It is a good question. I've actually been wondering the value of SBD. When the steem value get's too low they will often only reward in STEEM while they wait for it to increase enough to support SBD. Yet me as an end user. If I want money to spend I transfer my SBD or STEEM and convert it to whatever I need to make my purchase. It really makes no difference to me which it is.
I believe the real reason for SBD is savings idea.
Steem is going to fluctuate in value. So if you have 1000 steem when the value is $1 per steem then essentially you have $1000.
Howeve when steem is only worth $0.50/steem you effectively only have $500.
The idea was to peg SBD at $1. So regardless of how long you held it when it said you had 1000 SBD you'd know that that was very near $1000.
It feels less like a RISK to some people. Those who trade a lot might not care about the difference, and because I am not using it like a savings account I do not care.
Yet if the average user who does not have crypto has 1000 steem and sees their account is worth $1000 and a couple of days later it is only worth $750 they might have problems with that.
SBD that ideally should never be the case.
Savings was understandable when Steem had a lot higher inflation model. But now that the inflation has been greatly reduced, there isn't so much demand for a savings token.
I agree.
Thank you for your wonderful insights. If SBD is a savings idea, it all starts to make sense.
Well they were even giving an interest payment on it for a time. It is currently not doing that, but it was for awhile. I believe they stopped to try to keep it on it's dollar peg.