Kolionovo (Kolion)
Agriculture-Backed CurrencyVillage currency pegged to agricultural output (10kg potatoes or 1/50 of a goose). Currency earned through farm labor. Paper version banned by courts in 2015, moved to crypto.
| Type | Agriculture-Backed Currency |
| Region | Russia |
| Status | Active |
| Links |
M69 Score
M69 Alignment2.4
Minimally aligned
1.02.03.04.05.0
Monetary Sovereignty2.5
Issuance (3x) + Stability (2x) + Fiat Indep. (2x)Civilizational Durability1.8
Sovereignty + Governance + ResilienceUniversal Adoption2.7
Traction (2x) + InclusivityIss Mod3x
2.6
Stability2x
2.1
Fia Ind & Int2x
2.9
Traction2x
2.4
Sovereignty
1.9
Governance
1.4
Resilience
2.2
Inclusivity
3.2
Scored against the Money2069 Manifesto — see methodology. Higher = more aligned.
Key Findings
Strongest category is Inclusivity (3.2)because the project was purpose-built for a financially excluded population -- rural Russian villagers who received cash only a few times per year. The token is accessible without KYC, has low entry costs, and the "plowing" mechanism enables participation through labor rather than capital. The project genuinely serves the underbanked.
Fiat Independence (2.9) is the second-strongest categorybecause the kolion was designed with a sovereign unit of account (potato-denominated, not fiat-pegged), zero fiat reserves, and was born explicitly as a ruble alternative during the 2014 crisis. However, low scores on local currency composability (1) and open interoperability standards (1) reflect the monolithic, closed-system design.
Governance (1.4) is the weakest categorybecause the project has zero governance structure. Every decision is made unilaterally by one person with no community input, no voting mechanism, no transparency into financial operations, and no constitutional protections. The project functions as a benevolent dictatorship rather than a governed system.
The fundamental tension in Kolionovo is between its visionary monetary philosophy and its fragile single-person dependency.The anti-usury, commodity-backed, community-currency concept is deeply aligned with M69 principles, but the entire system depends on one individual's honesty, health, and continued commitment. If Shlyapnikov is incapacitated, imprisoned (again), or simply loses interest, the entire ecosystem collapses.
The legal vulnerability is existential.The Russian state has already shut down the project once, and the crypto pivot is a workaround rather than a solution. Operating a de facto alternative currency in Russia -- with an openly anarchist founder -- remains a high-risk proposition that undermines the project's resilience and sovereignty scores.
Big takeaway: Kolionovo demonstrates that commodity-backed, debt-free local currencies can work at village scale and genuinely serve underbanked populations, but the project's inability to transcend its single-founder dependency, micro-scale community, and hostile jurisdictional environment prevents it from being a viable model for broader M69-aligned monetary infrastructure.The concept is sound; the implementation is fragile.
Detailed Rating Breakdown
Framework v0.2-alpha · Rated 2026-04-10Kolionovo is a village-based agricultural economy in the Yegoryevsky district of Moscow Oblast, Russia, founded by Mikhail Shlyapnikov, a former banker turned anarchist farmer. In 2014, during the Russian financial crisis, Shlyapnikov created the kolion -- a local scrip currency pegged to 10kg of potatoes (or 1/50th of a goose) -- as an alternative to the ruble for the Kolionovo community. The paper kolion was banned by a Moscow regional court in July 2015, after prosecutors argued it threatened the integrity of Russia's payment system. Shlyapnikov then pivoted to a cryptocurrency version, launching the KLN token on the Waves blockchain via an ICO in April 2017 that raised approximately 401 BTC (~$500,000 at the time). The Kolionovo Ecosystem encompasses crop farming, livestock, and food processing, with the KLN token functioning as a discount/loyalty instrument redeemable for farm products and services. From an M69 alignment perspective, Kolionovo presents a compelling philosophical case but significant structural limitations. Its strongest alignment is in issuance philosophy: the kolion was designed as debt-free money, explicitly created in opposition to bank lending (Shlyapnikov famously rejected 12% interest bank loans), and pegged to real agricultural output rather than fiat currency. The anti-usury, commodity-backed, community-driven ethos closely mirrors several M69 commandments. The project also demonstrates genuine organic adoption -- about 100 local farmers and suppliers adopted the currency for daily trade, making paper money "a rarity" in the community at its peak. However, the project suffers from critical weaknesses across sovereignty, governance, and scale. The entire system depends on a single individual (Shlyapnikov), operates under hostile Russian jurisdiction where it has already been banned once, and the KLN token has extremely low liquidity and minimal trading activity. The max supply of 1 million KLN was set unilaterally, governance is entirely informal with no on-chain mechanisms, and the project's current status is uncertain -- the most recent substantive reporting dates to 2022, with the token marked as "Untracked" on several platforms. The village of Kolionovo itself has approximately 10 permanent residents, making this a micro-scale experiment rather than a broadly adopted monetary system.
