A transparent unit of account that expresses SOST in a fixed weight of gold — the same idea that anchored the dollar at Bretton Woods, adapted honestly for an experimental protocol. It is a reference, not a price you are promised.
The 1.14 mg gold reference sets the initial sale price on the SOST Atomic Swap (once it is operational) and the initial listing price on a centralized exchange. From the moment SOST is listed and trades, its market price evolves on its own by supply and demand — no longer tied to gold.
In 1944, Bretton Woods fixed the dollar at $1 = 0.888 g of gold, and it held because two things stood behind it: enormous gold reserves, and legal convertibility — anyone could exchange $35 for one ounce at the U.S. Treasury. Gold was the anchor because you could redeem it, not because a number was announced.
SOST borrows the honest half of that idea. We express one SOST as a fixed weight of gold — 1.14 mg — so the reference rises and falls with gold, in plain sight. What we do not do is pretend a declared number is a market price. That distinction is the whole design.
A market price cannot be fixed by declaration. It can only follow gold if a real mechanism forces it to. Here are the three honest options, and why SOST uses the third.
| Model | What it requires | Fit for SOST |
|---|---|---|
| Gold stablecoin (e.g. PAXG) | 1 token = physical gold in a vault, fully redeemable | × Heavy custody & regulatory burden |
| Algorithmic peg | Mint/burn arbitrage against real collateral; without it, it collapses (Terra/UST) | × Unbacked pegs fail |
| Reference + fractional reserve | A transparent gold oracle plus a real, growing reserve behind the coin | ✓ This is SOST |
SOST is experimental software. The gold reference on this page is provided for information and transparency only. It is not a peg, not a guarantee of value or return, not redeemable for gold, and not an offer, solicitation, or recommendation to buy or sell any asset. SOST is not a company and this is not a security. The market price of SOST, if and when it trades, is determined solely by supply and demand and may differ materially from any reference shown here. Gold data: XAU/USD spot, month-end. Nothing here is financial, legal, or tax advice. Do your own research.