Tag: blockchain

  • ZKsync ($ZK) Token Airdrop Guide: How to claim?

    ZKsync ($ZK) Token Airdrop Guide: How to claim?

    ZKsync is a layer-2 scaling solution designed to speed up transactions and lower gas fees on Ethereum. There are reports ZKsync have have their token generation event (TGE) in the coming few days. Their airdrop is also anticipated to be around 13th June 2024. Meanwhile, ZKsync airdrop could entitle you to both a ZKsync ($ZK) and an ecosystem project airdrop! Here’s how to get a potential ZKsync ($ZK) token and ecosystem airdrop.

    Check out our Upcoming Crypto Airdrops! And our video guide on how to get the ZKsync $ZK token airdrop!

    ZKsync ($ZK) Airdrop Step-by-step Guide

    Here’s how to receive a potential ZKsync ($ZK) token airdrop:

    1. Add ZKsync Era Alpha Mainnet on MetaMask.
    2. Bridge Funds to ZKsync Lite and ZKsync Era Mainnet.
    3. Interact with ZKsync Lite and ZKsync Era Mainnet Alpha.
    4. Interact with the ZKsync ecosystem.
    5. Mint NFTs for ZKsync airdrop.
    6. Complete quests on ZKsync’s Crew3.
    7. Join the ZKsync Guild
    8. Bonus: Complete ZKsync Era tasks on RabbitHole.
    9. Mint Dappad zk-KYC NFT

    See below for more in-depth details!

    What is ZKsync?

    ZKsync is a layer-2 scaling solution designed to speed up transactions and lower gas fees on the Ethereum network while maintaining high security and privacy for users. It does this through Zero-Knowledge Rollup (ZK-Rollup) — transactions on Ethereum are bundled up to be processed off-chain and then sent back to the main chain after validation.

    ZKsync is developed by Matter Labs. The company was co-founded in 2019 by Alex Gluchowski and Alexandr Vlasov. Matter Labs has raised over $58 million. Their latest funding was raised on 8th November 2021 from a Series B round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). Other major investors include Dragonfly Capital, Placeholder, 1kx, and more.

    What is a Zero-Knowledge (ZK) Rollup?

    The ZK-rollup is the core element of ZKsync. ZK-rollups generate cryptographic proofs (ZK-SNARK or ZK-STARK) to verify transactions without revealing the information itself, hence the name “zero-knowledge proofs.” It maintains privacy by making transaction details such as token amounts anonymous. It is also highly secure because compressed transaction data are stored on-chain.

    Unlike other layer-2 solutions, ZKsync relies on math instead of third-party validators to scale computation. Validators are known as “operators” or “sequencers” and are in charge of executing, aggregating, and submitting transactions to the main chain, but they do not validate the transactions themselves — the Ethereum smart contract does. By relying on math and cryptographic security, ZKsync ensures a truly secure and trustless environment for decentralized finance (DeFi).

    What’s the Difference Between ZKsync Era and ZKsync Lite?

    At its inception, ZKsync lacked support for smart contracts, preventing activities such as using DeFi or purchasing NFTs, which are common on Ethereum. However, it did provide significant scaling for Ethereum, leading to its nickname “ZKsync Lite.”

    The ZKsync Era represents an upgrade to the network, delivering all the features of Ethereum while also providing more cost-effective and faster transactions.

    Does ZKsync have a Token?

    ZKsync has a native token known as $ZK, which was launched on 17th June 2024. The $ZK token is the native utility and governance token in the ZKsync ecosystem by maintaining and enhancing ZKsync’s operation. One main use for the ZKsync token is to pay for transaction fees on the ZKsync network and to vote on governance decisions. Users can also stake $ZK tokens and they will be rewarded with additional ZK tokens.

    Is there a ZKsync ($ZK) Token Airdrop?

    The ZKsync ($ZK) token airdrop started on 24th June 2024 and eligible users can claim their airdrop until 5th January 2025. 3.675 billion $ZK tokens i.e. 17.5% of the total token supply will be airdropped to eligible users.

    How to claim ZKsync ($ZK) Token Airdrop

    To check your eligibility and claim your ZKsync ($ZK) token airdrop, connect your wallet or GitHub username HERE.

    How to Receive Potential ZKsync ($ZK) Token Airdrop?

    The best chance to receive $ZKS airdrop is to interact with ZKsync Lite and ZKsync Era Mainnet Alpha. Moreover, many projects in the zkSync ecosystem also do not have a token yet. So, interacting with their ecosystem dApps may entitle you to potential airdrops from zkSync and the ecosystem project. Here’s how to receive a potential ZKsync token airdrop:

    1. Add ZKsync Era Alpha Mainnet on MetaMask.
    2. Bridge Funds to ZKsync.
    3. Interact with ZKsync Lite and ZKsync Era Mainnet Alpha.
    4. Interact with the ZKsync ecosystem.
    5. Complete quests on ZKsync’s Crew3.

    Add ZKsync Era Alpha Mainnet on MetaMask

    You will need to connect ZKsync Era alpha mainnet to your MetaMask. To do this, go to your MetaMask and click on the network button, then “Add network”. Then, click “Add a network manually”. Add the following information and click “Save”:

    • Network Name: ZKsync Era Mainnet
    • New RPC URL: https://mainnet.era.zksync.io
    • Chain ID: 324
    • Currency Symbol: ETH
    • Block Explorer URL: https://explorer.zksync.io/
    • WebSocket URL: wss://mainnet.era.zksync.io/ws
    Add zkSync Era Alpha Mainnet on MetaMask for potential zkSync airdrop
    Add ZKsync Era Alpha Mainnet on MetaMask

    Bridge Funds to ZKsync Era Mainnet and ZKsync Lite

    Bridge funds from Ethereum Mainnet to ZKsync Era Mainnet at bridge.zksync.io by connecting your wallet. Select the amount you wish to bridge and click “deposit”. Then, swap back to Ethereum Mainnet by clicking the arrows, choosing the amount you wish to bridge back to Ethereum, and click “Withdraw”.

    Bridge funds to ZKsync Lite at https://lite.zksync.io/ by connecting your wallet. Then, top up your balance using the ZKsync bridge. You can also try using other bridges in the ZKsync Lite ecosystem such as Orbiter Finance and ZigZag Exchange.

    Bridge funds to zkSync
    Bridge funds to ZKsync

    Cheapest way to bridge funds to ZKsync Era?

    Here’s a cheaper way to bridge funds to zkSync Era Mainnet:

    1. Buy ETH on a centralized exchange (e.g. Binance or Bybit)- Sign up for a Bybit account HERE!
    2. Send your ETH from the Exchange to your Metamask using the Arbitrum network (fees are around US$1-2)
    3. Use Orbiter Finance to bridge ETH from Arbitrum to ZKsync Era (fees are around US$2-3)
    Bridge to zkSync Era with Orbiter Finance

    Interact with ZKsync Lite and ZKsync Era Mainnet Alpha

    Any user can now use ZKsync Lite (formerly known as ZKsync 1.0) and ZKsync Era Mainnet Alpha. This can be a potential way for users to get a zkSync airdrop even though they missed the whitelist. To interact with zkSync Lite, connect your L1 ETH wallet on ZKsync Lite (note the single-time account activation fee of 1.279 USDT). Then, interact by moving your balances from L1 on ZKsync Lite by depositing ETH or USDT. Or, withdraw your funds back from ZKsync Lite to L1.

    Interact with the ZKsync ecosystem

    ZKsync has an entire ecosystem of protocols. Here are some top ZKsync ecosystem projects you could interact with to maximise your chances of a potential ZKsync airdrop and even double your rewards:

    1. Orbiter Finance
    2. ZigZag Exchange
    3. Bungee
    4. Argent
    5. Onchain Trade
    6. SyncSwap
    7. SpaceFi
    8. Tevaera
    9. Velocore
    10. iZUMi Finance
    11. Mute.io
    12. ZKsync Name Service
    13. GameSwift

    Orbiter Finance

    Orbiter Finance is a decentralized cross-rollup layer-2 bridge that supports ZKsync as well as Arbitrum. You can send ETH, MATIC, BNB and other tokens to ZKsync and other layer-2 blockchains via the bridge. However, these are mainnet tokens (with value) since the bridge is live, but you can always bridge them back to Ethereum. Check out our Orbiter Finance Token Airdrop Guide.

    Send funds to Orbiter Finance
    orbiter.finance

    ZigZag Exchange

    ZigZag Exchange is an orderbook decentralized exchange (DEX) powered by ZK-rollups. You can trade or swap on ZigZag Exchange. Do 1 buy or sell transaction between ETH and USDC every week (gas fees are less than US$0.25). Here’s how to interact with ZigZag Exchange:

    1. Deposit funds to https://lite.zksync.io/. Note you will need to deposit at least US$3 worth of ETH or USDC in order to pay the 1-time activation fee on Zigzag (around US$2.6).
    2. Connect your wallet to https://trade.zigzag.exchange/?market=ETH-USDC&network=zksync.
    3. Do 1 buy or sell transaction between ETH and USDC every week (gas fees are less than US$0.25).

    ZigZag Exchange has also just finished its second round of airdrops (out of 7). So check out our ZigZag Exchange ($ZZ) token airdrop guide so you won’t miss out on their future airdrops!

    Trade on ZigZag Exchange
    ZigZag Exchange

    Bungee

    Bungee is a tool powered by Socket that helps people find the best way to move a digital token from one blockchain to another. Bungee has recently gone live on ZKsync Era. So sending tokens to and from ZKsync Era (and especially using the Stargate route) could position yourself for potential ZKsync, Bungee, Socket, Stargate AND LayerZero airdrops!

    Check out how with our Bungee Token Airdrop Guide

    Argent

    Argent is the only crypto wallet that offers multi-signature security and social recovery. The wallet is built on ZKsync and is the first wallet for StarkNet. The wallet has a mobile version available on the App Store and Google Play. Download Argent and use their wallet! You can send and receive funds, buy, earn, and stake crypto using Argent.

    Argent recently announced an NFT drop in collaboration with JediSwap, here’s how to get the NFT:

    1. Do a swap on JediSwap using your Argent X wallet on mainnet before 23:59 UTC on 23rd May 2023. Those who have done a swap on JediSwap using Argent X wallet before 1st April 2023 will be automatically eligible for the snapshot and won’t need to do any more swaps.
    2. To do the swap, either use the built-in swap feature in the Argent X wallet or do the swap at https://app.jediswap.xyz/#/swap.
    3. The team will take the snapshot at 23:59 UTC on 23rd May 2023. The claim/mint page will be shared afterwards, and you will have a total of 12 months from then to mint your NFT.
    Argent wallet
    Argent Wallet (Image source: Argent)

    Onchain Trade

    Onchain Trade is a money market and perps DEX offering up to 50x leverage. Connect your wallet to their protocol and test out their features! Check out our Onchain Trade ($OT) token airdrop guide (now LIVE)!

    SyncSwap

    SyncSwap is a DEX built on ZKsync and has recently announced its launch on ZKsync Era testnet. It is predicted they will be one of the first protocols to launch on ZKsync Era Mainnet since they are one of the first protocols built on ZKsync. Therefore, interacting with SyncSwap will put you in a good position to get a potential ZKsync token airdrop (and possibly a SyncSwap airdrop too)! (fii-institute) Here’s how to interact with Syncswap:

    1. Connect your wallet to Syncswap.
    2. Go to their Swap page. Choose the type and amount of tokens and click “Swap”. We also suggest swapping tokens on the ZKsync network using Paymaster. Paymaster allows SyncSwap users to pay gas fees using other tokens such as $USDT, $USDC and $HOLD in addition to ETH. To do this, first make sure your MetaMask wallet and SyncSwap are both on the ZKsync Era Network. Then, click and hold on your account balance and you can see the fee discounts offered by Paymaster when using other tokens to pay for gas fees. For example, you get a 50% fee discount when paying with $HOLD!
    3. Deposit liquidity to their Pools. On the top bar, click the down arrow, “Positions” and “New Position”. Select USDC and ETH and click “Enter Pool”. Then click “Deposit” located on the left-hand side of the screen and deposit both USDC and ETH. Then, unlock your tokens and deposit them into the pool.
    4. Join their Discord.
    5. Go to their Guild page and complete the tasks.

    Interacting with SyncSwap is one of the best ways to maximize your potential airdrop with the least amount of fees. Learn how with our SyncSwap token airdrop guide!

    SpaceFi

    SpaceFi allows users can trade, earn, mint, stake, sell, create, and invest in a variety of projects. With SpaceFi, users can also swap assets, farm rewards, mint, and stake Planet NFTs, join or create a spacebase, and invest in new projects. SpaceFi has already launched 30 million $SPACE on Evmos mainnet, and will be launching 30 million $SPACE on ZKsync 2.0 (i.e. ZKsync Era) when mainnet goes live. The team has also confirmed they will be doing an airdrop.

    Since the protocol is already live on ZKsync testnet, it may be a good idea to interact with SpaceFi in anticipation of when zkSync Era mainnet goes live. To interact with SpaceFi, request testnet tokens here. Then connect your wallet to Space.io, swap some $tSPACE tokens. Then, add liquidity to their pool. Finally, join the SpaceFi Discord and their Crew3. You can also complete the tasks on Crew3 which include joining their guilds, adding them to your CoinGecko watchlist or inviting friends to their Discord.

    You can check out our SpaceFi token airdrop guide!

    Tevaera

    Tevaera aims to build an EVM-compatible on-chain gaming ecosystem on ZKsync. Their mainnet is now live on ZKsync Era.

    1. Connect your wallet to log in. Make sure you are on the ZKsync Era network.
    2. Mint your Tevan ID and Guardian NFTs.
    3. Connect your citizen ID to Discord.
    4. Play Teva Run to earn Karma Points.
    5. Complete tasks on Tevaea’s Zealy Questboard.
    6. Mint ONFTs by going onto your portfolio and clicking “Mint ONFT bundle”.
    7. Bridge one ONFT from ZKsync Era to Arbitrum network.
    8. Optional: Add KP (Karma) to your web3 vault. Note that 1KP is around 0.021 USD.

    For more details, check out our Tevaera $TEVA token airdrop guide!

    Tevaera Run

    Velocore

    Velocore is the first ever ve(3,3) DEX on ZKsync. They have a native token $VC, so there may be a chance of a Velocore airdrop too? Here’s how to interact with Velocore:

    1. If you don’t have funds on ZKsync Era yet, use Orbiter.finance to bridge funds to ZKsync Era.
    2. Connect your wallet to Velocore’s swap page and swap some tokens. You can swap any token pairings e.g. ETH to USDT, ETH to VC etc.
    3. Go to their Liquidity Pools and add liquidity. There are 30 pools to choose from!
    4. Keep an eye on their Launchpad for upcoming projects and join in.