Issuance Model3x2.6
| Code | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| IM-01 | Is issuance permissionless?Single issuer. Mikhail Shlyapnikov is the sole creator and controller of both the paper kolion and the KLN token. The ICO minted 1 million KLN tokens on the Waves blockchain, entirely at Shlyapnikov's discretion. No one else can issue kolions. Users can "earn" kolions through "plowing" (farm labor), but issuance authority rests with one person. | 1 |
| IM-02 | Is new supply created through debt?No debt mechanism. Kolions were created explicitly as an anti-debt instrument. Shlyapnikov rejected bank loans at 12% interest and created the kolion to avoid debt-based money. The paper kolion was issued debt-free, backed by farm output. The KLN token was created via an ICO -- investors exchanged crypto for tokens, not via borrowing. | 5 |
| IM-03 | Is issuance tied to measurable real-world economic activity?Partially linked. The original paper kolion was pegged to 10kg of potatoes, directly tying it to agricultural output. However, the crypto KLN token is more of a crowdfunding/loyalty token -- its value is loosely tied to farm production volume but not algorithmically linked to a verifiable real-economy index. The connection to real output exists but is informal and discretionary. | 3 |
| IM-04 | Does the issuance model have a supply cap or hard ceiling?Fixed supply with hard cap. Max supply is 1,000,000 KLN with approximately 700,524 in circulation. This is a fixed cap with no mechanism to respond to economic demand -- deflationary bias by design. No elasticity tied to economic signals. | 2 |
| IM-05 | Can supply contract (burn/redemption) as well as expand?Supply is fixed post-ICO. The 1 million tokens were created at launch. There is no documented burn mechanism, no redemption protocol, and no contraction capability. Approximately 300K tokens remain undistributed but there is no formal contraction mechanism. Supply is monotonically non-decreasing in circulation and no contraction has ever occurred. | 2 |
Spending Power Stability2x2.1
| Code | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| SPS-01 | What mechanism does the protocol use to target spending power stability?No algorithmic stability mechanism. The original paper kolion was pegged to 10kg of potatoes, which provided a commodity anchor. The crypto KLN has no on-chain stability mechanism -- its price floats freely on exchanges. Stability relies entirely on Shlyapnikov's commitment to redeem tokens for farm products, which is a promise-based rather than protocol-based mechanism. | 2 |
| SPS-02 | What benchmark is used to measure spending power?The original benchmark was 10kg of potatoes per kolion -- a single-commodity reference that provides some real-world price anchoring. The KLN crypto token's value is described as "proportional to the growth of production volumes," but no formal benchmark or basket is published. The potato peg is simple and narrow but represents a real-economy reference. | 3 |
| SPS-03 | How transparent and verifiable is the stability measurement?No published methodology for stability measurement. The potato peg was enforced by Shlyapnikov's personal guarantee, not by any transparent or auditable mechanism. No on-chain oracle, no third-party audit, no published price feed. Farm output data is not independently verifiable. | 1 |
| SPS-04 | What is the protocol's historical deviation from its stability target?KLN has experienced significant price volatility. Listed at $1 during the ICO, the price was reported at $0.47 in one snapshot and $0.73 at another. This represents >50% deviation from the original $1 target. For the paper kolion, no historical price data exists beyond anecdotal reports. The KLN token has never maintained stable purchasing power. | 2 |
| SPS-05 | Does the protocol distinguish between short-term volatility and long-term purchasing power drift?No distinction. The system has no mechanism addressing either short-term volatility or long-term purchasing power drift. The potato peg provides an implicit long-term anchor (potatoes track food inflation), but this is not a designed mechanism and does not address volatility. The KLN token simply floats. | 2 |
| SPS-06 | Is the stability mechanism accessible globally?The commodity redemption (potatoes/farm products) is only accessible in Kolionovo village, Moscow Oblast, Russia. The KLN token is theoretically tradeable globally on the Waves DEX and Tidex exchange, but with extremely low volume ($3,709 daily). Practical stability benefits are geographically restricted to one village. | 2 |
Fiat Independence & Interoperability2x2.9
| Code | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| FI-01 | What is the protocol's unit of account?Own unit of account. The kolion is denominated in its own terms (1 kolion = 10kg potatoes), not pegged to any fiat currency. However, the ICO priced KLN at 1 USD and market prices are quoted in USD. The unit of account is sovereign in concept but bootstrapped with fiat reference for pricing and trading. | 4 |
