[bisq-network/roles] Payment Method Maintainer (#38)

Fri Nov 27 03:38:36 CET 2020

# Cycle 19 Report

This is my first report since being assigned the Payment Method Maintainer role.

## Hello from me 

Seeing as this is my first report I thought it would be appropriate to introduce myself to people and provide a little in the way of background.

My interest in Bisq began in April this year. Having more time on my hands due to the lockdowns, I got stuck into finding out more about Bisq, I was particularly interested in reading about the DAO and gaining an understanding of how it was being implemented and how the governance was structured. I value privacy, anonymity, and societies that are based on openness. These shared values and the decentralized and distributed nature of BISQ was, therefore, appealing to me.  Since then I have been actively using the platform to gain a better understanding of how it is used and to experiment with a variety of payment methods. I am optimistic about the success of BISQ and am hopeful that it can be a catalyst for other decentralized autonomous organizations to be established. I was keen to be of any value I could do volunteered for the Payment Method Maintainer role.

## Getting started 

As this is my first month I have been spending time trying to understand the requirements of the role, and what needs to be achieved. To this end I have spent quite a bit of time just getting familiar with GitHub in general, previous issues related payment methods and trying to understand how I can best contribute to Bisq. I have also been in contact with @m52go who has been really helpful in answering all my questions and transitioning the role to myself.

### Problems

- Bisq lacks a variety of payment methods. This reduces accessibility and liquidity. 
- Payment methods proposed may, and have, be discussed for years with no decision being reached. This leads trades to provide their liquidity to alternative platforms. 
- Bisq lacks multi-currency payment solutions. This reduces accessibility and liquidity. 
- The payment account section on Bisq is not very intuitive. I expect many traders are unaware of all the possible options for payment methods, and potentially all the different markets they might be able to access. 

### Outcomes

For this role I see the outcomes to strive towards to be:

- Increase liquidity in fiat markets 
- Increase accessibility for traders in fiat markets 
- Increase the number of traders utilizing Bisq for fiat/BTC trades

### Solutions

I have documented the solutions required to achieve the outcomes within the tasks/goals sections of the Payment Maintainer role. https://github.com/bisq-network/roles/issues/38#issuecomment-727760468

## What other payment methods are other P2P fiat exchanges utilizing?

I decided to research and document what payment methods other P2P fiat exchanges are using, and compare this to what Bisq offers.

Here is a link showing the data. It is sorted by most to least popular payment methods (where popularity is defined by the number of P2P fiat exchanges utilizing the specific payment method) 

[What payment methods are being utilized by P2P fiat exchanges? ](https://personal.onlyoffice.com/Products/Files/DocEditor.aspx?fileid=3795904&doc=aFR1YVhINjVMZHZtWTdQVkM4VDJpWDFDQXRRS0lIUTM3M2tIMk5UaXpsMD0_IjM3OTU5MDQi0)

It is clear from this research that Bisq is underutilized in terms of payment method options. I do not think this can be explained away by other platform using more risky payment methods. There are many payment methods that would be able to be utilized by Bisq that fit all essential criteria. 

This spreadsheet gives an indication of the scope of the work required going forward by the Payment Method Maintainer.

## Putting in place some systems

I am a fan of putting systems in place early on. Therefore, I made the following proposals:

- [Proposed payment method addition process and estimated timelines](https://github.com/bisq-network/growth/issues/206)
- [Proposed existing payment method editing process and estimated timelines](https://github.com/bisq-network/growth/issues/207)
- [Proposed list of requirements to consider when adding new payment methods](https://github.com/bisq-network/bisq/issues/4757#issuecomment-727711700)

I will continue to improve the above proposals and make additions for new systems that increase scalability.

 ## Surveying traders about what payment method they would like added

I reached out to the Bisq community to ask for their input on what new payment methods would they like added to Bisq. I did this on the following platforms:

- [GitHub](https://github.com/bisq-network/bisq/issues/4757)
- [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/bisq/comments/jw7jqd/what_new_payment_methods_would_you_like_added_to/)
- [Bisq community](https://bisq.community/t/what-new-payment-methods-would-you-like-added-to-bisq/9920)
- Keybase
- Telegram

 ## Getting involved in existing discussions 

I have assumed ownership of the following long-standing discussions. I am determined to bring them to a conclusion, to add or not to add, by the end of the year. 

- [Add SWIFT (int. wire transfer) as payment method](https://github.com/bisq-network/bisq/issues/1789)
- [Add "Cash by mail" as a payment option](https://github.com/bisq-network/bisq/issues/1101)

The barriers to achieving this, and the goals of my role in general, is my ability to encourage the participation of multiple contributors that have lots of demands on their time. I am hopeful that I will develop my skills to work well as part of a remote team to achieve this.

 ## Assisting in bringing two existing proposed payment method issues to conclusion and being added to v1.5.0

I spent time on the following:

- [Add Transferwise as new multi-currency payment method](https://github.com/bisq-network/proposals/issues/243)
- [Add Amazon Gift Card as payment method](https://github.com/bisq-network/bisq/issues/1866)

Both of these payment methods have been included in the recent v1.5.0. Many thanks to @chimp1984 and @viperperidot for helping me with this.

 ## Other existing payment methods to be added

There are many more payment methods that required consideration for addition. Whilst I have acknowledged them I am keen to take stock of all the requests, develop a roadmap, and prioritize  before getting to work on more. I am working on this to be ready for Cycle 20.

 ## Existing payment methods to be edited

As above I have noted payment methods that need changes made to them but am yet to action them. 

I have also been involved in a Keybase discussion with the mediators and another trader about TransferWise SEPA.

 ## Ensure all payment methods utilized have a high degree of usability

I have made some suggestions for improvements to the Bisq client to facilitate this:

The following have been actioned:

- [Improve UI/UX for account aging column in 'Offers' section of GUI](https://github.com/bisq-network/bisq/issues/4735)
- [Proposed changes to the 'Trades', 'History' and 'My Open Offers' sections in the Bisq client ](https://github.com/bisq-network/bisq/issues/4641)
- [Updates to 'Edit Offer' to allow for change of market and payment method ](https://github.com/bisq-network/bisq/issues/4720)

The following is still in discussion, no comments yet:

- [Fix various 'account management' usability issues in the Bisq client to optimize for traders with multiple fiat and altcoin accounts](https://github.com/bisq-network/bisq/issues/4837)

## Monitor and participate in discussion of payment methods on Bisq.community / Keybase and GitHub

I have been actively participating in the payment-methods Keybase channel. I have also helped a few users with payment related questions on the Bisq Reddit, Telegram and Community channels

## Promote new payment methods
I have not started this yet

## Cycle KPI's
I have not started this yet.

## Additional tasks
I have generally been trying to involve myself in discussions on GitHub and share my thoughts / experiences. 

I have arranged with @leo816 to start a support internship for the next cycle. I think this will be great learning opportunity and I am sure any knowledge I gain will be useful for the payment maintainer role also.

I am really enjoying contributing :simple_smile:

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