    Check out our Velocore ($VC) token airdrop guide!

    iZUMi Finance

    iZUMi Finance is a multi-chain DeFi protocol that provides One-Stop Liquidity as a Service (LaaS). iZiSwap, a next-generation DEX on Multi-Chains, is live on ZKsync Era and provides concentrated liquidity AMM and generates extra income for your assets. They also have their own $iZi token. In addition to doing their own airdrop, they have also promised to distribute 50% if any ZKsync and Linea airdrops they receive! Here’s how to interact with iZUMi Finance:

    1. Swap $iZi tokens.
    2. Add liquidity.
    3. Earn iPoints.
    4. Complete Linea Voyage Week 8.

    Check out our iZUMi Finance $iZi token airdrop guide!

    Mute.io

    Mute.io is a AMM DEX with limit orders, a farming and Bond platform. They are live on ZKsync Era. Although the mute.io team have confirmed the will NOT do an airdrop, interacting with this protocol may nevertheless be helpful in getting a ZKsync airdrop. Here’s how to interact with Mute.io:

    1. If you don’t have funds onZKsync Era yet, use Orbiter.finance to bridge funds to ZKsync Era.
    2. Connect your wallet to their Swap page and swap any amount of tokens.
    3. Go to their Pools and add liquidity. You can earn fees for doing this! Click “Manage” and choose the amount of liquidity you wish to add. You can also withdraw your liquidity and check your rewards at any time.
    4. As an optional task, you can buy their $MUTE token and lock it up here.

    ZKsync Name Service

    ZKsync Name Service is an omnichain name service that allows users to establish their Web3 profile. Here’s how to interact with ZKsync Name Service:

    1. Go to https://app.zkns.domains/.
    2. Search for an available domain name. If you find an available one that you want, click “Available”.
    3. Click “Request to register with ETH” and approve the transaction. It will cost around US$6.5 to buy a domain.

    GameSwift

    GameSwift aims to be a one-stop web3 gaming ecosystem based on a modular chain and zkEVM technology. From 28th September 2023, GameSwift will be hosting a GameSwift Multiverse Expansion campaign which will last for 6 weeks. In particular, week 3 of the campaign which goes live on 12th October 2023 will involve bridging to ZKsync! So completing the tasks for week 3 may position yourself for a potential GameSwift and ZKsync airdrop! Here’s how:

    • Swap USDC for $GSWIFT.
    • Bridge 10 $GSWIFT from Arbitrum Chain to ZKsync Network.
    • Go to the “Burn” tab, switch to ZKsync network on your wallet and burn 10 $GSWIFT.
    • Return to the GameSwift Galxe page and claim your Infinity Stone.

    GameSwift also has tasks for interacting with the LayerZero network. So, there is a chance to also get a potential LayerZero airdrop too by doing these tasks!

    Check out our LayerZero ($ZRO) Token Airdrop Guide

    Donate on Gitcoin

    Gitcoin is a community platform that funds and coordinate new open-source developments. To donate, go to the “grants” page. Pay via the ZKsync network for lower transaction fees.

    Donate on Gitcoin
    Gitcoin Grants

    Mint NFTs for a ZKsync airdrop: 3 in 1 airdrop!

    We have found 3 projects which are also doing airdrops! All you have to do is complete the tasks and mint their NFTs! What’s more, these projects require you to interact with ZKsync, so you will be positioning yourself for a ZKsync airdrop as well.

    Hypercomic

    Hypercomic has just announced its collaboration with ZKsync and has launched a NFT minting celebration campaign. The objective is to complete the tasks and mint their exclusive ZK24 NFTs. There are 3 parts to the minting campaign, Part 1: Transaction Maker is LIVE until 9th February 2024, Part 2: ZKsync Expert will run from 5th to 15th February 2024, and Part 3: Dapp Hustler will run from 13th to 23rd February 2024.

    To mint the ZK24 NFTs, connect your wallet HERE to see which NFTs you may already qualify for. For Part 1: Transaction maker, users with 30 or more ZKsync transactions, users with 50 or more ZKsync transaction and users with 100 or more ZKsync transactions will be eligible to mint 1 NFT. So, depending on the number of ZKsync transactions you have, you can get a maximum of 3 NFTs in Part 1. What’s more, the NFT you can mint for having over 100 ZKsync transactions is a Boost NFT which will help boost the cubic mining power in the Hypercomic Dapp.

    To mint the ZK24 NFTs, connect your wallet HERE to see which NFTs you may already qualify for. If you qualify, you will be able to mint the NFT. Then, go to the “Airdrop” page to check your eligibility for the Hypercomic ($HYCO) airdrop. Users who have over 60 transactions are eligible to claim the HYCO token airdrop and are given on a first come first served basis for the first 15,000 people.

    Tabi

    Tabi is the first gaming chain on Cosmos. Whilst you need to be on Binance Smart Chain to complete the tasks, 2 of them are on ZKsync, which will position yourself for any ZKsync related airdrops. Complete the airdrop tasks on Tabi by connecting to their site and completing their tasks. These are mostly social tasks such as connecting your social media profiles and following their social media pages. You will be able to mint the NFT once you have completed the tasks.

    GRVT

    GRVT is an on-chain perpetuals exchange for ZKsync. They are currently running a social airdrop campaign. For now, all you need to do is join their waitlist. Joining their waitlist lets you earn invite points for airdrop rights as well as a ZKsync mystery box.

    Complete quests on Crew3

    Go to ZKsync’s Crew3 Questboard and complete the quests. Tasks include following them on social media, reading their articles, and completing quizzes.

    Join the ZKsync Guild

    Connect your wallet and Google and Discord accounts to https://guild.xyz/zksync-era. Note you will also need at least 20 points on Gitcoin Passport. To check the number of points you have on Gitcoin Passport, connect your wallet to https://passport.gitcoin.co/#/dashboard. On the same page, you can also connect your other accounts to gain more points. However, some accounts require more than just having an account. For some, there are requirements to have a certain age/status/role or completed tasks in those accounts in order to qualify, which will make it difficult. Here’s a list of the easiest/ least requirement accounts to sign up for in order to get 20 points: Twitter, Discord, Google, Github, Facebook, LinkedIn, ENS, BrightID, Proof of Humanity, ETH, ZKsync, Gnosis Safe, Trusta Labs.

    Bonus: Complete ZKsync Era tasks on RabbitHole

    RabbitHole now offers the first ZKsync Era quests, which include SyncSwap, EraLend, and Maverick. Completing each quest earns users NFT rewards and helps build their onchain history in the ZKsync ecosystem. The more quests you complete, the more quest rewards you become eligible for. Note that even if you have done similar tasks before, you will need to do them again to be eligible on RabbitHole. Here’s how to complete the tasks on RabbitHole:

    1. Make sure you are on the Ethereum network and connect your wallet to RabbitHole.
    2. Swap on Uniswap on Optimism.
    3. Deposit on Exactly on Optimism.

    Mint Dappad zk-KYC NFT

    Dappad is running a campaign where you can mint a non-transferable Soulbound NFT powered by ZkPass and Paymaster. Minting this NFT will give you access to future launchpads in ZKsync, and it could be key to qualifying for the potential ZKsync ($ZK) token airdrop. Note you only have 10 days (i.e. until 29th March 2024) to mint the NFT! Here’s how to mint the Dappad zk-KYC NFT:

    1. Go to DappLabs Galxe Page and complete the tasks.
    2. Download the zkPass TransGate Chrome extension HERE.
    3. Go to https://app.dappad.app/kyc and log in with your crypto wallet.
    4. Select 1 of the 5 supported centralized exchange accounts (i.e. Binance, Bybit, KuCoin, OKEx, Coinbase) for KYC verification.
    5. Log in to your selected exchange account when redirected. Make sure your exchange account is at least Level 1 verified.
    6. Approve sharing your KYC details with zkPass by clicking “START”.
    7. Return to the Dappad launchpad page after verification to see the ‘Already Verified KYC’.
    8. Your wallet app will then prompt you to sign a contract. Confirm the transaction and the non-transferable Dappad zk-KYC NFT will be sent to your wallet with 0 fees. The NFT is proof that you have successfully completed the KYC verification process.

    You can also check out our step-by-step video guide HERE.

    Best ZKsync Airdrop Route for swaps?

    Here’s one of the best ZKsync Airdrop routes for swaps. By doing this route you can make the most of the potential ZKsync airdrop and interact with other protocols and possibly get those airdrops too!

    1. Swap ETH for USDC using Syncswap
    2. Swap USDC for WETH using Mute.io
    3. Swap WETH for USDT using Symbiosis
    4. Swap USDT for USDC using SpaceFi
    5. Swap USDC for ETH using Maverick
    6. Swap ETH for BUSD using Velocore
    7. Swap BUSD for ETH using KyberSwap

    LATEST: 4-in-1 airdrop route ($ZNS, $BEE, $ZKP, $ZK)

    Time needed: 10 minutes

    With this latest airdrop route, you will be interacting with 3 different protocols to get 4-in-1 airdrop! These protocols are ZKsync Domain ($ZNS), Beecoin ($BEE), and Passport NFT ($ZKP) in addition to ZKsync.

    1. Mint ZKsync Domain ($ZNS)

      Mint a ZKsync Domain HERE. Minting a domain will cost 0.0028 ETH but this is for lifetime ownership!

    2. Share referral link

      Go to the Airdrop page and share your referral link. You will get more $ZNS rewards for successful invitations.

    3. Claim Beecoin ($BEE)

      Click on “Free Mint $BEE” or to go Bee Coin. Follow their Twitter accounts, select your ZKsync Domain and click “Free Mint” to mint 1 million $BEE coins. Then click, “Add Wallet” to add your $BEE coins to your wallet. Note you will need to pay gas fees and their total supply is 100 billion coins! So, act fast before they are all minted! You can also share your invite link to receive an extra 500,000 Beecoin for each person you invite.

    4. Passport NFT ($ZKP)

      Connect your wallet HERE and click “Free Mint” to get a NFT passport. Note you will need to pay gas fees for this. Then, invite your friends to get 200 $ZKP and boost Passport Rank per friend.

    ZKsync airdrop season 1: Am I eligible?

    Eligibility for season 1 of ZKsync’s token airdrop was based on a snapshot taken on ZKsync Era and ZKsync Lite on 24th March 2024 at 0:00 UTC. 2 categories of users were eligible for the ZKsync airdrop: users (89%) and contributors (11%). Users on ZKSync are those who have made transactions and reached a certain level of activity. Contributors, on the other hand, include individuals, developers, researchers, communities, and companies who have contributed to the ZKSync ecosystem and protocol through development, advocacy, or education, regardless of their network activity.

    The airdrop allocations for ZKsync were calculated using a points system. Here’s how the points were calcualted:

    • Activity-Based Points: Wallets earned points for actions like interacting with smart contracts, depositing liquidity into DeFi protocols, and trading ERC-20 tokens.
    • ZKsync Lite Activity: Points were also awarded for activities on ZKsync Lite, such as donating to a Gitcoin round or transacting over three different months.
    • Bridged Assets: Allocations were based on assets bridged to ZKsync Era, with multipliers for activity on ZKsync and Ethereum mainnet.
    • Minimum and Maximum Allocations: Wallets with fewer than 450 ZK tokens had their tokens recycled, while those with more than 100,000 tokens had excess tokens recycled. The minimum allocation was up to 917 $ZK tokens per wallet.

    ZKsync season 1 airdrop: How to claim?

    ZKsync will conduct a one-time token airdrop of 3.675 billion $ZK tokens (i.e. 17.5%) of the total token supply. Eligible users can claim their airdrop by connecting to their wallet to https://claim.zknation.io/ starting from 24th June 2024. The airdrop claim will be open until 3rd January 2025.

    ZKsync season 2 airdrop strategy guide

    ZKsync season 2 airdrop has already started! 2 main strategies to best position yourself for the token airdrop is to delegate your tokens and to maintain a high time weighted average balance (TWAB).

    In terms of strategies to find the best delegate to delgate your $ZK token, you may want to find delegates that are active in voting on governance proposals.

    How to identify and avoid ZKsync airdrop scams

    ZKsync has not announced its official token yet. However, this has not stopped scammers from enticing unsuspecting victims with airdrops in order to steal their cryptocurrencies. Here are some ways in which you can identify and avoid ZKsync airdrop scammers.

    Look at social media handles

    Many scammers will use social media (e.g. Twitter, Telegram) handles that are confusingly similar to the official ones. For example, spelling the project name incorrectly or using different fonts and hidden characters in the handle. Other fake accounts may have spelled the project name correctly but has other words behind it e.g. ZKsync (@ freetokens). Always check the official ZKsync website.

    Impersonating admins or mods

    Scammers have been known to impersonate admins or mods on ZKsync’s official channels. They may send DMs asking for users’ private information in order to “participate” in airdrops, or send you a link asking you to connect your wallet and drain your funds. zkSync admins or mods would not DM users first.

    Fake accounts tweeting ZKsync airdrop info

    There are fake accounts tweeting ZKsync token airdrops. However, there is no official announcement yet. Always check the official channels.

    ZKsync Airdrop Review

    When reviewing an airdrop, there are several factors to consider. First, the likelihood the project will even do an airdrop in the first place. Then, to look at how many tokens the project intends to allocate towards airdrop campaigns, as well as the difficulty in participating in their airdrop. It is also important to look at the utility of the token so that there will be an actual use and purpose in participating in the airdrop in the first place. Finally, a factor to consider when reviewing an airdrop is whether the airdropped tokens are subject to any lockup period.

    Likelihood of Airdrop: ZKsync has completed season 1 of its token airdrop.

    Airdropped Token Allocation: In season 1 of the ZKsync airdrop, a total of 3.675 billion $ZK tokens will be airdropped. This is equivalent to 17.5% of the total $ZK token supply.

    Airdrop Difficulty: Tasks which allowed you to be eligible for season 1 of the airdrop includes interactions, donations and bridging assets. This would not be difficult for a general crypto trader.

    Token Utility: The $ZK token is used for transaction fees, governance and staking.

    Token Lockup: There is no lockup period for $ZK tokens which were distributed in the airdrop.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    How do I participate in the ZKsync Airdrop?

    Here’s how to participate in the ZKsync airdrop
    · Add ZKsync Era Alpha Mainnet on MetaMask.
    · Bridge Funds to ZKsync Lite and ZKsync Era Mainnet.
    · Interact with ZKsync Lite and ZKsync Era Mainnet Alpha.
    · Interact with the ZKsync ecosystem.
    · Mint NFTs for ZKsync airdrop.
    · Complete quests on ZKsync’s Crew3.
    · Join the ZKsync Guild
    · Bonus: Complete ZKsync Era tasks on RabbitHole.

