## What Is Civic (CVC)?

Civic is a [blockchain-based](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/blockchain) identity management solution that gives individuals and businesses the tools they need to control and protect personal identity information. 

The platform is designed to change the way we think about identity verification by giving users more control over their personal data, while allowing them to access a wide range of services without needing to fork over excessive amounts of personal information.

Civic's identity verification solution uses distributed ledger technology to authorize identity usage in real time, and is used to sparingly share information with Civic partners after authorization by the user. 

Unlike some other identity management services, Civic users store all their sensitive data on their mobile device. Users are able to authorize the sharing of specific personal data by providing a biometric signature through the Civic app. 

The Civic ecosystem is enabled by a unique utility token known as the Civic token (CVC), which is used for the settlement of identity-related transactions between Civic participants — such as between a customer and service provider.

Users can earn CVC tokens for completing a variety of tasks, such as signing up for a service through the platform or introducing new users, while validators can earn CVCs for validating documents for service providers.

Civic was launched in 2018, following a sell-out initial coin offering ([ICO](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/initial-coin-offering-ico)) the year prior.


## Who Are the Founders of Civic?

Civic was co-founded in 2015 by Vinny Lingham and Jonathan Smith.

Vinny Lingham is a serial entrepreneur who appeared on Shark Tank South Africa in 2016, and has co-founded several prominent firms, including a South Africa-based investment fund known as Newtown Partners and Gyft — a Google ventures-backed digital card platform. Lingham is Civic’s CEO. 

Jonathan Smith is the current CTO of the platform and has more than 15 years of experience in the banking industry. Prior to his role at Civic, Smith held various managerial roles at prominent firms, including Deloitte MCS Limited and HSH Nordbank, and was the global head of Platforms at Genpact Headstrong Capital Markets.

In addition to the founders, the Civic team includes a host of highly successful individuals, including COO Chris Hart, who has two decades of experience in senior finance, and previously held the role of CFO at Guidebook and Nextag. 

The official Civic LinkedIn page currently lists 38 employees, many of which are based in the San Francisco Bay Area.


#### What Makes Civic Unique?

Civic is built to make it easy for users to verify their identity with service providers, while still retaining full control over their personal information. 

It allows businesses to onboard users faster using its AI-powered verification system, which when combined with human review helps businesses cut down on fraud and stay compliant with AML regulations and OFAC rules.

As of December 2020, Civic has two main products: the Civic wallet and Health Key. 

The Civic wallet is a mobile cryptocurrency wallet that can be used to store a handful of popular cryptocurrencies, including [Bitcoin (BTC)](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/bitcoin/), [Ethereum (ETH)](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/ethereum/), and [USD Coin (USDC)](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/usd-coin/). The app doubles as a digital identity management solution, and benefits from a $1 million Bitcoin insurance plan provided by Coincover. 

Health Key is Civic’s newest product. This is an app that allows employers to securely verify the health status of employees, to ensure they are healthy enough to return to the workplace after an infection with COVID19 — such as if they test positive for antibodies or have been vaccinated. This is achieved without compromising the privacy of the employee. 


#### Related Pages:

Check out [Renme (REM)](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/remme/) — an ecosystem of identity management products.

Take a look at [ShareRing (SHR)](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/sharetoken/) — a decentralized sharing economy with a self-sovereign identity module.

Learn more about digital identity with [CoinMarketCap Alexandria](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/digital-identity).

Stay on top of the market with the latest news, updates, and insights with the [CoinMarketCap blog](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/categories/blog).


#### How Many Civic (CVC) Coins Are There in Circulation?

As of late December 2020, there are exactly 670 million CVC tokens in circulation, representing 67% of the maximum 1 billion CVC total supply. The current circulating supply can be found in the right data panel.

As per the Civic token sale website, a total of 1 billion CVC were minted, of which 33% were sold in the token sale; 33% is retained by Civic; 33% is allocated for incentives and rewards; and the remaining 1% was used to cover token sale costs.

As of December 2020, the 330 million tokens allocated to Civic remains untouched. It is currently being held in a multi-signature Ethereum wallet, which can be tracked [here](https://etherscan.io/token/0x41e5560054824ea6b0732e656e3ad64e20e94e45#balances). 


### How Is the Civic Network Secured?

As an [ERC-20](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/erc-20) token, CVC is backed by the Ethereum blockchain — which is widely regarded to be of the most decentralized and secure [proof-of-work](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/article/proof-of-work-vs-proof-of-stake) (POW) networks in current usage. 