| FI-02 | What is the fiat composition of the protocol's collateral or reserves?Zero fiat in reserves. The kolion was backed by farm assets -- potatoes, geese, crops. ICO funds were raised in Bitcoin (401 BTC), not fiat. Reserves are entirely agricultural commodity-based and crypto-based. No fiat bank deposits or government securities. | 5 |
| FI-03 | Does the protocol depend on fiat banking infrastructure to function?The original kolion was created specifically to avoid banking dependence. The crypto version runs on Waves blockchain. However, converting KLN to usable value outside the Kolionovo ecosystem requires fiat off-ramps. The farm operations themselves likely still require ruble transactions for some suppliers and taxes. Core protocol does not depend on banks but the broader ecosystem has some fiat touchpoints. | 3 |
| FI-04 | Are the protocol's price feeds and oracles fiat-denominated?No on-chain price feeds or oracles exist. The kolion's value reference (10kg potatoes) is not fed by any oracle. Market prices on exchanges are denominated in USD and BTC. There is no protocol-level price feed mechanism at all. | 2 |
| FI-05 | What happens to the protocol if the primary fiat currency it references collapses or depegs?The kolion was created during the 2014 Russian ruble crisis specifically as a ruble alternative. A ruble collapse would actually increase the kolion's relative utility. The potato-backed value would persist regardless of fiat currency status. However, the KLN token's exchange value is quoted in fiat terms, and a broader crypto market collapse would impair trading. | 4 |
| FI-06 | Does the project have a credible transition path from fiat-dominated adoption to fiat-independent operation?The project attempted to operate without fiat from inception -- the entire point was to replace the ruble locally. Within Kolionovo, reports indicate fiat became "a rarity." However, no formal transition plan with milestones exists, and the broader ecosystem still interfaces with the ruble economy for taxes, external purchases, and exchange listings. | 3 |
| FI-07 | Can local or sectoral currencies be denominated in or settle against this currency?No composability. The kolion is itself a single-village local currency. No other currencies have been built on top of it, and the system has no technical architecture for supporting subsidiary currencies. It is a monolithic single-issuer token, not a platform. | 1 |
| FI-08 | Does the protocol define open standards for interoperability with other monetary systems?No open standards. The KLN token runs on the Waves blockchain, which provides generic crypto interoperability (DEX trading), but the Kolionovo project defines no monetary interoperability standard. It is a closed single-community system with no cross-system settlement design. | 1 |
Traction2x2.4
| Code | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| TR-01 | Is the project still active?Uncertain. The last substantive media coverage dates to 2022, when Shlyapnikov reported 800 investors and 150 active traders. The KLN token still trades on Tidex with minimal volume (~$3,700/day). The token is marked "Untracked" on several platforms. The kolionovo.com website appears to exist but activity level is unclear. Partially active at best. | 2 |
| TR-02 | How long has the project been in existence?The paper kolion was introduced in 2014 (12 years ago). The crypto KLN token launched in April 2017 (9 years ago). By either measure, this exceeds the 5-year threshold. | 4 |
| TR-03 | How many active users does the project have?Approximately 100 local farmers and suppliers used the paper kolion. The KLN token has about 800 holders and 150 active traders as of 2022. The village of Kolionovo itself has approximately 10 permanent residents. Total active user base is well under 1,000. | 1 |
| TR-04 | How many businesses or organizations accept the project's currency?About 100 farmers and suppliers in the Kolionovo area accepted kolions for trade at peak adoption. These are primarily individual farms and small-scale suppliers, not formal businesses. No external merchants or chain retailers accept KLN. | 2 |
| TR-05 | Is the currency used as a unit of account?Within the Kolionovo ecosystem, prices were denominated in kolions (e.g., "a bag of potatoes costs X kolions"). Workers were paid in kolions, and suppliers quoted in kolions. However, this was confined to a tiny community, and the broader ecosystem still references ruble/USD prices. The KLN token is always quoted in fiat terms on exchanges. Used as unit of account within a defined community. | 4 |
| TR-06 | Is the founder or core team still actively working on the project?Shlyapnikov appears to still be based in Kolionovo and farming, but recent public activity is sparse. No recent media appearances, blog posts, or development updates have been found after 2022. The project appears to be in maintenance or reduced activity mode. | 2 |