    How do I participate in the ZKsync Airdrop?

    ZKsync has not announced details of any potential airdrop yet.

    Is there a minimum amount of tokens I can receive from the ZKsync airdrop?

    This will depend on the rules of the ZKsync airdrop campaign, which has not been announced.

    Which is the best ZKsync ecosystem dApp to interact with for the ZKsync airdrop?

    We find SyncSwap to be the best ZKsync ecosystem dApp to interact with to position yourself for the airdrop. This is because SyncSwap refunds you 50-6 0% of your Ethereum gas fees. We’ve managed to do 30 ZKsync transactions on SyncSwap in 10 minutes for only US$3! Check out our SyncSwap ($SYNC) token airdrop guide!

    When is the ZKsync airdrop?

    The ZKsync airdrop was on 24th March 2024 at 0:00 UTC when the eligibility and allocations snapshot was taken. Eligible users can claim the airdrop from 24th June 2024 to 3rd January 2025.

    Will zkSync do an airdrop?

    ZKsync season 1 airdrop is now available for claim until 3rd January 2025.

    How do I prepare for a ZKsync airdrop?

    Projects often reward early users. Follow our guide to prepare for a potential airdrop.

    Does ZKsync have a token?

    ZKsync has a native token known as $ZK. It is used for paying transaction fees on the network, staking and governance.

    How do I get season 2 of the ZKsync airdrop?

    2 ways to get the potential season 2 of the ZKsync airdrop is to delegate your tokens and to maintain a high time weighted average balance (TWAB).

  • Polygon zkEVM (MATIC) Token Airdrop Guide: LIVE NOW!

    Polygon zkEVM (MATIC) Token Airdrop Guide: LIVE NOW!

    Polygon recently launched its own zkEVM mainnet, and co-founder Sandeep Nailwal hinted on Twitter that there could be a MATIC airdrop for users! In this article, we will briefly explain what Polygon zkEVM is and what you can do to position for a potential airdrop.

    Polygon zkEVM Airdrop Step-by-Step Guide

    Here’s how to get the Polygon zkEVM Airdrop:

    1. Add Polygon zkEVM to MetaMask
    2. Bridge to Polygon zkEVM
    3. Interact with Polygon zkEVM DApps
    4. BONUS: trade on Satori Finance
    5. DOUBLE BONUS: Join in the zkEVM saga with Intract x Polygon to get free NFTs

    See below for more in-depth details!

    What is Polygon zkEVM?

    Polygon zkEVM is a Layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum that leverages the scaling power of zero-knowledge proofs while maintaining Ethereum compatibility, similar to zkSync and Linea. Developers and users on Polygon zkEVM can use the same code, tooling, and apps that they use on Ethereum, but with much higher throughput and lower fees. This allows Ethereum-based DApps to scale more efficiently, which is critical for mass adoption of DeFi.

    What’s the Difference Between Polygon zkEVM and Polygon?

    The original Polygon functions as a sidechain that runs parallel to the Ethereum mainnet, whereas Polygon zkEVM uses a ZK-Rollup architecture that is built on top of Ethereum. The key distinction is that Polygon is EVM compatible but Polygon zkEVM has total EVM equivalence. The latter is focused on being a near-perfect replica of Ethereum’s execution environment, which means it uses ETH instead of MATIC for gas fees.

    Is There an Airdrop for Polygon zkEVM?

    Yes, it is very likely there will be an airdrop for Polygon zkEVM users. Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder of Polygon, strongly hinted on Twitter that there will be a huge MATIC airdrop for zkEVM users. He also compared the current development of Polygon zkEVM to Arbitrum, which took more than a year to mature. This means that we are currently at the early stage, allowing users plenty of time to perform on-chain activities that would qualify them for the airdrop!

    How to Get the Polygon zkEVM Airdrop?

    The best way to get the MATIC airdrop is to interact with the Polygon zkEVM mainnet. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

    1. Add Polygon zkEVM to MetaMask

      Go to ChainList and add Polygon zkEVM to MetaMask. It is launched on Mainnet Beta, which means you will need ETH for gas fees.

    2. Bridge to Polygon zkEVM

      If you have funds on the Ethereum network, you can bridge ETH from Ethereum to Polygon zkEVM via the Native Bridge.

      Alternatively, if you have funds on Arbitrum and/or gas fees are too high, you can also use other third-party bridges recommended by Polygon, such as Orbiter Finance. Using Orbiter Finance, in particular, refunds 60% to 70% gas fees back to you.

    3. Interact with Polygon zkEVM DApps

      Here are the top DApps in Polygon zkEVM ranked by total value locked (TVL). Try to perform transactions consistently every week as frequency of smart contract interaction is an important criterion to qualify for the airdrop:

      Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs):
      1. Quickswap
      2. Kokonut Swap
      3. Dove Swap
      4. Mantis Swap

      Lending Protocol
      1. 0vix

    4. Interact with Quickswap

      Here’s how to interact with Quickswap. First, connect your wallet to Quickswap Exchange. Make sure you have switched the network on Polygon zkEVM. Then, go to the Swap section and (1) Swap ETH for USDC; and (2) Swap the same amount of ETH for WETH. Afterwards, go to their Pool, select ETH and USDC tokens as the token pair, approve the tokens and add liquidity.

    5. Interact with Kokonut Swap.

      Here’s how to interact with Kokonut Swap. First, connect your wallet to Kokonut Swap. Make sure you have switched the network on Polygon zkEVM. Then, go to their Swap page and swap ETH to USDC.

    6. Interact with Dove Swap

      Here’s how to interact with Dove Swap. Connect your wallet to Dove Swap and make sure you are on the Polygon zkEVM network. Then, swap ETH for USDT.

    7. Interact with Mantis Swap.

      Interact with Mantis Swap by going to their website. Then, connect your wallet and make sure you are on the zkEVM network. Finally, swap USDC to USDT.

    8. Interact with 0vix

      To interact with 0vix, connect your wallet to their website and make sure you are on the Polygon zkEVM network. On the Supply Markets, supply a small amount of ETH and click “Supply”.

    9. BONUS: Trade on Satori Finance

      Satori Finance is a protocol on Polygon zkEVM (as well as zkSync, Linea and Scroll). To trade on Satori Finance, connect your wallet to https://satori.finance/, making sure that you are on the Polygon network. Then, go to “Portfolio” and deposit some trades. Next, go to the “Trade” tab and do some trades.

    10. DOUBLE BONUS: Join in the zkEVM saga with Intract x Polygon to get free NFTs

      Connect your wallet to the Quest Page and complete the tasks to get a free NFT. Tasks include signing messages, following social accounts and posting Tweets. Finally, click “Get your NFTs” and follow the instructions on your wallet to mint your free NFT. Note you will need to pay gas fees in ETH

    Airdrop Review

    When reviewing an airdrop, there are several factors to consider. First, the likelihood the project will even do an airdrop in the first place. Then, to look at how many tokens the project intends to allocate towards airdrop campaigns, as well as the difficulty in participating in their airdrop. It is also important to look at the utility of the token so that there will be an actual use and purpose in participating in the airdrop in the first place. Finally, a factor to consider when reviewing an airdrop is whether the airdropped tokens are subject to any lockup period.

    Likelihood of Airdrop: Although not confirmed, it is very likely there will be a MATIC airdrop for Polygon zkEVM users, according to Sandeep Nailwal.

    Airdropped Token Allocation: There is no confirmation on the token allocation, but Nailwal said that it would be a “massive” airdrop.

    Airdrop Difficulty: Simply bridge to Polygon zkEVM and interact with QuickSwap and other high TVL DEXes. You will need real ETH to perform these tasks.

    Token Utility: MATIC is the native token of the Polygon blockchain. Although Polygon zkEVM uses ETH for gas fees, it is likely MATIC will be airdropped as rewards.

    Token Lockup: No mentions of token lockup.

  • Arbitrum ($ARB) Token Airdrop: Arbitrum Odyssey how to guide

    Arbitrum ($ARB) Token Airdrop: Arbitrum Odyssey how to guide

    Arbitrum will airdrop over 1 billion $ARB tokens to its protocol users on March 23, 2023. The snapshot was taken in February, and at least three criteria must be met to qualify for the airdrop. Find out if you’re eligible and how to claim your Arbitrum token airdrop below.

    Check out our LayerZero Airdrop Guide for another highly anticipated token airdrop.

    Arbitrum ($ARB) Airdrop Step-by-step Guide

    Here’s how you can potentially claim your $ARB tokens faster and buy, sell, or trade your $ARB before everyone else:

    1. Make your own RPC endpoint on Alchemy.
    2. Pre-approve the token contract.
    3. Have sufficient ETH ready.
    4. Know where to trade $ARB.

    See below for more details.

    What is Arbitrum?

    Arbitrum is a layer-2 scaling solution designed to lower network congestion and transaction costs of Ethereum by offloading tons of computation and data storage from the main chain. It does this via the use of optimistic rollup — transactions on Ethereum are bundled up and transferred to a proprietary sidechain on Arbitrum (a secondary blockchain connected to the main chain). The transactions are then processed and sent back to the main chain after validation.

    source: ethereum.org

    What is an Optimistic Rollup?

    The optimistic rollup is the core element of Arbitrum. For those who do not know what an optimistic rollup is, we got you covered with a simple explanation.

    Optimistic rollups assume all transactions as valid, hence an “optimistic” outlook. There is a time period during which users can dispute any suspicious transactions contained in a bundle. If a fraudulent transaction is detected, a fraud proof is executed which basically runs the correct transaction computation using the data on the main chain.

    Since optimistic rollups do not perform any computation by default, it offers massive improvements in scalability. On the downside, potential fraud challenges of optimistic rollups could lead to delays in transactions, since progress comes to a halt until it the dispute is resolved.

    Arbitrum’s Version of Optimistic Rollup

    To provide context, optimistic rollups are compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and Solidity, which allow developers to port Ethereum-native smart contracts to rollups or even use existing tooling to create new decentralized applications (DApp). But for Arbitrum, it has its own virtual machine called Arbitrum Virtual Machine (AVM).

    Arbitrum’s AVM greatly improves optimistic rollups because it stores very little data on-chain for optimal scalability. Moreover, to address potential delays due to fraud challenges, the AVM uses pipelining to process multiple disputes, while verification nodes help speed up the process.

    This is called multi-round fraud proofs. Arbitrum uses a fine-combing approach to verify fraud proofs. It focuses on a particular point of disagreement over transaction history. Additionally, layer-2 transactions are not entirely executed on the main chain, rendering gas block limits irrelevant. As a result, this translates to higher network performance.

    Who is the Team behind Arbitrum?

    Arbitrum is developed by Offchain Labs, a New York-based startup committed to building innovative Ethereum scaling solutions. The company originated from the computer science research department of Princeton University, co-founded in 2018 by Harry Kalodner, Steven Goldfeder, and Ed Felten.

    In September 2021, Offchain Labs raised $120 million in a Series B funding round from the likes of Alameda Research, Pantera Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and many other major crypto venture capitals. The team has since then expanded to a global community of developers, academics and operators, with deep experience in cryptography, decentralized systems, and game theory.

    Leading DApps on Arbitrum Ecosystem

    Arbitrum’s layer-2 network allows developers to build and deploy highly scalable smart contracts at low cost, while benefitting from Ethereum’s robust layer-one security. Since its launch last year, the Arbitrum ecosystem has greatly expanded, ranking 6th in all chains total value locked with 129 integrated protocols.

    source: news.cryptorank.io/

    Some of the top decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols include Uniswap, Curve, Aave, Balancer, and SushiSwap. Additionally, Arbitrum is not without its native protocols built on the blockchain which include GMX, Radiant, Dopex, and Vesta Finance.

    $ARB Token

    $ARB will solely function as a governance tool for the Arbitrum protocol, unlike ETH which is used to pay fees on both Ethereum and Arbitrum. The governance process of Arbitrum DAO will be autonomous, allowing votes to directly modify the core code of Arbitrum.

    The total supply will be 10 billion, with the Arbitrum community controlling 56%. The airdrop will distribute 12.75% (i.e. 1.275 billion $ARB) to eligible users on 23rd March 2023. The rest of the community tokens will be allocated to a treasury governed by the Arbitrum DAO, allowing ARB holders to vote on fund disbursement.

    The remaining 44% will be given to Offchain Labs’ investors and employees, who developed Arbitrum. These tokens will be subject to lock-up periods and vesting schedules. Notably, the proportion of ARB reserved for insiders is higher compared to similar projects, such as Optimism, which allocated 36% of its OP tokens to investors and core contributors.

    $ARB Airdrop Eligibility: How to claim Arbitrum $ARB token airdrop

    According to Nansen, 625,143 wallet addresses are eligible for the Arbiturm $ARB token airdrop. You can check on arbitrum.foundation to see if you are eligible. If you are eligible, Arbitrum will directly airdrop to your wallet on 23rd March 2023. There are 6 airdrop criteria, and at least 3 must be met based on a snapshot taken on 6th February 2023 in order to qualify for the airdrop:

    1. Bridge to Arbitrum

      Bridged assets into Arbitrum One or Arbitrum Nova.

    2. Transactions Over Time

      Conduct transactions at least 2 months prior to the snapshot taken in February. The longer the timeframe, the more tokens you will receive.

    3. Transaction Frequency and Interaction

      Conduct more than 4 transactions or interact with more than 4 smart contracts. The higher the number, the more tokens you will receive.

    4. Transaction Value

      Conduct transactions with more than $10,000 in aggregate value. The higher the value, the more tokens you will receive.

    5. Assets Bridged to Arbitrum One

      Deposit more than $10,000 worth of assets to Arbitrum One. The more assets you deposit, the more tokens you will receive.

    6. Activity on Arbitrum Nova

      Conduct more than 3 transactions on Arbitrum Nova. The more transactions are carried out, the more tokens you will receive.

    How to claim Arbitrum ($ARB) token faster?

    Arbitrum has confirmed its airdrop can be claimed on 23rd March 2023 when the Ethereum chain reaches block 16890400. It is very likely that the Arbitrum network will be very congested during that time as users are anxiously waiting to get their tokens to potentially trade on exchanges. However, there are ways to be faster at the Arbitrum airdrop claim, and how to buy, sell or trade your $ARB before anyone else. Note however this carries risks. You may risk ending up being slower than others, lose your gas fees and even your $ARB, so proceed with caution. Here’s how you can potentially claim your $ARB tokens faster and buy, sell, or trade your $ARB before others:

    1. Make your own RPC endpoint on Alchemy.
    2. Pre-approve the token contract.
    3. Have sufficient ETH ready.
    4. Know where to trade $ARB.

