HIVE: Direct Sponsorship

3.1 Introduction

HIVE is MICROBA's direct sponsorship capability.

It allows an eligible MICROBA member to introduce MICROBA directly to another person and, where the applicable conditions are satisfied, receive a sponsorship commission from eligible purchases attributed to that direct relationship.

HIVE is intentionally simple.

It is not designed as a multi-level commission structure. It does not pay commissions merely because a network becomes deeper, and membership does not require participation in HIVE.

The current HIVE model is based on three fundamental principles:

Participation is optional.

Sponsorship is direct.

Commission follows eligible sales, not recruitment alone.

A person may join MICROBA, purchase products, learn, use Product, and participate in SA without ever becoming active in HIVE.

3.2 HIVE Is Optional

Every MICROBA member is not automatically required to act as an affiliate.

A member may choose to:

• use MICROBA only for themselves;
• purchase products;
• participate in Knowledge;
• use Product capabilities;
• hold or use eligible SA; and
• remain a member without sponsoring anyone.

HIVE becomes relevant only when a member chooses to introduce MICROBA to another person.

Conceptually:

MICROBA Member
      |
      +---- Uses MICROBA personally
      |
      +---- Chooses to share MICROBA
                 |
                HIVE

The second path is optional.

3.3 Direct Sponsorship Only

HIVE uses a single-level direct sponsorship model.

A sponsor relationship exists between the person who directly introduces a member and that member, subject to the applicable attribution rules.

Example:

A directly sponsors B
B directly sponsors C
C directly sponsors D

The direct relationships are:

A -> B
B -> C
C -> D

If C makes an eligible purchase, B may receive the applicable direct sponsorship commission.

A does not receive a commission from C merely because A sponsored B.

If D makes an eligible purchase, C may receive the applicable commission.

B and A do not receive deeper-generation commissions from D.

Therefore:

**One eligible purchaser can have at most one direct sponsorship

commission recipient for a transaction.**

3.4 No Multi-Level Commission

The current HIVE model does not use:

• Generation 2 commission;
• Generation 3 commission;
• Generation 4 commission;
• Generation 5 commission;
• Generation 6 commission;
• binary pairing;
• left/right legs;
• matching bonuses;
• depth bonuses;
• override commissions from downstream generations; or
• recruitment-only payments.

HIVE should not calculate a commission simply because someone is located above another member in a relationship graph.

The system asks a simpler question:

Does this eligible purchase have a valid Direct Sponsor?

If yes, the applicable direct sponsorship rule can be evaluated.

If no, no direct sponsorship commission is created.

3.5 Current Direct Sponsorship Rate

The current system model uses:

9% Direct Sponsorship Commission

This rate applies to the eligible sales value defined by HIVE and Commerce rules.

Example:

Eligible Direct Sale: Rp1,000,000
Direct Sponsorship:   9%
Commission:           Rp90,000

Another example:

Eligible Direct Sale: Rp500,000
Direct Sponsorship:   9%
Commission:           Rp45,000

The commission should be calculated by the system rather than entered manually.

A transaction that is not eligible for sponsorship must not generate the 9% commission merely because a sponsor relationship exists.

3.6 Commission Comes From Sales, Not Recruitment

Creating a sponsor relationship by itself does not create a commission.

Example:

A introduces B
      |
B joins MICROBA
      |
Valid relationship recorded
      |
No eligible purchase
      |
Commission = 0

When B later makes an eligible purchase:

B makes eligible purchase
        |
Commerce confirms transaction
        |
HIVE validates Direct Sponsor A
        |
Eligible sponsorship event
        |
A receives applicable commission

This means:

**Joining is not the commission event. Eligible commercial activity is

the commission event.**

3.7 A Sponsor Is Not Required to Purchase

MICROBA permits direct purchases without a sponsor.

Example:

Customer discovers MICROBA directly
             |
           Joins
             |
          Purchases
             |
          Commerce
             |
      No Direct Sponsor
             |
Sponsorship Commission = 0

The purchase remains valid.

The absence of a sponsor does not block:

• membership;
• Product purchase;
• Commerce;
• applicable SA provision;
• Knowledge; or
• ordinary member participation.

