#Somnia @Somnia Official $SOMI
1. Introduction: The Need for Simpler On-chain Payments
Problem with ERC-20 payment flows (approve + transferFrom = extra friction, extra risk).
Why UX is the bottleneck for mainstream Web3 adoption.
Somnia’s design philosophy: make on-chain payments feel like Web2 checkout.
SOMI as both the gas token and payment currency = unified simplicity.
2. SOMI in Smart Contracts: The Core Utility
Pay on call → msg.value makes pricing clean and direct.
Revenue withdrawal → transfer or call; fewer steps than ERC-20 settlements.
No ERC-20 address → less approval friction, fewer exploits.
Example flows:
Mint NFT with SOMI.
Pay to unlock gated content.
Subscription smart contracts.
3. Escrow & Marketplaces: Beyond Basic Payments
One-time escrow model (ideal for freelance gigs, OTC trades, rentals).
Multi-party split → automatic royalty, commission, and affiliate payments.
Use cases:
NFT royalties without relying on off-chain enforcement.
Streaming payments for creators.
Split revenue in DAOs or guilds.
Why SOMI’s native structure makes trust-minimized marketplaces easier to deploy.
4. Gas & User Experience: Removing the Web3 Friction
Unified currency → one token for payments + gas.
Sponsored gas via account abstraction:
Users can transact without holding SOMI.
Projects can onboard users instantly.
Case study: imagine a Web2-style app → user signs up, mints NFT, pays later (gasless).
Why this is crucial for mass adoption (gaming, social, commerce).
5. Developer Tooling: From Docs to Deployment
Templates provided by Somnia (pay-to-access, escrow, gasless mint).
Example code snippets (Hardhat, Viem).
Typical end-to-end flow:
Payable function sets the price.
Withdraw function settles.
Gas sponsorship abstracts UX.
How SOMI enables faster time-to-market for dApps.
6. SOMI vs ERC-20 Payments: Why Native Wins
Fewer steps: ERC-20 needs approve + transferFrom.
Gas UX: ERC-20 requires ETH/MATIC/AVAX for gas, creating friction.
Risk surface: approvals can be exploited (e.g., infinite approvals).
SOMI advantage: single-token system reduces errors, friction, and attack vectors.
Analogy: ERC-20 = old credit card checkout (extra OTPs, redirects). SOMI = one-click Web2 checkout.
7. Comparative Analysis: SOMI vs Other Native Token Models
ETH (Ethereum): widely used, but UX still fragmented (ETH for gas, ERC-20 for payments).
SOL (Solana): SOL as gas + payment, but lacks strong escrow/payment tooling.
BNB (BNB Chain): strong gas token, but payments still ERC-20-heavy.
SOMI edge: purpose-built for payments-first design.
8. Real-World Use Cases for SOMI
Paywalls & subscriptions: creators monetizing content.
NFT minting: seamless, one-transaction mint.
On-chain marketplaces: art, in-game assets, or services.
Freelancer escrow contracts: milestone-based payouts.
Tips & microtransactions: pay a streamer or DAO contributor instantly.
DAOs & guilds: automatic revenue splits.
9. Macro Significance: Payments as the Gateway to Web3
Why payments are the killer app for blockchain adoption.
How frictionless payments = higher transaction velocity.
SOMI’s potential role in scaling Somnia to millions of users.
Long-term vision: SOMI as the settlement layer for digital commerce inside Somnia.
10. Conclusion
SOMI’s achievements: simplicity, composability, UX.
More than just gas → it’s the currency of cash flows inside Somnia.
ERC-20 showed what’s possible; SOMI shows what’s usable.
Future outlook: SOMI as the default unit of payment in Somnia’s digital economy.
