Moca Network: Digital Identity Infrastructure for Open Internet
MOCA 3.0: Breaking Walls, Connecting Identities
This report, by Tiger Research, examines Moca Network’s MOCA 3.0 vision and its innovations in digital identity infrastructure for the open internet.
TL;DR
Fragmented digital identities cause inefficiencies and missed opportunities for users and businesses. An open and user-centric infrastructure is essential to resolve this issue.
Moca Network recently announced its MOCA 3.0 vision. This initiative aims to create an open digital identity infrastructure and focus on user-centric solutions.
Moca Network leverages Animoca Brands ecosystem, which includes over 540+ portfolio companies, to accelerate its early growth. Its partnership with SK Planet highlights the potential to successfully scale a digital identity-based ecosystem.
1. Fragmentation of Digital Identity: A Missed Opportunity
The fragmentation of digital identities creates lost opportunities for both users and businesses. Businesses struggle to identify high-value users, while users are not fully acknowledged for their true value. This disconnect limits value creation for both parties.
This issue is evident in targeted ads within the Web2 industry. Companies use platforms like Meta to segment users and deliver promotions. However, these ads rely on limited data from each platform, which reduces the scope and accuracy of targeting. Users engage with multiple platforms, but their fragmented digital identities lead to platform-specific promotions. This disconnect prevents both businesses and users from realizing their full potential value.
In the Web3 industry, this problem becomes more complex. Web3 projects try to reward ecosystem contributors through airdrops. However, the process is challenging. User activities are scattered across Web2 and Web3. Relying on data from a single chain makes it difficult to identify genuine contributors. The anonymity and decentralized nature of Web3 also allow users to join and leave easily. The case of Starknet shows one clear example. An airdrop targeted about 1.3 million wallets. It failed to identify genuine contributors due to limited data. This caused network activity to drop sharply.
2. Root Causes of Digital Identity Fragmentation
Digital identity fragmentation is a structural issue affecting both Web2 and Web3 industries. The core problem is that platforms, rather than users, control digital identity. Technical limitations also play a role. Each platform uses different technical specifications and data schemas to implement digital identity, which makes data sharing and integration challenging. Big tech companies like Alibaba, Tencent, and FAANG worsen the fragmentation by confining user data within their walled gardens.
This structural problem goes beyond missed opportunities. It creates real inconvenience and distorts value. Users must create new accounts on every platform and repeatedly rebuild their activity and profile. Platforms capitalize on this inconvenience by monopolizing the value of accumulated data. Companies like Google and Meta earn tens of billions of dollars annually through ads that rely on user data. Reddit generates billions each quarter by selling user data. Meanwhile, the actual data owners—the users—are excluded from these opportunities.
To address these problems, digital identity must be reimagined as user-centric. It also requires an open infrastructure that can operate seamlessly across different environments. Moca Network provides a solution to these challenges.
3. Moca Network: Digital Identity Infrastructure for the Open Internet
Moca Network’s new MOCA 3.0 aims to build a digital identity infrastructure for the open internet. This initiative addresses the current problem of disconnected and fragmented systems. The goal is to create a unified digital environment where digital identities work together seamlessly. Moca Network’s proposed infrastructure focuses on three key characteristics.
3.1. AIR Kit: Core Infrastructure for Unified Account, Identity, and Reputation Management
Moca Network's AIR Kit (Account, Identity, Reputation) serves as a universal account system. It is chain-agnostic and works across various environments. The system is highly interoperable, enabling users to unify and manage their digital identities with ease.
AIR Kit connects accounts and identities seamlessly. The ID acts as the interface between the user and the service. The account serves as the hub that links the user’s various identities and activities. For example, a MOCA ID on Mocaverse and a FOOTBALL ID on OneFootball link to the same AIR Account. These identities stay independent. With 1B+ addressable user base, Moca Network enables users to participate in multiple ecosystems with a single account.
AIR Kit works as an embedded account system. It allows Web2 services to offer a seamless on-chain experience. Telegram’s TON ecosystem and Grab embedded wallets into their apps in a similar way. Services can use AIR Kit to integrate Web3 accounts into their platforms.
