Sky Protocol (stUSDS)
System: Sky Protocol — Money and Payments
Sky Protocol is an Ethereum-based stablecoin and collateralised credit system. USDS is the primary dollar-referenced stablecoin; DAI is the legacy stablecoin linked through conversion and integrations; sUSDS is the transferable savings position; stUSDS is the transferable risk-capital position funding SKY-backed borrowing; and SKY is the governance, value distribution and collateral token. Founded as MakerDAO in 2015 and rebranded to Sky, the boundary includes issuance, accounting, vault lending, savings, staking, liquidation, governance, oracle inputs, real-world-asset arrangements and approved Sky Agent capital-allocation roles. Sky.money and third-party vault interfaces are excluded where they are non-custodial or external access layers rather than privileged protocol components.
Token Functionalities
Asset Ownership
- On-Chain Asset Title/Pool Share (Weak)
Right to redeem or exchange stUSDS for USDS through the token’s on-chain ERC-4626 mechanics, subject to pool economics, utilisation, liquidity and risk conditions. Strength is Weak because redemption exists, but the position is a risk-capital claim whose exit value and availability can be affected by pool conditions or loss events.
Collateral
- Risk-Underwriting Stake
Right to underwrite SKY-backed borrowing and protocol-loss risk in exchange for premium or yield, with capital exposed to bad debt, write-downs or governance-defined loss events. The right is distinct from passive savings because the holder supplies risk capital rather than merely receiving a surplus distribution.
System Attributes
Operating Model
<p>On-chain, Ethereum smart contracts coordinate stablecoin issuance, vault accounting, collateral management, savings mechanics, staking, liquidations, governance execution and protocol surplus accounting. Off-chain, the system relies on material operational inputs for real-world-asset arrangements, custody, legal structures, valuation, monitoring and capital-allocation execution through approved Sky Agent or counterparty roles. These off-chain components are not merely support functions because they can affect the system’s collateral base, asset deployment, risk profile and ability to deliver parts of the stablecoin and credit product.</p>
Value Creation
<p>On-chain value is created through collateral-backed stablecoin issuance, vault borrowing, liquidation, savings-rate mechanics, staking and liquidity conversion between supported stablecoin instruments. Users and borrowers create demand by holding, exchanging, saving or borrowing against collateral through protocol contracts. Off-chain value is created where real-world-asset and capital-allocation components deploy reserves or collateral through legal, custody, counterparty and strategy arrangements. These off-chain components contribute to the productive activity behind some yield, collateral and reserve-management outcomes, while the core stablecoin, lending and accounting functions remain enforced by smart contracts.</p>
Value Capture
<p>Monetary value is captured and routed through protocol accounting, including stability fees, savings-rate costs, surplus and debt accounting, buybacks, reserve allocation and staking rewards. Stability fees and related system income are accounted through on-chain modules, while savings and staking distributions are routed through protocol-controlled mechanisms. The relevant captured value is therefore routed within the cryptoeconomic system and to on-chain participants rather than to a privileged off-chain equity or operating-company claim.</p>