This keeps MICROBA open to customers who discover the platform independently.

3.8 Genuine Sponsor Attribution

When a person is genuinely introduced to MICROBA by a HIVE participant, the system may record the Direct Sponsor relationship.

Conceptually:

Sponsor
MID-A
  |
introduces
  |
Member
MID-B

The relationship should be attached to canonical identities rather than being recreated casually during every checkout.

This allows the system to preserve legitimate attribution across eligible repeat purchases according to programme rules.

The relationship does not mean that the sponsor owns the member.

3.9 Sponsor Relationship Is Not Ownership

A Direct Sponsor does not own:

• the sponsored member's identity;
• Profile;
• password;
• Product;
• orders;
• SA;
• Knowledge progress;
• certificates;
• personal information; or
• other member-owned resources.

The sponsor relationship exists only for the responsibilities defined by HIVE.

A sponsor should not gain privileged access to another member's private data merely because a sponsorship relationship exists.

3.10 Repeat Purchases

The HIVE architecture may preserve a valid Direct Sponsor relationship for future eligible purchases.

Example:

A introduces B
      |
B joins
      |
Direct Sponsor = A
      |
B purchases today
      |
Eligible -> A receives 9%
      |
B returns later directly to MICROBA
      |
Direct Sponsor remains A
      |
Eligible repeat purchase
      |
A receives applicable 9%

This protects genuine sponsor attribution.

A member should not need to use the sponsor's referral link every time they make a repeat purchase once a valid relationship has been established.

Detailed duration, exception, and relationship-change policies can be defined by programme governance without changing the core architecture.

3.11 Personal Purchases

A member may purchase MICROBA products for themselves.

Personal purchases do not create self-sponsorship commission.

Example:

Member A
   |
Personal Purchase Rp1,000,000
   |
Can A be own sponsor?
   |
NO
   |
Self-Sponsorship Commission = Rp0

The purchase may still generate applicable SA provision according to SA rules.

This is an important distinction:

**Personal sales activity may matter to other MICROBA mechanisms, but

it does not create a commission payable to oneself as Direct

Sponsor.**

3.12 No Self-Sponsorship

The system must prevent a member from becoming their own Direct Sponsor.

This includes attempts using:

• the same MID;
• duplicate accounts;
• dummy identities;
• manipulated referral relationships; or
• other artificial arrangements intended to manufacture sponsorship

commission.

Where duplicate or suspicious identity relationships are detected, HIVE should be able to hold or reject the applicable sponsorship event for review according to programme controls.

3.13 Direct Sponsor Relationship

At system level, the relationship can be represented conceptually as:

Sponsor MID
     |
DIRECT_SPONSOR_OF
     |
Member MID

A relationship record should have enough information to support audit and attribution.

It may include:

• sponsor MID;
• sponsored member MID;
• relationship status;
• source of attribution;
• created date;
• effective date;
• status history; and
• relevant audit information.

The exact database implementation belongs to the technical specification.

3.14 How a Sponsor Relationship Can Begin

A genuine sponsor relationship may originate from an approved mechanism such as:

• referral link;
• member invitation;
• member QR;
• referral code;
• approved assisted registration; or
• another verified HIVE attribution mechanism.

Example:

Member A
   |
Shares MICROBA invitation
   |
Visitor follows invitation
   |
Visitor joins
   |
Identity created
   |
Valid attribution confirmed
   |
A recorded as Direct Sponsor

A click alone does not necessarily create commission.

A commission requires a valid relationship and eligible commercial activity.

3.15 Member Invitation and QR

A member may be provided with a MICROBA invitation link, QR code, or similar mechanism.

The invitation should identify the sponsor relationship safely without exposing unnecessary personal information.

Conceptually:

Member A
   |
Invitation / QR
   |
Visitor
   |
JOIN
   |
MID created
   |
Sponsor attribution

Scanning a QR code is not itself a paid event.

No commission is created merely because someone scans, visits, registers, or views a Product.

3.16 Sponsor Protection

Once a genuine Direct Sponsor relationship has been established, the system should protect the attribution from casual replacement.