With AIR Kit, users can create a Web3 wallet as easily as using a social login. They can perform on-chain activities without managing blockchain addresses or private keys. Features like gas payment coverage and cross-chain transactions improve the user experience further.
3.2. Credential System: Infrastructure for User Data Sovereignty
Moca Network introduces a credential system in addition to its open and unified account system. This system goes beyond simply providing infrastructure. It empowers users to manage their own data and create value from it. Through this approach, users can overcome the limitations of traditional centralized platforms and achieve true data sovereignty.
Moca Network supports issuing, storing, and verifying user credentials. It stores credential data securely in decentralized data storage. Users can set and manage access permissions for their credentials directly. Moca Network describes this feature as a "decentralized user-owned Google Drive."
Moca Network protects data using tamper-proof technology and zero-knowledge proof (ZKP). It allows users to transfer their credentials between different systems through cross-chain messaging protocol, such as LayerZero or Wormhole. This enables users to safely interact directly with smart contracts on any chain. As a result, users can gain more value from their credentials.
Moca Network also plans to adopt zkTLS technology. This will enable the secure verification and usage of Web2 data on-chain. By integrating Web2 and Web3 data, Moca Network will build a more comprehensive digital identity system. This system empowers users and bridges the gap between Web2 and Web3, ultimately aiming to create a user-centric and inclusive ecosystem.
3.3. $MOCA: Token System Driving Ecosystem Sustainability
$MOCA serves as a utility and governance token at the core of the Moca Network ecosystem. Partners stake $MOCA to share the network effects of the user base and applications. They also pay fees in $MOCA to verify and generate credentials, contributing to the ecosystem's economic growth. For users, $MOCA functions as a payment method and a reward mechanism, driving engagement and participation.
The ecosystem’s growth is driven by a flywheel effect centered on $MOCA. Users earn $MOCA rewards for their activities, boosting participation and increasing credential verification requests and fee payments from partners. As user activity grows, participants build stronger reputations and receive greater rewards, enhancing their purchasing power. This virtuous cycle attracts more partners, further increasing user benefits and sustaining ecosystem expansion.
Moca Network offers several reward programs. These include Moca List, a regulated token launchpad run with Coinlist, and Moca Drop, a staking rewards program. Moca Network is also working with Magic Eden to create Magic Moca, an NFT launchpad. Through Moca Drop, users can participate in partner events and airdrops. Users with larger stakes get higher priority.
Beyond Moca Network's current rewards program, partners will create their own reward programs using Moca's infrastructure. This will enable more diverse and expanded reward options.
4. Moca Network in Action: SK Planet Partnership
The partnership between Moca Network and SK Planet shows digital identity infrastructure in practice. SK Planet has adopted Moca Network's AIR Kit to connect the OK Cashbag mileage platform and Syrup reward platform to the Web3 ecosystem. The company is also exploring the use of $MOCA for rewards. This enables users to use their existing points and mileage in more ways, giving them easy access to benefits across multiple platforms.
When users onboard through a universal account, they can purchase coffee vouchers and earn both OKB(OK Cashbag) points and $MOCA. The earned $MOCA is stored in their universal account, allowing them to spend it on platforms like the Syrup app or with a range of OKB merchant partners. In the future, users may even use the same account to make purchases across borders, such as in Japan or other participating countries. Based on user credentials and achievements, merchant partners can verify customers and offer enhanced rewards through seamless service integration.
This collaboration benefits all participants. AIR Kit instantly converts points, credentials, and tokens into programmable assets. Users gain more value through this process. Businesses target valuable customers more effectively using verified credentials. Platforms improve user experiences and revitalize ecosystems by offering seamless and universal benefits.
5. Accelerating the Ecosystem with Animoca Brands
Efforts to build digital identity infrastructure continue in the Web3 industry. Projects like the Proof of Attendance Protocol (POAP) and the Ethereum Attestation Service (EAS) show effective ways to verify user identity and activity.
However, both projects faced challenges in building ecosystems during the early stages. Their usage has declined over time. The issue is not just about technical maturity. Success in identity infrastructure requires creating an ecosystem supported by strong network effects.
