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Category: Smart Contract Platforms

Smart Contract Platforms

  • Four.meme review: Everything you wanted to know

    Four.meme review: Everything you wanted to know

    Four.meme is the first memecoin launchpad on the Binance Smart Chain (BSC) network. The platform aims to be a streamlined and low-cost pathway to bring more meme tokens into this world. Here is our Four.meme review.

    Check out our video Four.meme review and guide!

    Four.meme Guide: BSC Memecoin Fair Launch like Pump Fun

    What is Four.meme?

    Four.meme is the first memecoin fair launch platform on Binance Smart Chain (BSC). Here are the main features of Four.meme:

    1. Fair Launch: Every meme coin launched on Four.meme uses a fair launch mechanism. This ensures there will be no pre-sale, seed round, or team allocation. As a result, this creates a level playing field for all participants.
    2. Community-Driven: Four.meme is built around the power of community, empowering creators, traders, and opportunists in the BNB Chain ecosystem.

    Four.meme fees

    Here are some of the fees for using the Four.meme platform as a memecoin creator or trader:

    • Launching fee: To launch a memecoin, you will only need to pay for the transaction fee which is around 0.005 BNB.
    • Seeding fee: Once your memecoin project reaches 100% of the bonding curve (approximately 24 BNB), the seeding process begins. The platform will then set up a liquidity pool on Pancake paired with 24 BNB.
    • Trading fee: Memecoin traders will need to pay a transaction fee the platform a 0.5% trading fee (minimum 0.001 BNB).

    What is the Four.meme token?

    Four.meme has not announced its own token yet. However, they currently have an airdrop campaign where you can receive Four.meme Points. These Four.meme Points are redeemable for rewards. For example, you can exchange Four.meme Points for USDT and memetokens such as $FOUR and $WHY, which are strategic partners of Four.meme. The type of token redeemable and exchange ratios will be announced after the end of the airdrop campaign. Four.meme Points can also be redeemed for special airdrop packages of meme tokens and exclusive NFTs.

    Check out our Four.meme ($FOUR, $WHY) token airdrop guide!

    How does Four.Meme work?

    Time needed: 15 minutes

    Four.meme has a launchpad which allows creators to make their own meme coins and tokens efficiently. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to launch your own project on Four.meme:

    1. Configure Your Token

      Set up your token’s name, symbol, and other key details. Then, use the user-friendly interface to configure these settings efficiently.

    2. Launch Your Project

      Launching requires no technical skills and takes only a few seconds. Developers can purchase a portion of their token supply to protect against snipers. To launch your project, simply confirm the transaction to complete the launch.

    3. Pay fees

      Launching Fee: Only the transaction fee (~0.005 BNB).
      Trading Fee: 0.5% per trade (minimum 0.001 BNB).
      Seeding Fee: Once the project reaches 100% of the bonding curve (24 BNB), a liquidity pool is established on PancakeSwap.

    4. Optional settings

      You can set the start time for trading, as well as limiting the maximum buy-in per user (e.g., 10,000,000 tokens = 1%).

    Is Four.Meme safe?

    Four.meme is the first memecoin fair launch platform on the Binance Smart Chain (BSC). Here are some key points to consider:

    1. Fair Launch: Every meme coin launched on Four.meme uses a fair launch mechanism, ensuring no pre-sale, seed round, or team allocation. This aims to create a level playing field for all participants.
    2. Community-Driven: Four.meme emphasizes community involvement. Users should assess their financial situation, risk tolerance, and do their own research before trading in any meme coins on the platform.
    3. Hacks and exploits:  While the Four.meme platform itself hasn’t been hacked or exploited yet, remember that investing in highly volatile meme tokens carries risks, so users may want to always be cautious.

    Therefore, while Four.meme aims to provide a fair and transparent environment, remember that all investments carry inherent risks.

    Conclusion: Pros and Cons of Four.meme

    In conclusion, here is a review of some pros and cons of the Four.meme platform:

    Pros

    1. Fair Launch: Every meme coin on Four.meme uses a fair launch mechanism, ensuring no pre-sale, seed round, or team allocation. This promotes a level playing field for all participants.
    2. Community-Driven: Four.meme empowers creators to launch meme coins directly, connecting with their audience. It fosters community engagement and support.
    3. Integrated Trading Tools: The platform plans to integrate with trading bots and AI-powered market analysis services, enhancing utility and informed investment decisions.
    4. Built on Binance Smart Chain (BSC): BSC offers fast transactions, low costs, liquidity, and security.

    Cons

    1. Risk: As with any investment, meme coins carry inherent risks. Users should exercise caution and conduct due diligence.
    2. Market Volatility: Meme coins can experience extreme price fluctuations due to market sentiment and trends.
    3. Short-Lived Relevance: Some meme tokens may lose relevance quickly, impacting their value.

    Further reading

    Check out our other memecoin platform reviews:

    SunPump ($SUN) review: Everything you wanted to know

    Learn how to trade memecoins and get an early advantage!

    How to snipe Solana ($SOL) memecoins early

  • SunPump ($SUN) review: Everything you wanted to know

    SunPump ($SUN) review: Everything you wanted to know

    SunPump ($SUN) is the world’s first platform dedicated to the fair launch and trading of meme coins, offering a user-friendly, low-cost, and secure environment for creators and traders on the TRON network. The SunPump platform is part of SUN.io, Tron’s first decentralized autonomous platform integrating stablecoin and token exchanges whilst supporting liquidity mining. Here is our review on everything you wanted to know about SunPump ($SUN).

    What is SunPump?

    SunPump is a platform on TRON that facilitates the fair launch and trading of meme coins. It offers creators an accessible, low-cost way to create their own meme coins in a secure and user-friendly environment. Here are SunPump’s main features:

    1. One-click token generation: Users can easily create meme coins by providing a token name, symbol, image, and paying a small fee.
    2. Bonding curve mechanism: SunPump adjusts prices based on token supply, ensuring fairness and transparency.
    3. Instant market access: Newly created tokens are immediately listed, allowing seamless buying and selling.
    4. Liquidity and token burn: When a token’s market cap meets specific criteria, SunPump injects liquidity funds into SunSwap and executes a token burn.
    5. Transparency: All transactions are public, allowing users to monitor activity. Additionally, SunPump has introduced a gas fee reduction program to make participation more accessible.

    Fees

    SunPump charges its fees at a very competitive rate for both meme coin creators and traders. SunPump fees are as follows:

    • Trading fee: There is a 1% trading fee on transactions conducted on the SunPump platform.
    • Creation fee: SunPump charges a creation fee of around 20 $TRX for launching a memecoin on the platform.
    • Liquidity fee: When a project reaches 100% of the Bonding Curve, the smart contract will automatically add around 100,000 TRX and 200 million tokens to the SunSwap V2 liquidity pool, deducting about 3,000 TRX as a liquidity addition fee.
    • Deposit/withdrawal fees: SunPump does not charge any additional deposit/withdrawal fees aside from the usual gas fees for blockchain transactions.

    What is the SUN.io ($SUN) token?

    The SUN.io ($SUN) token is the platform’s native token. As a governance token, $SUN grants holders voting rights to influence the platform’s direction, including decisions on upgrades and protocol updates. The $SUN token can also be locked up to earn veSUN rewards. In turn, holding veSUN entitles to multiple rewards such as TUSD rewards, accelerated liquidity pool mining and voting rights to decide the weights of liquidity pools.

    How does SunPump work?

    SunPump’s main features for traders are they they provide a secure and verifiable token contract, with no presale and no team allocation. You can trade on SunPump in 5 simple steps as follows:

    • Explore Meme Coins: Visit the SunPump platform and browse through the available meme coins.
    • Select a Coin: Choose the meme coin that interests you the most.
    • Purchase Tokens: Use the Bonding Curve mechanism on the platform to buy tokens.
    • Trade Tokens: You can sell your tokens at any time to lock in profits or cut losses.
    • Engage with the Community: Participate in community activities to help increase the market value of your chosen meme coin.

    Is SunPump safe?

    SunPump launched just 11 days ago on the Tron network, has already generated over $1 million in revenue. While SunPump itself hasn’t been hacked, remember that investing in highly volatile meme tokens carries risks, so users may want to always be cautious.

    Conclusion: Pros and Cons of SunPump

    SunPump ($SUN) is a world’s first platform on TRON that facilitates the fair launch and trading of meme coins. Here are some of SunPump’s main pros and cons.

    Pros

    1. One-Click Token Generation: Creators can easily create meme coins by providing a token name, symbol, image, and paying a small fee.
    2. No token presale: The benefit of no token presale means the token launch is more fair and allows for wider community participation.
    3. No team allocation: This prevents concentration of pair and ensures a fairer ecosystem. In addition, it means team members are motivated to work for the project’s success without a guaranteed allocation and will only be rewarded on the project’s performance.
    4. Bonding Curve Mechanism: SunPump adjusts prices based on token supply, ensuring fairness and transparency.
    5. Instant Market Access: Newly created tokens are immediately listed for seamless buying and selling.
    6. Transparency: All transactions are public, allowing users to monitor activity.
    7. Gas Fee Reduction Program: SunPump introduced the gas fee reduction program to make participation more accessible.

    Cons

    1. Inherent Risks: Meme coins can be subject to price manipulation and fraudulent activities such as hacks.
    2. Costs: SunPump charges a creation fee for launching meme coins, and there’s a 1% trading fee on transactions.
    3. Space for Improvement: While successful, SunPump may need ongoing enhancements to address challenges. However, SunPump has only recently launched so it’s expected they will continuously improve on their platform.

    Further reading

    Check out our other memecoin platform reviews:

    Four.meme review: Everything you wanted to know

    Learn how to trade memecoins and get an early advantage!

    How to snipe Solana ($SOL) memecoins early

  • Sui Blockchain Guide: Token sale details announced!

    Sui Blockchain Guide: Token sale details announced!

    What is Sui?

    Sui is the world’s first permissionless Layer 1 blockchain completely designed from the ground up. They are a decentralized, proof-of-stake blockchain with horizontally scaleable throughput and storage.

    Ex-members of the Meta team came together to form Mysten Labs– the company behind Sui. They are also building Move, which is an open-source smart contract programming language.

    However, Sui is not a derivative or an add-on of the Diem network. Instead, it is a step-function advancement in blockchain technology that is designed to allow creators and developers to build experiences for web3 users.

    Who is the team behind Sui?

    Evan Cheng, Adeniyi Abiodun, Sam Blackshear, George Danezis and Kostas Chalkias co-founded Sui. They are co-founders are former senior leaders of Facebook’s (Meta) advanced blockchain research and development organization. They were responsible for delivering some of the most advanced open source components such as the programming language, execution engine and cryptography of the Diem network.

    What are Sui’s main features?

    Sui has the following main features:

    • Sui is able to scale horizontally without any upper bounds. This enables them to meet application demand whilst maintaining extremely low operating costs per transaction.
    • The design of Sui is groundbreaking in that it eliminates a critical bottleneck in existing blockchains. In traditional blockchains, transactions (though independent of each other) are pushed into sequential blocks which creates wasteful computational power. Sui’s innovation is that they will organise data into independent objects, meaning that transactions can be executed in parallel.
    • The network is also able to scale throughput horizontally because it enables parallel agreement on causally independent transactions. They achieve this through Byzantine consistent broadcast, which eliminates the overhead caused by global consensus yet without sacrificing safety and liveness guarantees.

    Sui’s unique features mean there will be unmatched scalability and instant settlement of transactions. The platform can scale horizontally to meet the increasing demands of applications. Sui’s authorities can add workers to increase processing power in order to meet growing network capacity. The result of this would be lower gas fees even when network traffic is high, and thus better user experiences for web3 apps.

    How do users participate in Sui?

    There will be 3 types of participants: Users, token holders and Validators.

    • Users will be responsible for submitting transactions to the platform in order to create, change and transfer digital assets or interact with more complex applications.
    • Token holders have the option of delegating their tokens to validators and participating in their proof-of-work mechanism. SUI token holders also have the right to participate in Sui’s governance and decide on the future direction of the project.
    • Validators manage the processing and execution of transactions on the Sui platform.

    Who are Sui blockchain’s investors?

    Sui has so far raised US$36 million in Series A funding. Sui’s Series A funding round was led by Andreessen Horowitz’s a16z. Other participants in Sui’s funding include Redpoint, Lightspeed, Coinbase Ventures, Electric Capital, Samsung Next, Slow Ventures, Standard Crypto, NFX, and Scribble Ventures, among others.

    Mysten Labs’ Series B funding round is well underway, with Sui being valued at over US$2 billion. Mysten has recently closed a US$300 million fundraise led by FTX Ventures. Other Series B investors include Coinbase Ventures, Jump Crypto, Circle Ventures, a16z (again), Binance Labs, and O’Leary Ventures, among others.

    What is the $SUI crypto token?