For example, a sponsored member should not be able to redirect every purchase to a different sponsor simply by entering another referral code at checkout.

Otherwise sponsorship would become transaction bidding rather than a genuine relationship.

The system should therefore treat sponsor assignment as a relationship-level decision, not an ordinary checkout field.

3.17 Changing a Sponsor

Sponsor changes should be exceptional and governed.

Possible legitimate situations may include:

• incorrect attribution;
• fraudulent attribution;
• duplicate identity resolution;
• invalid sponsor relationship;
• administrative correction; or
• another approved programme reason.

A sponsor change should:

1. require appropriate authorization;
2. record the reason;
3. preserve the previous relationship history;
4. record who or what performed the change; and
5. avoid silently rewriting historical commissions.

Historical transactions should continue to show the attribution that applied when they were processed unless a formal reversal/correction is performed.

3.18 Eligible Sales

Not every monetary movement should automatically be considered an eligible HIVE sale.

Commerce and HIVE should determine the eligible sales basis according to approved programme rules.

Potential transaction factors may include:

• Product eligibility;
• transaction status;
• actual amount paid;
• discounts;
• SA-funded portions;
• refunds;
• cancellations;
• reversals;
• taxes;
• shipping;
• promotional adjustments; and
• other commercial conditions.

The exact public definition of eligible sales should be finalized in the Commerce and HIVE operational rules.

The architecture principle is:

**HIVE receives an authoritative eligible sales value from the

approved commercial process; it does not invent the sale amount

itself.**

3.19 Commerce and HIVE

Commerce and HIVE have different responsibilities.

Commerce

Commerce owns:

• order;
• commercial snapshot;
• payment;
• transaction status;
• commercial amounts;
• refunds/reversals; and
• transaction events.

HIVE

HIVE owns:

• Direct Sponsor relationship;
• sponsorship eligibility;
• sponsorship calculation rules;
• sponsorship transaction records;
• sponsor-specific status; and
• sponsorship history.

Conceptually:

Eligible Order
     |
 Commerce
     |
Confirmed Commercial Event
     |
    HIVE
     |
Validate Direct Sponsor
     |
Calculate Eligible Sponsorship
     |
Sponsorship Transaction

Commerce should not create arbitrary sponsor relationships.

HIVE should not independently decide that an unpaid order is a completed sale.

3.20 Sponsorship Transaction

Every sponsorship commission should have its own transaction record.

A record may conceptually include:

• sponsorship transaction ID;
• sponsor MID;
• customer/member MID;
• Commerce order reference;
• eligible sales amount;
• sponsorship rate;
• calculated commission;
• currency;
• status;
• created timestamp;
• settlement status; and
• reversal reference where applicable.

Example:

Order:              ORD-10025
Direct Sponsor:     MID-000101
Purchaser:          MID-000850
Eligible Sales:     Rp1,000,000
Rate:               9%
Commission:         Rp90,000
Status:             Confirmed

This allows every commission to be traced back to the commercial event that created it.

3.21 Sponsorship Ledger

HIVE should maintain a clear sponsorship transaction history.

A member-facing view may be simple:

HIVE SPONSORSHIP

Order       Eligible Sale       Commission
ORD-10025   Rp1,000,000         Rp90,000
ORD-10041   Rp500,000           Rp45,000
ORD-10090   Rp200,000           Rp18,000

The backend may retain additional audit and reconciliation fields.

The user should not need accounting knowledge to understand:

• which purchase generated the benefit;
• how much was eligible;
• the applicable rate;
• the commission amount; and
• its current status.

3.22 Commission Status

A sponsorship transaction may pass through controlled states.

A conceptual lifecycle could be:

Detected
   |
Validated
   |
Pending
   |
Confirmed
   |
Settled

Other states may be required for:

• held;
• reversed;
• rejected; or
• cancelled.

The exact lifecycle belongs to the implementation specification.

A commission should not be presented as permanently earned before the underlying commercial transaction satisfies the required conditions.

3.23 Refunds, Cancellations, and Reversals

If an underlying purchase is refunded, cancelled, reversed, or otherwise invalidated, the related sponsorship benefit may require adjustment.

The system should not delete the original sponsorship transaction.

