## What Is RenBTC (RENBTC)?

[RenBTC](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/article/bringing-bitcoin-to-defi-a-complete-beginners-deep-dive-into-renvm) is an [ERC-20](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/erc-20) token built on the Ethereum network, pegged to [Bitcoin](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/bitcoin/). This means that each RENBTC can be always redeemed for one Bitcoin, and hence tends to maintain its value at close to the Bitcoin market rate. 

RenBTC is minted on the Ren platform, which is an open protocol that provides everyone with access to the inter-blockchain [liquidity](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/liquidity), helping to bring assets from other [blockchains](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/blockchain) to Ethereum decentralized applications ([DApps](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/decentralized-applications-dapps)). The main cryptocurrencies supported are Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Zcash (ZEC). 

The renBTC token is a direct competitor of Wrapped Bitcoin (wBTC). Minting the token is a fairly straightforward process, which sees users simply send their BTC to RenVM, which then secures the asset and mints an equivalent number of renBTC tokens on [Ethereum](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/ethereum/). 

Unlike other Bitcoin-backed tokens, renBTC is not a synthetic token, and doesn’t rely on any liquidation mechanisms to ensure it remains pegged to the value of BTC — instead, it’s a direct supply peg, meaning there are always enough BTC in reserve to cover the circulating renBTC supply. 

Redeeming renBTC is just as simple as minting it. The user only needs to send their renBTC back to RenVM (paying a small gas fee to do so) which releases the native Bitcoin to the user’s address. The renBTC tokens are destroyed, reducing the supply to match the reduced reserves.


### Who Are the Founders of RenBTC (RENBTC)?

Ren (formerly Republic Protocol) — the development firm behind the Ren ecosystem was founded by Taiyang Zhang, who is also its current CEO. 

Zhang was also a founding member of KeeperDAO and is one of the co-founders of Virgil Capital — a multi-strategy quantitative cryptocurrency trading firm. He is a skilled developer and early cryptocurrency adopter.

The Ren team also includes Loong Wang, the current CTO of Ren. Wang was the lead software developer for Neucode, and also holds the position of academic tutor at the Australian National University.

The rest of the team includes three more software developers, one blockchain developer, a researcher, and currently comprises more than 30 individuals. 

What Makes RenBTC Unique? 

The main difference between renBTC and other wrapped Bitcoin tokens is the fluid value exchange of the token. RenVM does not store any Bitcoin inside a centralized custodial platform but instead uses a decentralized network of nodes called Darknodes. Users can mint and burn tokens back and forth whenever they want, without needing to complete KYC to do so. The protocol can handle hundreds of transactions per minute, and has never been overloaded.

Additionally, RenVM can be directly integrated into numerous decentralized applications through the use of specialized adapters provided by Ren. This means that a user can directly utilize Bitcoin (via RENBTC) on a decentralized exchange ([DEX](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/decentralized-exchange-dex)) or lending platform without needing to jump through any hoops first. 

It’s also important to note that the ECDSA private keys of RenVM are secret which creates a trustless, decentralized, and permissionless BTC token on the Ethereum network.  


#### **Related Pages**:

Check out [Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC)](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/wrapped-bitcoin/) — another Bitcoin-backed ERC-20 token.

Take a look at [WETH (WETH)](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/weth/) — an ERC-20 compliant version of Ethereum (ETH).

Learn how to use Uniswap with [CoinMarketCap Alexandria](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/article/how-to-use-uniswap).

For the latest news, market updates, tricks, and tips, check out the [CoinMarketCap blog](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/categories/blog).


#### How Many RenBTC (RENBTC) Coins Are There in Circulation?

The total supply and circulating supply of RenBTC are the same and fluctuate as ERC-20 renBTC tokens are minted and burned. The token did not have a token sale, and there is no team allocation of RENBTC.

As of December 2020, there are just north of 14,000 BTC wrapped as RENBTC, bringing its market capitalization to $321.9 million. Note that this is likely to change considerably over time, as the market capitalization of renBTC depends both on the underlying value of Bitcoin (BTC), and the number of BTC held in the renBTC reserve. 

How Is the RenBTC protocol Secured?

RenBTC operates on top of the Ethereum network — one of the most secure blockchains in current usage. The [ERC-20](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/erc-20) RenBTC tokens are secured by the collective efforts of thousands of Ethereum miners, who act to maintain the integrity of the Ethereum blockchain and the tokens transferred on it. 

Additionally, the RenVM protocol utilizes a secure multiparty computation system that allows untrusted Darknodes to run scripts without revealing the input or output to others. Darknodes must stake 100,000 REN tokens as collateral and earn fees for helping to power the renBTC network. 

The ECDSA private keys are hidden, even from the nodes, which means that RenVM generates and signs data in a secure manner. No [attacker](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/51-attack) can prevent other users from minting their renBTC or redeeming their BTC back whenever they choose.