    The SUI token is the native asset of the Sui platform with a total supply capped at 10,000,000 (i.e. 10 billion). A portion of SUI’s total supply will be released at the mainnet launch of the platform. The remaining tokens will be vested over the coming years or distributed as future stake reward subsidies.

    The SUI token will have 4 main purposes: Staking, gas fees, as an underlying asset of the economy, and lastly for governance. Specifically:

    • SUI can be staked in order to participate in the platform’s proof-of-work mechanism.
    • SUI is the asset used for paying gas fees required to execute and store transactions or do various operations on the platform.
    • SUI is used as an asset on the platform with all the standard features of traditional money- used as a unit of account, a medium of exchange, and a store of value. It can even have more complex functions enabled by smart contracts across the Sui platform.
    • SUI token holders have the right to participate in on-chain governance voting on various issues affecting the Sui platform such as protocol upgrades.

    What is the $SUI token allocation?

    Over 50% of $SUI tokens will be held by the Community Reserve, which will in turn be managed by the Sui Foundation. The Community Reserve intends to use the SUI tokens through various community programs. For example:

    • Delegation Program: The SUI Delegation Program will allow community members seeking to run a validator to apply for delegated $SUI tokens. This helps bootstrap community-run validators and promotes an even stake distribution across the network validators.
    • Grant Programs: $SUI tokens will be distributed directly to developers, community ambassadors and others who are building or creating educational materials for Sui.
    • Research and Development: Tokens will be allocated for the advancement of the Sui protocol.
    • Validator Subsidies: Tokens will be distributed to subsidize staking rewards.

    As for the remainder of the $SUI tokens, 20% will go to early contributors, 14% to investors, 10% to the Mysten Labs Treasury, and 6% to the Community Access Program and App testers. Click here for more details on SUI tokenomics.

    Those who are eligible under the SUI Token Community Access Program will either receive retrospective rewards or be able to participate in the Recognition Sale. There will also be a General Sale. However, these are subject to geographical restrictions.

    Will there be a $SUI token airdrop?

    Sui had a $SUI token airdrop for its Testnet Wave 1 and 2 validators. Validators were rewarded with 2,000 SUI for every testnet “wave” they participated in. The airdropped tokens were subject to a 1-year vesting period. Although registration has been closed, there is a possibility of a third testnet “wave”. However, in their latest blog post, it seems that an airdrop is unlikely. Instead, Sui has announced a SUI Token Community Access Program which will distribute retrospective rewards or allow access to an earlier Recognition Sale to those who are eligible.

    Learn more about the Community Access Program and how to check your eligibility here: Sui ($SUI) token airdrop guide.

    $SUI token sale details?

    There will be 2 rounds of SUI token sale, the Recognition Sale and the General Sale. Note there are exclusions for participating in the token sales. (Klonopin)

    Sui has confirmed it will officially launch its mainnet on 3rd May 2023.

    For more details on the SUI token sales for each exchange, see here: Bybit, KuCoin, OKX.

    Sui Recognition Sale

    The Recognition Sale is only available to those whitelisted by the Sui Foundation. Those who are eligible can purchase up to 1,500 SUI from a pool for US$0.03. The tokens will be fully unlocked during the mainnet launch on 3rd May 2023.

    According to Sui, over 340k Discord accounts were eligible for the Recognition Sale, and 180k accounts made submissions. Sui randomly selected submissions, and it is estimated that around 96k supporters will be able to participate in the Recognition Sale. Sui has emailed these allowlisted participants with instructions. S

    The following exchanges will participate in the SUI Recognition Sale: ByBit, KuCoin and OKX. SUI Tokens will be distributed to successful Recognition Sale participants at the following times:

    • Kucoin: From 01:00 on 2nd May to 09:00 on 3rd May UTC
    • Bybit: 06:00 on 3rd May UTC
    • OKX: 06:00 on 3rd May UTC.

    We suggest signing up for Bybit because they have the largest number of tokens allocated for sale compared to KuCoin and OKX (94M SUI vs 25M SUI). This means you are more likely to get an allocation compared to the other 2 exchanges.

    Sign up for Bybit here:

    Sui General Sale

    General Sale participants will be able to purchase up to 10,000 SUI at US$0.10. Only KuCoin and OKX will be hosting the General Sale, and each exchange has been allocated 225m SUI for sale in this round. Here are the details for the General Sale on KuCoin and OKX:

    • KuCoin: Subscription period ends on 22nd April 2023 at 16:00:00 UTC, ticket draw will be announced on 23rd April 2023 at 13:00 UTC. Tokens will be distributed on 2nd May 2023 at 01:00:00 UTC.
    • OKX: General Sale subscription period will be from 23 April 2023 02:00 UTC to 24 April 2023 02:00 UTC. Tokens will be distributed once mainnet launches.

    SUI tokens bought during the General Sale are subject to a vesting period. 1/13 will be unlocked at the Token Generation Event (TGE). After 30 days, an additional 1/13 will be released monthly. So that all purchased tokens will be released within twelve months from the TGE date. All purchased tokens will automatically be sent to your exchange wallet.

    What is the Sui economic model?

    There are five major components of the Sui economic model:

    Sui blockchain’s economic model (Source: Medium)
    • SUI token: the platform’s native token.
    • Gas fees: all network operations on the platform require gas fees. Gas fees are rewarded to participants in the proof-of-stake mechanism. It can also be used to prevent spam and denial-of-service attacks.
    • Storage fund: This fund is used to redistribute past transaction fees to future validators. That is, users will pay fees upfront for both computation and storage. The storage fees which are collected are deposited into a fund used to adjust the future share of staking rewards. This is so that when there is a high demand for on-chain storage, validators will receive additional rewards to compensate for their costs. When demand is lower, rewards will also be adjusted accordingly. Users however will be able to save funds through a “deletion option” which allows them to delete previously-stored on-chain data. By exercising this option, users can receive a storage fund rebate.
    • Proof-of-stake mechanism: Used to select, incentivize and reward platform operators i.e. the validators and SUI delegators.
    • On-chain voting: for voting and deciding on governance and protocol upgrades.

    What is the Sui Explorer (Suiscan)?

    The Sui Explorer (known as Suiscan) was launched in August 2022 and is a trusted transparency tool for those who are using and building on Sui. The main purposes of the Sui Explorer are as follows:

    • Maintain the most updated and accurate on-chain data, activity, and metrics;
    • act as a fast, reliable, and transparent tool for debugging issues and auditing;
    • enable the lookup, verification, and tracking of assets and contracts; and
    • provide useful smart contract development and features that will be unique to Sui Move.

    Major features of Sui Explorer are as follows:

    • Sui Explorer builds on existing blockchain explorers by providing go-to-definition support for all smart contracts. Clicking on any struct will direct users to the package and defining module which improves code navigation, readability, and learnability;
    • object details are rendered recursively, thereby providing an optimized view of objects on the Sui Explorer;
    • address details are divided into (1) Coins; and (2) NFTs for convenient navigation. Users will be able to have a clear view of the assets and transactions with this address. Coins that are of the same type are also automatically aggregated. However, an expanded paginated view of the information is also available;
    • transactions will show more details such as gas fees paid, objects updated, token amount and the relevant addressing. For some transactions, additional information such as bytecode of published modules and emitted events can also be included;
    • Sui Explorer will also have a validator table and node map showing the active full nodes and their locations. The purpose of this is to provide information on Sui’s network operations as the network continues to mature.

    Suiscan is currently running on Devnet and eventually also on Testnet when it is live.

    What is the Sui Wallet?

    The Sui Wallet allows users to create addresses and view and manage their assets on the Sui network. The Sui Wallet can also interact with dApps. Similar to MetaMask, Sui Wallet will be a Google Chrome extension so users can simply access it on their Chrome browsers.

    What is the development progress of Sui?

    Sui has confirmed it will officially launch its mainnet on 3rd May 2023.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    When will Sui be released?

    There is no release date for the Sui platform yet.

    When is the SUI crypto token sale?

    There is currently no information on when the SUI token will be sold.

    When is the SUI ICO?

    No announcement has been made on the timing of the SUI ICO yet.

    Is Sui the same or related to Aptos?

    No, Sui and Aptos and completely different and unrelated projects. The only connection between the two projects is that both teams have previously worked in blockchain development at Facebook (Meta).

    When is the Sui mainnet launch?

    Sui has confirmed it will officially launch its mainnet on 3rd May 2023.

    Will there be a Sui token airdrop?

    There is no official announcement of a Sui token airdrop. Instead, it seems that there will be a Community Access Program which will not involve airdrops.

  • What is Vechain? Blockchain for Enterprise in 2023

    What is Vechain? Blockchain for Enterprise in 2023

    What is Vechain? VeChain ($VET) is a next-generation smart contract blockchain platform focused on solving enterprise and supply chain management solutions. The blockchain supports the creation of smart contracts – self-executing contacts that have a guaranteed outcome without third-party trust. Vechain’s unique advantage is that it has close relations with the big four auditing firms, such as Pricewaterhouse Cooper, who will use blockchains to audit firms.

    Vechain is designed to can solve enterprise problems such as:

    • Anti-counterfeit for Luxury Brands – through the use of smart chips, Vechain tracks each individual item and prevents duplication. Vechain Toolchain allows anyone to create anti-counterfeit tags.
    • Cold-chain Logistics – ensure that food doesn’t spoil during transportation and storage by using smart IoT sensors that automatically report crucial information to the blockchain.
    • Automobile – keep a tamper-proof record of vehicle data including repair history, insurance, registration, and driver habits.
    • Carbon Credits – Quantitatively track the carbon contributions of a particular company to reduce carbon emissions. For retail users, the app is already available on WeChat. Consumers engaging in low-carbon behaviors (e.g. purchasing low-carbon products) would be rewarded with credits that can be redeemed for environmentally friendly goods or donated to charity.
    • Clinical trial traceability platform – with a partnership with Bayer China, Vechain will use blockchain to solve problems of digitalized clinical trial traceability.

    Using blockchain technology, VeChain makes it simple and secure for product manufacturers to collect, manage, and share important product data with vendors and consumers throughout the life-cycle of a product.

    Key Features of Vechain

    • Public blockchain Anyone can read, write and deploy decentralized applications and smart contracts onto the VeChainThor blockchain.
    • In-house IOT and supply chain management technology Proven blockchain implementation experiences in industries such as luxury goods, liquor, and agriculture.
    • Native Fee Delegation The blockchain supports the implementation of native fee delegation, which means dApp users do not need to hold VET or VTHO to write transactions if associated gas costs are specified by the developers to be sponsored.

    VeChain Ecosystem

    To achieve its ambitious vision, VeChain has developed a powerful blockchain-enabled enterprise software platform. The Platform enables manufacturers to assign products with unique identities, which then allows manufacturers, supply chain partners, and even consumers to interact with the product through the platform. It uses blockchain technology to ensure the security of the data collected, allocating private keys to all participants within the supply chain.

    Products are assigned a unique ID, which is stored simultaneously on the blockchain and attributed to the product with an NFC chip, RFID tag or QR code. At any point during the product’s life, the chip, tag or code can be interacted with, whether by a distribution or retail partner ascertaining batch membership, or a consumer wanting to learn more about a product. The Company envisages a broad range of applications, including brand protection, anti-counterfeit, and food safety.

    VeChain has existed since 2015 and migrated its previous private and consortium blockchain to its public VeChainThor blockchain in 2018. This move opens up the advanced features found on the blockchain to any developer or third party to develop and write applications on the platform. There have been several companies that chose to build their business on top of VeChainThor, including Plair and 8Hours Foundation, as well as several independent community developers.

    Vechain Roadmap in 2023

    Vechain Token Economics

    Vechain uses a dual-token economic model. The primary token, VeChain Token (VET) is used to represent value on the network, with various mechanisms designed to stabilize the price of VET over time.

    VET holders will also automatically generate the utility token, VeChain Thor Token (VTHO). VTHO is a “gas” currency, and is required to send transactions or perform actions on the network. Regular network users do not have to worry about separately buying VTHO though, as it is automatically generated in proportion to the amount of VET held. When a transaction is executed, 70% of VTHO is permanently destroyed (“burned”) and 30% is given as a block reward to Authority Node holders.

    This dual-token economic model was introduced to improve network economics. This system is designed to help developers on the network. Developers holding enough VET will be able to use the network for free, as the VTHO generated will be enough to pay for transactions. If a developer is developing a transaction-intensive app, they can also look to use the multi-party payment protocol.

    [wp-compear id=”5256″]

    In short:

    • Vechain Token (VET) serves as a reserve for economic staking and value transfer on the platform. VET can be “staked” in various economic nodes and generate VTHO which powers transactions on the network.
    • VeThor Token (VTHO) is the “gas” required to perform transactions and interact with smart contracts. Each time a transaction is made, VTHO is consumed and destroyed.

    Using and Storing Vechain

    Vechain can be stored safely on the VeChainThor Wallet which is available on smartphones (iOS and Android). The mobile wallet securely encrypts and provides keys to provide maximum security for Vechain holders.