Instead, it should preserve history and create the appropriate reversal or adjustment.

Example:

Original Commission
+Rp90,000

Order Refunded
     |
Commission Reversal
-Rp90,000

Net
Rp0

This preserves auditability.

3.24 No Silent Deletion

HIVE financial and sponsorship history should not be silently deleted to make a balance appear correct.

Corrections should use explicit events such as:

• reversal;
• adjustment;
• cancellation;
• correction; or
• administrative resolution.

The original event remains traceable.

This principle is important for Commerce reconciliation and future audit.

3.25 HIVE and SA Are Separate

A Direct Sponsor commission and SA are not the same benefit.

Example:

Eligible Sale
     |
     +------> HIVE evaluation
     |          |
     |        9% Direct Sponsorship
     |
     +------> SA evaluation
                |
              3% SA Provision

The applicable rules can be triggered by the same Commerce transaction, but they remain separate system mechanisms.

A sponsor commission should not automatically create SA unless an explicit SA rule says so.

Likewise, receiving or transferring SA does not automatically create a HIVE commission.

3.26 SA Transfers Do Not Create Sponsorship Commission

SA can move between members according to SA rules.

Example:

Member A
   |
Transfers 1 SA
   |
Member B

This is not a Product sale.

Therefore, the transfer itself does not create:

• 9% HIVE commission;
• a new sponsor relationship;
• new sales; or
• new SA provision.

This prevents circular value creation.

3.27 SA-Funded Purchases

Where Commerce allows SA to fund part or all of an eligible purchase, HIVE should use the approved definition of eligible sales rather than assuming that the Product's displayed price is automatically commissionable.

For example:

Product Price
Rp300,000

Payment
Rp210,000 cash
+ 3 SA

The HIVE calculation must use the eligible sales value provided by the final approved Commerce rules.

This avoids inconsistent commission calculations across payment methods.

The precise treatment of SA-funded sales should be defined before public launch in the dedicated Commerce/HIVE rules.

3.28 HIVE Does Not Own Payments

HIVE calculates and records sponsorship eligibility and commission.

It should not independently process customer payments.

Likewise, payout or settlement mechanisms should use the approved MICROBA financial capability rather than embedding unrelated payment-provider logic directly into HIVE.

This allows payment infrastructure to evolve without changing the sponsorship model.

3.29 HIVE Does Not Own Member Identity

HIVE references canonical MICROBA identities.

It does not create a second "affiliate identity" for the same person.

Conceptually:

Living Identity
MID-000123
     |
     +-- Member capabilities
     +-- Product
     +-- Knowledge
     +-- SA
     +-- HIVE participation

HIVE participation is a capability of the member's identity, not a replacement identity.

3.30 HIVE Dashboard

The member-facing HIVE dashboard should prioritize simple, understandable information.

A future dashboard may include:

HIVE

Direct Sponsored Members
24

Eligible Direct Sales
Rp18,500,000

Sponsorship Earned
Rp1,665,000

Pending
Rp180,000

Confirmed
Rp1,485,000

It may also provide a transaction history and direct-member list according to privacy rules.

The dashboard should avoid presenting multi-level trees or rank structures because those are not part of the current HIVE model.

3.31 Direct Sponsored Members

A sponsor may view appropriate information about their direct sponsorship relationships.

However, visibility must respect privacy and authorization.

The system should not expose unrelated private information simply because two members have a HIVE relationship.

A sponsor may need to know that a direct relationship exists and see information relevant to their own sponsorship activity.

They do not automatically need access to:

• private Profile data;
• detailed Product information;
• private Knowledge history;
• SA holdings;
• passwords;
• private addresses; or
• unrelated transactions.

3.32 No Rank Requirement

The current HIVE commission model does not require affiliate ranks such as beginner, intermediate, advanced, leader, or similar levels to determine the direct commission rate.

The current direct sponsorship rate is fixed at 9% for eligible transactions.

If MICROBA later introduces recognition, milestones, badges, or achievements, those should not silently change the locked commission architecture unless a formal programme revision is approved.

3.33 No 100-Day Commission Reset

The current HIVE model does not use a rank-based commission percentage that resets every 100 days.