    Make your own RPC endpoint on Alchemy

    Here’s how to make your own RPC endpoint on Alchemy:

    1. Sign up for Alchemy here.
    2. Create an app for Arbitrum. Make sure you select “Arbitrum” under “Chain”.
    3. Click “View Key” on the main page. There, you will get an RPC https URL.
    4. Add a network on MetaMask. Go to “Settings”, “Networks”, “Add network” and “Add network manually”. Under “New RPC URL”, enter the RPC https URL from Alchemy. Then under “Chain ID” enter 42161, “ETH” as the Currency Symbol, and “https://arbiscan.io” under Block Explorer.

    Pre-approve the token contract

    To be even faster than everyone else in claiming $ARB, you can pre-approve the Arbitrum token contract on protocols such as 1inch and Uniswap. To do this, go to the $ARB smart contract and click “Write as Proxy”. Then, connect your wallet. Under spender, fill in the address for either Uniswap or 1inch. Finally, fill in the number of $ARB you want to trade with that smart contract. For example, filling in 20000000000000000000000 will mean you are approving 20,000 $ARB to be traded.

    Have sufficient ETH ready

    This is to pay for gas fees when trading $ARB. Note you will have to bridge your ETH to Arbitrum.

    Know where to trade $ARB

    These exchanges have confirmed they will offer trading for $ARB:

    • ByBit (Sign up here!)
    • Binance
    • Bitfinex
    • Kucoin
    • OKX
    • Bitmart
    • Bitfinex
    • Huobi
    • Bitget
    • Bitrue
    • Gate.io
    • MEXC

    Will there be another Arbitrum $ARB token airdrop?

    Arbitrum’s latest Tweet announces a return of the Arbitrum Odessey. The Arbitrum Odessey was a 7 week journey filled with tasks to complete in order to obtain badges. These badges are NFTs which may lead to future rewards.

    The upcoming round of Arbitrum Odyssey will begin on 26th September at 12:00pm EDT.

    Arbitrum Odyssey: How to guide

    The Arbitrum Odyssey is a new round of activites involving the Arbitrum ecosystem and a chance to collect custom badges starting on 26th September at 12:00pm EDT. There is speculation that participating in this 7-week journey may result in a potential airdrop as a reward. Here’s our ultimate how to guide to completing the tasks on the Arbitrum Odyssey.

    Week 1- Enter the Odyssey

    Go to the Arbitrum Galxe Page and complete any of the following tasks in their list. Then, mint your Enter The Odyssey NFT.

    Week 2- Signs of Life

    Here’s our how to guide for completing the tasks on week 2 of the Abritrum Odyssey

    • Complete tasks on Tofu NFT Galxe page. This includes following their Twitter and selling/buying an NFT on their platform.
    • To sell/buy an NFT on Tofu NFT, go to https://tofunft.com/arbi and connect your wallet. Scroll down to “Discover” and apply the following search filters: Type- Fixed price, Sort- Price: Low to High. Buy the cheapest NFT or list some NFTs for sale.
    • Mint your Signs of Life NFT.
    • Complete Pulsar in the Distance task on Galxe. Connect your wallet to Abroad Exchange. Deposit funds by clicking on the top right-hand corner and “Deposit”. Then, make a perpetual trade on Abroad Exchange. Be careful when trading because you may be at risk of liquidation, and you will be using real funds! Mint your Pulsar in the Distance NFT.

    Week 3- Pulsar in the Distance

    Here’s our how to guide for completing the tasks on week 3 of the Abritrum Odyssey

    Go to Abroad Exchange and deposit funds on the exchange. Then, make a perpetual trade. Note that you will be using actual funds for this. Finally, return to their Galxe page and mint your NFT.

    Arbitrum Airdrop Review

    When reviewing an airdrop, there are several factors to consider. First, the likelihood the project will even do an airdrop in the first place. Then, to look at how many tokens the project intends to allocate towards airdrop campaigns, as well as the difficulty in participating in their airdrop. It is also important to look at the utility of the token so that there will be an actual use and purpose in participating in the airdrop in the first place. Finally, a factor to consider when reviewing an airdrop is whether the airdropped tokens are subject to any lockup period.

    Likelihood of Airdrop: Arbitrum will airdrop $ARB to eligible users on 23rd March 2023.

    Airdropped Token Allocation: 1.275 billion $ARB (12.75% of the total token supply) will be distributed in this airdrop.

    Airdrop Difficulty: The criteria listed are fairly easy to complete.

    Token Utility: The token will solely function as a governance tool for the Arbitrum protocol.

    Token Lockup: 44% of the tokens allocated to the team and investors are subject to a 4-year lockup.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    What is Arbitrum?

    Arbitrum is a layer-2 scaling solution. It aims to reduce Ethereum’s network congestion and transaction costs. Arbitrum does this by offloading computation and data storage from the main chain.

    When is the Arbitrum token launch?

    The Arbitrum token was launched on 23rd March 2023.

    How do I claim Arbitrum ($ARB) tokens?

    Arbitrum will airdrop $ARB tokens directly to your eligible wallet address via MetaMask, Trust Wallet, Coinbase Wallet, Brave or Ledger.

    How to be eligible for the Arbitrum ($ARB) airdrop?

    There are 6 airdrop criteria, and you must meet at least 3 to qualify for the airdrop: (1) bridged to Arbitrum One or Arbitrum Nova, (2) conduct transactions at least two months before the snapshot in February, (3) conduct at least 4 transactions or interact with at least 4 smart contracts, (4) conduct transactions with at least $10,000 in aggregate value, (5) deposit at least $10,000 on Arbitrum One, (6) conduct at least 3 transactions on Arbitrum Nova.

    How do I check if I am eligible for the Arbitrum ($ARB) airdrop?

    To check your eligibility, go to arbitrum.foundation and connect your wallet. Then click “Check eligibility”.

    When can I claim the Arbitrum $ARB token airdrop?

    the $ARB token airdrop can be claimed on 23rd March 2023 when the Ethereum chain reaches block 16890400

    What is the fastest way to claim the Arbitrum $ARB token airdrop?

    Here’s how you can potentially claim your $ARB tokens faster and buy, sell, or trade your $ARB before others:
    1. Make your own RPC endpoint on Alchemy.
    2. Pre-approve the contract.
    3. Have sufficient ETH ready.
    4. Know where to trade $ARB.

    Note however this carries risks. You may risk ending up being slower than others, lose your gas fees and even your $ARB, so proceed with caution.

    Where can I buy Arbitrum token?

    You can buy, sell or trade the Arbitrum token on following cryptocurrency exchanges: ByBit (Sign up here!), Binance, Bitfinex, Kucoin, OKX, Bitmart, Bitfinex, Huobi, Bitget, Bitrue, Gate.io, MEXC.

    What is the Arbitrum token price?

    As of 24th March 2023, Arbitrum token price is US$1.40. Its all-time high price was US$8.67, and an all-time low of US$1.11.

    What is the Arbitrum token contract?

    The Arbitrum token contract is: 0x912ce59144191c1204e64559fe8253a0e49e6548

  • Ledger Nano S Plus Hardware Wallet Review

    Ledger Nano S Plus Hardware Wallet Review

    The increasing popularity and adoption of cryptocurrency has expanded the wallet market. Now that many well-known traditional and crypto brands accept crypto as a payment option, enthusiasts are constantly on the lookout for safer ways to store their digital assets.

    Ledger is one of the most popular hardware crypto wallets in the sector. Since releasing the Nano S in 2016, Ledger has become a household name in the cryptocurrency space. To date, Ledger has launched three models of hardware crypto wallets, the Nano S, Nano X, and most recently, the Nano S Plus. The Ledger Nano S Plus retails for USD$79.

    CLICK BELOW TO BUY!

    Check out our previous Ledger reviews here:
    Ledger Nano X review
    Ledger Nano S review

    What is the Ledger Nano S Plus?

    The Nano S Plus is Ledger’s third release from its Nano series, a line of pocket-sized hardware crypto wallets. Ledger’s Nano S Plus has all of the features of the original Nano S but with a few upgrades, including support for NFT storage and management. Additionally, the Nano S Plus has built-in support for interacting with various DeFi (decentralized finance) apps and services. (thetelegramnews.com) The wallet is an effective option for people looking to manage crypto, NFTs, and other decentralized services in one place.

    New features of the Ledger Nano S Plus

    Ledger introduced the Nano S Plus with an exciting list of features and improvements over the two previous releases. Some of the major new features on the Nano S Plus include:

    • Bigger display. Same display size of the Nano X but on a smaller device!
    • Expanded cryptoasset support. The Nano S Plus doesn’t just hold cryptocurrencies, but also NFTs and is the first Ledger device to have DeFi app integration.
    • Industry-leading security. The Nano S Plus uses the same industry-leading security with CC EAL5+ certification.
    • Easy setup. USB plug-and-play feature means owners can begin using the device in minutes.
    • Low cost. The Nano S Plus comes at an affordable price of US$79, making it an attractive option for all levels of crypto traders.

    Security features: is the Nano S Plus safe?

    The Nano S Plus uses the same certified secure chip (CC EAL5+ chips) as the Nano X to protect users’ assets. This chip employs state-of-the-art technology that guarantees high-level security and asset protection against phishing and other asset extraction schemes. Additionally, the wallet has industry-standard security features, including a security phrase, PIN code locks, transaction confirmations, password encryption, and more.

    To learn more about the security features of the Nano S Plus and Nano X, click here.

    5/5 Security Rating

    Cryptoasset support

    A major Nano S Plus feature is the huge roster of supported crypto assets and apps. The Nano S Plus supports over 5,500 assets and can accommodate up to 100 different apps. Some supported assets include:

    • Bitcoin (BTC)
    • Ethereum (ETH)
    • ERC-20 tokens
    • Dogecoin (DOGE)
    • XRP
    • BNB
    • Cardano (ADA)
    • Polygon (MATIC)
    • Litecoin (LTC)
    • Tron (TRX)

    The Nano S Plus has 1.5MB of storage and with that can run over 100 apps simultaneously. On Ledger devices, an “app” refers to the app required to be installed to access a cryptocurrency on the device e.g. in order to access your BTC on the device you need to install the app on the Ledger first. Meaning that, unlike the Nano S which can only run 3 apps simultaneously, users are not required to delete apps in order to access other cryptocurrencies which do not have the apps already installed.

    But what is truly unique about the Nano S Plus is that it is the first Ledger device to offer NFT support. Users of the Nano S Plus can securely hold, send, and receive NFTs via the Ledger Live app. Ledger has made this process user-friendly, as owners can authenticate transactions right from the wallet’s interface.

    Users of the Nano S Plus can also access several DeFi applications through the Ledger Live user interface. Anyone can securely buy, exchange, lend or stake crypto assets.

    The NFT support and DeFi app access give the Nano S Plus an even bigger boost in features compared to the Nano S and for that reason, we rank this category even higher than the Nano X.

    4.8/5 cryptoasset support

    Hardware design

    Similar to the Nano S, the Nano S Plus also has two hardware buttons located on the top of the device.

    The Nano S Plus has a much larger screen than its predecessor, which makes usage very easy. Same as the Nano X, the 128 x 64-pixel screen makes operating the device simple and helps users navigate the product’s features. The main benefit of the larger screen is that users can see the entire wallet address clearly displayed as one line on the screen. The screen also blends well into the rest of the device, adding to the Nano S Plus’ aesthetic appeal. And whilst the screen size on the Nano S Plus is the same as the Nano X, the Nano S Plus is a much smaller device overall.

    The Ledger Nano S Plus’ measurements are smaller than the Nano X at 62.39 x 17.40 x 8.24 mm, and weighs in at only 21g. The wallet is about the size and weight of an average USB flash drive and is easy to carry around.

    4.5/5 for hardware design

    4.5/5 for ease of use

    What’s in the Ledger Nano S Plus Box?

    The Nano S Plus wallet comes with the following inside the box:

    • The Ledger Nano S Plus hardware
    • A Type-C USB cable to connect the Ledger to a computer
    • An orange box with three notepads for the Secret Recovery Phrase
    • A purple box with the manual instructions
    • A key-holder chain with a Ledger logo

    Final Verdict

    The Ledger Nano S Plus is a great option for enthusiasts looking for a secure, reliable, and easy-to-use hardware wallet. It offers the same features as the original Ledger Nano S and adds a lot more. Furthermore, users looking to upgrade from the older Ledger Nano S can quickly move their assets to the newer S Plus.

    The Ledger Nano S Plus is one of the best hardware wallet options on the market for crypto and NFT enthusiasts who currently own or plan to purchase NFTs or get involved with any DeFi project.

    The Ledger Nano S Plus retails for US$79.

    CLICK HERE TO BUY!

    Ledger Nano S Plus worth it?

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    Product Specifications (Technical Specifications)

    Ledger Nano S Plus Product Specifications:

    Processors
    Compatibility 64-bits desktop computer (Windows 8+, macOS 10.8+, Linux) excluding ARM Processors.Also compatible with smartphones Android 7+.
    Connector USB-C
    Security Certification CC EAL5+
    Size Size: 62.39mm x 17.40mm x 8.24 mm
    Weight: 21g
    Supported assets 5,550+ digital assets plus NFTs and DeFi app access
  • Lamina1 ($L1) Token Airdrop Guide: Testnet LIVE NOW!

    Lamina1 ($L1) Token Airdrop Guide: Testnet LIVE NOW!

    Lamina1 is a layer-1 blockchain based on a fork of Avalanche, built for the metaverse. It is co-founded by Peter Vessenes (co-founder of Bitcoin Foundation) and Neal Stephenson (award-winning author, coined the term “Metaverse”). Lamina1 has hinted on Discord at conducting a token airdrop for the community. In this article, we will briefly explain what Lamina1 is what you can do to position for the airdrop.

    Lamina1 ($L1) Token Airdrop Step-by-Step Guide

    Here’s how to get the Lamina1 ($L1) token airdrop:

    1. Create a Lamina1 Wallet
    2. Add Lamina1 Testnet to MetaMask
    3. Claim Testnet $L1 Tokens on MetaMask
    4. Claim Testnet $L1 Tokens on C-Chain Address
    5. Complete Tasks on Crew3
    6. Set Up a Node

    See below for more in-depth details!

    What is Lamina1?

    Lamina1 is a layer-1 blockchain optimized for the Open Metaverse. It is based on a fork of the Avalanche blockchain, providing builders a flexible framework to create digital assets. The network uses a high-speed proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus algorithm, customized to support the needs of content creators.

    Project Team and Funding

    Lamina1 was co-founded by Peter Vessenes (co-founder of Bitcoin Foundation) and Neal Stephenson (award-winning author, coined the term “metaverse”). The project has set up the Lamina1 Ecosystem Fund (L1EF), the world’s first publicly accessible ecosystem fund for layer-1 blockchains. It is designed to provide broad economic access to accredited investors interested in championing the Open Metaverse.