    What are VeChain Nodes?

    Nodes are traceable wallets (such as the VeChainThor wallet) that have a specified minimum amount of VeChain stored inside. There are 2 types of nodes: Authority Nodes and Economic Nodes, both of which have their own requirements, functions, and benefits.

    Authority (Thrudheim) Nodes: Securing Vechain by Proof of Authority

    At the heart of Vechain are the 101 Authority Nodes that process and validate all the blockchain transactions, as well as govern the network via a voting mechanism. These Authority Nodes are selected by the Vechain Foundation and go through a full application and KYC procedure. As a reward, Authority Node holders receive the highest VTHO production rate and voting rights. Authority Nodes are generally owned by large enterprises and trusted individuals to ensure decentralized trust. Little is known about the identity of these Authority Node holders for security reasons, but several large enterprises such as DNV GL and PwC have come forward saying they hold Authority Nodes.

    Economic Nodes: Providing stability to the ecosystem through staking

    Economic Nodes do not validate blockchain transactions, rather they keep the Vechain ecosystem stable by keeping a certain amount of VET tokens in their VeChain Thor mobile wallet. There are different tiers of economic nodes and the more VET tokens staked for a longer period of time, the higher the rewards.

    To become a Normal Economic Node holder, a minimum of 1,000.000 VET for 10 days is required.

    More dedicated node holders can join VeChain’s X Node program which offer even more rewards. For X Node holders, holding a minimum of 600.000 VET at all times is required.

    There are 4 types of rewards depending on the type of Node held. These range from earning a sum of VTHO per day, rewards from the Company’s Foundation Reward Pool, to whitelist access to VeChain ICOs.

    Learn more about the various types of Nodes and rewards.

    History of Vechain

    VeChain started in 2015 with the establishment of its company in Shanghai. Founded by CEO Sunny Lu (ex-CIO of Louis Vuitton China), the Company has been developing enterprise-focused solutions based on its private blockchain. As the trend towards better decentralization occurred in the blockchain industry, VeChain migrated to a consortium blockchain before finally establishing the VeChain Foundation and starting their final migration to a Proof of Authority (PoA)-based public blockchain platform.

    The Foundation’s vision is to create greater market transparency and provide consumers with access to more detailed information about the products they buy, sell, and interact with. By having a full 360-degree view of the supply chain, with all components securely recorded and stored in a tamper-proof distributed ledger, retailers and manufacturers can be certain of the quality and authenticity of their products, guaranteeing consumers that what they are buying is really what they think it is.

    VeChain boasts partnerships and lives use cases with many notable partners, including DNV GL, PwC, Deloitte, Walmart China, BMW, BYD Auto, Bayer China, H&M, LVMH, ENN, AWS, PICC, ASI Group, etc.

    Key VeChain Partnerships

    DNV GL

    DNV GL was founded in 1864 and has 300 offices worldwide. They provide quality assurance services to companies in the maritime, oil and gas, and power and renewables industries.

    DNV GL issues Management System Certificates at the end of their inspection and certification process. This evidences that the company’s processes and products meet international standards.

    DNV GL Luca Crisciotti presenting benefits of Digital Assurance

    DNV GL is a partner and shareholder of VeChain. Both Companies share the belief that the future of assurance lies in blockchain technologyAt VeChain Summit 2019, DNVGL announced it has completely migrated its private blockchain to the VechainThor

    Since the partnership announcement, DNV GL has jointly developed several products including the Low Carbon Ecosystem and MyStory, a traceability and marketing solution. DNV GL has also reaffirmed its commitment to the VeChain ecosystem by migrating its private blockchain onto the VeChainThor public blockchain for its clients. DNV GL also gave each client a digital Non-Fungible Token (NFT) wallet so that each customer has a digital identity and can access and interact with the DNV GL ecosystem. Through this, DNV GL has issued more than 900,000 wallets, compared to Ethereum which only has 400,000 wallets.

    BMW

    In March 2018, BMW confirmed VeChain’s participation in the BMW Startup Garage Programme, a partnership program whereby BMW will work with the participant to develop their technology and purchase it for BMW’s use.

    During the 2019 VeChain Summit, it was confirmed that VeChain and BMW will jointly develop a DApp called VerifyCar for BMW cars. VerifyCar will record vehicle information onto the VeChainThor blockchain. Examples of information which will be recorded include a vehicle’s mileage, insurance and service records.

    Cihan Albay, Leader at IT Tech Office Singapore, BMW Group gives a presentation on VerifyCar

    PriceWaterHouseCoopers (PwC)

    PwC is known as one of the “Big Four” auditors. They are a network of firms in over 150 countries and provide services to 420 of the Fortune 500 companies.

    PwC has 3 major service lines:

    • Assurance providing financial audits;
    • Advisory on actuarial and insurance management solutions and human resource services; and
    • Tax planning and consultancy services.

    VeChain has partnered with PwC since May 2017 to jointly develop and promote the adoption of blockchain technology. After much speculation, details of their partnership were announced during a joint press conference with PwC and Walmart in June 2019. It was announced that Vechain and PwC were also working with Walmart China, and had launched the Walmart China Blockchain Traceability Platform built on the VeChainThor Blockchain. The Platform takes on the challenge of food safety by using VeChain’s technology to allow Walmart China to implement a traceability strategy for its products. Consumers can scan the products and would be able to view detailed information on the product, such as its source, logistics process, product inspection reports etc.

    At the time of the announcement, an initial 23 Walmart product lines were tested and launched on the Platform. By the end of 2020, it is expected that Walmart’s China’s traceability system will see traceable fresh meat account for 50% of its fresh meat sales, traceable vegetables will account for 40% of its total sales of vegetables, and traceable seafood will account for 12.5% of the total sales of seafood.

    Products on the Walmart Blockchain Traceability Platform
    Products on the Walmart Blockchain Traceability Platform

    Bayer China

    The partnership between VeChain and Bayer China, the Greater China arm of one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies was announced on 28th May 2020. VeChain has created CSecure, a clinical trial traceability platform to be used in Bayer’s research and development of medical interventions such as drugs and other treatments. Learn more about Vechain and Bayer’s partnership.

    Additional reading

    Check out VeChain Insider’s complete list of VeChain’s partnerships and details and our recap of the announcements at the 2019 VeChain Summit.

    FAQ

    What is VeChain?

    VeChain is a blockchain-enabled platform that provides a comprehensive governance structure, a robust economic model, and advanced IoT integration to help enterprises improve supply chain management, asset tracking, data management, and more.

    What are the benefits of using VeChain?

    VeChain offers a wide range of benefits, including improved transparency, enhanced security, improved traceability, increased efficiency, cost savings, and more.

    How does VeChain work?

    VeChain uses a combination of blockchain technology, smart contracts, and IoT devices to create an immutable, distributed ledger that can be used to track and manage assets, contracts, and data.

    What industries can benefit from VeChain?

    VeChain has applications in a variety of industries, including supply chain management, asset tracking, data management, healthcare, finance, and more.

    What is VeChain Thor?

    VeChain Thor is the native blockchain platform of VeChain, which enables users to develop decentralized applications (dApps) and smart contracts.

    Where can I buy Vechain

    Currently, the best exchange to trade both the $VET and $VTHO token is Binance – it has the most number of traders and highest liquidity. You can purchase VET on cryptocurrency exchanges such as Binance, Huobi, and OKEx.

    What is VeChain’s token?

    VeChain’s token is called VET, and it is used to power the VeChain network and reward users for their contributions.

    What is VeChain’s roadmap in 2023?

    The VeChain Foundation says the project’s developers plan to spend the first half of the year at work on a carbon footprint explorer, a wallet browser extension and an Ethereum (ETH) token bridge, among other projects.

    Resources:

    Website https://www.vechain.com

    Foundation: https://www.vechain.org

    Medium (update and key articles): https://medium.com/@vechainofficial

    Development Plan https://cdn.vechain.com/vechain_ico_ideas_of_development_en.pdf

    Telegram https://t.me/vechain_official_english

    Vechain Mainnet Launch Guide http://www.asiacryptotoday.com/vechain-mainnet-launch

  • Aptos Blockchain Guide: the Next Big Innovation in Blockchain Scaling (Layer 1)?

    Aptos Blockchain Guide: the Next Big Innovation in Blockchain Scaling (Layer 1)?

    Aptos, a repurposed blockchain initiative of Meta’s abandoned web3 project (formerly Facebook). Its mainnet and token launch were hugely anticipated owing to its revolutionary infrastructure that might just surpass all other layer-one protocols. All you need to know about Aptos is in this article, made simple to understand and updated in real time.

    What is Aptos?

    Origin of Aptos

    Aptos also known as Aptos Labs is a web3 startup focused on building a scalable layer-1 blockchain. I know what you’re thinking, not another new smart-contract layer claiming to be more scalable than the others.

    But Aptos is not a new entity of its own, in fact, the company was founded by developers who formerly worked on Diem, Meta’s blockchain initiative that was abandoned in January. This means that the project already has a solid foundation to build its products off of.

    Key Features of Aptos Blockchain

    Aptos utilizes key elements of the former Diem blockchain and Move, a Rust-based programming language independently developed by Meta. The company also claims the network will be able to process over 130k transactions per second using its parallel execution engine (Block-STM), which results in low transaction costs for users.

    For context, most blockchains either execute smart contracts sequentially or require a massive parallel workload for improved performance, which requires a lot of power. Aptos differs from other blockchains because a single failed transaction will not hold up the entire chain. Instead, all transactions are processed simultaneously and validated afterwards. The ones that failed are aborted and re-executed, thanks to their STM (software transactional memory) libraries which detect and manage conflicts.

    As a result, the combination of these technologies streamlines the entire network’s throughput capacity, which has been a major bottleneck for other layer-1 blockchains. This is a short summary of Aptos’ smart contract execution according to their white paper published in August 2022. Their model is based on cloud infrastructure as a scalable and cost-efficient platform for building widely-used applications.

    Aptos enables DeFi projects to be built on its blockchain. So far, there are over 30 DeFi projects on the ecosystem. These projects include decentralized exchanges, lending protocols, and liquid staking. An example of this is Aries Markets– a margin trading protocol.

    Who is the Team behind Aptos?

    Aptos is co-founded by Mo Shaikh (CEO) and Avery Ching (CTO), both former Meta employees who have years of experience as a senior developer and engineer in the blockchain industry.

    The team consists of a battle-hardened group of PhDs, researchers, engineers, designers and strategists. They are the original creators, designers and builders of Diem.

    What’s Happening with Aptos?

    Aptos Funding

    Aptos has been securing a sizeable amount of funding from numerous crypto heavyweights despite the bear market. In March 2022, the company received $200 million in funding from a16z, Tiger Global, and Multicoin Capital, among many other venture capitalists.

    In July, the company raised $150 million in a Series A financing round led by Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX Ventures and Jump Crypto.

    Moreover, during the Venture Round on 15th September, Binance Labs doubled down on Aptos, bringing up the blockchain startup’s valuation to a massive $4 billion according to Bloomberg. With the new funding from Binance, Aptos quadrupled its valuation in six months as per Crunchbase’s report.

    A few days later on 28th September, an undisclosed amount was also raised during the Venture Round by Dragonfly Capital.

    Being backed by Binance Labs is a good sign that the project shows promise. In fact, Yi He, co-founder of Binance and the head of Binance Labs, chose to invest in Aptos in part because of the Move programming language the company is using to build its blockchain.

    Aptos Team and Ecosystem Expansion

    Moreover, the team at Aptos has been actively hiring, most notably they have acquired several former Solana staff such as Austin Virts, former Head of Marketing at Solana.

    Not only Solana staff but a lot of hardcore Solana proponents have jumped ship for Aptos as well. With the narrative of Aptos being the next Solana, people are speculating whether investors actually believe in their tech long-term, or it is simply a pump and dump for venture capital firms (VC) and whales to make back their money due to the series of liquidation across the market. VC-heavy projects should be considered a red flag, but in the case of Aptos, there is more than meets the eye.

    Aptos Testnet

    Aptos has been focusing on driving the growth of their ecosystem. Since May, Aptos has launched their testnet campaign named “Aptos Incentivized Testnet” (AIT) and is divided into four stages according to their roadmap: AIT1, AIT2, AIT3 and AIT4. The goal is to invite and reward node operators, developers, ecosystem builders, and auditors alike to deploy applications and stress-test the decentralized network, ensuring the community is ready to launch a production-grade Aptos mainnet. Each stage focuses on executing different deliverables that contribute to the overall function of the blockchain.

    AIT3 concluded on 9th September 2022, preparing for the final testnet which will lead to the mainnet launch if successful. Throughout the series of testnets, millions of transactions have been carried out, tens of thousands of nodes have been put up, and more than 1,500 have forked the Aptos-core repository. The codebase is open-source and the project has onboarded well over 100 projects. Teams such as Pontem Network, Protagonist, PayMagic, MartianDAO, Solrise Finance and more have already been building and testing on the network.