Historical ideas involving changing percentages based on rolling sales performance are not part of the current HIVE commission architecture.

HIVE remains:

Valid Direct Sponsor
        +
Eligible Direct Sale
        |
        v
9% Direct Sponsorship Commission

This keeps the member experience predictable.

3.34 HIVE and Group Sales

The current direct sponsorship commission should not be confused with group-sales ranking.

HIVE does not require a multi-level group-sales hierarchy to calculate the 9% commission.

Sales information may still be used for analytics, milestones, eligibility, or other approved capabilities, but it should not accidentally recreate a multi-generation commission structure.

3.35 HIVE and Knowledge

Knowledge progress and HIVE commission are separate.

A member's reading progress should not automatically alter the 9% direct sponsorship rate unless a future formally approved rule explicitly establishes such a relationship.

Knowledge measures learning.

HIVE measures direct sponsorship activity.

This separation keeps both capabilities understandable.

3.36 HIVE and Membership Status

HIVE requires a valid MICROBA identity.

If a member becomes restricted, suspended, or otherwise ineligible under an approved programme rule, HIVE may need to prevent new sponsorship activity or hold related benefits.

Such actions should be explicit, auditable, and governed by approved rules.

Membership status should not be manipulated solely to alter a commission without a legitimate reason.

3.37 Fraud and Abuse Controls

HIVE should be designed to detect or prevent obvious manipulation.

Potential abuse may include:

• self-sponsorship;
• duplicate accounts;
• fake identities;
• artificial orders;
• repeated buy/refund patterns intended to manufacture commission;
• unauthorized sponsor changes;
• account sharing;
• manipulated attribution; or
• other non-genuine activity.

Detection of suspicious activity does not require silently deleting records.

The system may hold, flag, reject, reverse, or escalate transactions according to approved controls.

3.38 Auditability

Important HIVE actions should be auditable.

Examples include:

• sponsor relationship created;
• sponsor relationship changed;
• sponsor relationship invalidated;
• sponsorship transaction created;
• commission confirmed;
• commission held;
• commission reversed;
• settlement completed; and
• administrative adjustment.

An audit trail should identify the relevant identities, transaction references, timestamps, reason, and actor/system process where appropriate.

3.39 Example HIVE Journeys

Journey A — Direct Customer With No Sponsor

Customer discovers MICROBA
          |
         JOIN
          |
       Purchase
          |
       Commerce
          |
No Direct Sponsor
          |
HIVE Commission = 0

The purchase remains valid.

Journey B — Genuine Direct Sponsorship

A shares MICROBA
      |
B joins through valid attribution
      |
Direct Sponsor = A
      |
B makes eligible Rp1,000,000 purchase
      |
Commerce confirms eligible sale
      |
HIVE calculates 9%
      |
A sponsorship = Rp90,000

Journey C — Second Generation

A sponsors B
B sponsors C

C purchases Rp1,000,000

B may receive the applicable direct sponsorship commission.

A receives no commission from C under the single-level model.

Journey D — Personal Purchase

A purchases Rp1,000,000 for A
      |
No self-sponsorship
      |
HIVE Commission to A = 0

Other applicable mechanisms, including SA provision, may still operate.

Journey E — Repeat Purchase

A genuinely sponsors B
      |
B purchases
      |
A receives eligible 9%
      |
Later B returns directly
      |
Valid Sponsor A remains recorded
      |
B makes another eligible purchase
      |
A receives applicable 9%

Journey F — Refunded Purchase

B eligible purchase
      |
A commission +Rp90,000
      |
Order later refunded
      |
Commission reversal -Rp90,000
      |
Historical records preserved

3.40 Frequently Asked Questions

What is HIVE?

HIVE is MICROBA's direct sponsorship capability.

Is HIVE required for membership?

No.

Do I need an affiliate to buy from MICROBA?

No.

Can I buy directly from MICROBA?

Yes.

What happens if I buy without a sponsor?

Your purchase proceeds normally. No direct sponsorship commission is created when no valid sponsor exists.

How many commission levels are there?

One direct sponsorship level.

Is HIVE an MLM-style multi-generation commission system?