    Does Lamina1 Have a Token?

    Yes, Lamina1 has a native token called $L1. It’s a hard-capped, scarce asset that is used to pay for fees, and secure the platform through proof-of-stake. It has a basic unit of account between the multiple Subnets created on the blockchain. One nL1 is equal to 0.000000001 L1.

    How to Get the Lamina1 ($L1) Token Airdrop?

    The best way to get the potential Lamina1 ($L1) token airdrop is to interact with their testnet and complete tasks on Zealy. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

    1. Create a Lamina1 Wallet

      Go to the Lamina1 Web Portal and create a new L1 Wallet. Generate your key phrase and save them securely.

      After your wallet is created, you’ll be redirected to your portfolio page. At the top right screen, you’ll see your X-Chain, P-Chain, and C-Chain wallet addresses and QR code.

      X-Chain is for receiving funds, P-Chain is for receiving staking rewards and cross chain transfers, and C-Chain is for interacting with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).

    2. Add Lamina1 Testnet to MetaMask

      Go to the Faucet page. Click “Add Subnet to MetaMask” at the bottom, and you will automatically have the Lamina1 Testnet network on your MetaMask.

    3. Claim Testnet $L1 Tokens on MetaMask

      On the Faucet page, paste your MetaMask address and request 2 L1.

    4. Claim Testnet $L1 Tokens on C-Chain Address

      Paste your Lamina1 C-Chain wallet address and request 2 L1.

      The C-Chain can only be used to claim test tokens, because the faucet is only compatible with Ethereum-based wallet clients.

    5. Complete Tasks on Zealy

      Complete the tasks on Zealy to get the “Testnet” role. This allows Lamina1 to keep track of your participation. Those who participated by accruing XP on Crew3 will receive an End-of-Testnet Giveaway!

    6. Set Up a Node

      You can also set up a node and run it on the Lamina1 primary network. They have a complete guide on it.

    Airdrop Review

    When reviewing an airdrop, there are several factors to consider. First, the likelihood the project will even do an airdrop in the first place. Then, to look at how many tokens the project intends to allocate towards airdrop campaigns, as well as the difficulty in participating in their airdrop. It is also important to look at the utility of the token so that there will be an actual use and purpose in participating in the airdrop in the first place. Finally, a factor to consider when reviewing an airdrop is whether the airdropped tokens are subject to any lockup period.

    Likelihood of Airdrop: Lamina1 has addressed the community on conducting a token airdrop. They will officially announce the details soon, so stay tuned for future updates!

    Airdropped Token Allocation: The total token supply is yet to be revealed.

    Airdrop Difficulty: For now, the tasks are simply claiming testnet tokens on Lamina1. More features will be released soon. You don’t have to set up a node if you simply want to be a user of the protocol.

    Token Utility: $L1 will be used for transaction fees and staking to secure the network.

    Token Lockup: There is no tokenomics yet.

  • Quai Network ($QUAI) Token Airdrop LIVE: Earn $2000 for Free

    Quai Network ($QUAI) Token Airdrop LIVE: Earn $2000 for Free

    Hunting for crypto airdrops is a great way to make free money. Some people have made as high as $10,000 from the Aptos token airdrop. If you missed it, Quai Network is another upcoming project with airdrop qualifications happening right now. Let’s take a look at what Quai Network is and what you can do to receive their token airdrop before it’s too late!

    Quai Network ($QUAI) Airdrop Step-by-step Guide

    Here’s how to receive a potential Quai Network ($QUAI) token airdrop:

    1. Engage with Quai Network’s Twitter
    2. Engage with Quai Network’s Reddit

    See below for more details

    What is Quai Network?

    Quai Network is a decentralized network of multiple proof-of-work (PoW) blockchains running in unison. These blockchains have native interoperability, allowing for cross-chain transactions and messages. It is also fully EVM compatible, allowing any Solidity contract to be ported and deployed.

    Quai Network provides a novel approach to blockchain scaling, different from parallel processing chains such as Aptos and Sui. It aims to maximize the energy efficiency of PoW by introducing the concept of modularity.

    Proof-of-Work 2.0 (PoW2)

    Quai Network sought to improve upon the PoW consensus mechanism by addressing its environmental concerns. For the longest time, Bitcoin’s PoW algorithm has been infallible, but it also consumes massive amounts of energy. And it will continue to rise as mining difficulty increases after every Bitcoin Halving event. This is why Ethereum switched to proof-of-stake (PoS).

    But Quai Network believes that PoS is inherently centralized due to the amount of money it requires to be a validator, creating a gap between the validator “class” and everyday users. Therefore, Quai Network has introduced an upgraded version of PoW called Proof-of-Work 2.0 (PoW2) where hash power can be reused to secure multiple chains. This is achieved by utilizing a novel combination of merged mining and sharding, reducing computational cost while allowing the network to scale more efficiently.

    Merged Mining

    Merged mining is the process of securing multiple blockchains with one miner, allowing miners to earn rewards in multi cryptos without having to switch between networks or use additional hardware. It was first conceived by Satoshi Nakamoto in the Bitcoin white paper, in which a completely seperate blockchain could share CPU power with Bitcoin, inheriting the same security and decentralization of Bitcoin without requiring dedicated miners.

    Quai Network uses this concept, but instead of having Bitcoin as a parent chain, it has its own parent chain (the Prime Chain) which secures the many other chains beneath it by sharing hashrate. This improves throughput over monolithic chains such as Solana without the need for layer-2 solutions. Moreover, Quai Network is horizontally scalable, which means additional chains can be added to meet network demands. This is possible because of their multi-chain architecture.

    Multi-Chain Architecture

    Quai Network’s architecture makes use of sharding by dividing a single blockchain into multiple smaller and faster blockchains to improve network performance, similar to Ethereum and Polkadot. Its network is divided into a hierarchical structure of three different types of chains. At mainnet launch, Quai Network will begin with the single Prime Chain, three Region Chains, and nine Zone Chains.

    Source: Quai Network
    • Prime Chain

    The Prime Chain is at the core of the entire network, utilizing a hashing algorithm that is shared across all subordinate chains (Region and Zone). It aggregates and settles state transitions across the network, which means miners are required to mine the Prime Chain to keep the blockchains functional.

    However, it has the highest mining difficulty, which means it has the slowest throughput (one block every 15 minutes). Therefore, it is not ideal for simple transactions and DApp activities. It is mostly for use in situations where the whole network is being addressed and securing the network.

    • Region Chains

    There are three Region Chains at mainnet launch: Cyprus, Paxos, and Hydra. These chains have lower mining difficulty, thus a higher throughput than the Prime Chain (one block every 5 minutes). These chains handle lesser network interactions that are not necessary to address the entire network. They can also interact natively on the network, but each require unique mining power. Therefore, a miner can only mine a single Region Chain at a time, in addition to the Prime Chain.

    • Zone Chains

    At mainnet launch, each Region Chain will have three Zone Chains under it. These Zone Chains have the highest throughput (one block per 10 seconds) and TPS capacity, making them ideal for regular transactions and contract interactions. As such, most activity on Quai Network will occur on Zone Chains. They are also able to interact with other Zone chains, even those under different Region Chains. But similar to Region Chains, miners can only select one Zone Chain to mine.

    • Coincident Blocks

    Coincident Blocks tie the whole hierarchal structure together, linking all chains which enables cross-chain state transfers and periodic pegging of all chains to the Prime Chain’s total work. These blocks allow the entire network to inherit the same security of the Prime Chain, governed by three rules:

    1. All Prime blocks must contain a Region and Zone block.
    2. All Region blocks must contain a Zone block.
    3. Zone blocks can be mined asynchronously without being included in a Prime or Region coincident block.
    Source: Quai Network

    Basically, a Coincident block occurs when (1) a Prime, Region, and Zone block are confirmed at the same time OR (2) when just a Region and Zone block. Each time a Coincident block is mined, all blocks since the last coincident block are then confirmed by the Region Chain, continuing upwards until the Prime Chain — think of it as a roll call. Therefore, chains lower in the hierarchy can inherit the security of the Prime Chain while still conducting independent activities.

    Who is the Team behind Quai Network?

    Quai Network is developed by Dominant Strategies, a technology development company based in Austin. The company was co-founded in 2019 by Alan Orwick, Jonathan Downing, Karl Kreder, Yanni Georghiades, and Sriram Vishwanath, all of whom worked together in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at the University of Texas. They co-wrote and published the white paper for Quai Network in December 2021.

    Dominant Strategies has raised $10 million over two funding rounds — $8 million from Polychain Capital in March 2022 and $2 million from Alumni Ventures in May 2022.

    Does Quai Network have a Token?

    Yes. $QUAI will be used to ensure network security and as an exchange of value in the ecosystem. Their token supply is hard-capped but its total number is not yet determined. According to their tokenomics, 25% is distributed as “adoption incentives”, 3% for “community” and 0.5% for “testnet incentives.” This means token airdrop opportunities for early users of Quai Network!

    Source: Quai Network

    How to Receive Quai Network ($QUAI) Token Airdrop?

    Quai Network has a Social Media Rewards Program that will airdrop $QUAI tokens for engaging with their Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, and Instagram. Compared to other projects, this is one of the easiest ways to earn free tokens.

    To begin, join their Discord server and follow their Twitter account. Afterwards, you can check your rewards on the Quai Dashboard. If you have a Citizen role in their Discord server, you will have a 1.5x multiplier for your $QUAI rewards. You can obtain it by completing their survey here. It is easy to do if you have some degree of understanding of the project.

    From here on out, Quai Network will reward you $QUAI tokens for your engagement with their social media platforms. As of now, only Twitter and Reddit rewards are available. YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram rewards will be available soon.

    • Twitter
    1. Follow Quai Network.
    2. Follow additional team accounts.
    3. Liking and retweeting Quai Network’s Tweets that are less than seven days old (limited to twice a day).
    4. Make a Tweet mentioning Quai Network. Original and insightful Tweets that are liked or replied by Quai Network will grant you additional rewards.
    • Reddit
    1. Make a unique post in their channel (limited to twice a day).
    2. Make a post about Quai Network in another approved crypto-related Subreddit (limited to twice a day).

    It is worth noting that your account must have more than 50 post/comment karma, and the post must be approved by their team. Therefore, it will some time for your rewards to show if you make a post on Reddit.

    Quai Airdrop Review

    When reviewing an airdrop, there are several factors to consider. First, the likelihood the project will even do an airdrop in the first place. Then, to look at how many tokens the project intends to allocate towards airdrop campaigns, as well as the difficulty in participating in their airdrop. It is also important to look at the utility of the token so that there will be an actual use and purpose in participating in the airdrop in the first place. Finally, a factor to consider when reviewing an airdrop is whether the airdropped tokens are subject to any lockup period.

    Likelihood of Airdrop: Quai Network’s token airdrop is now live!

    Airdropped Token Allocation: According to Quai’s tokenomics, 25% will be distributed as “adoption incentives”, 3% for “community” and 0.5% for “testnet incentives.” This could mean token airdrop opportunities for early users of Quai Network!

    Airdrop Difficulty: Quai Network has a Social Media Rewards Program that will airdrop $QUAI tokens for engaging with their social media accounts on Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, and Instagram. This is one of the easiest ways to earn free tokens compared to other projects!

    Token Utility:  The $QUAI token will be used to ensure network security and as an exchange of value in the ecosystem.

    Token Lockup: Participants of Quai Network’s Social Media Rewards Program will receive their $QUAI tokens upon Quai Network’s Mainnet Launch

  • Aptos vs Sui Blockchain: Similarities and Differences

    Aptos vs Sui Blockchain: Similarities and Differences

    Which Layer 1 Blockchain is “Better”?

    In the past year, layer 1 (L1) blockchains have exploded, facilitating ecosystem pumps throughout the market. L1s have become a viable alternative blockchain to Ethereum, the OG. They offer better scalability, lower fees, native DApps, risky meme tokens, massive APYs and more.

    As smart investors, we know that when an ecosystem is performing well, its underlying token is a great opportunity to make substantial profits. And with the Solana and Nomad hack happening recently, other L1s have become increasingly popular as investors are looking for a more secure and innovative blockchain.

    Aptos and Sui are among the most discussed L1s recently, with many venture capitals (VC) expressing investment interest in them.

    Both show a lot of promise to blockchain veterans as these web3 startups are formed by ex-Meta (formerly Facebook) blockchain developers as well as their infrastructure being based on Meta’s abandoned blockchain intiative, Diem.

    However, both teams have vastly different approaches to tackling the issue of blockchain scalability. In this article, we will compare and contrast Aptos and Sui, and consider which L1 blockchain you should be more bullish on.

    What is 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 behind Aptos, also known as Aptos Labs, consists of an impressive group of PhDs, researchers, engineers, designers and strategists. Moreover, the team at Aptos has been aggresively expanding. They recently acquired several former Solana staff, most notably Austin Virts, former Head of Marketing at Solana.

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

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

    What is Sui?

    Sui is co-founded by Evan Cheng (CEO), Sam Blackshear (CTO), Adeniyi Abiodun (CPO), and George Danezis (Chief Scientist). They were former senior leaders of Meta’s advanced blockchain research and development organization.

    They were responsible for creating some of the most advanced open source components such as the programming language, execution engine and cryptography of the Diem blockchain.

    Sui is a decentralized, permissionless L1 blockchain designed to allow creators and developers to build experiences for web3 users. Similar to Aptos, its proof-of-stake network will scale horizontally and organise data such that transactions are executed in parallel. This greatly reduces computational power and transaction costs.

    Although both Aptos and Sui use Move as their programming language, their versions differ from each other, as such that their infrastructure operates distinctively on a fundamental level.

    See also: Sui Blockchain Guide: Revolutionary Scalability Solution?

    Aptos vs Sui Comparison

    Programming Language

    Both Aptos and Sui use Move, a Rust-based programming language, for parallel execution, but Sui uses has a different version of it.

    In short, Move is an executable bytecode language used to create smart contracts as well as custom transactions on the blockchain. According to Diem’s whitepaper on Move, it focuses on two major digital assets: scarcity and access control. Scarcity imposes limitations on asset creations, preventing any double-spending, while access control manages ownership and privileges.

    It differs from other programming language like Solidity because of its use of resources, which is drawn from the mathematical concept of linear logic. In linear logic, formulas are treated as fundamental resources that can only be used once. In the case of Move, “a resource can never be copied or implicitly discarded, only moved between program storage locations“, hence their name “Move”. This mechanism was designed to maximize security without adding complications to transactions, reducing gas fees.

