In a recent interview, Justin Sun, founder of Tron, discussed the increasing regulatory scrutiny on the cryptocurrency industry and how tokenized know-your-customer (KYC) checks could become a new standard. He suggested that, in the future, even decentralized exchanges might need to adopt these procedures to ensure compliance with “travel rules and anti-money laundering (AML) requirements.”

Sun’s comments come amid a broader conversation about regulatory requirements for cryptocurrencies, particularly in the United States. Sun conjectured that the U.S. government could mandate KYC checks for anyone involved in crypto token transactions. This could mean that developers of decentralized exchanges, like Uniswap, would have to ensure KYC checks for all their on-chain users.

In a potential solution to this regulatory challenge, Huobi, a cryptocurrency exchange where Sun is an advisor, recently launched the Dominica Metaverse Bound Token (DMBT). Part of the state-backed Dominica Metaverse Digital Citizen (DMDC) program, DMBT is a “soulbound token” that essentially offers tokenized identity to those who have passed tier 3 KYC verification on Huobi. This verification process includes facial recognition and the submission of personal information and national ID pictures.

DMBT is minted on the Tron blockchain and grants holders “citizenship” to the Dominica Metaverse, which serves as a government-issued ID for the Commonwealth of Dominica. Beyond its initial function as a virtual interaction layer and a regional marketing tool, Sun envisages greater potential for the Dominica Metaverse in other parts of the digital economy.

According to Sun, having a recognized platform with KYC could enable users to access various platforms using the same soulbound token or decentralized ID. Such a system could be adopted by different applications such as Compound, Uniswap, and dYdX to verify a user’s identity.

Sun believes that this approach could balance regulatory compliance with the core values of decentralization and self-custody of digital assets prevalent in the crypto industry. He anticipates a multitude of use cases for decentralized ID in the future, given its potential to meet both user and regulatory needs.