BOTLabs GmbH Secures Polkadot Parachain Slot
BOTLabs GmbH, the initial developer of KILT Protocol, is proud to announce plans to move the KILT blockchain from the Kusama relay chain to the Polkadot relay chain. The Polkadot parachain slot required for this move was secured by BOTLabs in auction 24 last week.
The Kusama and Polkadot relay chains provide shared security to parachains. Kusama is the experimental network, while Polkadot provides additional levels of stability and security. KILT is a blockchain identity protocol for issuing self-sovereign, anonymous, verifiable credentials and decentralized identifiers (DIDs). KILT went live in September 2021 after winning a Kusama parachain slot.
During the last 11 months many new functionalities were added to KILT, and the network has proven its efficiency and utility to tens of thousands of users. Fifty partnerships within the blockchain and identity ecosystems have been established; Web3 apps including SocialKYC and DIDsign has been developed using KILT Protocol and the KILT blockchain. KILT has proven to be a mature infrastructure.
Now large-scale enterprises in the accounting, media and medical sectors are starting to implement business cases on KILT. These production systems will require extreme stability and bank-level security, which KILT cannot provide within the experimental Kusama network. So it’s time for KILT to move to Polkadot.
We will follow the original plan of “one KILT network, one KILT Coin”. The network will be moved seamlessly from Kusama to Polkadot, leaving all functionality and the following data unchanged:
- All KILT Coin balances (including vesting)
- All addresses
- All attestations and credentials
- All DIDs
- All web3names
There will be no difference for the user. All KILT Coin balances will be moved automatically onto the new Polkadot parachain. There is no change to the KILT Token Economy and there is no fork or redenomination.
The migration to Polkadot is exciting news and sets the stage for KILT’s growth across the industry and institutional landscapes. We would like to thank the fantastic Kusama community for all the support, the fun, the engagement and the chaos. And we are excited to continue our work with the impressive projects on Polkadot, as KILT strives to become the fundamental digital identity infrastructure within the Polkadot ecosystem and beyond.
Next week a timeline and FAQs with technical and governance details will be published. Until then, here are answers to a few questions you may have:
FAQs
Q: As a KILT Coin holder, DID-owner, credential-holder, staker/delegator, or web3name owner: what will change for me?
A: Nothing.
Q: After the move, will my KILT Coins be available on both the Kusama and Polkadot parachains?
A: No. They will be automatically moved for you to the Polkadot parachain.
Q: As a KILT Coin holder, DID-owner, credential-holder, staker/delegator, web3name owner: is there any action required from me?
A: No.
Q: As a collator, an exchange, or a project using KILT RPC or extrinsics, is there anything I have to do?
A: Yes. When KILT starts on Polkadot, you will need to change an endpoint. Documentation will be available in early September, well in advance of the switch.
Q: Will the switch to Polkadot occur after Lease 9 starts later this month?
A: No. The switch will be initiated via a governance proposal in mid-September by BOTLabs, then the KILT community will vote. If approved, the switch will be enacted in early October.
Q: Was there a crowdloan for KILT’s Polkadot slot and I missed it?
A: No. KILT has a low-inflation token economy that does not allow for further crowdloans. New crowdloans would dilute the community.
Q: Then who was parathread 2057?
A: BOTLabs GmbH, the initial developer of KILT Protocol, bid anonymously for KILT last week as #2057.
Q: Did BOTLabs sell KILT coins and use the money to pay for the slot?
A: No. BOTLabs has not sold any KILT Coins since KILT launched in September 2021.
Q: Wasn’t it planned that the KILT Treasury bids for the slot?
A: Yes, but that would have required a functioning bridge between Kusama and Polkadot. This bridge doesn’t exist yet. And waiting isn’t an option — KILT’s upcoming enterprise integrations require the stability and bank-level security that Polkadot provides.
Then the next Polkadot parachain slot (June 2024) should be obtained by the KILT network itself, using Treasury funds.
Q: Who are these large enterprise partners that will be integrating KILT?
A: We will announce KILT integrations later this fall with top accounting firms, global media companies and medical institutions.
About BOTLabs GmbH
BOTLabs GmbH is a blockchain R&D company founded in 2018 and based in Berlin. BOTLabs is the initial developer of KILT Protocol, and its subsidiary B.T.E. BOTLabs Trusted Entity GmbH (BTE) launched the SocialKYC identity verification, Sporran wallet, DIDsign and web3name services “built on KILT.” BOTLabs is a founding member of the International Association for Trusted Blockchain Applications (INATBA) and the Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF), and a member of Blockchain for Europe.
KILT Moves to Polkadot was originally published in kilt-protocol on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