To address these limitations, Moca Network strategically uses the existing ecosystem of Animoca Brands, which has a portfolio of over 540+ companies. This extensive network will help accelerate the growth of Moca Network's emerging ecosystem.
The total potential user base of Moca Network is approximately 1 billion+. This figure reflects the extensive user network of Animoca’s key partners, including Telegram's TON (900M), MyAnimeList (18M), soccer platform OneFootball (200M), Animoca ecosystem (700M), and SK Planet (28M). These partners participate in issuing digital identities through AIR Kit and integrating with the Moca Network ecosystem. Especially, the TON ecosystem will play a key role in accelerating its expansion by issuing digital identities and integrating them with the Moca Network through Air Kit.
Animoca’s global expansion further strengthens the possibilities for Moca Network. The company has formed a joint venture with South Korea’s CUBE Entertainment. It has also entered the Japanese market through Animoca Brands Japan and partnered with Saudi Arabia’s NEOM City. These initiatives provide a strong foundation for building a globally integrated ecosystem.
6. The Future of Moca Network: From Digital Identity to Reputation Economy
Moca Network plans to introduce a new paradigm called the “reputation economy.” that does more than just verify identity. It uses credentials to measure user reputation and applies it to various services. Partners of Moca Network will create reputation scores based on Web2 and Web3 data, creating new value and opportunities for users.
The reputation system can be used in DeFi. Currently, DeFi relies heavily on overcollateral rather than personal credit. This limits market expansion and creates barriers for users. Moca Network will let partners request users’ credentials and measure reputation. This will enable credit-based financial services similar to traditional finance. Users can reduce their collateral burden and gain greater access to financial services. For instance, users with a high reputation score can acquire loans with lower collateral requirements and reduced interest rates when accessing lending protocols.
Reputation systems are expected to address challenges in the AI era as AI agents take on larger roles in social networks. AI-generated content is growing on platforms like X and Discord, and AI agents like aixbt increasingly influence investors. Verifying AI credibility is becoming critical. Moca Network is positioned to enable AI agent wallets with universal accounts and build reputations for both AI agents and users interacting with them. It is also anticipated to verify digital objects, including physical robots, using identity and reputation data. By promoting true distribution, Moca Network is expected to drive AI agent adoption and support the development of a fully autonomous internet.
By extending digital identity, Moca Network aims to build a trust-based reputation economy. This approach will mark a new chapter in the digital economy.
7. Closing Thoughts
Moca Network has advanced step by step over time. In 2023, MOCA 1.0 focused on building a community by minting Mocaverse NFTs. MOCA 2.0 expanded the ecosystem through partnerships with Moca ID. With MOCA 3.0, the network is working toward creating an open digital identity infrastructure. Despite market volatility and challenges, Moca Network has continued to make steady progress on its roadmap. It now has collaborations with major platforms like SK Planet, MyAnimeList, and OneFootball to realize its potential as a digital identity infrastructure.
Building on this progress, Moca Network is transitioning to a more open and decentralized ecosystem. Through the Moca DAO, it aims to boost community engagement while actively supporting developers to create new services. This shift aligns with its long-term goal of becoming a community-driven decentralized protocol like Ethereum, paving the way for a truly open digital identity infrastructure.
As it moves forward, Moca Network’s innovations create new opportunities across industries. The Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) advances on-chain credentials for regulated use cases like zkKYC and token launchpads, aligning closely with Moca Network’s vision. By enabling trusted digital identities, Moca Network addresses compliance needs while driving applications in DeFi, entertainment, and education. As the AI era demands secure digital identities, Moca Network leads innovation and strengthens its position as a key player.
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This report was partially funded by Moca Network. It was independently produced by our researchers using credible sources. The findings, recommendations, and opinions are based on information available at publication time and may change without notice. We disclaim liability for any losses from using this report or its contents and do not warrant its accuracy or completeness. The information may differ from others' views. This report is for informational purposes only and is not legal, business, investment, or tax advice. References to securities or digital assets are for illustration only, not investment advice or offers. This material is not intended for investors.
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