| TR-07 | What partner organizations or institutions support or integrate the project?No formal partner organizations. The ecosystem consists of neighboring farms and individual suppliers who voluntarily participate. No NGOs, research institutions, governments, or significant organizations are formally integrated. Libre.life lists Kolionovo but as a directory entry, not a partnership. | 1 |
| TR-08 | Is the project covered or recognized by credible external sources?Significant international media coverage: CNN Money, Christian Science Monitor, Moscow Times, Quartz, CoinTelegraph, Russia Beyond, and multiple crypto news outlets. Featured as a notable case study in alternative local currencies. No peer-reviewed academic research found, but substantial journalist and editorial coverage from credible sources. | 4 |
| TR-09 | Is adoption organic — not dependent on subsidies, incentives, or mandates?Primarily organic. The paper kolion emerged from genuine economic need during the 2014 ruble crisis. Farmers adopted it because it solved a real problem -- lack of cash in rural Russia. The KLN token introduced a discount incentive (up to 100% off farm products), which adds an incentive layer but adoption among local users was driven by utility. A loan program for farmers (receive chicks, split egg production 50/50) created some incentive-driven adoption. | 3 |
| TR-10 | What is the growth trend over the past 12 months?No evidence of growth. Trading volume is minimal ($3,700/day). No recent media coverage, no new partnerships, no user growth announcements. The token is marked "Untracked" on multiple platforms. The project appears stagnant or declining. | 1 |
| TR-11 | Does the project have a coherent narrative and cultural identity that drives long-term commitment?Strong founding narrative. Shlyapnikov's story -- anarchist farmer rejects banks, creates potato-backed currency, gets banned, fights in court, pivots to crypto -- is compelling and has generated significant media attention. The anti-usury, self-sufficiency, and counter-economic philosophy provides genuine cultural identity. However, the community is tiny (10 village residents) and the narrative is primarily carried by one charismatic individual rather than a broad movement. | 3 |
Sovereignty1.9
| Code | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| SO-01 | Can any single entity shut down the project?Yes. The Russian state already banned the paper kolion in 2015 via court order. Shlyapnikov was ordered to cease and desist. The crypto version circumvented this specific ruling, but Russian authorities could target the farm operations, seize assets, or prosecute Shlyapnikov personally. A single entity (Russian state) has demonstrated both the legal ability and willingness to shut down the project. | 1 |
| SO-02 | Is the project's core infrastructure permissionless and self-hostable?The KLN token runs on the Waves blockchain, which is open-source and permissionless. However, the Kolionovo Ecosystem itself -- the farm, the redemption promise, the loyalty program -- is entirely controlled by Shlyapnikov's operations and is not self-hostable or replicable by others. The token is permissionless; the ecosystem backing it is not. | 2 |
| SO-03 | Is the project subject to the jurisdiction of a single nation-state?Fully subject to Russian Federation jurisdiction. Kolionovo is in Moscow Oblast. The project has already faced legal action from Russian prosecutors. All farm assets are physically located in one Russian village. The KLN token trades globally but the underlying value proposition depends entirely on Russian-located assets and a Russian-resident founder. | 1 |
| SO-04 | Does the project control or custody user funds?The KLN token is non-custodial -- users hold their own Waves wallet keys. However, the value backing (farm products, discount redemption) is entirely custodied by Shlyapnikov's farm operations. Users depend on his promise to honor redemptions. The token layer is non-custodial; the value layer is fully custodial. | 3 |
| SO-05 | Is the project resilient to key-person risk?Extremely high key-person risk. The entire project IS Mikhail Shlyapnikov. He created the currency, runs the farm, controls the ecosystem, manages redemptions, and is the public face. If he were incapacitated, imprisoned, or left, the project would likely cease to function. No succession plan or distributed leadership exists. | 1 |
| SO-06 | Does the project depend on any third-party service that could be revoked?Critical dependency on the Waves blockchain platform for token functionality. If Waves were to fail or the token were delisted, the crypto kolion would lose its trading venue. The Tidex exchange is the primary trading venue -- a single point of failure. The farm itself has no third-party dependencies, but the crypto layer does. | 2 |