The protocol claims to be [Byzantine Fault Tolerant](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/byzantine-fault-tolerance-bft) which means that even if the Darknodes become unavailable or act fraudulently, the scripts will continue running to keep the secrets hidden.


### Where Can You Buy RenBTC (RENBTC)?

Users can always obtain RenBTC by minting it on the RenVM protocol using any Bitcoin they already have. However, the ERC-20 renBTC token can be purchased directly on several popular exchanges including [Binance](https://coinmarketcap.com/exchanges/binance/) and [Huobi Global](https://coinmarketcap.com/exchanges/huobi-global/), in addition to various decentralized exchanges — including Uniswap and 1inch Exchange. 

As of December 2020, the most popular renBTC trading pairs are renBTC/BTC, renBTC/WETH, and renBTC/USDT. There are currently no direct fiat on-ramps to renBTC, but you can buy Bitcoin with fiat ([as explained here](https://coinmarketcap.com/how-to-buy-bitcoin/)), and then convert it to renBTC via the RenVM platform.

renBTC

Ledger

Trust Wallet

MetaMask

Binance Chain Wallet

Atomic wallet

Ethereum

Shiba Inu

Chainlink

UNUS SED LEO

Uniswap

FLOKI

Maker

The Graph

Gala

Worldcoin

Pepe

The Sandbox

Render

Bitget Token

Lido DAO

Brainers

Cajutel

HYTOPIA

Bird Dog

Zedxion

Fei protocol is a DeFi native algorithmic stablecoin. The aim of Fei is to propose a technological solution in a sweet spot between rigid overcollateralized decentralized stablecoin and centralised custodial stablecoins.

Fei Protocol runs on two crypto assets: FEI stablecoin and TRIBE governance token.

FEI is aimed to be a more capital efficient and fully decentralized stablecoin. The protocol uses the value it controls to maintain liquid secondary markets and earn yield for the protocol.

The project was founded in December 2020 and immediately attracted significant interest in the crypto community. It resulted in $19 million VC investment in early March 2021. Among the names that have entered this project are Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Coinbase Ventures, Nascent and Framework Ventures.

There were some issues with the peg in the original mechanism, but through a series of governance upgrades the protocol recovered in the months following launch.

Fei v2 intends to be a major upgrade for the system and will launch in late 2021. It features 1:1 redeemability for FEI against protocol reserves, TRIBE buybacks and backstop, and algorithmic protocol controlled value management.

Fei USD

The Neutrino index is a decentralized financial (DeFi) platform based on the Waves blockchain. The platform rebranded its index token from USDN to XTN. Neutrino has two native tokens, XTN and NSBT.

XTN is an algorithmic crypto-collateralized indexcoin backed by three Waves Ecosystem tokens: WAVES, WX and VIRES. XTN's main function is to encourage user participation in the Neutrino by rewarding those who provide liquidity to the system.

The platform’s other token, NSBT (Neutrino System Base Token), is used for governance purposes: it allows users to make decisions about the future development of the Neutrino protocol, and it ensures the stability of collateral reserves on Neutrino’s smart contract.

New NSBT tokens are issued whenever a user locks WAVES tokens on a contract, which serves as additional backing and insures the system against a deficit. Holders can stake to earn on WAVES to XTN swap fees.

Neutrino Index

sUSD is a synthetic USD token enabled by the Synthetix protocol. It tracks the price of the US Dollar through price feeds supplied by Chainlink’s decentralized network of oracles. sUSD is integrated across the DeFi ecosystem as one of the most liquid decentralized stablecoins, including at Curve. It can be traded without slippage for other assets native to the Synthetix protocol at Kwenta or Synthetix.Exchange.

sUSD

Founded in September of 2018, Pax Dollar is a flat-collateralized stablecoin. Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies that are designed to minimize the volatility of the price of the stablecoin, relative to a certain stable asset or a basket of assets.

A stablecoin can be pegged to a cryptocurrency or flat money. In some cases, it can even be traded for commodities. Pax Dollar offers the advantage of transacting with blockchain assets through minimized price risk. The Pax Dollar tokens (USDP) are issued asERC-20 tokens on the Ethereum blockchain and are collateralized 1:1 through the USD held in Paxos-owned US bank accounts.

Pax Dollar

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

Yearn.finance is an aggregator service for decentralized finance (DeFi) investors, using automation to allow them to maximize profits from yield farming.

Its goal is to simplify the ever-expanding DeFi space for investors who are not technically minded or who wish to interact in a less committal manner than serious traders.

