Delta Currency

Various races in the Delta Quadrant use various objects, concepts, and denominations for currency and trade. Detailed here are the various races that engage in trade, either electronic or physical, and the currencies there of. This is by no means an exhaustive list.

The following are a list of the species and currencies listed in the Dalacari Currency Exchange, a massive financial trading and tracking hub system designed to gauge the flow of commerce and allow for the easy and swift exchange of commerce throughout a key section of the Delta Quadrant. By linking the values and expectations of these currencies, races from across the gulf of the Delta Quadrant can exchange in commerce and know that they are getting a fair deal. Or at least, that their money is worth what their money is worth. It establishes the existence of the lowest common currency, known simply as Matter 76, which is used by almost every species as a Currency of Last Resort.

Or as the Slate refer to it, the Last Meal.

Linking to the Dalacari Exchange is a prolonged process that deals with the kind of attention to finance and long term growth that would make a Ferengi's heart ring out in pride. It is not an easy matter to join, not an easy matter to leave, and shows a commitment to the mutual benefit of all. Entering into any form of peace accord with the Dalacari almost always includes a provision for financial investigation and integration into the Exchange.

General Use

Measured in 'Units', Matter 76 is the lowest common denomination in any mercantile exchange. It consists of cubes of elementally pure Osmium, a naturally occurring platinum-like metal with 76 protons in its nucleus. Easily produced at replicators, it's value as a currency is next to literally nothing, as it's essentially trading Matter for Matter on a 1:1 basis. Markup on this currency is astronomical, and if the object in question cannot be replicated in and of itself, then the merchant might actually decide not to trade in a currency that is of no use to them. To a society that doesn't need high-grade electronics, Matter 76 Units are still a pretty shiny rock, and could be used in lieu of magic beans to purchase trade goods.

Dalacari

The Dalacari eBit, measured in bits or eBits, is a purely electronic form of currency. Tracked throughout the Republic though systems that are more closely regulated than even personal information or medical histories, the eBit is relatively powerful in a sufficiently advanced market but due to it having no tangible form is difficult to trade in with societies that don't have the concept of cryptocurrency. Dalacari eBit commerce is easy to track, and generally seen as a secure form of conducting legitimate business.

Ts'Usugi

The standard unit of currency in the Ts'usugi Empire is the Koku, a simple coin with a notch near the top. The Koku has denominations of ten going up, and going down, in value making the Koku very similar to the old Terran currency unit of the "Dollar", which also had units of measure above and below.

The Koku's value was once based on a nebulous concept: The cost to receive and care for one guest for one day. Throughout the ages the basis of the value of the Koku has changed, in the attempt to make its worth tied to something concrete as opposed to the vague and difficult to track concepts. The Eighth Emperor of Ts'usu brought about the reform that a Koku was valued at the weight of five bowls of rice. Enough to feed one of the Sons of Ts'usu for One Day.

The Twenty Second Emperor of Ts'usu further reformed the Koku, setting its value by basing it off the availability of a precious ore. Thus the value of the Koku was cemented in history. With the advent of digital currency tracking and reporting, it is unclear as to whether the Koku's value is still tied to a physical resource, or if... as the natives jest, the Koku is worth one Koku.

Slate

As a species that consumes precious ore as though it were fine cuisine, the Slate use waste products from their industry as currency for barter or trade. Though, these may or may not be highly radioactive. Not that the Slate would know. To aid in interstellar commerce, the Slate have joined the Dalacari Transplanetary Exchange. The Slate trade in a currency they simply call Shiny, which is actually feldspar or more commonly known on Earth as 'Fools Gold'. It is the one mineral that Slate find unpalletable, and therefore useless as an internal resource. Shiny is only used to trade with the galactic community, and any feldspar the Slate encounter is shipped to a friendly world to be processed into physical, if somewhat inedible currency. An odd quirk of Slate 'Biology' is that they can tell the difference between authentic feldspar and replicated feldspare on contact. It's the taste.

Shiny is counted in "Shines", and they appear as round spheres with flattened poles similar to an automobile wheel in shape. The minting information on each piece is located along the rim, but the Slate cannot be bothered to really read such tiny print. The value of a Shine is based on its size.

Trilark

Trilark economics are odd, as they cater to two currencies. The first is a physical currency called the Shoal and the second is the concept of using ideas and concepts for currency. A debate between two Trilark could very well be a debt collection in process. The Shoal has a value set by the society, but primarily it exists only to trade with external races. The Shoal resembles a small, triangular object made of silicate material similar to a sea shell. Each has a symbol on it denoting where it was minted and when, though since the facility that mints them is usually underwater, each Shoal has tiny imperfections that actually cause the token to refract light in a unique fashion. No two Shoal are the same, which makes the currency valuable even for collectors.

Understandably, ideas and concepts aren't publicly traded, but the Trilark Shoal is traded on the Dalacari Galactic Exchange.