"Open Grant Proposal: DRAGO X PROTOCOL"

Open Grant Proposal: DRAGO X PROTOCOL

Project Name: DRAGO X PROTOCOL

Proposal Category: FVM

Individual or Entity Name: Individual (John Ebster-Davids)

Proposer: JOHNEBSTER-X7

Project Repo(s): https://github.com/JOHNEBSTER-X7/DRAGO_X_PROTOCOL_FC

(Optional) Filecoin ecosystem affiliations: None at this time.

(Optional) Technical Sponsor: None at this time.

Do you agree to open source all work you do on behalf of this RFP under the MIT/Apache-2 dual-license?: Yes

Project Summary

DRAGO X PROTOCOL is an AI-powered omnichain DeFi platform designed to facilitate cross-border trade and stablecoin liquidity between Africa and Japan. Our core product is DGX, an AI-powered stablecoin currently live on testnet with 97% test coverage. The protocol includes 5 fiat-backed stablecoins (USD, JPY, and others) and 5 commodity synthetic assets, all powered by a full Hardhat suite with Chainlink oracles for secure, real-time pricing.

This proposal seeks to integrate Filecoin Virtual Machine (FVM) capabilities to provide decentralized, verifiable data storage for our stablecoin and synthetic asset operations. For cross-border trade, proof of reserves, transaction history, and compliance documentation must be stored immutably. By leveraging Filecoin, DRAGO X can offer users and regulators auditable, tamper-proof records, enhancing trust and transparency in a sector where these are critical. Additionally, FVM integration can enable advanced DeFi primitives like data-driven smart contracts and verifiable on-chain reputation for traders.

Impact

Pain Points Addressed:
- Lack of Verifiable Data: African and Japanese users and regulators require verifiable proof of reserves and transaction integrity for stablecoins. Centralized storage is a single point of failure and a trust liability.
- High Cost of On-Chain Data: Storing substantial data (e.g., trade invoices, compliance records) directly on Ethereum or L2s is prohibitively expensive for real-world trade volumes, limiting the functionality of DeFi applications in emerging markets.
- Cross-Border Trust Deficit: A significant barrier to cross-border trade finance is the lack of a decentralized, immutable record-keeping system that all parties can trust independently of centralized institutions.

Benefits of Getting This Right:
- Establishes DRAGO X as a leader in transparent, verifiable DeFi for emerging markets, directly building trust with users, partners, and regulators.
- Dramatically reduces the cost and complexity for end-users by moving intensive data storage off the expensive L2/L3 settlement layer.
- Creates a compelling use case for FVM in cross-border trade finance, showcasing its value for real-world asset tokenization and compliance.

Risks of Not Getting This Right:
- Without a reliable decentralized storage layer, DRAGO X would rely on centralized or expensive on-chain solutions, creating security vulnerabilities and limiting scalability.
- The project would miss an opportunity to build a defensible moat based on transparency and trust, making it harder to compete with established or new entrants.
- A missed chance to contribute to the Filecoin ecosystem by demonstrating a high-value, real-world application of FVM in the critical African-Japan trade corridor.

Impact and Success Metrics:
- Integration: A functional integration where DRAGO X smart contracts store and retrieve key data (e.g., reserve proofs, trade records) via FVM.
- Adoption: Onboarding of early trade finance partners who utilize the Filecoin-backed storage for their transactions.
- Data Onboarding: Projected onboarding of at least 1 TB of trade-related data in the first 3 months, growing with adoption.
- User Trust: Measurable increase in user and partner confidence regarding the protocol's transparency and verifiability.

Outcomes

Deliverables:
1. FVM Storage Module: An integrated module within DRAGO X's smart contract suite (Solidity/Hardhat) that enables the protocol to store key data hashes and proofs on Filecoin, and verify them on-chain.
2. Proof of Reserves Dashboard: A user-facing dashboard or API that allows anyone to verify the protocol's reserves and transaction history against the data stored on Filecoin.
3. Documentation and Integration Guide: Comprehensive developer documentation for integrating FVM storage into similar cross-chain DeFi projects.

Success Metrics:
- Successful completion and testing of the FVM Storage Module.
- Onboarding of at least one pilot trade finance partner using the system.
- At least 1 TB of relevant data stored on Filecoin through the module within the first year.