The current HIVE architecture does not pay multi-generation commissions. It uses one direct sponsorship level.

What is the current direct sponsorship rate?

9% of eligible direct sponsored sales.

Do I receive commission simply for getting someone to register?

No. Registration alone does not create the sales commission.

When is commission generated?

When a valid Direct Sponsor relationship and an eligible commercial transaction satisfy the applicable rules.

Can I sponsor myself?

No.

Can I create another account and sponsor it?

Artificial duplicate or dummy identities should not be used to manufacture sponsorship benefits.

Do I receive 9% from my own purchases?

No.

Can my personal purchase still contribute to SA?

Applicable SA provision follows SA rules independently of self-sponsorship commission.

If I sponsor B and B sponsors C, do I receive commission from C?

No. B is C's Direct Sponsor.

If C sponsors D, does B receive commission from D?

No. C is D's Direct Sponsor.

Do I need to maintain a rank to receive 9%?

The current HIVE model does not use rank-based commission percentages.

Does the 9% reset after 100 days?

No. The current model does not use the earlier 100-day rank/reset concept.

Does Knowledge progress increase my HIVE percentage?

Not under the current architecture.

Can my sponsor see my password?

No.

Can my sponsor see all my purchases?

A sponsor relationship does not automatically grant access to all private Commerce information.

Does my sponsor own my account?

No.

Can I change sponsor at every checkout?

No. Sponsor attribution is a relationship-level matter, not an ordinary per-order selection.

What if the wrong sponsor was recorded?

An approved correction process should be used, with audit history preserved.

Can a sponsor relationship continue for repeat purchases?

Yes, the architecture supports preserving a genuine Direct Sponsor relationship for eligible repeat purchases according to programme rules.

Do I have to use the referral link again for every purchase?

Not necessarily. Once a valid sponsor relationship exists, the system can use the stored relationship according to HIVE rules.

Does transferring SA generate HIVE commission?

No.

Does gifting SA generate HIVE commission?

No.

Does donating SA generate HIVE commission?

No.

Does recycling SA generate HIVE commission?

No. SA recycling belongs to the SA/Treasury mechanism.

What happens if an order that generated commission is refunded?

The related commission can be reversed or adjusted while preserving the original transaction history.

Can MICROBA delete a commission transaction?

Historical financial events should not be silently deleted. Corrections should use explicit reversal or adjustment records.

Can HIVE process customer payments?

No. Commerce owns the commercial payment lifecycle.

Can HIVE create its own member accounts?

No. HIVE uses canonical MICROBA Living Identities.

3.41 Chapter Summary

HIVE is a simple direct sponsorship capability built around genuine relationships and eligible sales.

The core rules are:

• HIVE participation is optional;
• a sponsor is not required to join or purchase;
• HIVE uses one direct sponsorship level;
• the current direct sponsorship commission is 9% of eligible direct

sponsored sales;

• recruitment or registration alone does not create commission;
• personal purchases do not create self-sponsorship commission;
• duplicate or dummy identities must not be used to manufacture

benefits;

• genuine sponsor attribution can be preserved for eligible repeat

purchases;

• sponsor relationships should not be casually changed at checkout;
• a sponsor does not own or control the sponsored member;
• Commerce owns the commercial transaction;
• HIVE owns sponsor relationships and sponsorship calculations;
• HIVE and SA are separate mechanisms;
• SA transfers and recycling do not create HIVE commission;
• refunds and corrections use reversals rather than silent deletion;
• the current model has no multi-generation commission, binary

pairing, rank-based commission, or 100-day commission reset; and

• important sponsorship actions must remain auditable.

3.42 Source-of-Truth Note

This chapter is the general source of truth for MICROBA HIVE direct sponsorship behaviour.

Detailed commercial definitions, payment settlement, SA treatment, identity rules, and jurisdiction-specific programme terms are defined by their respective dedicated chapters and approved policies.

Where a future programme revision changes a HIVE rule, that change should be explicit, versioned, and approved rather than inferred from interface changes or implementation shortcuts.

Public wording and legal terminology may be refined before publication without changing the underlying HIVE architecture unless an approved architecture revision is made.