    Aptos generally follows the textbook design of Diem’s whitepaper. On the other hand, Sui has a slightly different object model from Aptos. Its storage system is object-centric, which means that you can see most things on the blockchain, including addresses and transactions. These are represented as “objects.”

    Sui’s version of Move makes it clear when an object is owned, shared, mutable or immutable, whereas Aptos does not. Moreover, Sui’s ownership API is cleaner than that of Aptos, as it shows the blockchain design more clearly.

    Architecture

    Though both Aptos and Sui use proof-of-stake as their consensus mechanism, the consensus algorithm behind it is different.

    Aptos employs parallelization by dynamically detecting dependencies and scheduling execution tasks using BlockSTM, which is a derivative of the HotStuff consensus protocol.

    Sui implements Narwhal and Tusk as their consensus algorithm, which is a DAG-based (directed acyclic graph) mempool used for parallelization at the execution layer. The protocol is asynchronous which means it can withstand DoS (denial of service) attacks.

    In terms of security, Sui has a slight edge over Aptos.

    Scalability

    Instead of home validator case or large-scale decentralization, both Aptos and Sui aim to optimize scalability by maximizing network capacity, similar to Solana. However, the bottleneck would most likely be state growth in the ecosystem.

    To address the state growth bottleneck, Aptos prioritizes heterogeneous validators (constrained CPU and storage), whereas Sui plans to shard data storage efficiently, and scale its resources horizontally.

    Tokenomics

    There are five major components of the Sui economic model:

    Sui blockchain’s economic model (Source: Medium)

    SUI token: SUI is the native coin of Sui.
    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: In order to compensate future validators for the storage expenses of previously stored on-chain data, Sui’s storage fund is used to distribute stake rewards over time.
    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.

    On the other hand, Aptos has no coin yet and its whitepaper has yet to be published. However, Aptos has launched their testnet in March and its developer community has been very active. For more information on their testnet development, you can read our previous article here.

    Funding

    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.

    Sui is fast catching up after its latest Series B funding round in September 2022. Mysten Labs, the company behind Sui closed a US$300 million fundraise in this round. This brings Sui to a combined raise of US$36 million so far, after adding up the $36 million from Series A. Sui also states that they are currently valued at over US$2 billion.

    Development Status

    Aptos launched its Mainnet in October 2022 and developers can now build on Aptos. They are also currently working on improving the gas schedule in 3 parts. In the short term, to have dynamic NFT gas reduction. Then, in the medium term, to have gas-efficient data structures. Finally, the long-term plan is to adopt demand-driven gas costs.

    Sui has recently finished their Sui Testnet Wave 2. Their Sui wallet is also up and running, albeit in the Devenet stage. Nevertheless, you can install the Sui wallet and request Devnet SUI tokens to try out the wallet. The Sui wallet currently has features such as sending, staking, and minting their Capy NFTs. Users can also register their domain name on Sui Name Service. (https://casadelninobilingual.com/)

    Conclusion

    It is still too early to say which one you should be more bullish on. Both projects have been developing rapidly and have done an excellent job of optimizing its current design. But whatever the case is, Move technology is most likely here to stay as it shows a lot of promise in blockchain scalability and security.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Is Aptos blockchain the same or related to Sui blockchain?

    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 blockchain better than Sui blockchain?

    It is still too early to say which one you should be more bullish on. Both projects have been developing rapidly and have done an excellent job of optimizing its current design. But whatever the case is, Move technology is most likely here to stay as it shows a lot of promise in blockchain scalability and security.

    Is Sui blockchain better than Aptos blockchain?

    It is still too early to say which one you should be more bullish on. Both projects have been developing rapidly and have done an excellent job of optimizing its current design. But whatever the case is, Move technology is most likely here to stay as it shows a lot of promise in blockchain scalability and security.

    What are the similarities between Aptos and Sui blockchain?

    Both Aptos and Sui use Move, a Rust-based programming language, for parallel execution on the blockchain, but Sui has a slightly version of it than Aptos.

    What are the differences between Aptos and Sui blockchain?

    Sui’s version of Move programming language makes it clear when an object is owned, shared, mutable or immutable, whereas Aptos does not. And although both blockchains use proof-of-stake as their consensus mechanism, the consensus algorithm behind it is different. Aptos uses BlockSTM for parallel executions, which is a derivative of HotStuff protocol, whereas Sui uses Narwhal and Tusk, a DAG-based mempool used for parallelization at the execution layer.

  • 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.

  • Visa Auto-Payment on Ethereum: The Complete guide

    Visa Auto-Payment on Ethereum: The Complete guide

    Visa on Ethereum Blockchain

    Visa payment is proposing to use Ethereum and Smart Contracts as an Auto-payments platform in order to increase efficiency and speed. The company published a technical paper detailing its plan to develop an automatic payment system for self-custodial wallets on the Ethereum network. This would enable Ethereum users to schedule auto-payments from their own self-custodial wallets, making online bill payments possible via blockchains. This comes at a very critical time as Ethereum is currently in a series of network upgrades, dubbed “Ethereum 2.0“, that will drastically increase its network efficiency and capacity.

    Visa is also innovating using Ethereum’s account abstraction — combining Ethereum’s user accounts and smart contracts into one account type which allows smart contract functions including pre-scheduled executions for recurring payments. This not only progresses blockchain technology but also brings real-world applications for the general public.

    Limited Payment Options on Blockchain Networks

    Existing blockchain infrastructures do not have the core functionality for auto-payments. In order to send funds to another address, all crypto users must generate a cryptographic signature via their private key. This is an example of push payments, where a payment transaction is manually triggered by the payer. It requires time and attention from the payer.

    On the other hand, there is pull payments, where a payment transaction is triggered by the payee. Automatic online bill payments are an example of this. Most of our recurring payments today are done directly on mobile banking applications or charged on our credit/debit cards. It is very convenient as users do not have to manually settle bills every month.

    Large blockchain networks such as Bitcoin and Ethereum support push payments but do not natively support pull payments. Additionally, users might be unwilling to hand over their private keys to a third-party custodian for monthly bill payments. Therefore, Visa has found a solution to enable pull payments on Ethereum, giving users full control over their scheduled payments.

    Smart Contract Auto-Payments

    Visa leverages the concept of Ethereum’s account abstraction to provide self-custodial wallets with automatic recurring payment capability. Instead of hard-coding validity conditions into the Ethereum protocol that applies to all transactions, validity conditions can be programmed in a customizable way into a smart contract on a per-account basis. This means that users would be able to create a whitelist of pre-approved auto-payments on a “delegable account.” This would not require the owner’s signature every time a payment is made.

    Furthermore, Visa also believes account abstraction has other real-world applications beyond just recurring payment such as account recovery services, multi-owner accounts or even public accounts where anyone could make a transaction. But the technology is still nascent and a lot of research needs to be done around fundamental aspects important for digital payments such as security and scalability, which are crucial for crypto adoption.

    Other payment competitors

    As one of the world’s largest payment networks, Visa is actively getting involved in the crypto ecosystem, looking for ways to expand their capabilities within blockchain payments. This could be a huge step towards mass adoption as traditional financial leaders are seeing the potential of crypto in the long-term future of digital payments.

    In fact, more and more global financial services are getting involved in the crypto ecosystem. Last week, PayPal is partnering with MetaMask to allow users to purchase ETH directly in their wallet via PayPal. On another note, Cash App, the number one finance app in the App Store, has also added support for transactions via the Bitcoin Lightning Network.

    FAQ

    What is Visa proposing?

    Visa is proposing a technical paper detailing their plan to develop an automatic payment system for self-custodial wallets on the Ethereum network. This would enable Ethereum users to schedule auto-payments from their own self-custodial wallets, making online bill payments possible via blockchains.

    How does Visa’s solution work?

    Visa leverages the concept of Ethereum’s account abstraction to provide self-custodial wallets with automatic recurring payment capability. Instead of hard-coding validity conditions into the Ethereum protocol that applies to all transactions, validity conditions can be programmed in a customizable way into a smart contract on a per-account basis. This means that users would be able to create a whitelist of pre-approved auto-payments on a “delegable account.”

    What are the benefits of Visa’s solution?

    Visa’s solution would enable pull payments on Ethereum, giving users full control over their scheduled payments. It also has other real-world applications beyond just recurring payment such as account recovery services, multi-owner accounts or even public accounts where anyone could make a transaction.

    What other companies are getting involved in the crypto ecosystem?

    PayPal is partnering with MetaMask to allow users to purchase ETH directly in their wallet via PayPal. Cash App, the number one finance app in the App Store, has also added support for transactions via the Bitcoin Lightning Network.

    What is the potential impact of Visa’s solution?

    Visa’s solution could be a huge step towards mass adoption as traditional financial leaders are seeing the potential of crypto in the long-term future of digital payments. It could also open up more real-world applications for the general public.

  • The Flippening: Will Ethereum Overtake Bitcoin in 2023?

    The Flippening: Will Ethereum Overtake Bitcoin in 2023?

    The Flippening Narrative: Bitcoin vs Ethereum

    The concept of the “Flippening” has been increasingly gaining traction in the crypto space. It refers to the hypothetical moment when Ethereum (ETH) surpasses Bitcoin (BTC) as the most valuable cryptocurrency by market capitalization. The Flippening is important because it would signify a major shift in the overall direction of the crypto landscape, signalling a change in investor sentiment and adoption patterns.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lQ8bz9QRBo

    While the Flippening is not set in stone, there are compelling data that indicate it is coming, and sooner than you think… Here’s why:

    The Case for Bitcoin

    Being the world’s first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin has maintained its throne on the crypto market since its genesis block in 2009. It is often considered as the safest digital store of value by investors, with its limited supply structure similar to the scarcity of gold, hence its nickname “digital gold.” As such, Bitcoin is usually the primary choice of cryptocurrency for financial institutions looking to get involved. As far as mainstream adoption goes, Bitcoin has led the way so far.

    However, Bitcoin’s Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus model is highly energy-intensive, sparking criticisms of the network’s impact on the environment. Additionally, the usage of Bitcoin is only limited to exchanging and storing value. This is where Ethereum has much more to offer.

    The Case for Ethereum

    As the second most valuable cryptocurrency, Ethereum is designed to be used as the foundation of a decentralized, blockchain-based internet — an idea that is become known as Web3. Apart from exchanging and storing value, Ethereum introduced smart contract functionalities that allows developers to do all kinds of innovative and creative things on the network. This brought about a proliferation of financial products that have enabled a much broader range of investors.

    Ethereum earned its nickname “digital oil” because it is a utility-based asset like oil, fuel or gas, and its value is largely dictated by supply and demand mechanisms. Similar to how the world’s global supply chain is fueled by crude oil, Ethereum lays at the heart of the Decentralized Finance (DeFi) space as well as GameFi and Non-Fungible Token (NFT) market. And as the Web3 landscape progresses, demand will increase as more and more people are recognizing the potential of a decentralized internet. It is only a matter of time when Web2 evolves to Web3, and Ethereum is at the centre of that.

    Do “Ethereum Killers” Hinder the Flippening?

    It is worth noting that Ethereum faces competition from other prominent layer-1 blockchains such as Aptos, Cardano, Solana, BNB Chain, Polkadot, and Avalanche. There is a trending “Ethereum Killer” narrative in which user adoption will be distributed amongst these blockchains instead of focusing on Ethereum only. However, most of these blockchains in fact depend on Ethereum, as one way or another they are associated with the network’s smart contract. As shown in the image below by Cryptowatch, all of the top layer-1 blockchains are closely correlated with Ethereum’s price action.

    Source: Cryptowatch

    Comparing Market Share between Bitcoin and Ethereum

    As of 11th January 2023, Ethereum’s market share increased by 3% among global crypto assets, signalling its dominance on the rise. According to Coinmarketcap, Ethereum’s market dominance is at 19%, valued at around $856 billion. On another note, Coingecko’s metrics were slightly different, indicating Ethereum’s dominance at 18.3%. But both aggregation websites show that Bitcoin’s market dominance is decreasing, from 40% to 38%.

    It is unclear whether this trend will continue, but according to data sourced from Blockchain Center, the Flippening has been on an uptrend since July 2021. And we are nearly halfway for it to happen. It is also worth noting that Ethereum came closest to the Flippening in 2017, when Bitcoin’s market dominance’s dropped by 40.6% and Ethereum took over 32% of the market amidst the situation.

    Source: blockchaincenter.net

    In reference to the data provided by Blockchain Center, there are also other metrics apart from market cap that determines the Flippening. As of now, Bitcoin is still by far superior in trading volume, which is a crucial metric for adoption usage. However, Ethereum has Bitcoin beat in active addresses, transaction count and volume, and total USD transaction fees.

    Outperformance of Ethereum will be primarily driven by the strength of its post-Merge fundamentals. The upcoming Shanghai Upgrade will significantly reduce the risk and opportunity cost of staking ETH, which is likely to attract participation from more crypto users.

    Key Takeaway

    Despite Ethereum’s increasing adoption and market dominance, Bitcoin still reigns supreme in the crypto space. In fact, Bitcoin saw significant adoption in 2021-2022 from retail and institutional investors, public companies, and even countries. As of now, El Savador and the Central African Republic (CAR) have adopted Bitcoin as a legal currency. This is a monumental step towards mainstream adoption.

    But that is not to say the Flippening will never happen — it is certainly a possibility. After all, both Bitcoin and Ethereum have different visions. Bitcoin aims to become the global reserve currency, whereas Ethereum aims to become the infrastructure of a global digital economy. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) applies to both assets, but it all comes down to supply and demand mechanisms. If demand in digital money is higher, then Bitcoin dominates. But if demand in utility-based asset in building out a decentralized ecosystem is higher, then Ethereum is generally favored.

  • DCEP: China’s National Digital Currency Overview

    DCEP: China’s National Digital Currency Overview

    What is DCEP?

    China’s national digital currency DCEP (Digital Currency Electronic Payment, DC/EP) will be built with Blockchain and Cryptographic technology. This revolutionary cryptocurrency could become the world’s first Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) as it is issued by the state bank People’s Bank of China (PBoC). The goal and objectives of the currency are to increase the circulation of the RMB and its international reach – with eventual hopes that the RMB will a global currency like the US Dollar. China has recently established an initiative to push forward Blockchain adoption, with the goal of beating competitors like Facebook Libra – a currency that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg claims will become the next big FinTech innovation. China has made explicit that Facebook Libra poses a threat to the sovereignty of China, insisting that digital currencies should only be issued by governments and central banks. DCEP is not listed on cryptocurrency exchanges and will not be for speculation of value.

