Modelling and optimizing transaction fees in a proof-of-stake cryptocurrency

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to analyze the role of transaction fees in a proof-of-stake cryptocurrency currently in development. The authors have employed a microeconomic, static equilibrium approach to model a market in which the cryptocurrency is exchanged for a physical good. Furthermore, the relationship between transaction capacity and the size of the network has been investigated. It has been shown that the total amount of validator capital and the number of validators can be controlled by setting a fixed fee on transactions as well as a minimum capital requirement on individual validators. The total surplus in the economy has then been optimized by setting a fee and the authors have discussed how a minimal capital requirement could be used to also optimize transaction capacity.