| SO-07 | Can the project be censored — can specific users or transactions be blocked?The KLN token inherits Waves blockchain censorship resistance -- no blacklist or freeze capability at the token level. However, Shlyapnikov can unilaterally decide who can redeem tokens for farm products and who participates in the "plowing" program. The token transactions cannot be censored; the real-world redemption can be. | 3 |
| SO-08 | Does the protocol protect transaction privacy as a monetary right?Waves blockchain provides pseudonymous transactions -- addresses are public but not directly linked to real-world identity. Within the Kolionovo village community (~10 residents), everyone knows who is transacting. No enhanced privacy features exist. Standard blockchain pseudonymity. | 3 |
| SO-09 | Does the technology enforce the project's monetary rules such that governance cannot silently override them?Minimal technological enforcement. The 1 million supply cap is enforced by the Waves token contract. However, the core monetary rules -- potato peg, redemption commitment, discount structure, "plowing" rewards -- are all off-chain promises enforced only by Shlyapnikov's honesty. He could silently change redemption terms, discount levels, or stop honoring the potato peg at any time. The most important monetary rules are policy documents, not code. | 2 |
Governance1.4
| Code | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| GO-01 | How are decisions about the project made?No governance structure. All decisions are made unilaterally by Mikhail Shlyapnikov. There are no documented procedures, no community input mechanisms, no voting, and no governance framework. The project is effectively a one-man operation with informal relationships with neighboring farmers. | 1 |
| GO-02 | Who has voting or decision-making power, and how is that power distributed?Single person holds unilateral decision power. Shlyapnikov controls issuance, redemption terms, ecosystem rules, and all strategic decisions. Token holders have no governance rights -- KLN is described as a "crowdfunding tool" and "loyalty program token," not a governance token. | 1 |
| GO-03 | Is the governance process — and the monetary mechanism itself — transparent and publicly auditable?Minimal transparency. The whitepaper describes the ecosystem in general terms. Token supply is verifiable on-chain via Waves blockchain. However, farm operations, revenue, product inventory, and redemption activity are not publicly auditable. No governance process exists to be transparent about. Some information is on the kolionovo.com website but financial transparency is limited. | 2 |
| GO-04 | Can governance be captured by a small group or hostile actor?Already controlled by a single individual. There is no governance to capture -- the project is already under unilateral control. This is not "capture" in the hostile sense, as Shlyapnikov is the benevolent founder, but structurally the system is entirely capturable (and already captured) by one person. | 1 |
| GO-05 | How are upgrades and changes to the protocol or project proposed and executed?No formal upgrade process. Shlyapnikov pushed the transition from paper kolion to crypto KLN unilaterally in 2017. Any changes to the ecosystem, pricing, or tokenomics are made by his sole decision. No community input, proposal process, or voting mechanism exists. | 1 |
| GO-06 | Is there a separation between governance over monetary policy and governance over operational decisions?No governance structure at all, so no separation is possible. All decisions -- monetary (supply, peg, redemption) and operational (farming, construction, ecosystem management) -- are made by one person through the same informal process. | 1 |
| GO-07 | Does the project have a constitution, charter, or set of immutable principles?No written constitution. Shlyapnikov's anarchist philosophy (inspired by Mikhail Bakunin) and anti-usury principles provide an informal value system, and the whitepaper describes the ecosystem's purpose. However, these are not formally protected from override and have no binding force. They are philosophical convictions of one individual, not institutional principles. | 2 |
| GO-08 | Can the project's issuance rules be changed, and are monetary policy changes subject to stronger constraints than operational changes?Single entity can change issuance rules. The Waves token contract enforces the 1 million cap, but Shlyapnikov could theoretically create a new token or modify redemption terms at will. No governance constraints, time-locks, or community veto mechanisms protect monetary policy. The only constraint is the immutability of the specific Waves token contract. | 2 |
Resilience2.2