Data Onboarding

The data onboarded will consist of aggregated and hashed information related to reserve proofs and trade transactions.
- Month 1: 0.1 TB (Initial testing and pilot data)
- Month 3: 1 TB (Following pilot partner integration)
- Month 6: 3 TB (With scaled partner usage)
- Month 12: 5+ TB (With broader ecosystem adoption)

Adoption, Reach, and Growth Strategies

Target Audience:
- DRAGO X's immediate audience includes African exporters, Japanese importers, and fintechs facilitating cross-border trade.
- Secondary audience includes DeFi developers interested in building transparent, verifiable applications.

Engagement Strategy:
- Direct Outreach: Leverage existing networks in both Africa and Japan to onboard initial trade finance partners.
- Community Building: Use the DRAGO X Twitter/X account (@DRAGOXProtocol) to share development progress, highlight the transparency benefits of Filecoin integration, and engage with the DeFi community.
- Educational Content: Create content explaining how FVM-backed storage enhances trust and security for cross-border DeFi.

Onboarding First 10 Users:
- Directly approach contacts within our network (including those from the founder's fintech background, e.g., ex-Barclays) who are involved in Africa-Japan trade.
- Offer white-glove support and incentives for early pilot partners.

Onboarding First 100 Users:
- Broaden outreach through trade associations and fintech events focused on the Africa-Asia corridor.
- Launch a public dashboard showcasing the system's transparency, attracting users who prioritize verifiability.

Development Roadmap

Milestone 1: FVM Integration and Smart Contract Development
- Functionality: Design and develop the Solidity module for hashing data and interfacing with FVM to store and verify data proofs. Complete initial integration testing on a Filecoin testnet.
- Team: 1 Developer (Lead)
- Funding: $12,500
- Completion Date: August 2026

Milestone 2: Proof of Reserves Dashboard and API
- Functionality: Build a user-facing dashboard and backend API that allows users and regulators to easily verify the data stored on Filecoin against DRAGO X's on-chain state.
- Team: 1 Developer (Full-stack)
- Funding: $10,000
- Completion Date: September 2026

Milestone 3: Pilot Partner Integration and Documentation
- Functionality: Onboard and support the first trade finance pilot partner, ensuring the system works in a real-world scenario. Complete comprehensive developer documentation and tutorials.
- Team: 1 Developer, 1 DevRel/Founder
- Funding: $12,500
- Completion Date: October 2026

Total Budget Requested

| Milestone 1 | FVM Integration and Smart Contract Development | Smart contract module for FVM storage/verification | August 2026 | $12,500 |
| Milestone 2 | Proof of Reserves Dashboard and API | User dashboard and API for data verification | September 2026 | $10,000 |
| Milestone 3 | Pilot Partner Integration and Documentation | Pilot partner live, documentation complete | October 2026 | $12,500 |
| Total | | | | $35,000 |

Maintenance and Upgrade Plans

- Ongoing Maintenance: The core developer will be responsible for maintaining the integration, fixing bugs, and ensuring compatibility with future FVM upgrades.
- Community-Driven Improvements: As the code will be open-source, we will welcome and review contributions from the community.
- Scaling: As data volumes grow, we will optimize the storage and retrieval processes to ensure efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Team

Team Members:
- John Ebster-Davids (Founder and Lead Developer)

Team Member LinkedIn Profiles:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-ebster-davids-807aaa293/

Team Website: https://dragoxprotocol.carrd.co/

Relevant Experience:
John Ebster-Davids is a FinTech product builder and Web3 developer with prior experience at Barclays. He has built DRAGO X PROTOCOL's entire core from the ground up, including 10 ERC20 tokens, a full Hardhat test suite with 97% test coverage, and integration with Chainlink price feeds. This demonstrates strong technical capability and commitment to building robust, production-ready DeFi infrastructure. The specific focus on Africa-Japan trade corridors shows deep market insight.

Team code repositories:
- https://github.com/JOHNEBSTER-X7/DRAGO_X_PROTOCOL_FC
- https://github.com/JOHNEBSTER-X7

Additional Information

How did you learn about the Open Grants Program?: Filecoin Foundation GitHub / Dev Grants page.

Best email address for grant agreement discussions: dragoxprotocol@proton.me

Additional Information: DRAGO X is currently in its pre-seed stage and is building a solution for a critical, underserved market. A Filecoin grant would provide validation and essential support to build in a core transparency feature, setting the project up for long-term success and ecosystem contribution. We are live on testnet and ready to integrate.

Start by reviewing the DRAGO_X_PROTOCOL_FC repository and its Solidity/Hardhat smart-contract suite, then determine how the proposed FVM storage module would connect to the existing system. The proposal considers the work complete when the storage and verification integration, proof-of-reserves dashboard or API, pilot integration, and documentation are delivered.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.