# Economic overview AC

The Aztec Chain means that $CACAO will be used for new and different things than it could have had if only Maya existed. As [Part 4](https://gitlab.com/mayachain/docs/one-stop-shop/-/blob/main/white-paper/readme-1-1/aztec-chain-and-usdaztec-token/broken-reference/README.md) explains, using our tokens in a side chain benefits the overall Maya Economy. Remember: because there are no new mintings, all $CACAO that comes into Aztec must be imported from Maya, paying slip fees to Maya’s Treasury in the process.

Aztec soundly complements our economic model, attracting creators via excellent UX/UI compatibility and programmability; lending, Smart Contracts, NFTs, and a whole plethora of options become available for interaction with $CACAO and Maya derivatives.

If Maya works like a central bank + foreign trade, Aztec works like the vibrant merchant economy that develops in the nearby territory, enriched with security and stability from Maya.

### $AZTEC

Like $MAYA, $AZTEC tokens grant their holders the right to a proportional fraction of the “Aztec Fund”, which captures 10% of all the fees generated by all swaps and transactions in the network.

$AZTEC tokens can thus be treated as some sort of stock or economic participation in the project and will most probably reflect the market’s perceived value of the present and future growth of the network.

Participants of all levels inside our team, including our private investors, developers, advisors, and founders, will initially hold them. There is also some $AZTEC set aside for our early Node Operators.

### Builders

As a smart contract-friendly environment, anyone can jump in and participate, building the protocol’s reach further. Whereas Maya is a very secure and conservative environment, Aztec is meant to be more progressive. Any builder is welcome to contribute, build and reach out; we will provide all the support they need to operate successfully.
