Chapter 8 — Roles of MAN and Stablecoins in the Biodata Economy

December 18, 2025

The biodata economy requires two distinct value systems because it separates the operation of the protocol from the commercial exchange of data usage rights. Matrix retains this separation deliberately. It strengthens network security, reduces risk for users and institutions, and ensures the infrastructure can scale across jurisdictions.

Matrix uses MAN for all protocol-level actions and stablecoins for all economic transactions. Their functions do not overlap.

8.1 MAN: The Protocol Token

MAN underpins every operation that affects the integrity, auditability, and reliability of the biodata network. It is required for actions where cryptographic trust and rule enforcement are essential.

Protocol functions secured by MAN

1. Attestation records Hardware and laboratory attestation proofs—device signatures, firmware hash, timestamp, and chain-of-custody—are committed on-chain using MAN.

2. Metadata lifecycle Every update to a Bio-Asset Envelope (signal type, fidelity scoring, provenance entries) consumes MAN. This enforces the cost of state changes and prevents manipulation.

3. Permission and revocation Issuing, modifying, or revoking a permission artifact (usage token) requires MAN. This ensures permission logic remains tamper-resistant.

4. Data access audit trails Each dataset request, approval, access incident, and revocation creates an immutable audit entry secured by MAN.

5. Staking and accountability Institutions requesting data access lock MAN as collateral. Misuse—purpose mismatch, unauthorized access, misuse of data—triggers automated penalties funded by the stake.

6. Network security and operations Validators, indexing nodes, and infrastructure participants receive MAN for maintaining the chain.

Role summary: MAN is the operational foundation of the network. It secures attestation, metadata, permissions, and governance. It is not used for pricing, settlement, or payouts.

8.2 Stablecoins: The Settlement Currency

Stablecoins handle all commercial value transfer because pricing, budgeting, and payouts require predictable units of account. Institutions transact in fiat terms; users expect value stability. Stablecoins satisfy both.

Economic functions denominated in stablecoins

1. Marketplace pricing Dataset requests, bids, and offers are quoted in stablecoins. This allows institutions to plan budgets and forecast costs.

2. User compensation Individuals receive stablecoin payments for approved data usage. Stable value is essential for global user adoption.

3. Enterprise settlement Pharmaceutical companies, research institutions, and AI labs settle invoices in stablecoins through automated smart contracts.

4. Platform revenue Marketplace fees (15–20% depending on volume and tier) are collected in stablecoins.

Role summary: Stablecoins are the economic medium of exchange. They never interact with governance, attestation, or enforcement.

8.3 Why the System Requires Two Tokens

The architecture separates trust enforcement from commercial settlement for structural reasons.

Reason 1: Risk segmentation

Protocol operations must not depend on asset price volatility. Commercial flows must not depend on a network token.

Reason 2: Institutional compatibility

Institutions require predictable accounting units, which stablecoins provide. Network integrity requires aligned incentives and slashing mechanisms, which MAN provides.

Reason 3: User protection

Users should never be exposed to volatility when receiving payouts. Users should not be required to hold MAN for any action.

Reason 4: Architectural clarity

Each layer of the system uses the asset appropriate to its function:

Layer	MAN	Stablecoin
Attestation	✓	—
Metadata	✓	—
Permissions	✓	—
Audit logs	✓	—
Marketplace	Stake only	✓ Pricing & payment
Settlement	—	✓
Network operations	✓ Rewards	—

The result is a clean, transparent separation of concerns.

8.4 Positioning in the Biodata RWA Ecosystem

Matrix treats:

• MAN as the security and coordination asset for data provenance

• Stablecoins as the medium of settlement for commercial value transfer

This maintains consistency with traditional RWA platforms, which separate:

• governance & enforcement tokens

• stable settlement currencies

Matrix applies this model to a new category: personal biodata.