUSD. Proceed to selecting the Stablecoin link at the top of the page.

Once you have arrived on the Stablecoin page you will see the following:

The next steps are actually quite simple. Once you type in how much SigUSD you would like to purchase, the dApp will tell you how much ERG is required for the transaction. Proceed by clicking on Purchase and then you will see the following screen:

You will be prompted to send the necessary ERG to an address in order to complete the transaction. Be sure to copy the address that the dApp provides to you! Do NOT try to use the address you see in the image above.

The next steps require you to go to your personal Ergo wallet where you will proceed to send ERG to the address you were provided. Again, it is important to use the address that the SigUSD dApp provides to you! In your Ergo wallet, go through the necessary steps required to send funds to another party. For the Yoroi Ergo wallet, you will see the following:

After you select Next, you will be asked to input your spending password to finalize the transaction. Shortly after you pay the required ERG to the SigUSD contract, you will receive the corresponding amount of SigUSD in your Ergo wallet (for users of the Ergo Android wallet, please be sure to read the message below for an additional step in the process).

This is the basic format for how the SigUSD dApp functions. If you want to redeem your SigUSD back to ERG you would go through a similar process. This time you would select the redeem function on the Stablecoin page before sending SigUSD (from your Ergo wallet) to the address you are provided. Once the transaction has been completed from your wallet, you will receive the corresponding ERG back in your wallet. 

If you are looking to purchase or redeem SigRSV tokens, the instructions and user interface are the same for the steps we just covered with SigUSD. You can access that token by selecting the ReserveCoin link at the top of the page:

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR ANDROID WALLETS: For those of you who use the Ergo Android wallet, you will need to add one more step for your transactions. Each time you redeem tokens on the SigUSD protocol, you need to include a transaction fee of 0.01 ERG. This is very important! For each transaction where you are redeeming SigUsd or SigRSV, this fee is required. It is only needed when redeeming, not minting. Yoroi wallets automatically include this fee, therefore those who use the Yoroi wallet do not need to worry about this step. In the event you are redeeming tokens, the Ergo Android wallet will allow you to send ERG with SigUSD or SigRSV in the same transaction. 

That’s it! You are now fully versed on how to mint and redeem SigUSD and SigRSV tokens via https://sigmausd.io/#/. As we near the launch of ErgoDEX, we will start to see the full potential of the SigUSD stablecoin within a decentralized exchange. At the moment, you can currently use ErgoDEX Beta to swap and exchange SigUSD and SigRSV pairs.

Getting acquainted with crypto wallets and dApps can sometimes present a steep learning curve. These are the kinds of applications we believe will help reshape a financial future that benefits everyone. The only way we get there is by educating and empowering the masses to feel confident and secure when interacting with these new tools.

We hope this guide has been helpful and we welcome any questions you may have! Please contact the Ergo community via:

• Discord
• Twitter 
• Reddit
• Telegram  

Disclaimer

This is not financial advice. It is important that the Ergo community explore assumptions, so that members can begin to understand the dynamics of using this dApp.

Trading is not without risk.

The most important aspect of risk is understanding the assumptions involved.

We do have a community tool for charting/understanding the history of SigUSD/SigRSV: http://www.ergo.watch/

Basic Assumptions regarding SigRSV (current SigUSD use cases are not yet mainstream)

At this stage of development, SigUSD does not yet enjoy substantial use cases.

The most important thing to be clear about is that SigRSV is not “long ERG.”

SigRSV is a call option on the value of the reserve.

The value of the reserve does NOT necessarily follow the price of ERG. 

SigRSV is a trade where you need to watch the reserve, the price of erg, and the reserve ratio. 

SigRSV is a bet that SigUSD holders are going to come in and exit at a loss, or come in and have an unrealized loss. This has a caveat. More traders can hop into SigRSV and dilute the profit of the SigUSD losses.

A big part of the current dynamics seems to be outracing SigRSV holders to the exit. SigRSV is not only trading against a SigUSD position, it is also impacted by other traders who are participating (Buying or Selling SigRSV).

The Futures Assumptions (the future of SigUSD):

Once we see the adoption of SigUSD into a DEX, the dynamics of this trading pair will change.

The use case for SigUSD transforms into liquidity. It will be used to purchase other assets that may be more attractive vs a short.

At that point, the “life cycle” of SigUSD, or the number of trades between minting and redemption may be important. This metric will be something to watch and track if you are interested in the value of SigRSV after the DEX launches.

If SigUSD sees adoption and a variety of uses in ErgoDEX, then the SigRSV trade “may” have a larger correlation with the price of ERG (this depends on overall market dynamics).

Some traders may still go long in anticipation of the future use case of SigUSD.

If you go long you need to recognize the use case presently and how that may shift in the future.

Please manage your risks and trade well.