Certificates & Badges

Certificates and badges are proof that someone learned something, completed something, or earned something. A diploma. A course completion. A professional certification. A skill badge. An achievement marker. They exist in every industry: education, corporate training, fitness, gaming, community building, and professional development.

The problem is that traditional certificates are either paper (easily faked, impossible to verify at scale) or digital files (PDFs and images that can be duplicated, edited, or fabricated). Verifying whether someone actually completed a course, earned a certification, or achieved a milestone requires contacting the issuing institution directly. There is no universal, instant, tamper-proof way to verify credentials.

bonuz Certificate & Badge DNFTs change this. They are soul-bound, on-chain credentials that are permanently attached to the user who earned them. They can't be transferred, can't be faked, and can be verified instantly by anyone with permission. A single glance at a user's bonuz ID reveals their complete credential history, verified by the issuing organizations themselves.

How Certificates & Badges Work

A Certificate or Badge DNFT is a soul-bound (non-transferable) on-chain credential issued when a user completes a defined achievement. It carries metadata about what was earned, who issued it, when it was issued, and what requirements were met. Because it's on-chain and soul-bound, it functions as a verifiable, permanent attestation of accomplishment tied to the user's bonuz ID.

Certificates are typically used for formal completions: finishing a course, passing an exam, completing a training program, earning a professional qualification. Badges are typically lighter-weight: completing a challenge, hitting a milestone, earning a skill marker, or recognizing participation at a specific level. The underlying DNFT technology is identical. The distinction is a naming convention that brands and institutions choose based on context.

Why Soul-Bound?

Certificates and badges are non-transferable by default because their value is inseparable from the person who earned them. A "Completed Advanced Python" certificate has zero value if it can be bought from someone who actually did the work. A "Top Contributor" badge is meaningless if it can be traded on a marketplace.

Soul-bound design preserves the integrity of every credential in the ecosystem. When an employer, partner, or platform reads a user's certificates through bonuz ID, they can trust that every single one was earned by that person. This is the foundation of verifiable reputation.

Gating & Access Control

Certificates and badges are not just records. They are functional credentials that unlock access across the bonuz ecosystem and beyond:

Content gating. A platform can require a specific certificate before granting access to advanced content. Completed "Intro to DeFi"? Now "Advanced DeFi Strategies" is unlocked. The certificate DNFT acts as the key. No manual enrollment, no honor system.

Community gating. Token-gated communities can require specific badges for entry. A developer community might require a "Solidity Basics" certificate. A creator community might require a "100 Posts Published" badge. The bonuz Lifestyle Wallet and SDK handle the verification automatically.

Feature gating. dApp partners integrating through the bonuz SDK can gate features behind certificates. A DeFi protocol might unlock advanced trading tools only for users who hold a "Risk Management Certified" badge. A platform might grant moderator privileges to users with a "Community Leadership" certificate.

Tier gating. Certificates can feed into tiered access systems. Holding 3 beginner certificates unlocks intermediate content. Holding 5 intermediate certificates unlocks advanced programs. Progressive learning paths enforced by on-chain credentials.

Cross-platform recognition. Because certificates live in the bonuz graph, they're portable. A certificate earned on Platform A is readable (with user permission) by Platform B. A user who completed a blockchain course on one education platform can use that credential to skip prerequisites on another. Credentials travel with the user, not locked inside the platform that issued them.

Learn to Earn

Certificates and badges create a natural foundation for learn-to-earn models. Users complete educational content, earn verifiable credentials, and receive rewards for their effort. This can take several forms:

Direct rewards. Completing a course and earning the certificate triggers a reward: a voucher DNFT, points, tokens, or access to exclusive content. The Engagement Protocol handles the automation. Learn, earn the certificate, receive the reward.

Credential-based opportunities. Users with specific certificates become eligible for opportunities: beta testing programs, paid tasks, freelance work, or community roles. The certificate is the qualification. Platforms and brands can query the bonuz graph for users holding specific credentials (with user consent) and offer opportunities directly.

Stacked credentials. Earning multiple certificates across related topics builds a verifiable skill profile. A user with "Intro to Blockchain," "Smart Contract Basics," and "DeFi Fundamentals" certificates carries a provable learning trajectory that's more valuable than any single credential alone.

Future iterations of the bonuz ecosystem may introduce dedicated earn modes where completing educational content and earning certificates becomes a primary engagement and reward pathway.

Use Cases Across Industries

Certificates and badges are relevant far beyond traditional education:

Online education platforms. Course platforms issue certificate DNFTs upon completion. Students build a portable credential portfolio that follows them across platforms. A certificate from one online school is verifiable and recognized anywhere in the bonuz ecosystem.

Creator communities. Creators running paid communities on platforms like Patreon, Skool, or similar can issue certificates and badges to their members. Completed all modules in a creator's course? Certificate DNFT. Been a member for 12 consecutive months? Loyalty badge. Hit the top 10 contributor leaderboard? Achievement badge. These credentials are portable, so even if the creator moves platforms, the member's earned credentials stay in their wallet.

Corporate training. Companies issue certificates for completed compliance training, onboarding programs, skill development courses, and safety certifications. On-chain certificates provide instant, auditable verification. HR doesn't need to dig through spreadsheets to confirm who completed what. The blockchain is the record.

Professional development. Industry associations and certification bodies issue professional credentials as DNFTs. A project management certification, a financial compliance badge, a healthcare training completion. Verifiable by any employer or client instantly through the bonuz graph.

Coding bootcamps and tech education. Each module earns a badge. The final project earns a certificate. Employers can verify not just that someone "graduated" but the specific modules they completed, the skills they demonstrated, and the progression they followed. Granular, verifiable skill profiles.