Launched in February 2020, the service, formerly known as iEarn, has seen huge growth in recent months as new products debuted and developers released in-house token YFI.

yearn.finance

The Bitcoin Standard Hashrate Token (BTCST) was launched on Binance Smart Chain (BSC) on Dec. 13, 2020. It is collateralized by Bitcoin’s (BTC) hashrate, with each token representing 0.1 TH/s of Bitcoin mining power at an efficiency of 60 W/TH. As such, miners contribute their computational power to the platform in exchange for newly minted BTCST tokens.

BTCST’s goal is to bridge liquidity to Bitcoin’s mining market. This will allow users to get exposure to mining rewards and hashpower of any size, at a low cost. The ultimate goal of the app is to increase the liquidity and efficiency of mining power markets.

Bitcoin Standard Hashrate Token

The Gemini Trust Company (Gemini) is a digital currency exchange and custodian that allows you to buy, sell and store digital assets, founded in February of 2014. The GUSD is created by the cryptocurrency exchange Gemini.

The company received approval from the New York Department of Financial Services or NYDFS to launch the stablecoin in September of 2018. The Gemini Trust Company holds USD deposits that correspond to the number of tokens that are in circulation.

When it comes to the Gemini Dollar itself, it is an ERC-20 token that is built on the Ethereum network and has smart contracts that are audited by the security company Trail of Bits Inc.

This dollar is intended to bridge the divide between traditional finance and the crypto industry, due to the fact that this specific stablecoin is completely regulated by the NYDFS.

Gemini Dollar

Bitcoin Gold was founded in 2017 to become a user-friendly alternative to Bitcoin. The BTG network aims to combine the security and sturdiness of the Bitcoin blockchain and its characteristics with the opportunity for experimentation and development.

BTG enhances and extends the crypto space with a blockchain closely compatible with Bitcoin but without using resources like Bitcoin hash power or vying for the "real Bitcoin" title. The company aims to present a coin with the implementation capabilities of Bitcoin, however, expanding on the opportunities for DeFi and DApp developers to use the coin.

Bitcoin Gold

TUSD is the first digital asset with live on-chain attestations by independent third-party institutions and is backed 1:1 with the U.S. dollar (USD). So far, it has been listed on more than 100 trading platforms such as Binance and Huobi and is live on 12 mainstream public chains, including Ethereum, TRON, Avalanche, BSC, Fantom, and Polygon.

TrueUSD is attested to in real-time by an independent, industry-specialized accounting firm in the U.S., to ensure the 1:1 ratio of its USD reserve to the circulating token supply and the 100% collateral rate. With the integration of Chainlink PoR, TrueUSD becomes the first USD-Backed stablecoin to secure minting and further ensure transparency and reliability. Users can access the relevant data via the official website tusd.io at any time. TUSD is granted statutory status as authorized digital currency and medium of exchange in the Commonwealth of Dominica, a country in the Caribbean, effective on October 7th 2022.

TrueUSD

Bora is a decentralized ecosystem for games and entertainment. Bora aims to attract games and applications from the GameFi sector to its Bora Chain to avoid building on blockchains like Ethereum that have high gas fees. For that reason, Bora follows a two-tiered blockchain system: the BORA token is traded on the Klaytn blockchain, a public blockchain that is focused on metaverse and gaming use cases. The Bora chain is a modular blockchain that can be used as an execution layer by decentralized applications.

The Bora team provides development toolkits that support developers with creating decentralized applications for its ecosystem. It also utilizes Bora Points, a currency within the ecosystem as a resource for development and to incentivize contribution to Bora. Bora Points can subsequently be converted to the BORA token.

BORA

Celo Dollar

Decred is Money Evolved.

By combining battle tested Proof-of-Work with an innovative take on Proof-of-Stake that places coin holders in charge of shaping the future, Decred is able to adapt to challenges and innovate at a rapid pace. You acquire influence in Decred by putting “skin in the game”.

Decred’s security, privacy, scalability, and decentralized treasury empower stakeholders and provides them with the tools needed to enhance their financial sovereignty.

Decred

Revain is an online platform for Ethereum blockchain-based tokens reviews, designed to allow developers to receive constructive feedback about their projects. The protocol also incentivizes authors to provide high-quality reviews.

Revain was the first platform to combine the features of traditional review sites and blockchain technology. Revain’s ultimate goal is to create a legitimate and genuine feedback structure for all global products and services that utilize emerging technologies, such as machine learning and blockchain.

Revain implements artificial intelligence tools and a manual review system to ensure the high quality of reviews. The core features of the protocol include:

Legitimate reviews: Revain uses only original content from a diverse range of experts on its website.

Stable system: the protocol runs on two different tokens, the REV and the RVN, allowing for smooth functioning of the system. The RVN token helps facilitate interactions between users on the platform.

Immutable information: The system does not allow both regular users and Revain itself to edit the information of other users.

Revain

Function X is mirroring traditional financial products on the Function X network and creating decentralized financial products and a decentralized trading system. It is a highly customizable and expandable multi-chain architecture blockchain network (subnets) that can meet different business needs.