Over time, [Ethereum](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/ethereum/) will gradually transition to [proof-of-stake](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/article/proof-of-work-vs-proof-of-stake) (POS) with the roll-out of [Ethereum 2.0](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/article/a-dive-into-ethereum-2-0). Once complete, the CVC token and associated transactions will be secured by a network of validator nodes.

Digital identities secured through the Civic app are protected by the user’s own device, which customers use to control access to their data. 


### Where Can You Buy Civic (CVC)?

The CVC token is highly liquid and can be traded on dozens of exchange platforms, including [Binance](https://coinmarketcap.com/exchanges/binance/), [Coinbase Pro](https://coinmarketcap.com/exchanges/coinbase-pro/) and [Huobi Global](https://coinmarketcap.com/exchanges/huobi-global/). It is most commonly traded against [Tether (USDT](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/tether/)), the Korean won (KRW) and Bitcoin (BTC).

For a full list of exchanges, check the market pairs section. To learn more about purchasing [cryptocurrencies](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/article/what-are-cryptocurrencies) like CVC with fiat, check out our [comprehensive guide](https://coinmarketcap.com/how-to-buy-bitcoin/). 


Civic

Ledger

Coinbase

Trust Wallet

MetaMask

Ethereum

Shiba Inu

Chainlink

UNUS SED LEO

Uniswap

FLEX

Big Time

Synapse

Marlin

Alephium

Synternet

Aevo

Cartesi

Status

Octopus Network

MetaOctagon

WoofWork.io

Panther Protocol

Bit.Store

Orchid (OXT) is the native token of Orchid, a cryptocurrency-powered virtual private network (VPN).

Launched in December 2019, Orchid describes itself as the world’s first incentivized, peer-to-peer privacy network.

Its aim is to overcome internet freedom limitations by using cryptocurrency payments to allow anyone to purchase bandwidth from any participating provider. This is done using so-called probabilistic nanopayments, which occur using OXT, an ERC-20 standard token on Ethereum.

Regular payments to providers occur off-chain, allowing Orchid to avoid problems with congestion and gas fees on the Ethereum network.

The service is pay-per-use, meaning that users only have to contribute funds when they actually connect, instead of paying monthly or annual fees.

Orchid

Status is categorized as a mobile and desktop operating system and decentralized browser that incorporates a messaging system. As such, Status allows you to interact with a network at any time, from anywhere. It was originally released in June in 2017.

It is a light client Ethereum node, and has the ability to give you access to all Ethereum decentralized applications (otherwise known as DApps) from an app that is installed on your mobile phone or tablet. This means that users can send encrypted messages as well as access decentralized applications, including a cryptocurrency wallet.

0x is an infrastructure protocol that allows users to easily trade ERC20 tokens and other assets on the many different blockchains (including Ethereum) without relying on centralized intermediaries. It is a protocol for decentralized exchange.

0x achieves this decentralized exchange functionality using a collection of open-source, publicly auditable smart contracts that work together to produce a flexible, low-friction trading protocol that developers can easily weave into their products.

The protocol is used by companies building web3 apps such as wallets, DEXes, portfolio trackes, and others. It is a used by hundreds of developers for their projects. The protocol has facilitates over $200B in trading volume since its inception. One can track its usage in its dedicated https://explorer.0x.org/.

The protocol is powered by an ERC20 governance token known as ZRX. ZRX holders can participate in protocol governance, having direct power over protocol changes and its community treasury.

0x Protocol

Bancor is an ecosystem of decentralized, open-source protocols that promote on-chain trading and liquidity.

Its main protocol, Carbon, is a decentralized trading protocol allowing users to perform automated trading strategies using custom on-chain limit orders and range orders, with the option of combining orders together to create automated buy low, sell high strategies.

By design, Carbon orders are irreversible on execution, easily adjustable directly on-chain, and resistant to MEV sandwich attacks. These capabilities give users an unprecedented level of control and automation to perform novel trading strategies on-chain.

Fast Lane, a separate open-source arbitrage protocol, allows any user to perform arbitrage between Bancor ecosystem protocols and external on-chain exchanges and redirect arbitrage profits back to the Bancor ecosystem.

All Bancor ecosystem protocols are governed by the BancorDAO via staked BNT.

Bancor

Ren (REN) is an open protocol built to provide interoperability and liquidity between different blockchain platforms.