| Code | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| RE-01 | Has the project survived a major crisis or adversarial event?Survived one major crisis with creative adaptation. The Russian court banned the paper kolion in 2015 -- a direct state attack. Shlyapnikov responded by pivoting to a cryptocurrency version that circumvented the specific legal ruling. This demonstrates resilience and adaptability, though the crypto pivot fundamentally changed the project's nature. The project survived but required a significant design change. | 3 |
| RE-02 | Does the project have redundancy in its critical infrastructure?Minimal redundancy. The farm is a single physical location. The KLN token is on one blockchain (Waves). Trading occurs primarily on one exchange (Tidex). All knowledge and authority reside in one person. The only redundancy is that Waves itself has distributed infrastructure, and blockchain data is replicated across nodes. | 2 |
| RE-03 | Can the project recover from a catastrophic failure?Recovery would depend entirely on Shlyapnikov. If the farm were destroyed, the KLN token would lose its backing. If Shlyapnikov were incapacitated, no one could maintain the ecosystem. The token contract on Waves would survive, but its value depends on the off-chain redemption promise. No disaster recovery plan is documented. | 2 |
| RE-04 | Is the project's design simple enough to be maintained and understood long-term?The core concept is elegantly simple: tokens backed by farm products, redeemable for potatoes and goods. The "1 kolion = 10kg potatoes" peg is immediately understandable. The Waves token adds some technical complexity but the overall design is straightforward. A new participant could understand the system quickly. | 4 |
| RE-05 | Is the project dependent on a specific technology that could become obsolete?Dependent on the Waves blockchain platform. Waves is a live, maintained platform but not among the top-tier blockchains by adoption. If Waves became obsolete, the KLN token would need migration. No documented migration path exists. However, the underlying concept (commodity-backed local currency) is technology-agnostic and could be re-implemented. | 3 |
| RE-06 | How does the project handle economic stress (bank runs, liquidity crises, collateral crashes, inflation/deflation shocks)?Limited stress handling. The project was born from economic stress (2014 ruble crisis) and demonstrated that a commodity-backed local currency can function during fiat instability. However, there are no formal circuit breakers, dynamic collateral ratios, or orderly wind-down procedures. If all token holders tried to redeem simultaneously, the farm could not fulfill all claims. No stress testing has been done. | 2 |
| RE-07 | Does the project have sustainable funding for long-term maintenance?The ICO raised ~$500,000, and Shlyapnikov reported the ecosystem value grew to ~$2 million. The farm generates ongoing revenue from crop sales and livestock. However, the project runs primarily on Shlyapnikov's personal effort and farm income. No formal treasury, endowment, or protocol fee structure exists for long-term maintenance of the token ecosystem. | 2 |
| RE-08 | Can the system operate across extreme latency, disconnected networks, and multi-century timescales?The token requires Waves blockchain connectivity. The paper kolion could operate in disconnected contexts but was banned. The crypto version requires internet access and blockchain operation. No design for high-latency, disconnected, or multi-century operation. | 2 |
| RE-09 | Is the system designed for a world where AI agents are primary economic actors?Not designed for AI participation. The KLN token can be programmatically interacted with via Waves blockchain, so AI agents could technically hold and transfer tokens. However, the "plowing" earning mechanism requires physical farm labor, and redemption requires physical presence in Kolionovo. The system assumes human participants. | 2 |
Inclusivity3.2
| Code | Question | Score |
|---|---|---|
| IN-01 | Can anyone in the world participate regardless of nationality, wealth, or status?The KLN token can be purchased by anyone globally on the Waves DEX or Tidex exchange with no KYC, nationality restrictions, or minimum balance. However, meaningful participation (redeeming for farm products, "plowing" for tokens) requires physical presence in Kolionovo, Russia. The token is open; the ecosystem is geographically restricted. | 3 |
| IN-02 | What is the minimum cost to start using the project?KLN can be purchased in very small amounts on Waves DEX. At current prices (~$0.47/KLN), entry cost is minimal. Transaction fees on Waves are low (<$0.01). No minimum balance required for holding KLN. Low barrier to entry for the token; the barrier is geographic access to the ecosystem. | 4 |
| IN-03 | Does the project actively serve underbanked or financially excluded populations?The project was designed for exactly this purpose. Rural Russian villages have limited banking access -- Shlyapnikov noted that villagers "only get hard cash several times a year." The kolion was created to enable economic activity in a cash-poor, underbanked community. The project genuinely serves financially excluded rural populations. | 5 |