    Furthermore, Aptos also has a grant program to offer project teams and individuals non-dilutive funding in order to further develop the ecosystem. One thing is certain that the earliest projects to develop on a blockchain are the ones that tend to moon if the blockchain is successful.

    Aptos Mainnet Launch

    Aptos Labs officially launched its mainnet “Aptos Autumn” on 12th October 2022, making it the first blockchain to debut Move technology. The mainnet is currently using the latest version of AptosBFT (version 4), which leverages a Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT) consensus protocol with responsive production optimization. To put it simply, this mechanism quickly minimizes the impact of failed validators on throughput and latency, significantly improving the blockchain’s performance. Aptos team has announced that they are developing AptosBFT (version 5) and will release it in a future upgrade.

    The Aptos Bridge

    The Aptos Bridge went live on 19th October 2022, powered by LayerZero, a trustless omnichain interoperability protocol. With this deployment, users will be able to move USDC, USDT, and ETH into Aptos from Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, Avalanche, Polygon, and Binance Smart Chain. Users can also withdraw their funds out of the Aptos ecosystem, but as of now, there will be a 3-day transfer window to keep the network stable. According to LayerZero Labs, this will decrease as stability and time in production increase.

    Another thing to note is that there is a rate limit to the bridge, starting at an outbound value cap of $1 million every 24 hours. As stability and time in production increase, this will also increase. Finally, since Aptos is an entirely new ecosystem, native assets outside of the APT token do not exist. This means that the only way to get other assets into the ecosystem is via “wrapped assets” from other chains.

    Aptos Goes into Web3 Gaming

    Aptos has recently announced its partnership with NPIXEL, a Korean Triple-A gaming studio. NIPXEL have been behind popular massively multiplayer online role-playing games such as Gran Saga, which boasts 4 million downloads since its launch in Korea and Japan.

    Aptos and NPIXEL are joining forces to create METAPIXEL, a Web3 gaming ecosystem. This partnership sees NPIXEL creating games on the Aptos network. The goal of their partnership is to create a triple-A game that boasts true ownership of game assets.

    Partnership with Google Cloud

    Google Cloud and Aptos Labs have announced an expansion of their partnership, which now includes Google Cloud running a validator for Aptos. Additionally, Aptos has selected Google Cloud as the preferred infrastructure provider for its ecosystem, and the two companies will collaborate on an accelerator program through the Aptos Foundation that supports Web3 startups and developers working on Aptos.

    Moreover, Aptos and Google Cloud will collaborate in hosting global hackathons and other events. The purpose of these hackathons is to bring decentralized developer communities together to collaborate and address common challenges. They will also invite both the Google developer community and the Aptos community to participate and work alongside engineers from both companies to deploy projects that can be quickly scaled globally. In line with their joint events at Bitcoin, Consensus, and Converge last year, they also plan to continue engaging their communities through happy hours and panels in 2023.

    MoonPay Fiat On-Ramp Integration into Petra Wallet

    Aptos Labs and MoonPay have teamed up to make it easier for billions of people to join the web3 space. This means that users can now purchase APT using Apple Pay. Aptos Labs’ wallet, Petra, now features an easy-to-use interface for exchanging value within the Aptos ecosystem. The partnership began in November 2022 when APT became available on MoonPay.

    The integration of the MoonPay fiat on-ramp into Petra was a crucial step in enhancing the web3 user experience. The fiat on-ramp makes it easy for both new users and early adopters to get started on the Aptos network, as they can purchase APT using a variety of payment methods, including Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

    Securing Move as the Underlying Programming Model

    To ensure that Aptos is secure, their team has been developing bug-free code through a combination of disciplined software engineering practices and the right tools. This includes mandatory code review, continuous testing and integration, and best practices in the Rust ecosystem.

    Moreover, Aptos has contracted auditing companies (Certik, Holburn), conducted community auditing, and worked closely with OtterSec. They also run a bug bounty program that offers rewards of up to $1,000,000 for critical bugs and $100,000 for crash bugs. Aptos has invested in fuzzing and added redundancy through a paranoid mode in the Move Virtual Machine.

    Lowering Gas Fees with Community-Driven Feedback

    Aptos is engaging with community builders to improve its ecosystem, with a focus on reducing gas fees. The team has analyzed on-chain data and interviewed builders to gather insights. Their three-stage plan includes reducing costs for dynamic NFTs, developing gas-efficient data structures, and creating a demand-driven gas model.

    The current gas framework combines execution and storage fees, leading to an unbalanced gas price. The team will separate storage and execution fees and provide storage refunds to solve these issues. The team is committed to delivering these improvements in the coming months to better serve the network’s demand.

    What is the APT token?

    APT is the native token of the Aptos platform. The APT token is used to pay for transaction and network fees on Aptos.

    Fees will be charged on all transactions on the network and are specified in Aptos tokens. Validators will have the opportunity to prioitise the highest-value transactions on the Aptos network, and to discard transactions of lower value. The result is that the blockchain would still be able to operate efficiently when the system is at capacity. Eventually, network fees will also be deployed so that the cost of using Aptos would be proportionate to the costs of deploying hardware, maintenance, and node operation.

    In addition, APT can be used for governance voting on upgrades to the protocol and on/off-chain processes, and to secure the blockchain by way of a proof-of-stake model.

    Validators holding a minimum number of staked APT tokens can participate in transaction validation on the Aptos blockchain. The benefit of being a validator is that they can decide on the division of rewards between themselves and their respective stakers. On the other hand, stakers can select any number of validators to stake their tokens with in order to receive a pre-agreed split of the rewards. Rewards will be distributed to validators and stakers at the end of every epoch.

    At present, the maximum reward rate for stakers starts at 7% per annum and this amount is evaluated at every epoch. The maximum staking reward however will decrease by 1.5% per year until it reaches 3.25% per year. However, all reward amounts and mechanisms can be changed by governance voting.

    Aptos Token Listing

    Binance announced the listing of Aptos (APT) on their exchange and trading of the APT token commenced on 19th October 2022, 01:00 UTC. The spot trading pairs include APT/BTC, APT/BUSD, and APT/USDT, and withdrawals for APT will open on 20th October 2022, 01:00 UTC. Moreover, the listing fee for APT is at 0 BNB and users can now start depositing APT in preparation for trading.

    In addition, Binance will add APT as a new borrowable asset on cross margin and isolated margin within 48 hours from 19th October 2022, 01:00 UTC. Both margin pairs include APT/BUSD and APT/USDT.

    Where can I buy the Aptos ($APT) token?

    Aptos and MoonPay have recently partnered up to allow Petra wallet fiat on-ramps. So users can now buy APT using Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay and Google Pay.

    The APT token can also be purchased and traded on the following exchanges: Binance, Coinbase Exchange, OKX, and Digifinex.

    Start trading $APT on Binance and enjoy 20% off trading fees by signing up here.

    Is Aptos Worth Investing?

    Aptos offers unique and promising features that cannot be found in other layer-1 protocols (except for Sui which is also a Diem-based blockchain). As such, Aptos has the potential to compete with Ethereum and Solana in terms of scalability and overall network capacity.

    However, Aptos is heavily backed by venture capitals (VC), and in light of the VC bankruptcy domino effect toppling across the industry, investors should be cautious when dealing with VC-heavy projects. In fact, according to Aptos Explorer, its total supply is over 1 billion and more than 800 million of the tokens are actively staked, suggesting that early investors, private buyers, and the Aptos team collectively control 80% of the token supply.

    Nevertheless, at the end of the day, Move technology is most likely here to stay as it is a revolutionary programming foundation for blockchain scalability and security. And with decades of experience in the blockchain industry as well as Meta, Aptos Labs stakes its reputation on the long-term success of the blockchain.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    What is Aptos?

    Aptos is a layer-1 blockchain that uses key elements of the former Diem blockchain and Move, a Rust-based programming language independently developed by Meta.

    How to buy Aptos?

    Binance announced the listing of Aptos (APT) on their exchange, and will be available for spot trading at 19th October 2022, 01:00 UTC.

    Does Aptos have a coin?

    Binance announced the listing of Aptos (APT) on their exchange, and will be available for spot trading at 19th October 2022, 01:00 UTC.

    When is Aptos ICO?

    Binance announced the listing of Aptos (APT) on their exchange, and will be available for spot trading at 19th October 2022, 01:00 UTC.

    Who is the Aptos team?

    The Aptos team consists of researchers, designers and engineers of Diem, Meta’s blockchain initiative that was abandoned in January 2022. Aptos currently has 60 employees on their team.

    Who is the founder of Aptos?

    Aptos Labs is co-founded by Mo Shaikh and Avery Ching, both former Meta employees who have years of experience in the blockchain industry.

    Is Aptos funded?

    Aptos Labs has raised $350 million in total from FTX Ventures, Jump Crypto, a16z, Tiger Global, Multicoin Capital, among many other capital ventures. Currently, Aptos Labs has 28 investors. Aptos Labs also received an undisclosed amount in strategic investment from Binance Labs, bringing its valuation to $4 billion.

    What is the Aptos testnet?

    Aptos has an incentivized testnet program where the Aptos team welcomes community members to help with testing. The first testnet was Aptos Incentivized Testnet 1 (AIT1) where the community and the Aptos team created and deployed a decentralized network for over a week. Those who met a 95% participation rate were rewarded. Eligible individuals who were unable to meet the original expectation, but still participated in at least 5% of the testing rounds were also offered 50% of the rewards.

    Aptos Incentivized Testnet 2 (AIT2) was concluded in late July 2022.

    The latest Aptos Incentivized Testnet 3 (AIT3) opened for registration on 19th August 2022 and will launch on 30th August 2022. Participants that meet the team’s success criteria will receive 800 Aptos tokens. For more details and signup, check out the Aptos blog.

    Is Aptos Labs listed on any stock exchange?

    Aptos Labs is a private company and is not listed on any stock exchange.

    What is the price of Aptos Labs (APTOS) cryptocurrency?

    Aptos Labs (APTOS) does not currently have a cryptocurrency token. Binance announced the listing of Aptos (APT) on their exchange, and will be available for spot trading at 19th October 2022, 01:00 UTC.

    Is Aptos the same or related to Sui?

    No, Aptos and Sui and completely different and unrelated projects. The only connection between the two projects is that both teams have previously worked in blockchain development at Meta (formerly Facebook).

    Is Aptos worth investing?

    Aptos shows a lot of promise but investors should be cautious as the project is heavily funded by venture capitals. But at its core, Aptos’ programming language, Move, is most likely here to stay as it offers better scalability and security compared to other layer-1 blockchains.

    Is Aptos backed by Binance?

    Aptos Labs received an undisclosed amount in strategic investment from Binance Labs, bringing its valuation to $4 billion. In fact, Yi He, co-founder of Binance and the head of Binance Labs, chose to invest in Aptos in part because of the Move programming language Aptos is using to build its blockchain.

    Is there any Aptos $APT token airdrop?

    Early Aptos network participants were given an airdrop of APT tokens. A total of 20,067,150 APT tokens were airdropped to 110,235 participants.

    How do I participate or be eligible for an Aptos APT airdrop?

    Previous Aptos users who had completed an application to join the Aptos Incentivized Testnet or minted an APTOS:ZERO testnet NFT were eligible to claim APT tokens. Those who were eligible to receive APT tokens were notified by the Aptos team via email. There are no plans for further airdrops for the time being.

    Which wallet support Aptos?

    Petra Wallet and Pontem Wallet are native non-custodial wallets for the Aptos ecosystem, and can integrate with many Aptos DApps.

    Why is Aptos dumping?

    Aptos’ price usually comes under pressure whenever there is a token unlock event. This is because early investors will typically sell those unlocked tokens to take profit. The next one will unlock on February 12, 2023.

    What is the price prediction for Aptos in 2023?

    Aptos will most likely increase in value, as the narrative for layer-1 blockchain scaling solution is trending in 2023.

  • Ispolink ($ISP): A better LinkedIn?

    Ispolink ($ISP): A better LinkedIn?

    Ispolink is a blockchain-based matchmaking job platform combined with AI to enhance the experience of job seekers and employers.

    As the unemployment rate rises worldwide, individuals without jobs have to look for clever ways to impress potential employers. One of the ways is to craft an impressive curriculum vitae (CV) with false statements. While this may possibly get them a job, the quality of their work would be on the line and may lead to loss of business revenue.

    Apart from finding qualified professionals, businesses have to deal with a resource-consuming recruitment process, hefty agency fees, and manual processes. On the other hand, qualified candidates feel unappreciated when they don’t receive feedback on applied positions. To provide a lasting solution, Ispolink combines decentralized technology and artificial intelligence to minimize the time and cost it takes to fill a position and to get hired. 

    Background

    Emanuil Pavlov and Nikolay Pavlov head the Ispolink platform at the CEO and CTO level while also being co-founders. Emanuil has a strong educational background in business management. Before co-founding the protocol, he was a blockchain analyst at Industria Technology, a business development manager at Latoken, and a vendor manager at Manpower.