To learn more about this project, check out our deep dive of Ren.

Formerly known as Republic Protocol, Ren launched RenVM, its virtual machine mainnet, in May 2020, having completed a $34 million initial coin offering (ICO) in 2018.

The protocol’s native token, REN, functions as a bond for those running nodes which power RenVM, known as Darknodes.

Ren aims to expand the interoperability, and hence accessibility, of decentralized finance (DeFi) by removing hurdles involved in liquidity between blockchains.

NKN (NKN), or New Kind of Network, is a network that focuses on creating a decentralized and open-source network protocol for public blockchain-based peer-to-peer (P2P) networks to share network bandwidth and internet connectivity. Its main objective is to address the challenges faced by today's internet, such as centralization, scalability issues and security concerns.

Aragon

Billed as a "network of decentralized markets and communities," district0x is a platform that allows users to easily launch their own decentralized platforms which are governed by a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) structure.

Each of these platforms is termed a “district” and can be launched free of charge on the district0x. The ecosystem is powered by the custom d0xINFRA framework, which provides a set of basic smart contracts and libraries users can use when building out their districts — enabling a wide array of potential use-cases.

The native token of the district0x ecosystem is DNT — an ERC-20 utility token that is mostly used for community governance.

The platform uses a combination of three main technologies: Ethereum, Aragon and the InterPlanetary File Transfer Protocol (IPFS).

The Ethereum blockchain is used for hosting districts, whereas Aragon is used as the governance layer for the district0x network, allowing DNT stakers to benefit from governance rights and help shape the development and operation of their chosen districts. Lastly, IPFS is used for serving the district0x website source code and for user uploads within districts.

district0x

Balancer is an automated market maker (AMM) that was developed on the Ethereum blockchain and launched in March 2020. It was able to raise a $3M seed round by Placeholder and Accomplice. Balancer protocol functions as a self-balancing weighted portfolio, price sensor and liquidity provider. It allows users to earn profits through its recently introduced token ($BAL) by contributing to customizable liquidity pools.

To learn more about this project, check out our deep dive of Balancer(https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/article/what-is-balancer.

The protocol operates a few types of pools:

Private pools give the owner governance over the pool, and make the person the sole contributor of liquidity to the pool. Also, all the parameters are mutable by the owner.

Shared pools are for those who want to become liquidity providers (LPs). The LPs are rewarded with the Balancer Pool Tokens (BPTs).

Smart pools are similar to private pools but are controlled by a smart contract. They also reward using BPTs and allow anyone to contribute liquidity to the pool.

Balancer

Augur

REQ is listed on Coinbase, Binance, crypto.com, KuCoin and many other exchanges.

The REQ token powers the Request Network open-source protocol via a few mechanisms: anti-spam; governance; staking; discounts; independency.

The Request (REQ) utility token, launched in 2017, ensures the performance and stability of the Request Network. The Request Network itself is an Ethereum-based decentralized payment system where anyone can request a payment and receive money through secure means. It removes the requirement for third parties in order to provide a cheaper, more secure payment solution that works with all global currencies.

The original whitepaper is available here.

When a user creates a request for payment, they define to which address the payment needs to be allocated and what the amount is. The user can also define the terms and conditions of the payment, upgrading a simple request into an invoice. Once this is completed, the user can share their request to be paid by their counterparty.

Every step is documented and stored on the Request Network, allowing everyone involved to easily keep track of all the invoices and payments for accounting purposes.

Request is also integrated with legislation across the world to remain compliant with the trade laws of each individual country.

Request

Storj, pronounced as “storage,” is an open-source cloud storage platform. Basically, it uses a decentralized network of nodes to host user data. The platform also secures hosted data using advanced encryption.

In a white paper published in December,2014, Storj was first introduced to the world as a concept. It was to be a decentralized peer-to-peer encrypted cloud storage platform.

Two years later, an updated white paper was published. Here, a decentralized network  — connecting users who need cloud storage space with those who have hard drive space to sell — was described. The platform was launched in late 2018.

People with hard drive space and good internet connectivity can participate in the network. They become a unit in the network, called a node. Space providers are rewarded by Storj tokens.

Storj

OMG Network, formerly known as OmiseGo, is a non-custodial, layer-2 scaling solution built for the Ethereum blockchain. As an Ethereum scaling solution, OMG Network is designed to allow users to transfer ETH and ERC20 tokens significantly faster and cheaper than when transacting directly on the Ethereum network.

