UDSA Digital Exchage Currency

To ease interstellar trade, the UDSA operates a centralized digital payment system called the Digital Exchange Currency, commonly shortened to DEC. It can be used from most personal electronic devices as long as there is connection to the primary UDSA data network or a trusted Autonomous Network which runs an authorized payment server.
Officially, the units of the currency are simply called "UDSA Digital Exchange Currency Units" but they are often colloquially referred to as "DECs" (/dɛks/) other cultures have similar equivalent colloquial abbreviations based on the translated form of the currency's official name in their language.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

DEC makes use of quantum cryptography to validate transactions. Transaction information is stored with a unique ID and signed by both sides of the transaction as well as the intermediate transaction server, and stored on both devices as well as the server. Intermediate servers periodically synchronize transactions with the primary servers, and in turn synchronize the completion of the transaction with devices.
There is a theoretical possibility of exploiting the time delay of synchronization between distant Autonomous Networks, however this has never been shown to be practical since it would require moving across large distances more rapidly than allowed by current technology.
The UDSA uses various algorithms in an attempt to keep the value of DEC (heuristically based on an average observed values across a list of goods decided on by the Economic Stability Subcommittee of the General Assembly) as stable as possible using various methods, however the exact details of these measures are not publically known.

Significance

DEC is the de-facto standard payment method in most of the galaxy. In culturally mixed areas such as Gate Town, it is usually the only universally accepted form of currency, though individuals or businesses in those areas typically still accept their culture's currencies.

Item type

Currency & Deeds