| IN-04 | Does the project distribute economic benefits — including seigniorage — broadly, or concentrate them among insiders?Benefits are concentrated in Shlyapnikov as sole issuer. He raised $500K via ICO and controls all farm assets. Token holders get discounts on farm products, and local farmers benefit from the trade network. The "plowing" mechanism distributes some tokens to laborers. However, seigniorage from the ICO flowed entirely to Shlyapnikov/the farm, and there is no public treasury or shared governance over funds. Mixed but insider-heavy. | 2 |
| IN-05 | Does the project treat all participants equally under the same rules?All token holders have equal access to the same discount program and redemption rights. No tiered access, no preferential treatment for large holders vs. small holders in the ecosystem rules. The "plowing" mechanism pays equally for labor contributed. However, Shlyapnikov as founder operates under fundamentally different rules -- he controls supply, pricing, and all ecosystem parameters. | 3 |
| IN-06 | Does the project require identity documentation or surveillance to participate?No identity requirement for purchasing KLN tokens. The Waves blockchain is pseudonymous. No KYC, no government ID required. For "plowing" (earning tokens through labor), participants presumably need to be physically present and known to the community, but no formal identity verification is required. | 4 |
| IN-07 | Does the project have mechanisms to prevent wealth concentration over time?No anti-concentration mechanisms. Fixed supply with no demurrage, no progressive fees, no redistribution. Token appreciation benefits early holders and large holders disproportionately. The "plowing" mechanism provides a labor-based distribution but does not prevent concentration. Standard fixed-supply dynamics favor concentration. | 2 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Kolionovo (Kolion) and what problem does it solve?
Kolionovo is a village-based agricultural economy in the Yegoryevsky district of Moscow Oblast, Russia, founded by Mikhail Shlyapnikov, a former banker turned anarchist farmer. In 2014, during the Russian financial crisis, Shlyapnikov created the kolion -- a local scrip currency pegged to 10kg of potatoes (or 1/50th of a goose) -- as an alternative to the ruble for the Kolionovo community.
How is money created in Kolionovo (Kolion)?
Single issuer. Mikhail Shlyapnikov is the sole creator and controller of both the paper kolion and the KLN token. The ICO minted 1 million KLN tokens on the Waves blockchain, entirely at Shlyapnikov's discretion.
How does Kolionovo (Kolion) maintain stable spending power?
No algorithmic stability mechanism. The original paper kolion was pegged to 10kg of potatoes, which provided a commodity anchor. The crypto KLN has no on-chain stability mechanism -- its price floats freely on exchanges.
Is Kolionovo (Kolion) independent from fiat currencies?
Own unit of account. The kolion is denominated in its own terms (1 kolion = 10kg potatoes), not pegged to any fiat currency. However, the ICO priced KLN at 1 USD and market prices are quoted in USD.
Who controls Kolionovo (Kolion) and can it be shut down?
Yes. The Russian state already banned the paper kolion in 2015 via court order. Shlyapnikov was ordered to cease and desist.
How widely adopted is Kolionovo (Kolion) today?
Approximately 100 local farmers and suppliers used the paper kolion. The KLN token has about 800 holders and 150 active traders as of 2022. The village of Kolionovo itself has approximately 10 permanent residents.
Is Kolionovo (Kolion) still active and growing?
Uncertain. The last substantive media coverage dates to 2022, when Shlyapnikov reported 800 investors and 150 active traders. The KLN token still trades on Tidex with minimal volume (~$3,700/day).
What are the main risks or weaknesses of Kolionovo (Kolion)?
Governance (1.4) is the weakest category: because the project has zero governance structure. Every decision is made unilaterally by one person with no community input, no voting mechanism, no transparency into financial operations, and no constitutional protections. The project functions as a benevolent dictatorship rather than a governed system.
What makes Kolionovo (Kolion) unique from an M69 perspective?
Strongest category is Inclusivity (3.2): because the project was purpose-built for a financially excluded population -- rural Russian villagers who received cash only a few times per year. The token is accessible without KYC, has low entry costs, and the "plowing" mechanism enables participation through labor rather than capital. The project genuinely serves the underbanked.
How is Kolionovo (Kolion)'s M69 Score calculated?
Kolionovo (Kolion) scores 2.4/5.0 overall. Pillar scores: Monetary Sovereignty 2.5, Civilizational Durability 1.8, Universal Adoption 2.7. Strongest: Inclusivity (3.2). Weakest: Governance (1.4).