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NODE/03 · Term

SBT (Soul-Bound Token)

Non-transferable NFT permanently bound to an address: used as reputation badges, hackathon prizes, contributor tiers. In the TON ecosystem, SBTs are used by TON Society.

Aliases: sbt, soul-bound token, non-transferable nft, badge

SBT (Soul-Bound Token) is a non-transferable NFT standard. The contract explicitly forbids transfer, so the token stays on the recipient’s address forever. Used as on-chain reputation, proof of participation, or a badge.

Where it’s used

  • TON Society — member/contributor tiers issued for ecosystem contributions.
  • Hackathon SBTs — prizes and certificates from TON hackathons.
  • KYC-lite — proof of having passed verification without revealing the data itself.
  • Allowlist tokens — guaranteed launchpad allocation.

Properties

  • Cannot be transferred; cannot be resold on NFT marketplaces.
  • But anyone can see an SBT on an address → doxxing risk if the address ties to a real identity.
  • Burn / revocation can be encoded in the contract — e.g. badge revoked on policy violation.

SBT vs NFT

PropertyNFTSBT
TransferYesNo
Floor price / resaleYesNo
Identity proofWeakStrong
Use casesCollecting, gamingReputation, gating

TON Society: SBTs and on-chain reputation.

Related terms