    On the other hand, prior to joining Ispolink, Nikolay worked in software-related departments in leading companies such as Industria Technology, Devision, and SAP.

    Apart from a reputable founding team, the platform is backed by top investment firms like Magnus Capital, Lotus Capital, Titans, Moon Whale, and AU21 Capital. Ispolink partners include DAO Maker, Polygon, Besco, Junior Enterprises Europe, and Iron Hack.

    What is Ispolink?

    Ispolink is a blockchain-based matchmaking job platform. It uses a combination of blockchain, AI, and other carefully selected ingredients to enhance the experience of job seekers and employers. The platform concentrates on serving the IT and blockchain industry.

    Ispolink features
    Ispolink features (Image credit: Ispolink)

    Automated CV Screening

    Instead of recruiters manually going through prospective employees’ resumes, the platform automatically screens a CV. Depending on the targeted vacancy, the protocol automatically calculates a match score that shows how qualified a candidate is for the position.

    Video Resumes

    A video resume goes past the regular text-based version to indicate qualities like communication skills.

    Referral System and Instant Feedback

    Ispolink rewards existing users for bringing qualified users to the platform. However, the disbursement of incentives happens when a referee is hired. The network provides instant feedback to candidates during the entire hiring process.

    ML-powered Matchmaking

    The protocol uses machine learning-driven algorithms to match candidates to open positions. Additionally, the project employs natural language processing (NLP) to extract and interpret information from the CV.

    The matching process considers a candidate’s work experience, technology stack, specific job-required, and soft skills.

    Blockchain-based Degree Verification

    Ispolink confirms degree authenticity for degrees stored on the blockchain to prevent candidates from intentionally providing misleading education qualifications. However, for this to have the desired impact, the protocol works with learning institutions to help them register the issuance of qualification documents on a decentralized network.

    Company Pages

    The protocol enables companies to create their pages and express intimate details such as core values and guiding culture. Additionally, it gives enough room for firms to showcase their accomplishments. In a nutshell, it’s a way for companies to portray their brand and attract the necessary talents.

    Revenue Streams

    Ispolink provides different revenue streams for users. For example, it supports liquidity mining and staking. Other ways users earn incentives include when they sign up and when they get verified.

    Cryptocurrency Payments

    The platform supports virtual currency payments for all hiring services. Although the blockchain payment system is complex, the platform simplifies it into logical steps. For instance, the payment process starts when a user chooses an action that requires payment.

    Next, it indicates the applicable price in both fiat and crypto. If the user wishes to pay through crypto, they must have supported tokens in their wallet. A successful payment procedure leads to a confirmation message from the platform.

    Fortunately, the platform will guide you on the entire process and indicate errors whenever they occur. Note that Ispolink gives users the ability to deposit and withdraw tokens from the platform wallet.

    Critical Technologies Used by Ispolink

    Ispolink runs on the Ethereum blockchain due to its highest number of users. However, due to the platform’s congestion concerns, Ispolink is shifting to layer two scaling solutions such as Polygon. Additionally, the protocol employs Matic Network’s scaling solution on an Ethereum base.

    While the second-largest decentralized network uses a proof of work (PoW) consensus mechanism, Matic uses the proof of stake (PoS) mechanism. As such, Matic can process up to 10,000 transactions per second. Apart from Ethereum, the platform also targets the Binance Smart Chain (BSC).

    Ispolink’s Token Economy

    ISP is the platform’s base assets. The token follows Ethereum’s ERC-20 token standards and powers different aspects to the protocol, such as purchasing hiring packages, paying referral bonuses, rewarding verified users, staking, and governance.

    The token’s total supply is 10,000,000,000 coins. The largest distributions of the tokens go to the ecosystem and marketing that account for 40 and 19 percent, respectively. Other ISP token allocations go to the team, advisors, liquidity, seed, strategic, private, and public sales.

    Note that tokens not sold during the four phases are burnt while the rest remains in active circulation.

    Ispolink recently conducted its triple token sale on DAO Maker, gate.io and Ignition.

    Ispolink Roadmap

    The platform has an extremely detailed roadmap giving a glimpse of what the future holds for its users. For example, it looks to provide a comprehensive mobile application for iOS and Android-powered mobile gadgets, activating ATS integration, and in-platform staking.

    Conclusion

    Ispolink is among very few blockchain-based platforms targeting job seekers and employers. In addition, integrating AI functionalities and in-built crypto payment options puts the project ahead of the line. Notably, the use of a decentralized protocol ensures its activities are immutable and verifiable.

    Placing and verifying educational qualifications on the blockchain captures the presence of falsified information on a CV. Consequently, it leads to quality hires. The use of scaling solutions built on top of Ethereum saves its users from the high transactional fees occasionally experienced on the Ethereum network.

    Additionally, instant feedback to candidates and a match score enhance the quality of job searches. On the other hand, company branding gives room for companies to express themselves and attract qualified candidates.

    Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency trading involves significant risks and may result in the loss of your capital. You should carefully consider whether trading cryptocurrencies is right for you in light of your financial condition and ability to bear financial risks. Cryptocurrency prices are highly volatile and can fluctuate widely in a short period of time. As such, trading cryptocurrencies may not be suitable for everyone. Additionally, storing cryptocurrencies on a centralized exchange carries inherent risks, including the potential for loss due to hacking, exchange collapse, or other security breaches. We strongly advise that you seek independent professional advice before engaging in any cryptocurrency trading activities and carefully consider the security measures in place when choosing or storing your cryptocurrencies on a cryptocurrency exchange.

  • Algorand (ALGO) Explained

    Algorand (ALGO) Explained

    What is Algorand?

    Algorand is a high-performance next-generation blockchain whose goal is to create a transparent system in which everyone can achieve success through decentralized projects and applications. Many have called this project “Blockchain 3.0”, as it solves Bitcoin’s well-known scalability problems whilst maintaining security and decentralization. Algorand has the native token $ALGO, which will be used as a transfer of value on the network. In terms of technology backbone, Algorand uses a Pure Proof of Stake (PPOs) and pseudorandom functions to prevent malicious attackers from colluding on the network.

    Algorand stands out from other high-performance blockchains by the credibility of its founder, MIT professor Silvio Micali. Professor Micali has is the recipient of the prestigious Turing Award for computer science and many of his inventions have directly impacted the cryptocurrency scene.

    Founder of Algorand: Silvio Micali

    Silvio Micali is the recipient of the Turning award (the highest award from computer scientists) with innovations built around his research in cryptography, zero-knowledge, pseudorandom generation, secure protocols and mechanism design. On top of this, Dr. Micali is the co-inventor of probabilistic encryption, Zero-Knowledge Proofs, Verifiable Random Functions and many of the protocols that are the foundations of modern cryptography

    Algorand Foundation

    The Algorand Foundation makes use of the Algorand protocol and software developed by Silvio Micali and his team. Their aim is to create an ecosystem that everyone can use to build a borderless digital economy on Algorand.

    Specifically, the Algorand foundation holds one-quarter of the total supply of ALGO (i.e. 500 million ALGO), and manages the Algorand blockchain.

    Algorand attempts to overcome the Blockchain Trilemma

    Blockchain can only have a maximum of 2 of these properties
    Vitalik Buterin proposed that a Blockchain can only have a maximum of 2 of these properties

    Currently, transactions on the blockchain are very slow because of the “Blockchain Trilemma”. This is a term coined by Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum.

    According to this idea, a blockchain has three major features: decentralization, scalability and security.

    However, the Blockchain Trilemma proposes that it is very hard for a project to have all three features to a satisfactory condition. A network that is decentralized and has a tough security would not be scalable. Similarly, a blockchain that is decentralized and scalable will have little security etc.

    Buterin believes at a fundamental level, a blockchain network can only achieve two of the three features at any time. The Blockchain Trilemma could be the source of scalability issues on most cryptocurrency blockchains. Most cryptocurrency projects cannot handle high numbers of transactions while ensuring network decentralization and security.

    What is Algorand- Is it really a Next Generation blockchain?

    To attempt to overcome this, Algorand opted for a Pure Proof of Stake (Pure PoS) consensus mechanism. Interestingly, the mechanism employs a different approach compared to other alterations of the PoS mechanism.

    For instance, instead of requiring 100% consensus from all the validating parties, Algorand is comfortable with a two-thirds majority consensus. This means that in order to attack Algorand, you will need to purchase more than one third of the total supply of Algorand. This will anyway be uneconomical and holding such a large volume of the supply means that you have a large stake and would not want to see it fail.

    Algorand’s secret sauce: Cryptographic sortition

    Since today’s blockchain platforms require speed as an integral component, Algorand has a fast transaction time by enabling fast transaction finality through cryptographic sortition.  

    According to its website: 

    “All transactions are final in Algorand. Once a block appears, users can rely on the transactions it contains immediately, as they can be confident that the block will forever be part of the chain. Even if the Internet is split into multiple pools of users, only one safe and consistent Algorand chain will exist. [Additionally], Neither a few delegated users nor a fixed committee is responsible for proposing blocks in Algorand. Instead, all users are randomly, secretly, and continuously selected to participate in the Algorand consensus protocol.” 

    The process of confirming blocks on the platform involves two stages; the proposal and voting stage. During the proposal stage, a token is randomly selected, and its owner suggests the next block to be confirmed. At the voting stage, 1000 random token owners are selected to form a committee that approves the proposed block. 

    How to Stake Algorand?

    An Algorand transaction in action
    An Algorand transaction in action

    Anyone can participate in the Algorand platform as a block proposer by merely switching their address from offline to online on the Algoexplorer. Luckily, this option does not depend on the amount of Algo tokens staked. Mining is not required, all you need is to stake its ALGO token and have the nodes online.

    The Algorand platform supports two types of nodes; relay and participation. An important point to note is that the relay nodes don’t participate in voting or decision making. Instead, they facilitate communication between participation nodes. Relay nodes are also hardware intensive compared to participant nodes. 

    Although Algorand is designed around being fully decentralized, the Algorand Foundation holds a lot of ALGO tokens and hence control. However, the platform is anticipated to be more decentralized in coming months as the foundation continues to liquidate its position. 

    You can also stake Algorand using your Ledger cryptocurrency hardware wallet. Check out our Ledger Nano X review.

    Algorand 2.0 Protocol Upgrade

    On 22nd of November 2019, the Algorand foundation announced the next huge leap for Algorand – dubbed Algorand 2.0. This release brings about 3 major features: Native token issuance (Algorand Standard Asset), Atomic swaps for interoperability and smart contract support via the TEAL scripting language.

    Algorand Standard Asset (ASA) brings about easy token creation and issuance directly on the Algorand main chain. ASA supports a wide range of tokens, such as fungible tokens (similar to Ethereum’s ERC-20, and also non-fungible tokens (used for digital collectibles). Algorand’s implementation of tokenised assets is directly on the protocol layer (“Layer 1”), allowing for direct access to assets with maximum security. This is a significant advantage over Layer 2 Scaling which requires payment channels in order to operate.

    “Algorand is delivering that innovation with this new set of features that brings an impressive amount of opportunity to decentralized finance. 

    Shay Finkelstein (CTO of Securitize)

    Algorand listed on Coinbase, price surges over 30% in one day

    In a complete surprise to cryptocurrency enthusiasts, Algorand was listed on Coinbase on 17th July 2020. People found out only when they saw the announcement on Coinbase’s blog, whereby the Exchange said that their customers can now buy, sell, convert, send, receive or store $ALGO in all Coinbase supported regions. Be sure to check out our Coinbase exchange review and some hacks and tips to avoid Coinbase fees.

    People were completely caught off guard by this announcement since in the few weeks prior Coinbase had talked about 18 other cryptocurrencies they might consider listing. Yet Coinbase was not one of those 18 cryptocurrencies.

    This listing created a whole flurry of activity for $ALGO, especially in terms of its prices. Since the listing, prices for $ALGO shot up 30% since the announcement and was even trading at $0.367 at its peak.

    Algorand becomes the official blockchain platform of FIFA

    FIFA, the world football governing body has announced its partnership with Algorand. This sponsorship and technical partnership will see Algorand becoming the official blockchain platform for FIFA, providing blockchain-supported wallet solutions as well as helping FIFA develop its digital assets strategy.

    Algorand will also be a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Regional supporter in North America and Europe, and a FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 official sponsor.

    The future of ALGO token: Algorand’s 10-year plan

    When the Algorand blockchain was first launched, 10 billion ALGO was minted, which represents the fixed and unchangeable maximum supply of AGLO.

    Since then, only 16% of this total supply has been injected into circulation via an auction in June 2019 and subsequent community rewards. Auction proceeds have been used to finance various community, academic, and industry projects which ultimately support the development of economic infrastructure and business opportunities on the Algorand blockchain.