Fitness and wellness. A yoga studio issues a "200-Hour Teacher Training" certificate. A nutrition program issues completion badges for each phase. A fitness brand issues achievement badges for milestone workouts. Verifiable health and wellness credentials.

Gaming and digital achievements. Game developers issue achievement badges as on-chain credentials. Completed a difficult quest? Badge. Reached a leaderboard milestone? Badge. These carry across games and platforms in the bonuz ecosystem, building a verifiable gaming reputation.

Freelance and remote work. Freelancers build a credential portfolio that serves as a verifiable resume. Completed a client's onboarding training? Certificate. Passed a skill assessment? Badge. Clients can verify qualifications instantly without relying on self-reported CVs.

Events and conferences. Workshop facilitators issue completion certificates to attendees. A half-day workshop on "AI for Business" results in a verifiable credential the attendee carries forever. Different from a PoP (which just proves attendance), a certificate proves the attendee completed the learning content.

Creating Certificates & Badges

Through the Brand Dashboard (app.bonuz.market):

Select the certificate or badge template. Choose the appropriate format. Certificates typically include more detailed metadata (issuer, curriculum, completion requirements). Badges are lighter-weight markers.

Define completion criteria. What does the user need to do to earn this credential? Options include completing a course or module, passing a quiz or assessment, attending a required number of sessions (linked to PoP attestations), achieving a milestone, or manual issuance by the brand.

Set metadata. Credential name, description, issuer details, date, and any custom fields (skill tags, difficulty level, hours completed, grade). Upload the visual design (badge artwork, certificate template). All metadata is stored on-chain.

Configure downstream rewards (optional). Earning a certificate can trigger additional actions: unlock access to advanced content, issue a voucher DNFT, add points to a loyalty program, or qualify the user for new opportunities.

Configure gating (optional). Set which content, communities, or features this certificate unlocks for the holder.

Launch. Certificates are issued automatically when completion criteria are met, or manually by the brand through the dashboard. Gas is sponsored on all issuance actions.

The State Machine

Certificates and badges have the simplest lifecycle of any DNFT type:

In Progress (optional) → For certificates with multi-step requirements, the DNFT can exist in the user's wallet as an in-progress credential. Progress metadata updates as steps are completed (3/5 modules done). This gives the user visibility into their journey.

Issued → The credential is earned and minted. On-chain metadata records the issuer, achievement, date, and completion details. The credential is now part of the user's bonuz ID profile.

Permanent → Certificates and badges are soul-bound and do not expire by default. They are permanent attestations. There is no redeemed or consumed state. They are records, not consumable assets.

Revoked (rare) → In exceptional cases, an issuer may need to revoke a credential (fraud discovered, certification body requires it). The DNFT state transitions to revoked. The credential remains on-chain for audit purposes but is marked as invalid. This is a safeguard, not a normal workflow.

Verification & Anti-Fraud

On-chain issuance. Every certificate is issued by a verified brand or institution address. The issuer is as verifiable as the credential itself. No one can mint a fake "Harvard Completion" certificate because only Harvard's authorized address can issue credentials under their name.

Soul-bound enforcement. Credentials can't be bought, traded, or transferred. The wallet holding the credential is the wallet that earned it.

Completion verification. For automated issuance, the Engagement Protocol verifies that all completion criteria were met before minting. For manual issuance, the brand's authorized address signs the transaction. Both paths are auditable.

Instant verification. Any permissioned party can verify a credential by reading the user's bonuz ID (with consent). No phone calls to institutions. No waiting for email confirmations. The blockchain is the verification layer.

Real-World Examples

Online course platform. An education platform integrates via the bonuz SDK. Students earn badge DNFTs for each completed module and a certificate DNFT upon course completion. The certificate gates access to the advanced course. Students who complete 3 courses earn a "Scholar" badge that qualifies them for a mentorship program. All credentials are portable and verifiable across platforms.

Creator community on Skool. A creator running a paid community issues a "Founding Member" badge to the first 100 members. Members who complete all 8 modules of the creator's course earn a "Course Graduate" certificate. Top contributors each month earn a "Community Champion" badge. When the creator eventually moves to a different platform, all member credentials stay in their wallets.

Corporate compliance training. A company issues "Data Privacy Certified" certificates to employees who complete annual compliance training. HR can verify completion instantly through the dashboard. Auditors can verify company-wide compliance by querying the on-chain records. Certificates auto-expire after 12 months, prompting re-certification.

Coding bootcamp. A 12-week bootcamp issues badge DNFTs for each weekly module (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, Node.js, etc.) and a final "Full-Stack Developer" certificate upon graduation. Hiring managers can verify not just graduation but the specific skill modules completed. The granular credential trail is more valuable than a single diploma.

Freelancer skill portfolio. A freelance platform issues skill badges when users pass assessments: "Advanced Excel," "UI/UX Design," "Technical Writing." Clients browsing freelancer profiles see verified, on-chain credentials instead of self-reported skills. Trust is built into the system.

Fitness certification. A yoga alliance issues "200-Hour Teacher Training" and "500-Hour Advanced Training" certificates as soul-bound DNFTs. Studios hiring instructors can verify credentials instantly. The instructor's qualification travels with them regardless of which platform or studio they work with.

Why On-Chain Certificates Matter

The global credentialing system is broken. Paper certificates sit in drawers. Digital certificates are PDFs that anyone can fabricate. Verification requires manual outreach to issuing institutions. And credentials earned on one platform are invisible to every other platform.

On-chain certificates through bonuz make credentials owned, verifiable, portable, and functional. Owned by the user (not the institution). Verifiable by anyone with permission (not just the issuer). Portable across platforms and time (not locked in one app). And functional as access keys, qualification proofs, and building blocks for reputation. That's not just a digital diploma. It's a credential that actually works.