    DCEP: Will China DOMINATE digital currencies?
    Name:
    DCEP
    Creator:
    China
    Governance:
    Centralized
    Total Supply:
    Unlimited
    Backing Value:
    RMB
    Name:
    Libra
    Creator:
    Facebook
    Governance:
    Centralized
    Total Supply:
    Unlimited
    Backing Value:
    Currency Basket
    Name:
    Bitcoin
    Creator:
    Satoshi
    Governance:
    Decentralized
    Total Supply:
    21,000,000
    Backing Value:
    Energy

    To learn more about Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies and generally how to get started. Check out my course created in collaboration with Jeff Kirdeikis of Uptrennd- Bitcademy: Learn, Invest & Trade Bitcoin – In Under an Hour

    Why is China coming up with a digital currency?

    The significance of DCEP is that it’s designed as a replacement for the Reserve Money (M0) system, cutting back the cost and friction of bank transfers. It is suggested that DCEP will alleviate the risks of offline paper money transactions such as anonymous counterfeiting, money laundering and illegal financing. This is because regulators can better monitor digital currency transactions, which some consider will greatly improve financial and monetary supervision. DCEP can also reduce the costs involved in maintaining and recycling banknotes and coins.

    Basically, DCEP is poised to become a digital version of the RMB.

    Furthermore, the issuance of DCEP is conducive to promoting the internationalization of the RMB and reshaping the current cross-border payment system. This is because prior to the RMB Cross-Border Inter-Bank Payments System (CIPS) going live in early October 2015, RMB cross-border clearing and settlement was mainly done through CHIPS (Clearing House Interbank Payments System) or SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication). However, some consider that both the CHIPS and SWIFT systems have fatal flaws. Firstly, CHIPS is a US company. Whilst SWIFT, in particular, is seen as a cause for concern to the Chinese because due to its foothold in the international banking system, it is almost essential to use SWIFT for inter-bank transfers across countries. Thus whoever controls SWIFT’s data center will have access to information on almost every cross-border remittance, which some in China posit is the US. This is because whilst SWIFT claims to be a neutral international organization, 12 of the 25 directors are either from the US and her allies. Also, its transactional data were found to have been supplied to the US. Hence it is thought that China is being held back by the US via the SWIFT system, and so, in internationalizing the RMB- China requires its own worldwide banking system- i.e. DCEP.

    Hence the Chinese consider that it is a requirement to form a new currency clearing network.

    According to Chinese media, DCEP is seen as the “3rd Wave” aimed at the US.

    A mandate to adopt Blockchain

    China has established a countrywide initiative to push forward Blockchain Adoption. President Xi Jinping has mandated that the ‘country’s development of blockchain technology should be sped up ‘ on Oct 24th in front of the Political Bureau. This speech has also been echoed by Li Wei, head of the People’s Bank of China. In April of 2020, China launched the Blockchain Service Network to unify all the Blockchain related projects in the Nation.

    China has adopted the “Blockchain, not Cryptocurrency”, whereby the benefits of Blockchain is highlighted. On the other hand, cryptocurrencies that are native to Blockchain are suppressed as Cryptocurrency Exchanges and ICOs are banned in the country.

    History and development of DCEP

    Development of DCEP started in 2014 with the establishment of a research institute dedicated to digital currencies and looking at how to improve the Chinese Yuan system with blockchain technology. However during 2014 to 2018, the development process slowed down, probably because the decentralised nature of Bitcoin or blockchain is incompatible with the nature of the Renminbi as a legal national currency. Things rapidly picked up towards the end of 2019 however and this was directly attributable to Facebook preparing to launch Libra, particularly as partner members of the Libra Association and the currencies which Libra was to be backed by had consciously rejected China. Hence, feeling the heat of the competition, China’s central bank felt immense pressure to urgently speed up in the global competition towards a digital currency.

    Former Vice-chair of the PBoC’s National Council for Social Security Fund announced on 22nd June 2020 that China had already completed the backend infrastructure of DCEP.

    Uses for DCEP

    DCEP is a currency created and sanctioned by the Chinese Government. It is not a 3rd party stable coin such as Tether’s cryptocurrency token “CNHT” which is also pegged to the RMB in a 1:1 ratio. DCEP is the only legal digital currency in China (cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are not legal tender in China).

    Huang Qifan (Chairman of the China International Economic Exchange Center) said they have been working on DCEP for five to six years now and is fully confident it can be introduced as the country’s financial system. It’s currently being rolled out, with the People’s Bank of China issuing the currency. According to a speech by Huang at the China Finance 40 Forum, “DCEP can achieve real-time collection of data related to money creation, bookkeeping, etc, providing useful reference for the provision of money and the implementation of monetary policies.”

    DCEP is not for speculation

    China has made it explicitly clear that its National Digital Currency is not for speculation. Mu Changchun, Head of the People’s Bank of China digital currency institute made it as “a digital form of the yuan” and that “The currency is not for speculation. It is different to Bitcoin or stable tokens”. This is to the disappointment of the online community in China, where some netizens commented “So there will be no fun in it” on Sina.com.

    It is also not possible to mine DCEP or stake on the DCEP network.

    Cross-border payments with m-CBDC Bridge

    China has joined forces to explore cross-border payments for digital currencies alongside Hong Kong, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the Bank of International Settlements (BIS). 

    According to a joint statement in February 2021, the People’s Bank of China and the UAE’s central bank are taking part in the Multiple Central Bank Digital Currency (m-CBDC) Bridge project initiated by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and Bank of Thailand in 2019. 

    The m-CBDC Bridge project will explore the capabilities of distributed ledger technology, through the development of a proof-of-concept prototype. The project ultimately aims to facilitate cross-border, multi-currency, real-time transactions around the clock. 

    This move aligns with China’s long-term ambition to use DCEP to boost the use of RMB in international payments. While the project is currently an alliance between just Beijing, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Abu Dhabi, it is strongly supported by the BIS, an organisation owned by 63 central banks.

    The announcement also comes mere weeks after China’s joint venture with SWIFT, the dominant network facilitating international payments between banks. The new entity, Finance Gateway Information Service, was registered in Beijing on January 16 with €10 million (US$12 million) as incorporation capital, according to the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System, the Chinese government’s enterprise credit information agency.

    Special features of DCEP

    DCEP is a Centralized Currency

    DCEP is a digital currency that is run on a centralized private network – the Central Bank of China has complete access and control of the currency. This is a huge contrast to Bitcoin, which has an open decentralized network where there is no centralized leader. In the case with DCEP, the Central bank of China has the ability to create or destroy DCEP.

    NFC Contact based payment

    According to Official Sina Blockchain, DCEP will have NFC based payment options that don’t require devices to be online during the transfer. This will be poised as a direct replacement of paper money, as DCEP will be usable in areas without internet coverage. In addition, DCEP doesn’t require the mobile device to be bound to a bank account – meaning the unbanked population will also have access to the digital currency.

    With DCEP’s tap payment feature people can transfer money simply by tapping two phones together, without the use of the Internet. So DCEP is not exactly like blockchain either, rather it is their own variant.

    China Construction Bank launches DCEP wallet

    On 29th August 2020, China Construction Bank (CCB) had a soft launch of the DCEP wallet. Users of one of China’s big four state-owned commercial banks found a DCEP wallet feature was available inside their mobile app. Users were even able to navigate to the digital yuan wallet and activate it through registering their mobile phone numbers.

    Finally, users can send/receive digital currency to others by inputting their unique wallet ID or the phone number associated with the bank account.

    CCB DCEP wallet
    CCB DCEP wallet

    However, CCB has disabled the DCEP wallet feature from public access, but not before it gained huge attention. Users searching for this wallet now will only get an error message saying that the function is not yet officially available to the public.

    Tencent to be a major partner of DCEP

    Tencent’s Meituan Dianping has been in talks with the research wing of the PBoC on real-world uses for DCEP. Meituan Dianping boasts billions of dollars in daily transactions on their mobile app platform offering services such as food delivery (similar to UberEats), B&B bookings (similar to AirBnb), ride hailing services, bike sharing, grocery shopping and more. Basically for those in China, all your daily necessities can be met on the Meituan ecosystem.

    The PBoC’s research wing is also in talks with another Tencent-backed company, Bilibili Inc. which provides video streaming services. So whilst the specifics of the partnership are yet to be finalised, it is likely that such cooperation is going to be huge for the mass use of DCEP in China.

    Meituan ecosystem
    Meituan ecosystem (Image credits: GGVCAPITAL)

    Deployment and Distribution

    According to Caijing magazine, the pilot institutions for DCEP will be the 4 major state-owned banks i.e. China Construction Bank, the Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. This initial deployment will serve as an official production test for the currency system, where the network and security will be validated. In the second phase, DCEP will be distributed to large fintech companies such as Tencent and Alibaba to be used in WeChat Pay and AliPay respectively.

    DCEP will operate on a two-tiered system

    The issuance and distribution of DCEP will be based on a two-tiered system.

    The first tier would be transactions between the PBoC and intermediaries. These intermediaries would be financial institutions (e.g. the 4 major state-owned banks i.e. China Construction Bank, the Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China) and non-financial institutions such as Alibaba, Tencent and UnionPay. Here, the PBoC would issue DCEP to the intermediaries.

    The second tier would be between the above-mentioned intermediaries and participants in the retail market such as companies (e.g. retail stores) and individuals. In this tier, the intermediaries that have received DCEP will distribute it to retail participants so that it would circulate through the market e.g. through people purchasing items at stores etc.

    The main difference in the issuance and distribution of DCEP compared to traditional cash however is the fact that DCEP would be transferred through electronic wallets, rather than bank accounts.

    DCEP two-tiered system
    DCEP would operate on a two-tiered system (Image credit: https://www.rieti.go.jp/en/china/19122701.html)

    Merchants must accept DCEP

    The central government has mandated that all merchants who accepted digital payments (such as Apple Pay, AliPay and WeChat) pay must accept DCEP. This will give DCEP a large nationwide acceptance in China, with every merchant obligated to participate or face a potential loss of their business license. This will make DCEP the most accepted digital currency in the world.

    DCEP red packets to be launched for Chinese New Year

    China’s DCEP app has launched a red packet gifting feature in time for the Chinese New Year on 22nd January 2023. The app will allow users to send the red packets i.e. “hongbao” containing DCEP to others. This is based on the Chinese New Year tradition of gifting lucky money during the annual festival. In fact, WeChat Pay and Alipay already have this feature for gifting CNY. However, it is the first time that e-CNY will be gifted in such a way, with hopes that this will further pave the way for the mass adoption of DCEP.

    DCEP can be used to pay expressway tolls

    On 28th December 2022, Chongqing Expressway Group announced it has completed the installation of equipment to accept DCEP for expressway tolls. From 30th December 2022, DCEP can be accepted as payment for tolls on the Chongqing Expressway. Users will need to download the e-CNY app and then simply present the payment QR code at the toll booth.

    PBoC’s financial statistics reports now include DCEP/e-CNY

    On 10th January 2023, the PBoC released its annual Financial Statistics Report for 2022. What is worth noting is that for the first time, the PBoC included statistics on DCEP/e-CNY. The Report states that as of the end of December 2022, the amount of digital currency in circulation was 13.61 billion yuan. This equates to around 0.13% of the total balance of yuan (13.61 trillion yuan) in circulation at the end of 2022.

    Are people in China using DCEP?

    According to a report on 28th December 2022, there has been over US$14 billion worth of DCEP transactions since its launch in 2020. Meanwhile, 261 million users have already set up an e-CNY wallet. However, this is considered low adoption since around 903.6 million people use mobile payments in China, according to a 2021 UnionPay report.

    DCEP scams

    Mere hours after DCEP has been announced, various (potentially scam) Chinese exchanges have listed IOUs or knock-offs clones of DCEP. It’s important to know that DCEP is currently only distributed to banks working with the PBoC and will not be available for the public. If you want to find out what are reputable exchanges, check out our top cryptocurrency exchanges guide. It is strongly recommended NOT to trade DCEP until it is officially released as there is no guarantee exchanges have access to the digital currency.

    Knock-off clones of DCEP are already trading in (potentially) scam exchanges.

    How to buy DCEP?

    Currently, DCEP is only available to other banks working with the People’s Bank of China. This will eventually open up to the general public in 2020. There are currently no cryptocurrency exchanges that trade DCEP.

    Implications of DCEP?

    Is DCEP a challenge to the US monetary system?

    The overwhelming view appears to be yes, both from the Chinese and the US perspective. According to statistics from the World Bank, 1.7 billion adults around the world use cash because they don’t have bank accounts. However, two-thirds of this population own a mobile phone, which can be used to make monetary transactions. This is what’s been happening in China, where mobile payments such as Alipay or WeChat Pay have more than 1.7 billion customers across China. Currently, the two online payment companies handle more payments monthly than Paypal did in the whole of 2017 (i.e. USD $451 billion). It’s very common in China to see street vendors accepting Alipay or WeChat pay.

    Alipay and WeChat being accepted at an ATV rental shop

    With the mobile wallet payment infrastructure in place, their cooperation with the PBoC could be the answer to distributing DCEP overseas. This would fit China’s “Belt and Road Initiative”, the aim of which is to build a new trade route connecting Asia with Europe and Africa. The idea is that with DCEP being used by mobile wallets, populations along the Belt and Road can be connected, bypassing existing financial infrastructures completely and giving an opportunity for the unbanked to pay for online purchases and build their savings.

    In the US, the government does not see a demand for digital currencies. In a letter from the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, he took the view that many of the challenges a digital currency intends to solve do not apply to the US. In his view, the US payments landscape is already highly competitive and innovative, with plenty of digital payments options for consumers. Powell also commented, echoing the sentiments of those US lawmakers opposing Libra, that a digital payment where you would know and be able to track each and every payment would be unattractive for the US.

    Whilst the House Committee on Financial Services also sees Libra as potentially raising national security concerns, observers consider the challenge from China is not being taken seriously. Because on the other hand, China is worried that Libra will reinforce the dominance of the US Dollar and is therefore working on fast-tracking the launch of DCEP. And it is likely that China will outrun the threat from Libra.

    From a wider perspective, some take the view that DCEP can be used as a weapon against the US in an economic war. This is because as DCEP becomes accepted across the Belt and Road, China will have the power of total surveillance and control over the economic activity of potentially half the world’s population. DCEP will allow China to track everyone’s spending and transactions, and can seize or lock customers’ digital assets in their mobile wallets. We’ve already seen this in China, where together with its “social credit system”, millions of individuals have already been barred from purchasing airline tickets using their mobile wallets.

    Appearance on Chinese television debate show “Tiger Talk”

    On 29th August 2020, I appeared on China’s Phoenix Television show “Tiger Talk” (一虎一席談). Tiger Talk is one of Phoenix TV’s longest-running shows, each week they feature a debate on a major societal issue or event, and would invite experts, academics and guests to participate in the discussion. I was invited by Phoenix Television as an overseas analyst to discuss the topic of the week, namely, “DC/EP: China’s release of digital currency, will it shake the US Dollar’s hegemony?”. You can watch the episode here.

