Telegram-Native OTC Marketplace
Rationale for a Telegram-Native Design
Over-the-counter trading, particularly for illiquid assets, derivatives, NFTs, and RWAs, has historically relied on direct human communication rather than anonymous order books. Price formation in these markets is emergent, negotiated, and context-dependent.
Telegram is chosen as the primary coordination environment due to:
widespread adoption among crypto-native traders and institutions,
low latency and asynchronous communication,
support for persistent identity and reputation formation,
and the ability to embed programmatic tooling directly into conversation flows.
By operating natively within Telegram, ATOMICS reduces friction for trade discovery while preserving the informal negotiation dynamics that characterize high-value OTC markets.
Role of the Telegram Bot
Our Tg Bot serves as an interface and coordination tool, not as a custodian, broker, or trusted intermediary.
The bot enables users to:
publish trade intents (asset sets, quantities, conditions),
discover and respond to existing offers,
negotiate terms privately or semi-publicly,
monitor settlement progress once on-chain execution begins.
Critically, the bot:
does not custody assets,
does not sign transactions,
does not enforce settlement outcomes.
All enforcement occurs on-chain via atomic swap contracts. The bot’s failure, censorship, or compromise cannot result in loss of funds. At worst, it degrades user experience or delays coordination.
Trade Lifecycle Within the Community
A typical OTC trade within the Telegram-native community follows a structured but flexible lifecycle:
Intent Publication A participant publishes a trade intent specifying:
asset bundle offered,
asset bundle requested,
preferred chains,
optional conditions (time constraints, minimum size, etc.).
Negotiation Phase Counterparties engage in bilateral or group negotiation using Telegram’s native messaging, often refining price, structure, or asset composition.
Agreement Formation Once terms are agreed upon, participants commit to settlement via the ATOMICS protocol.
On-Chain Atomic Settlement Settlement executes via HTLC-based atomic swaps across the relevant chains.
Resolution and Reputation Signaling Successful settlement reinforces social reputation within the community, while failed or abandoned negotiations incur opportunity cost but no protocol-level penalties.
This lifecycle intentionally mirrors traditional OTC desks while replacing trust with cryptographic enforcement.
Reputation and Social Signaling
While ATOMICS does not maintain an explicit on-chain reputation score, the Telegram-native environment naturally supports persistent identity and social signaling.
Participants build informal reputation through:
consistent trade completion,
responsiveness during negotiation,
willingness to engage in complex or illiquid trades,
participation in community events such as Weekly Bargains and Garage Sales.
This reputation layer is soft, non-binding, and non-custodial. It complements cryptographic settlement rather than replacing it, enabling higher-trust negotiations without increasing protocol risk.
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