    After consideration by the Algoradnd team and based on their analysis and feedback received, the Algorand team have decided that the remainder of the initial 10 billion ALGO tokens would be gradually distributed over a period of 10 years from 2020, i.e. by 2030, the entire supply of ALGO would be distributed. This is much longer than the initial 4 years from 2020 as originally planned by the Algorand team.

    In order to implement Founder Silvio Micali’s vision of innovative community governance, the Algorand team are moving towards a new reward system that rewards existing and future participants who are committed to participating in the governance of the Algorand ecosystem and prove their loyalty by locking up their ALGO for the long term. Resources i.e. 3 billion ALGO will be correspondingly distributed to reward long-term holders, and economic and business activity on the Algorand blockchain. The aim of this is to achieve a rate of growth of chain loyalty and economic adoption which would be more than enough to compensate for the gradual release of tokens over 10 years.

    Furthermore, the funds initially allocated for sales will now be diverted to other areas such as community incentives, governance participation and ecosystem support.

    FAQ

    How do you mine Algorand?

    It is currently not possible to mine Algorand using computer hardware. Algorand uses a proof-of-stake consensus, so it is possible to earn ALGO rewards by simply staking Algorand in the wallet.

    Where is Algorand located?

    Algorand is a decentralized project founded by MIT professor Silvio Micali. The foundation responsible for maintaining Algorand, the Algorand Foundation is incorporated in Singapore and is located at 1 George Street, #10-01, One George Street, Singapore (049145).

    How do I buy an Algorand?

    You can Buy Algorand on popular exchanges such as Binance or Coinbase with the ticker $ALGO

    How do you stake algorand

    Algorand can be directly staked via the mobile wallet application which can be installed on both Android and iOS devices. To stake the coin, deposit ALGO directly into the wallet. The wallet will automatically accumulate ALGO over time.

    What is Algorand’s community governance?

    Algorand started its community governance program on 1st October 2020, it gives ALGO holders the power to make decisions regarding the direction and future of Algorand. People can participate in governance i.e. become Governors by committing their ALGO for the duration of the 90 day voting period and then voting on the proposals. After the 90-day voting period, participants can claim their governance rewards.

    Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency trading involves significant risks and may result in the loss of your capital. You should carefully consider whether trading cryptocurrencies is right for you in light of your financial condition and ability to bear financial risks. Cryptocurrency prices are highly volatile and can fluctuate widely in a short period of time. As such, trading cryptocurrencies may not be suitable for everyone. Additionally, storing cryptocurrencies on a centralized exchange carries inherent risks, including the potential for loss due to hacking, exchange collapse, or other security breaches. We strongly advise that you seek independent professional advice before engaging in any cryptocurrency trading activities and carefully consider the security measures in place when choosing or storing your cryptocurrencies on a cryptocurrency exchange.

  • Stacks ($STX): Bringing Bitcoin’s security to decentralised apps

    Stacks ($STX): Bringing Bitcoin’s security to decentralised apps

    Stacks ($STX) (formerly Blockstack) is an open-source network that allows developers to easily build decentralised applications (such as decentralised finance DeFi applications) and smart contracts. It also relies on Bitcoin as a backbone by reusing its computing power and blockchain for settlement and security with a new mechanism known as proof of transfer (PoX). Below, we look into PoX and everything you need to know about Stacks.

    Background

    Stacks is handled by a globally-distributed team that includes scientists from leading universities such as MIT, Stanford, and Princeton. On top of that, The project is a public company with its headquarters in New York.

    Stacks’s place in the DeFi and broader crypto ecosystem is further cemented by being backed by notable names in the industry such as Y Combinator, Foundation Capital, Digital Currency Group, Winklevoss Capital, and LUX.

    What is Stacks?

    Stacks is a decentralized platform that leverages the Bitcoin platform’s security to power the creation of smart contracts and decentralized applications (Dapps). Interestingly, the network does not have to recreate the system’s PoW mechanism to connect to it. The project has four major layers; application, protocol, Stacks blockchain, and the Bitcoin system.

    Blockstack's 4 layers
    Stack’s 4 layers (Image credit: Blockstack.org)

    What is Proof of Transfer (PoX)?

    Proof of Transfer (PoX) and the earliest Proof of Work (PoW) are requirements to define what a miner needs to do in order to create blocks on the blockchain. The purpose of mining is to verify a transactions’ legitimacy and in return miners are rewarded with cryptocurrencies. Proof of Work is the mechanism used for Bitcoin whereby miners compete to solve a puzzle using their computer’s processing power in order to add each block to the chain.

    Learn more about what REAL cryptocurrency mining looks like.

    However, Bitcoin has its fair share of drawbacks. It has a very low transaction speed and is not smart contract-friendly. Therefore, second-layer solutions like the Lightning Network have tried to provide fast Bitcoin transactions but failed to power smart contracts.

    As such, it has lost in the competition to Ethereum who now powers most decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols. Yet, with Ethereum witnessing increased congestion, new projects are shifting from Bitcoin and Ethereum’s proof of work (PoW) to platforms using proof of stake (PoS) and other energy-friendly consensus mechanisms such as proof of burn (PoB). Now Stacks wants to take this a step further with their proof of transfer (PoX).

    NameWhat miner needs to do to mint new cryptocurrencies
    Proof of work (PoW)Use electricity towards computations i.e. solving complex problems.
    Proof of stake (PoS)Dedicate an economic stake in a base cryptocurrency
    Proof of burn (PoB)Destroy a base cryptocurrency
    Proof of transfer (PoX)Transfer a base cryptocurrency
    Proof of work and other mechanisms

    Stacks Blockchain

    As mentioned earlier, Stacks has four major layers; application, protocol, Stacks blockchain, and the Bitcoin system.

    Stacks blockchain is the solid rock that holds the ecosystem together. It is a distributed layer by itself and allows users to create smart contracts and virtual assets. What’s interesting with this layer is that it’s not a layer two chain but connects to the BTC-powered network with a 1:1 block ratio.

    This implies that whatever happens on the Stacks platform is easily verifiable on the Bitcoin platform.

    How Do the Two Platforms Connect?

    To interface the two independent distributed networks, the Stacks blockchain uses PoX instead of PoW. Generally, the mechanism enables miners to mine a new digital currency by transferring a base currency. In the case of Stacks, transferring BTC results in a new coin being minted on the Stacks protocol.

    Apart from fronting a new consensus mechanism i.e. PoX, the decentralized platform allows its users to easily create virtual assets that are transferable, and ownership can be assigned. The assets can represent a wide range of use cases such as business models, funding, and governance.

    However, to effectively cater to each of these use cases, Stacks, through the Stacks blockchain, supports different asset types such as fungible and non-fungible tokens.

    Learn more about the differences between fungible and non-fungible tokens.

    To power smart contracts, the Stacks blockchain uses a smart contract-centric programming language called Clarity, which provides enhanced security. Notably, the programming language is employed by leading decentralized platforms such as Algorand.

    Protocol Layer

    The protocol layer has the storage, authentication, financial, and naming service. Stacks’ storage system is called Gaia. It stores app data without the need for a third-party service provider.

    It utilizes off-chain cloud systems such as a DigitalOcean or Azure to power super-fast data access by applications. Fortunately, the data is secured by its creator’s private key.

    On the other hand, Stacks uses a decentralized feature to provide authentication. Authentication powers access to the network’s apps using a username and details on Gaia.

    The financial aspect of the system supports DeFi platforms such as those providing decentralized exchanges and lending. The financial pillar is further strengthened by the protocol’s use of Clarity to drive smart contracts.

    For instance, the smart contract-programming language can interface directly with the Bitcoin blockchain. Additionally, it’s reinforced to prevent security breaches and anticipate possible vulnerabilities.

    Stacks has a unique naming feature called BNS (Blockstack Naming Service). Despite being decentralized, the service enables the platform’s users to give assets human-readable names. The names are secured with a combination of public and private keys.

    $STX Token: What is is and tokenomics?

    Activities on the Stacks blockchain are powered by a native currency known as Stacks token ($STX). It is used up as “fuel” when making transactions, interacting with smart contracts and using the BNS feature. It is also distributed as a reward to STX miners (see below).

    The genesis block minted 1.3 billion Stacks tokens. Minted coins were shared among the founders, treasury, equity investors, employees, two token sales, and app mining.

    Stacks token distribution
    Stacks token distribution (Image credit: Stacks Whitepaper)

    App mining is Stacks’ way to reward developers for building high-quality applications on the Stacks network.

    Stacks is available on Binance, HashKey, Crypto.com, and Kucoin. Unfortunately, its availability has been set for non-US persons only.

    Stack Network’s Use Cases

    From the start, the platform is built to enable privacy and allow users to control how their data is used in a world where user data is treated as a commodity for sale. And with Stacks’ use of PoX, Clarity, and other qualities, developers can ensure data privacy when creating apps, eliminate central authorities in financial products, and build fair games.

    Stacks 2.0 and use cases

    Stacks 2.0 blockchain is a layer-1 blockchain utilising the Bitcoin blockchain as a secure base-layer to bring apps and smart contracts to Bitcoin. Stacks 2.0 is currently in the testnet phase. The team have confirmed they are on track to reach code completion for the Stacks 2.0 blockchain by 15th December 2020 and have set a launch date for 14th January 2021.

    Stacks implements proof of transfer (PoX) as a consensus mechanism and natively connects to Bitcoin. Therefore developers can ensure data privacy when creating apps, eliminate central authorities in financial products, and build fair games without the need to modify Bitcoin.

    There will be 2 types of participants on Stacks

    STX miners

    They can spend BTC to elect leaders by sending transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain, where a Verifiable Random Function (VRF) will randomly select the leader of each round. The leader then writes the new block on the Stacks chain.

    As a reward, STX miners get STX tokens, transaction fees, and the Clarity contract execution fees of each block.

    STX holders

    Holders can participate in consensus by locking up their STX for a cycle, running a full node, and sending useful information on the Stacks network as transactions.

    As a reward, STX holders can earn Bitcoin rewards and unlike in the proof of stake mechanism, there is no risk of slashing for STX holders.

    Conclusion

    With an increasing number of security breaches on smart contracts and blockchain platforms, leveraging Bitcoin’s security when building smart contracts puts Stacks at the top of the game. Using Clarity at the base of every smart contract keeps hackers at bay, especially in the DeFi scene where malicious actors are always on the prowl for vulnerabilities in protocols.

    Additionally, Chainlink oracles provide a trusted source of off-chain data for developers, while PoX allows for a one-on-one connection to the BTC-powered blockchain.

    We are certainly curious to see what the team come up with in Stacks 2.0 and whether they can live up to their aims.

    Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency trading involves significant risks and may result in the loss of your capital. You should carefully consider whether trading cryptocurrencies is right for you in light of your financial condition and ability to bear financial risks. Cryptocurrency prices are highly volatile and can fluctuate widely in a short period of time. As such, trading cryptocurrencies may not be suitable for everyone. Additionally, storing cryptocurrencies on a centralized exchange carries inherent risks, including the potential for loss due to hacking, exchange collapse, or other security breaches. We strongly advise that you seek independent professional advice before engaging in any cryptocurrency trading activities and carefully consider the security measures in place when choosing or storing your cryptocurrencies on a cryptocurrency exchange.

  • Poolz.finance ($POOLZ): boosting the potential of cryptocurrency projects?

    Poolz.finance ($POOLZ): boosting the potential of cryptocurrency projects?

    What is Poolz.finance ($POOLZ)?

    Poolz.finance ($POOLZ) aims to be the bridge between cryptocurrency projects and early investors.

    Poolz.finance has already integrated Ethereum, Polkadot and Tomochain. Projects can simply sign up with a simple Google form on the Poolz official site and they would help launch token sales on the Poolz platform.

    In addition to launching token sales, Poolz can also help projects fundraise flexibly by allowing them to specify lock-in periods whereby only after the specified period expires can investors receive tokens for their swapped amount. On the other hand, pools of tokens camn also be created for a project’s token so investors can get immediate access to the project’s tokens.

    To catch up with the yield-farming craze, Poolz also provides staking-as-a-service, allowing projects to set up staking for their token. And with that of course also brings concerns for security, which Poolz does recognise and therefore can allow projects to request token audits.

    Check out our interview with CEO and Co-founder Guy Oren.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efMxFtJLTY8&feature=youtu.be

    Poolz decentralized NFT auction house

    Poolz is also capitalizing on the popularity of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) by allowing cryptocurrency projects to auction their NFTs on the Poolz auction house. Poolz has integrated the ERC-721 standard, which allows developers to code the owners’ identity and address into the NFT- making each token unique and ensuring that each NFT only has one owner.

    During this initial phase, projects can sell their NFTs for ETH and DAI. However, it is expected that more payment methods will be accepted in the future, such as the project’s native cryptocurrency or other stablecoins.