Function X

Bitcoin SV (BSV) emerged following a hard fork of the Bitcoin Cash (BCH) blockchain in 2018, which had in turn forked from the BTC blockchain a year earlier following the blocksize wars.

BSV claims to fulfill the original vision of the Bitcoin protocol and design as described in Satoshi Nakamoto’s white paper, early Bitcoin client software and known Satoshi writings. BSV aims to offer scalability and stability in line with the original description of Bitcoin as a peer-to-peer electronic cash system, as well as deliver a distributed data network that can support enterprise-level advanced blockchain applications.

To this end, it has removed artificial block size limits and re-enabled Script commands and other technical capabilities which had been historically disabled or restricted by the protocol developers of the BTC blockchain. This purportedly allows the network to process tens of thousands of transactions per second while maintaining extremely low transaction fees for micropayments, in addition to offering advanced capabilities such as tokens, smart contracts, computation and other data use cases.

The BSV network claims to be unique in its capacity for unbounded on-chain scaling while also being more aligned with the original design of Bitcoin than any other blockchain.

Bitcoin SV

MediBloc (MED) is a South Korean-based decentralized blockchain protocol for the healthcare industry through which medical institutions can securely transfer, collect, store and manage data. With MediBloc, physicians can access patient information, medical history, prescribed medication, insurance issues and more. MediBloc makes medical data more accessible by allowing everyone involved to track and record medical conditions, appointments, examinations, treatments and more.

The ecosystem is built on three key elements: MediBloc Core (a layer for storing data and providing additional storage), MediBloc Application (a layer for accessing and managing data through various applications), and MediBloc Service (a layer applying smart contract technology that connects the other layers and allowing input and output of data).

The platform offers three categories of accounts: for general users (patients), healthcare providers (doctors and medical institutions) and data scientists, the latter two require proof of their accreditation. The project is aimed at improving the quality of medical services and infrastructure by optimizing information storage processes and giving users sovereignty over their own data. MediBloc is compliant with the HIPAA Security Rule, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

MediBloc

Huobi Token (HT) is the native token of the cryptocurrency exchange Huobi Global. It is a decentralized digital asset based on the Ethereum blockchain and is ERC-20 compliant. HT’s value is in part reliant upon the reputation of the Huobi crypto exchange, yet other factors also have an impact.

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

Huobi Token is a relatively young project. It first launched in January 2018, hot on the heels of the release of a native token on rival crypto exchange Binance. Having its own token allows Huobi to build a flexible marketing strategy in order to attract new users and further grow its platform.

One key function of the token is to reduce commissions for trading operations on the exchange, which are usually paid from users' wallets. Yet the token has much more to offer. Using HT, users can purchase monthly VIP-status plans to receive discounts on transaction fees. Token holders have the right to vote on exchange decisions, can receive crypto rewards for seasonal buybacks, and also get early access to special events. HT holders can, at any point, trade the token for other cryptocurrencies.

Huobi Token

Gnosis (GNO) builds decentralized infrastructure on Ethereum. Its mission has always been centered on experimentation and building decentralized infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem. When Gnosis was founded in 2015, it focused on building prediction markets to enable worldwide access to accurate information. While creating the prediction market platform, it became clear that Gnosis needed to build the infrastructure required to support it. Gnosis Safe, for example, was born of necessity.

Gnosis operates as a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) which provides infrastructure for various types of decentralized applications (dApps), and builds products to transparently guide decisions on the development, support and governance of its ecosystem.

In November 2021, both the xDAI and GnosisDAO community voted to combine their vibrant ecosystems to create the Gnosis Chain: An Ethereum forerunner-companion that addresses scaling issues through solid engineering.

Gnosis

JUST is a popular new decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem built for the TRON blockchain. It is an entire suite of products that are mostly centered around a decentralized stablecoin lending platform known as JustStable.

The platform launched in August 2020 following an initial exchange offering (IEO) on the Poloniex LaunchBase platform earlier that same year, but the native governance token of the platform (JST) has been circulating since May 2020.

It is a two-token ecosystem built around the USDJ and JUST (JST) tokens. USDJ is a multi-collateral stablecoin that has its value pegged to the value of the US dollar (USD), whereas JST has a variety of functions on the platform — paying interest, helping maintain the platform and participating in its governance, helping to set parameters like interest rates (stability fees) and the minimum collateralization ratio.

To obtain USDJ on JUST, traders need to deposit collateral in the form of supported collateral tokens — including TRON (TRX), which are exchanged to PTRX tokens and locked as collateral forming a collateralized debt position (CDP). Depending on the amount of collateral deposited, users can then mint and withdraw USDJ, which must later be repaid to retrieve the initial collateral.

The platform is designed to provide a fair and borderless hub of DeFi products, that any TRON user can access.