The network is based on a novel scaling solution called MoreViable Plasma, which uses a sidechain architecture to group several transactions off-chain into a batch, which can then be verified as a single transaction on the Ethereum root chain. According to OMG Network, this technology has the potential to scale Ethereum to thousands of transactions per second (TPS) — instead of the 10 to 14 tps Ethereum 1.0 is currently capable of.

The network is powered by the OMG utility token, which can be used as one of the payment methods for fees on the OMG Network, and will eventually be stakable — helping to secure the network in return for rewards.

OMG Network

Band Protocol is a cross-chain data oracle platform that is able to take real-world data and supply it to on-chain applications, while also connecting APIs to smart-contracts to facilitate the exchange of information between on-chain and off-chain data sources.

By supplying reputable, verifiable real-world data to blockchains, Band Protocol unlocks a range of new use cases for developers to explore — since they can now use any type of real-world data as part of their decentralized application (DApp) logic, including sports, weather, random numbers, price feed data and more.

Band Protocol initially launched as an ERC-20 project on the Ethereum blockchain in September 2019, but transitioned to the Cosmos network in June 2020 with the release of Band Protocol 2.0. The new protocol is built on BandChain using the Cosmos SDK. Oracle nodes on BandChain not only relay data but are also involved in block production/validation, giving them a dual role.

BAND is the native token of the Band Protocol ecosystem and is used as collateral by validators involved in fulfilling data requests, as well as the main medium of exchange on BandChain — being used to paying for private data.

Band Protocol

aelf

Ardor

Ontology is a project designed to bring trust, privacy, and security to Web3 through decentralized identity and data solutions. It is building the infrastructure to provide trusted access to Web3, allowing individuals and enterprises to rest assured that through regulatory compliant digital identity solutions, users and their privacy come first.

The Ontology blockchain is a high speed, low cost public blockchain. It is designed to bring decentralized identity and data solutions to Web3, with the goal of increasing privacy, transparency, and trust. To achieve this, users and enterprises are provided with the flexibility to build blockchain-based solutions that suit their needs, while also ensuring regulatory compliance. Through Ontology’s Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), Ontology ensures frictionless compatibility with Ethereum, the first step in the creation of the Ontology Multi-Virtual Machine and further interoperability for the chain.

At its launch, Ontology chose to forego the popular initial coin offering (ICO) model in favor of a series of community distributions and airdrops of its ONT cryptocurrency.

This helped to quickly establish both organic price discovery and a passionate community and helped the project to avoid subsequent regulatory scrutiny.

For example, for a brief period any person who signed up for the Ontology newsletter received an airdrop of free 1,000 ONT, which reached a value of $10 per token soon after the token became listed on major exchanges like Binance.

Ontology launched its own MainNet on June 30, 2018 and has been up and running smoothly since.

Ontology

Apps use ICON to operate cross-chain seamlessly, build momentum and gain reputation. ICON's Cross-Chain Framework simplifies cross-chain development with its easy-to-use xCall messaging standard and connections to secure bridging protocols.

ICON

Golem Network is an open-source, decentralized computing platform that is building an ecosystem to provide computing power to the AI industry. A peer-to-peer marketplace for distributed computing resources. Users engage directly on the Golem platform, exchanging GLM tokens for the utilization of their idle computing resources.

Golem allows to break down tasks into smaller subtasks and distribute them across multiple providers, enabling parallel processing. This approach boosts efficiency and speeds up the completion of complex computations.

Golem

Origin Protocol develops web3 technologies with the intention of bringing non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and decentralized finance (DeFi) to the masses. The protocol’s unique tooling and diverse partnerships help in realizing these goals. Origin Protocol has two flagship products: Origin Story (governed by OGN), and Origin Dollar (governed by OGV).

Origin Story is a white label NFT marketplace solution that works with disrupters in various sectors by leveraging non-fungible tokens. The platform hosts NFT marketplaces and tooling in various industries, including the real estate, profile picture, music, art and entertainment industries.

Some of Origin Story’s partners include Roofstock onChain, Pudgy Penguins, Sappy Seals, Paris Hilton, 3LAU, BT, Inspiration4, and The Doge Pound. Origin Story Marketplaces seek to cast a wide net in various industries being impacted by NFTs, rather than focusing on any one area in particular. Investors may see OGN as the ‘picks and shovels’ approach to investing in NFTs.