    $POOLZ token holders get exclusive benefits on Poolz’ NFT auction house such as price benefits and special access to the “last call” feature. Poolz’ “LastCall” feature comes after the conclusion of the “open” auction phase. Once the “open” auction for the NFTs are closed to the public, the “LastCall” phase opens whereby the NFT pool is exclusively open for POOLZ token holders to make their bids- thus increasing their chances of getting a winning bid before the auction finishes.

    What is the $POOLZ token and its uses?

    $POOLZ is Poolz Finance’s native ERC-20 token. $POOLZ token is mainly used as user incentives, governance, staking, token burns and project development.

    Incentives. include exclusive benefits in the NFT auction house and better swap ratios for pools running on their platform.

    Governance. The Poolz platform will implement the Proof of Stake (PoS) mechanism. This allows POOLZ holders to have voting rights when they stake their tokens in specific wallets.

    Staking. According to the Team, POOLZ token holders can get passive income from staking them in particular ERC-20 wallets. In return, these token holders will get staking rewards.

    Token burn. Poolz will use 16.67% of its daily earnings to buy $POOLZ tokens from the market and burn the same, subject to an upper limit of 20% of the POOLZ supply. This keeps the supply of tokens low.

    Project development. Poolz has reserve tokens that are allocated for future development such as marketing, exchange fees for listings, and long-term liquidity.

    $POOLZ tokenomics

    1/3 of the total $POOLZ token supply is locked and will be released over a period of 10 years. The Poolz team believes this model will ensure a low supply and keep prices high, and to show that they intend to stay with this project for the long haul.

    The allocation of $POOLZ is as follows:

    • 2.2M POOLZ (44%): Public and private sale
    • 800,000 POOLZ (16%): Staking rewards. This will be circulated in the form of average annual yields to those who stake their tokens in a compatible wallet. 80,000 POOLZ will be released each year for 10 years (i.e. 1,539 tokens per week).
    • 800,000 POOLZ (16%): Swapping rewards. These will be rewarded to liquidity providers on the participating pools on the platform. 80,000 POOLZ will be released each year for 10 years (i.e. 1,539 tokens per week). This may be subject to change via governance decisions.
    • 600,000 POOLZ (12%): Reserve. This will be for future initiatives and to support the community.
    • 375,000 POOLZ (7.5%): Team. For incentivizing the Poolz team and will be distributed over 6 months of equal vesting after a lock-in period of 1 year.
    • 125,000 POOLZ (2.5%): Advisors. Given to advisors as incentives over 1 year of monthly vesting.
    • 100,000 POOLZ (2%): Liquidity fund. This is for providing liquidity on Uniswap and other exchanges.

    $POOLZ token sale

    • Total Supply: 5,000,000 POOLZ
    • Initial Market Cap: USD $423,500
    • Fully Diluted Valuation: USD $3.5M
    • Private and public sale: 2.2M POOLZ (44% of total supply) will be allocated for private and public sales.
    • Pre Seed: 100,000 POOLZ at USD $0.35: 3 months initial lockup, then 8.33% released monthly.
    • Strategic Round: 400,000 POOLZ, at USD $0.455: 10% released upon Token Generation Event (TGE), then 9% released monthly over a period of 10 months.
    • Private Sale 1: 700,000 POOLZ, at USD$0.47775: 20% released upon TGE 20%, then 20% released monthly.
    • Private Sale 2: 900,000 POOLZ at USD $0.50050: 25% released on TGE, then 25% released monthly.
    • Auction Pools: 100,000 POOLZ at USD $0.7: no lockup period.

    The USD$1m private sale of POOLZ has already been completed and was oversubscribed by 25x. More details on the private sale.

    POOLZ token release schedule
    POOLZ token release schedule (Image credit: Medium)

    $POOLZ public token sale

    On 15th January 2021, $POOLZ will do a public sale by way of an Initial DEX Offering (IDO) and Uniswap listing.

    The IDO will be held on the Poolz platform itself so that after it goes live, you can directly buy $POOLZ from their own platform. Afterwards, $POOLZ will be available on Uniswap. There is no minimum purchase amount for this IDO.

    Note the IDO has sold out in 18 seconds

    How to buy $POOLZ on Uniswap

    The $POOLZ token will be listed on Uniswap from 15th January 2021 onwards, meaning that users will be able to buy $POOLZ on Uniswap. Buying $POOLZ can be done in 4 easy steps:

    Step 1:On Uniswap, select which cryptocurrency you want to trade $POOLZ with in the “From” row. Note that Ethereum is set as the default.

    Step 2: Set to swap for $POOLZ tokens. In the “To” row, enter the correct Poolz address. Be very sure that the address is correct or else you could risk losing your funds.

    Step 3: Enter the amount of $POOLZ token you want to obtain. Once you’ve entered the amount of $POOLZ token you want to buy, double-check the swap details and click “Confirm swap”.

    Step 4: Confirm purchase on MetaMask. After confirming on Uniswap, you will be taken to MetaMask to confirm the payment. Click “confirm”. Once the payment is processed you will receive $POOLZ tokens in your MetaMask wallet.

    Is Poolz safe?

    Poolz Finance engaged Arcadia for an independent security audit of its smart contracts. Poolz reports that Arcadia did not find any issues with their smart contracts.

    Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency trading involves significant risks and may result in the loss of your capital. You should carefully consider whether trading cryptocurrencies is right for you in light of your financial condition and ability to bear financial risks. Cryptocurrency prices are highly volatile and can fluctuate widely in a short period of time. As such, trading cryptocurrencies may not be suitable for everyone. Additionally, storing cryptocurrencies on a centralized exchange carries inherent risks, including the potential for loss due to hacking, exchange collapse, or other security breaches. We strongly advise that you seek independent professional advice before engaging in any cryptocurrency trading activities and carefully consider the security measures in place when choosing or storing your cryptocurrencies on a cryptocurrency exchange.

  • PancakeSwap ($CAKE) guide and tutorial

    PancakeSwap ($CAKE) guide and tutorial

    PancakeSwap is one of the most popular yield farming projects on Binance Smart Chain. However, beyond the usual yield farming method, PancakeSwap offers multiple products which users can maximize in order to leverage their holdings. This makes PancakeSwap is a strong competitor against similar projects in the space such as Uniswap.

    Check out or video on PancakeSwap yield farming strategies and particularly how to avoid impermanent loss!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCqAa6a5EQ8
    PancakeSwap yield farming strategies

    What is PancakeSwap?

    PancakeSwap is a decentralized exchange (DEX) platform that facilitates the trading of BEP-20 tokens. It implements an automated market maker (AMM) model to provide liquidity on peer-to-peer trades within the protocol.

    Through this model, PancakeSwap matches buy and sell orders from different platform users directly in a liquidity pool. The supply of tokens in this pool is provided by user deposits in a process called “staking.”

    When they stake tokens, PancakeSwap rewards them in return with a proportional amount of their share in the platform’s trading fees as well as liquidity provider (LP) tokens. The LP token that stakers will receive as an incentive will be the same asset that they supplied to the liquidity pool.

    But basically, it works closely similar to how Uniswap and SushiSwap works. Even its user interface looks almost the same. The difference lies in the yield strategy that anyone can take advantage of in the platform. When users stake, they also earn CAKE tokens.

    There are multiple liquidity pools where users can stake. Here are some examples for them:

    • CAKE-BNB
    • BUSD-BNB
    • BETH-ETH
    • USDT-BUSD
    • USDC-BUSD
    • DAI-BUSD
    • LINK-BUSD
    • TWT-BNB

    CAKE token: What is it?

    PancakeSwap token ($CAKE) is the platform’s native token. Users are rewarded with CAKE tokens for staking their funds on the platform. They can then stake their CAKE tokens to earn other types of tokens on special staking pools. The CAKE token is mainly for participating in community governance where users can vote on decisions relating to the direction or running of PancakeSwap.

    PancakeSwap Guide: How do you start using PancakeSwap and earn CAKE tokens?

    PancakeSwap is easy to use. First, you will have to visit their website at https://pancakeswap.finance/ and link your wallet there. You have the option to connect it to your MetaMask, Binance Chain Wallet, WalletConnect, and Trust Wallet, among others.

    As mentioned, it also supports MetaMask even if that wallet is Ethereum-based. This is because the platform is built on top of the Binance Smart Chain (BSC), which supports interoperability between Ethereum-based wallets.

    On the platform, there are options to either swap your tokens or supply liquidity in the ‘pools’ section. There is also an option to start ‘farming’ if you look through other sections.

    You can farm CAKE tokens on the platform. But before you can start doing so, you first have to supply liquidity to PancakeSwap’s pool in order to earn rewards in CAKE tokens. You can stake them back to the platform and get more in return. And again, users can also farm other tokens by participating in other liquidity pools.

    Syrup Pools

    Project owners can launch their tokens with the help of the Syrup pools. Here, they can commit a portion of their own tokens and distribute them to CAKE holders. There will be two categories for projects supported by the Syrup pool: Core and Community.

    Core projects are those that have been vetted by the team behind PancakeSwap. Community projects are those that CAKE holders voted in governance decisions. Despite this, anyone can distribute their tokens to CAKE holders through the Syrup pool. However, only the projects that get the vote of the community gets to be listed on the interface of the platform.

    PancakeSwap syrup pool
    PancakeSwap syrup pool (Image credit: PancakeSwap)

    Transaction Fees

    DEXs that follow the AMM model also charge trading fees. Users that participate in liquidity pools receive their LP token rewards on top of the accumulated trading fees on the platform.

    PancakeSwap charges 0.2% trading fees for users. In these fees, 0.17% is redistributed to liquidity providers with the other 0.03% allocated for burning by the PancakeSwap Treasury.

    Since the platform is decentralized, this distribution schedule can be revised by the stakers as necessary.

    CAKE Lottery

    There is also an option for users to join the CAKE lottery. It will have an interval of 6 hours per lottery session and you can get one lottery ticket for 10 CAKEs. This ticket will generate a random four-digit combination of numbers between 1 to 14.

    A winner’s take-away can go as high as 50% of the entire lottery pool if their ticket numbers match all four winning numbers on the lottery. There are also rewards too even if at least two of your numbers match the same position as the ones on the winning ticket.

    Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) on PancakeSwap

    PancakeSwap also offers an option to participate in the exchange of collectibles on the platform. There is a section for non-fungible tokens (NFT) (called “Pancake Collectibles) represented by cute figures that users can trade for CAKE. You can choose to keep these NFTs if you own a few and trade them at a sooner date.

    Pancake Collectibles
    Pancake Collectibles (Image Credit: PancakeSwap)

    Initial Farm Offerings (IFOs)

    PancakeSwap introduced Initial Farm Offerings (IFO) on the platform to help out newly-launched tokens in opening opportunities for yield farming. To do this, users can commit their LP tokens to available pools. Here, those who will launch their tokens to the IFO will first be asked about the specifics of their project like their token’s current development stage, use case, distribution schedule, smart contract audits, expected valuation, and the purpose for the fundraising.

    Is PancakeSwap safe?

    PancakeSwap is audited by CertiK, one of the most reputable smart-contract auditors in this space. However, there is always risks involved in using these platforms such as bugs, which could result in loss of funds.

    Conclusion

    There are many yield farming projects in the space today and it can be difficult to assess where to focus on. And in selecting a platform to use, it is important to look beyond their promised APY. On multiple fronts, PancakeSwap seems to be a strong competitor to some of the biggest yield farming protocols in the space today.

    Since the platform is built on top of the Binance Smart Chain, it has an edge because this means that their blockchain network is faster than others in the space as it features around 3-5 second block times with their Proof-of-Stake model. Above that, there are other profit-generating opportunities with PancakeSwap. Beyond yield farming, users have the opportunity to participate in lotteries, collect NFTs, and launch fundraising rounds through IFOs. These are features that many other popular yield farming projects do not offer yet.

    Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency trading involves significant risks and may result in the loss of your capital. You should carefully consider whether trading cryptocurrencies is right for you in light of your financial condition and ability to bear financial risks. Cryptocurrency prices are highly volatile and can fluctuate widely in a short period of time. As such, trading cryptocurrencies may not be suitable for everyone. Additionally, storing cryptocurrencies on a centralized exchange carries inherent risks, including the potential for loss due to hacking, exchange collapse, or other security breaches. We strongly advise that you seek independent professional advice before engaging in any cryptocurrency trading activities and carefully consider the security measures in place when choosing or storing your cryptocurrencies on a cryptocurrency exchange.

  • Moonbeam ($GLMR $RIVER): expanding to multi-chain with Polkadot

    Moonbeam ($GLMR $RIVER): expanding to multi-chain with Polkadot

    For a long time, decentralized platforms have been operating in silos, but now, developers are looking for ways to interface with different blockchain platforms. Apart from interoperability, new projects are looking for ways to power the seamless movement of tokens between chains.

    One such project is Moonbeam ($GLMR, $RIVER), a platform that works under the belief that the future of distributed systems is multi-chain. The project brings smart contract technology to another level and takes developers, end-users, collators, and other network participants along with it. Moonbeam’s entry into the scene provides a crucial pillar to decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms.