    Boxmining Tiger Talk
    Guest appearance on Tiger Talk

    Implications of DCEP on Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies

    In the first instance, it should always be borne in mind that DCEP and Bitcoin/cryptocurrencies are vastly different. Key differences are that DCEP does not necessarily use blockchain technology and that it is a centralised currency under the control of a centralised authority. Learn more about the differences between DCEP, Libra, Bitcoin and Cash.

    However, the large scale promotion of DCEP on national television in August 2020 is certainly bracing and preparing Chinese citizens for a digital version of the RMB. The gradual rollout of DCEP will also get the average citizen accustomed to the actual usage of digital currencies.

    As a result, many people are excitedly speculating on the possibility of a bridge between DCEP and various existing blockchain projects- with some projects proclaiming they will be the first project to launch on DCEP. However it must be borne in mind that we do not know the full technical details of DCEP, so we do not know how this bridge between blockchain and DCEP will work, if at all. Also, the fact is that China is currently very hostile towards cryptocurrencies, this is mostly due to a number of cryptocurrency scams- such as Plus Token. As a result, the Chinese government have closed several bank accounts found to be involved in cryptocurrency transfers and banned all ICOs, several major cryptocurrency exchanges such as Binance and OKEx and some Over the Counter desks. Hence a lot of cryptocurrency circles and discussions occur underground, such as in private WeChat groups.

    In a confusing twist, however, the CCP’s official media outlets 参考消息, Xinhua and CCTV have been pushing out headlines that crypto assets are the best-performing asset year to date. Dovey Wan, Founding Partner of Primitive Ventures has observed that the real intent behind this media push is difficult to interpret, but so far the Chinese cryptocurrency community see this as a signal that crypto has reached its top. Meanwhile, on the Western front on Twitter, people have been seeing this as a bull signal. Currently, without any further moves or news in China about DCEP or on the cryptocurrency front, we can only wait and see what China’s next move will be.

    Will DeFi push governments to finally adopt CBDCs?

    Decentralised Finance (DeFi) can be considered the cryptocurrency and blockchain star of 2020, having revived the cryptocurrency market and bringing some much-needed revival and positivity. But what is DeFi? In short, DeFi attempts to bring traditional banking to developing industries, but with a twist: it would be open-source, decentralised, cheap and will cut out the middlemen. (Xanax)

    So what can central banks and government do to maintain their dominant status quo whilst benefitting from the technology that DeFi can bring? An answer could be to create a CBDC. In a Forbes article, the author suggests that CBDC would be a positive move for governments since it tokenises money whilst allowing users to enjoy the advantages of cheaper, faster transactions.

    The article also touches upon our coverage of DCEP and discusses China’s progress in testing DCEP contrasted with the progress of introducing a CBDC in the US. It suggests that governments and institutions, however, will need to be quick to catch up as new DeFi solutions in payments, mortgage, insurance etc. are being created weekly, and this legion of fintech innovators are growing. These innovators challenge the status quo, and with the mounting advantages of DeFi, there may soon be a real contender vying for the attention of citizen-consumers.

    FAQs

    Is DCEP backed by Gold?

    The simple answer is u0022Nou0022. On a recent episode of Kitco News, journalist Max Kaiser claimed that China will launch a gold-backed cryptocurrency, with the intention of destroying the USD as a reserve currency. He added that China has already amassed as much as 20,000 tons of gold. However this is mere speculation – China has no plans to return to the Gold Standard nor issue gold-backed cryptocurrencies.

    Will DCEP be interoperable with other Cryptocurrencies

    There are many plans to build gateways that allow the swapping of DCEP to other cryptocurrencies. Projects such as Algorand have stated they want to support DCEP and build possible bridges to swap these currencies. However, as the technical details of DCEP have not been fully revealed, such bridges have not been built yet.

    Who can issue e-CNY?

    There are 7 Chinese commercial banks that can provide e-CNY. They are: ICBC, Agricultural Bank of China, Postal Savings Bank of China China Construction Bank, Bank of China, Bank of Communications, and China Merchant’s Bank. There are also 2 online banks that can provide e-CNY i.e. WeBank (WeChat Pay) and MyBank (Alipay).

    Which Chinese Cities can sign up and use the e-CNY app?

    Currently, there are 12 cities and areas in China which can sign up and use the e-CNY app. They are Shenzhen, Suzhou, Beijing Xiong’an, Chengdu, Shanghai, Hainan, Xi’an, Changsha, Dalian, Qingdao, and Zhangjiakou.

    Can tourists or non- Chinese locals use DCEP?

    No, DCEP is not fully rolled out yet and is only available in select cities in China.

    Is China using DCEP?

    According to a report on 28th December 2022, there have been over US$14 billion in transactions since the launch of DCEP in 2020 and October 2022. Meanwhile, 261 million users have already set up an e-CNY wallet. However, this is considered low adoption since, according to a 2021 UnionPay report, around 903.6 million people use mobile payments in China.

    When will China officially launch DCEP e-CNY?

    Whilst there is ongoing DCEP/e-CNY testing on in increasing scale, there is no official announcement as to when and how China will fully roll out DCEP/e-CNY.

    Sources:
    https://www.forbes.com/sites/lukefitzpatrick/2020/10/06/defi-may-push-governments-to-adopt-cbdcs/#2d2c1f6f3f5e
    https://www.asiacryptotoday.com/how-china-and-the-world-reacted-to-xi-jinpings-blockchain-comments
    https://venturebeat.com/2019/09/15/wake-up-us-federal-reserve-china-just-showed-how-digital-currency-is-done/
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-blockchain-idUSKBN1X704A
    https://u.today/just-in-chinese-central-bank-to-launch-digital-currency-called-dcep
    https://beincrypto.com/chinas-dcep-to-be-worlds-first-national-digital-currency-says-ccie-vice-chairman/
    https://qz.com/1710850/chinas-central-bank-could-gain-from-a-digital-yuan-cbdc/
    https://www.asiacryptotoday.com/news/china-digital-yuan-dcep/
    https://news.bitcoin.com/over-3000-atms-in-beijing-offer-digital-yuan-withdrawals/
    https://www.coindesk.com/china-industrial-commerce-bank-digital-yuan-cash-convert
    https://www.theblockcrypto.com/post/95266/beijing-digital-yuan-cash-atm
    https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3122924/beijing-exploring-digital-yuan-cross-border-payments-joining-hong-kong
    https://www.coindesk.com/central-banks-of-china-uae-join-hong-kong-thailand-cbdc-payments-project
    https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3135886/china-digital-currency-when-will-e-yuan-be-launched-and-what
    https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3120582/chinas-swift-joint-venture-shows-beijing-eyeing-global
    https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3135650/china-digital-currency-hong-kong-shenzhen-proposed-expressway
    https://www.coindesk.com/china-cbdc-wage-pilot

    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.

  • CBDCs: Pros, Cons, and Everything You Ever Wanted to Know

    CBDCs: Pros, Cons, and Everything You Ever Wanted to Know

    CBDCs are government-backed assets that would offer users an official way to explore existing fiat currencies in a digital manner. Stablecoins have become very popular cryptocurrency options because they function with little to no volatility, providing access to decentralized currencies without the risk of depegging in value. These assets offer stability to crypto enthusiasts who are uninterested in other assets with sudden price swings. As the number of stablecoins increased over time, many countries began to notice and eventually began exploring government-backed stablecoin cryptocurrencies, called Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about CBDCs, and their pros and cons. 

    This is a comprehensive review of CBDCs. If you want to know more about the history of CBDCs, we have also previously written about CBDCs here.

    What are Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)?

    A CBDC is a digital form of legal tender pegged to a country’s national currency. These digital currencies are under the control of central banks, which issue the assets, govern their supply, and create related policies. CBDCs have now gained a lot of traction in the financial space. Today, countries are either launching CBDCs or doing research and analysis into the economic and technical feasibility of establishing a national digital currency.

    How Do CBDCs Work?

    CBDCs address specific concerns around crypto volatility, government backing, and transparency through distributed ledger technology (DLT). In traditional finance, banks keep track of all user transactions in a ledger for account records and audits. With distributed ledger technology, there are several copies of CBDC transaction records stored and managed individually, although uniformly updated. It also allows for much easier tracking of spending compared to cash, which is data many governments would like to have.

    Separate financial entities (usually branches of a country’s central bank) manage these records in a distributed manner via DLT. This type of distributed ledger is known as a permissioned blockchain because the central banks have total control over access and distribution, usually only authorizing a few entities to perform specific administrative roles, including altering rights and accessing records. This is in direct contrast with permissionless networks, like most leading blockchains, which allow anybody to perform transactions without needing permission from a central authority. 

    Governments may choose CBDCs because they retain control over certain aspects, such as the total supply of digital currency. On the other hand, popular cryptocurrencies have a hard supply cap that may be impossible to alter. For instance, the Bitcoin network will create only 21 million coins. Once all 21 million Bitcoins are mined, there can be no more new Bitcoins. But CBDCs can be continuously created. Since central banks are responsible for maintaining financial stability, they may choose to reduce or add to the total supply in circulation whenever they consider it necessary.

    Types of CBDCs

    There are two categories of CBDCs, largely based on the intended uses:

    Retail CBDC

    Retail CBDCs are nation-backed digital currencies used by everyday consumers and businesses. People use retail CBDCs like they would use petty cash, without worrying about security or government regulations, even though the assets are under the government’s purview. Additionally, retail CBDCs promote financial inclusion, and also help to lower costs and environmental factors associated with printing cash.

    Wholesale CBDC 

    A central bank primarily creates wholesale CBDCs with financial institutions as their main target, as this type of CBDC facilitates easier and quicker payments between financial institutions. The process of settling transactions using wholesale CBDCs is also more efficient, as permissioned blockchains help institutions resolve risks associated with liquidity and third-party payment processors. Wholesale CBDCs also improve cross-border transaction efficiency.

    CBDCs Around the World

    Several countries have begun experimenting with blockchain CBDCs, while others have already launched their own iterations. So far, more than 100 countries have officially begun exploring CBDCs, with some in the research, development, or pilot stages. As of July 2022, 10 countries have officially launched CBDCs. Some of them include: 

    • China: Digital Yuan/ e-CNY (DCEP)
    • Sweden: e-krona
    • Bahamas: Sand Dollar
    • Nigeria: eNaira
    • Eastern Caribbean Area: DXCD
    • Marshall Islands: Sovereign (SOV)
    • Russia: Digital Ruble
    • Cambodia: Bakong

    To learn more about specific CBDCs, see our review of China’s Digital Yuan/ e-CNY (DCEP) here

    Which is the world’s first CBDC?

    The Bahamas ‘Sand Dollar’ is the world’s first CBDC to be released and available nationwide. The Sand Dollar was released on 20th October 2020 to all 393 residents of the Bahamas. Each Sand Dollar is pegged to the Bahamian dollar, which is pegged to the US dollar.

    Pros and Benefits of CBDCs

    CBDCs potentially offer the following benefits to a nation’s financial framework:

    Simplifying Monetary Policy Implementation

    One major challenge with traditional monetary policy implementation is that it depends on intermediaries within the financial system. As wholesale CBDCs streamline the flow of funds in financial institutions, retail CBDCs establish a direct connection between central banks and the citizens that use their currency. This connection to end users effectively improves the process of implementing policies, as the central bank has first-hand knowledge of users’ needs.

    Financial Inclusion 

    CBDCs make fund distribution much easier. They potentially provide more financial inclusion by making services available to people or regions with limited banking opportunities. With CBDCs, central banks can extend access to basic financial services without building an expensive banking infrastructure. 

    Efficient Cross-Border Transactions

    CBDCs enable faster and more secure fund remittance between countries. This significantly reduces the transaction fees required to send and receive funds to and from citizens in the diaspora, as well as allows the transactions to be completed in seconds or minutes instead of days or weeks.

    Further Deter Illegal Financial Activity 

    A distributed and transparent ledger makes it easier for central banks to keep track of transactions and prevent illegal activity. Moreover, where these illicit transactions occur, they are easier to trace, and could even be reversed or frozen.

    Growth of the Fintech Sector 

    CBDCs support the growth and development of the fintech industry. With the global adoption of CBDCs, the fintech space is gradually witnessing a new technological landscape that creates new jobs and opportunities.

    Cons and Drawbacks of CBDCs

    Like any innovation, CBDCs also have drawbacks users must consider. These disadvantages include:

    Traceability and Lack of Anonymity

    Since central banks manage CBDC transactions through a ledger, they have full control over transaction records. This method does not allow for user anonymity and is in direct contrast with the anonymous nature of most other cryptocurrencies and cash.

    Threat to Privacy

    Privacy is one of the key drivers behind cryptocurrency adoption. CBDCs may require that central authorities intrude on private users to monitor transactions and combat financial crimes like money laundering. No longer will there be private transactions, as everything is recorded on a ledger controlled by the country’s central banking entity.

    High Risk of Cyber Attack

    A central bank’s digital currency may attract malicious parties who want to swindle large amounts of money from one source. CBDCs must use top-of-the-line cybersecurity measures to prevent breaches effectively.

    Creating a social credit system?

    Maajid Nawaz, a social activist and co-founder of British think tank Qiulliam, has suggested that CBDCs can essentially create a social credit system. For example, people can be barred from spending their CBDCs on buses or trains, which will effectively limit their freedom to travel as they wish.

    Differences Between CBDCs and Cryptocurrencies

    Apart from centralization, here are some other ways in which CBDCs differ from cryptocurrencies: 

    • The use cases of CBDCs include payments and monetary transactions. On the other hand, crypto assets have selected applications, and not all institutions and companies accept cryptocurrencies as a payment option.
    • There is generally more value to safety with CBDCs. In a stable political and inflationary nation, CBDCs maintain their value over time since they are a fiat currency of the issuing country. For decentralized crypto assets, the cryptocurrency’s value depends on market speculation and user sentiments, which makes them much more volatile.
    • Central banks can maintain all aspects of CBDCs, including planning and deployment. On the other hand, cryptocurrencies have a decentralized decision-making process. 

    Conclusion 

    Considering the efforts and attention that central banks have dedicated to CBDCs, mainstream adoption of these assets is all but imminent. Global adoption of CBDCs will effectively boost the crypto industry’s growth as more people begin to carry out CBDC transactions and look for viable alternatives. CBDCs will also help central banks penetrate a country’s unbanked or underbanked population, which is fantastic for their underserved citizenry. 

    In the end, nations may enjoy better financial stability from CBDCs. With a centrally regulated, government-backed digital currency in circulation, central banks can enact monetary policies easily and with more transparency in distribution. CBDCs could eventually become the standard for local payments and also for cross-border transactions.