    For example, SushiSwap has already transferred its core exchange protocol on Moonbeam, specifically on the Moonbase Alpha TestNet. Below, we explore the platform, including how it offers Ethereum developers an easy way out.

    Background

    PureStake, a master in developing reliable, secure, and next-generation blockchain infrastructure, is behind the Moonbeam project. PureStake’s team experience spans from managing high-end data centers, as-a-service platforms, and networks for institutions strictly bent towards security and availability.

    Top PureStake team members include Derek Yoo, Stefan Mehlhorn, and Tim Baldwin. Yoo, the CEO, has 20 years of experience in software development and cloud systems. Mehlhorn is the chief operating officer with 25 years in technical operations in various top companies such as Samsung.

    Before joining PureStake, he was the CEO of Collego and Parmessa. On the other hand, Baldwin is PureStake’s vice president of engineering and has 20 years of experience leading DevOps and application development teams.

    What is Moonbeam Network?

    Moonbeam is a developer-focused decentralized network providing tools to enhance compatibility with the Ethereum blockchain. Notably, the network fully implements the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), an application programming interface (API) with Web3 compatibility, and provides bridges to enhance connection with Ethereum-based protocols.

    With these functionalities, developers can deploy solidity-based smart contracts and decentralized application (Dapp) frontends on Moonbeam with little to minimal modifications.

    Additionally, Moonbeam is part of the Polkadot ecosystem, where it operates as a parachain.

    Consequently, it taps into Polkadot’s security and connects to other networks on Polkadot.

    Building on Moonbeam can either be done by employing a standalone node on the network or connecting to Moonbase, a testnet environment. The protocol supports major wallets such as MetaMask and MathWallet.

    Note that Moonbeam’s Ethereum compatibility allows it to support other wallets that work with the Ethereum blockchain. In addition, it works with major Ethereum tools such as Remix, Truffle, HardHat, Web3.py, Ethers.js, and Web3.js. Additionally, for projects requiring interaction with external data, Moonbeam supports leading oracle platforms like Band Protocol, Chainlink, and Razor Network.

    How Moonbeam Works

    Moonbeam employs a proof-of-stake (PoS) mechanism for block production and transaction confirmations. However, it leverages Polkadot’s PoS model that features validators and collators. Collators collect transactions from Polkadot’s parachains, such as Moonbeam. They then create state transition proofs for use by validators on the relay chain.

    Collators are selected depending on their stake in the protocol. However, the staked amount is slashed in case a collator acts dishonestly. Notably, network users can delegate their tokens to collators who share their block rewards with the delegators or nominators. The high the stake, the stronger the network security, the higher the chance of being selected as a collator.

    Currently, the Moonbeam network caps the maximum number of nominators that can delegate their tokens to 10, and a nominator can stake their tokens with a maximum of 8 collators.

    Each block production round takes roughly two hours and is made up of 600 blocks. The staking rewards are delayed for two rounds.

    Observe that collators charge nominators for their service as soon as they are successfully nominated to be block producers. Therefore, during reward distribution, collators remove the commission after getting the block rewards and then distribute the rest to nominators depending on their delegated amount.

    Glimmer ($GLMR) and River ($RIVER) token

    Moonbeam has 2 utility tokens: Glimmer ($GLRM) and River ($RIVER). The major difference between the 2 tokens is that they are respectively deployed on the Polkadot and Kusama relay chain.

    Glimmer and River token utilities
    Glimmer and River token utilities (Image credit: Moonbeam network)

    Glimmer token (GLMR)

    The Moonbeam platform has a base asset called Glimmer (GLMR), which has specific functionalities throughout its ecosystem. Glimmer works on the Moonbeam network and the Polkadot relay chain.

    GLMR is used to:

    1. Pay transaction fees.
    2. Support network operations.
    3. Reward collators.
    4. Power on-chain governance.
    5. Support gas metering of smart contract execution.

    GLMR has a genesis token supply of 10 million and an annual inflation rate of 5%. The token distribution goes to seed funding, strategic sale, public sale, parachain bond funding, treasury, development, partners/advisors, founders, among others. Moonbeam tackles the 5% inflation by burning 80% of the transaction fees.

    River token (RIVER)

    The RIVER token is deployed on Kusama and acts as a “CanaryNet” on the network. This means the token utility behaviours on Moonriver will mirror Moonbeam.

    Governance on Moonbeam

    Moonbeam employs community governance through the Glimmer token. Token holders range from developers, users, collators, and contributors. The governance aspect defines how token holders interact with proposals, referendum, voting, enactment, lock period, and delegation. Moonbeam takes a layered approach to governance.

    Most importantly, governance is conducted on-chain. Some critical governance components include:

    1. Referendum – This is made up of the proposal with the highest number of votes. A proposal contains suggestions to change Moonbeam parameters, such as code upgrades and governance parameters. The platform supports a maximum of five proposals at each referendum.
    2. Voting – Voting is done by token holders. Notably, the weight of each vote depends on the amount of staked tokens.
    3. Council – This is a group of participants that propose referenda and vet community-suggested proposals. However, council members have special voting rights and are voted in by GLMR holders.
    4. Treasury – The treasury holds funds from users who wish to submit a proposal. The council can either approve or reject such proposals. Unfortunately, in case of a rejection, the proposer loses the amount held in the treasury.

    Conclusion

    Moonbeam is not a typical EVM implementation. Instead, it adds to the existing Ethereum features such as staking, on-chain governance, and inter-blockchain connections.

    Notably, Moonbeam’s community governance framework employs a layered structure. As such, it ensures only the most viable proposals make it to the voting stage. Additionally, integrating EVM and Web3 makes it easier for developers to transfer existing projects to the network with minimal changes.

    On the other hand, GLMR helps power the network by enabling staking, payment of transaction fees, and rewarding collators. Note that the network’s use of the Polkadot PoS consensus mechanism provides scalability and high transaction speeds.

    Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency trading involves significant risks and may result in the loss of your capital. You should carefully consider whether trading cryptocurrencies is right for you in light of your financial condition and ability to bear financial risks. Cryptocurrency prices are highly volatile and can fluctuate widely in a short period of time. As such, trading cryptocurrencies may not be suitable for everyone. Additionally, storing cryptocurrencies on a centralized exchange carries inherent risks, including the potential for loss due to hacking, exchange collapse, or other security breaches. We strongly advise that you seek independent professional advice before engaging in any cryptocurrency trading activities and carefully consider the security measures in place when choosing or storing your cryptocurrencies on a cryptocurrency exchange.

  • Polygon ($MATIC): can it solve Ethereum’s scaling challenges?

    Polygon ($MATIC): can it solve Ethereum’s scaling challenges?

    The Ethereum network has immensely pushed the boundaries of blockchain technology more than Bitcoin ever had, especially in the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector, where hundreds of different projects have been able to leverage the flexibility and effectiveness of the host blockchain.

    Unfortunately, the slow transaction speeds and high costs are significantly limiting the performance of Ethereum-based projects to the point that some of them are migrating to alternative chains like Solana and Binance Smart Chain. Yet the vast majority of applications still hold on to Ethereum, waiting for Ethereum 2.0 to fully scale the network.

    Ethereum is in dire need of a scaling solution that can speed up the blockchain’s throughput. Thankfully, Polygon is working on one of such solutions that would see the load on the Ethereum blockchain eased on parallel child chains.

    Background

    Polygon started out as Matic Network, a blockchain solution intended to speed up blockchain transactions and make them more accessible to the general public. Later on, the company refocused its objectives on the Ethereum network to furnish it with layer two scaling solutions. The name Polygon came along with the branding.

    The startup was founded by four Indian technologists, Jaynti Kanani, Anurag Arjun, and Sandeep Nailwal, who had a similar vision of a future where machines and humans interacted freely. The three entrepreneurs agreed that blockchain technology is a vital tool for achieving such a society.

    The trio was later joined by a Serbian tech maximalist and Ethereum enthusiast, Mihailo Bjelic. In a seed round announced on the 1st of August, 2019, Polygon received funding from MiH ventures through Crunchbase. Version 1 of Polygon’s SDK was scheduled to be released in March of 2021.

    What is Polygon ($MATIC)?

    Polygon is a framework that allows Ethereum-based applications to bypass the low throughput, high gas fees, and poor interface of Ethereum while still enjoying its support

    Polygon’s main component is its software development kit (SDK). The SDK is a flexible structure that allows projects to develop different sidechains that suit their needs. Necessary support is provided so that the alternate chains can interact effectively with Ethereum’s main chain.

    By arming developers with flexible and easy-to-use tools, Polygon accelerates the transformation of Ethereum into a multi-chain ecosystem. Its users would be able to create Optimistic rollup chains, ZK rollup chains, and other types of sidechains.

    But beyond being a mere framework, the Polygon platform is focused on connecting blockchains with one another, as well as the Ethereum blockchain itself.

    Advantages of Polygon

    The major benefit of Polygon is scalability, which the crypto space is in dire need of today considering that it takes forever for transactions to be verified on the Ethereum network, especially if you try to decrease the gas fees. Dapp developers have to pay so much in gas fees that it curtails their development and affects their offering to users.

    And this is the pain point that Polygon aims to ease, and they are on their way to scale the Ethereum network.

    Polygon Matic solution
    Polygon’s solution to the challenges facing Ethereum (Image credit: Polygon)

    Polygon for Developers

    Developers can build a network of scalable side chains to the Ethereum blockchain through Polygon; one with independent consensus algorithms on a more developer-friendly, Web Assembly (WASM) environment.

    Developers would be encouraged to build more and advance the general direction of the crypto industry, especially the DeFi sector. Polygon’s SDK does not require developers to have blockchain expertise. In fact, knowledge of these protocols is unnecessary in building from its SDK.

    Users would also benefit tremendously with more easy-to-use interfaces, near-instantaneous transactions, and low costs. If well-executed, this will likely propel the growth of Ethereum dapps to astronomical levels and will push the boundaries of crypto to include the masses outside the industry.

    Support, Flexibility, and Security

    Polygon permits incredible flexibility for the development of chains.

    Its modular nature allows developers to assemble products at unrivalled speeds. The easy assembly will also accelerate dapp development, effectively shortening the interval between the conception and deployment of blockchain products.

    Support would also be provided for easy interaction with users, as well as external systems. Token exchange, contract calls, and communication with oracles are also supported on Polygon. Furthermore, the products would be easily upgradeable.

    All these and more will be possible on Polygon without compromising on security. In fact, developers would be free to choose their approach to secure their platforms, using the modular “security as a service” feature on the Polygon framework.

    Above all, all products developed on Polygon would be compatible with Ethereum.

    Polygon Chains

    During the days of Polygon’s Matic network, an Ethereum sidechain that uses the Plasma framework was the landmark of its offering. The Plasma framework allowed sidechains to run independently, only interacting with the main blockchain when it was necessary.

    Polygon’s new platform sees it advance with the demands of the market by offering different chain networks that are attuned to Ethereum’s blockchain. And these are: stand-alone chains and secured chains.

    Stand-alone Chains

    Stand-alone chains have security autonomy, with each chain being responsible for its own security. Such chains have the freedom to choose their own validation methods. They can establish a personal pool of validators who ensure the authenticity of transactions directly on the blockchain.

    Polygon stand-alone chains
    Polygon stand-alone chains (Image credit: Polygon lightpaper)

    Secured Chains

    On the other hand, secured chains involve outsourcing the platform’s security to a third party. The third-party can be Ethereum itself, with its fraud-proof and validity proof pools. There are other independent, professional pools of validators that offer security as a service as well.

    Overall, secured chains often enjoy more reliable and tighter security even if they might have to sacrifice some independence.

    Polygon secured chains
    Polygon secured chains (Image credit: Polygon lightpaper)

    MATIC token

    MATIC is the only native token of Polygon, it is used to pay transaction fees and participate in Polygon’s proof-of-stake consensus mechanism.

    Conclusion

    Polygon’s vision is to launch whole blockchains that are scalable, secure, and have amazing interfaces, allowing decentralized applications to have an alternative platform to carry out transactions while enjoying the security and support of the Ethereum network.

    Meanwhile, the Ethereum dev community is also continuously working on the Ethereum 2.0 project (Serenity), which seeks to ultimately scale its blockchain to unimaginable capacities even beyond Visa and Mastercard.

    Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency trading involves significant risks and may result in the loss of your capital. You should carefully consider whether trading cryptocurrencies is right for you in light of your financial condition and ability to bear financial risks. Cryptocurrency prices are highly volatile and can fluctuate widely in a short period of time. As such, trading cryptocurrencies may not be suitable for everyone. Additionally, storing cryptocurrencies on a centralized exchange carries inherent risks, including the potential for loss due to hacking, exchange collapse, or other security breaches. We strongly advise that you seek independent professional advice before engaging in any cryptocurrency trading activities and carefully consider the security measures in place when choosing or storing your cryptocurrencies on a cryptocurrency exchange.