IOTA

Shimmer

Shimmer (www.shimmer.network) is the official L1 staging and validation network of the IOTA distributed ledger technology (DLT). It is a rapid innovation playground with short development cycles, allowing developers to build applications and use features that are not yet available on the IOTA mainnet.

Similar to the IOTA network, Shimmer is built on a UTXO-based parallelized, directed acyclic graph (DAG), guaranteeing higher scalability than conventional Blockchains, and it provides the core building blocks for a scalable, modular multi-chain architecture.

Shimmer ensures interoperability and composability of L2 smart contract chains and is capable of connecting any type or flavor of L2 smart contract chain anchored to it. With its unique tokenization framework, Shimmer will become a multi-asset ledger for minting and transfer of native assets without middlemen or crippling gas fees.

$SMR is the native token of the Shimmer network and serves as the network’s economic backbone, facilitating value transactions and interactions within the Shimmer ecosystem. Users of Shimmer use the $SMR token to launch new DeFi applications, DEXs, NFTs, DAOs and other dApps.

What is IOTA?

The IOTA DLT – known as “The Tangle” –  goes beyond blockchain by providing scalable and feeless DLT, with the goal of being the most reliable DLT infrastructure for Web3 applications and digital economies. IOTA uses its unique open-source technology to solve three fundamental problems with blockchain: high fees, scaling and centralization, and by avoiding the energy-intensive miners common to traditional blockchains, IOTA promotes itself as a green alternative in the crypto market.

IOTA currently relies on an additional security feature issuing milestone called “the coordinator”; once this is removed, and the network becomes fully decentralized, both IOTA and Shimmer will be secured by the Multiverse consensus. The Shimmer network helps to accelerate the transition to a fully decentralised, permissionless and feeless network. 

 Visit www.iota.org for more information.


What is Shimmer?

Shimmer is the official validation network, helping to properly test and harden any new feature and the leaderless Fast Probabilistic Consensus mechanism. Shimmer is a rapid innovation playground with short development cycles, allowing developers to build applications and use features that are not yet available on the IOTA mainnet, before moving their applications onto the main IOTA network (though it is envisioned that Shimmer will evolve into its own community-governed network after the launch of IOTA 2.0, and several projects will choose to remain on Shimmer).

Several new updates are developed by IOTA, each one bringing it closer to reaching its goal of being the most scalable, affordable, and efficient DLT network. But, given that these updates potentially open the door to bugs and other vulnerabilities, each one needs to be thoroughly tested, before they are released on the IOTA mainnet. 

The Shimmer network is where updates are put to the test. It receives all features earlier than the IOTA mainnet and makes these features available for use, testing and adoption before they are available on the IOTA mainnet.

Shimmer is designed as a development network, an ambitious ecosystem that mirrors the IOTA network with all of its applications and frameworks, use-cases and economy, and which users can explore, test, build on – and even attack. To incentivize users, Shimmer is also host to its own token economy (SMR).

What is the Shimmer token ($SMR)?

Through its own token economy, Shimmer offers opportunities for users to put the Shimmer network thoroughly to the test. Before its launch, the Shimmer token is awarded to anyone actively staking the IOTA token during a period of three months. This makes Shimmer the first DLT project to fairly distribute its entire token supply on IOTA, with more to follow. During the staking event prior to the network launch, users are rewarded with one $SMR every 10 seconds for each staked MIOTA. Once the Shimmer network has been launched, users can stake Shimmer tokens to help secure the network and get rewarded with even more Shimmer tokens. 

The $SMR token also plays an important role in encouraging attackers to put the Shimmer network to the test and find certain loopholes or attack vectors.

Overall, the Shimmer token has the following utility:

- Staking rewards: Users are awarded Shimmer tokens when they stake on the Shimmer network, as well as receive Mana (the IOTA reward mechanism that promotes users’ transactions and messages, voting rights etc., which secures the network. By staking, earning and delegating $SMR tokens, users contribute to the growth of the Shimmer network.
- Access to innovations: Using the $SMR token fast-tracks users to the latest innovations of IOTA, giving them early advantage in developing dApps and participating in the ecosystem. 
- New yield opportunities: Any new economy that wants to thrive needs participating users. Token holders will be able to benefit from a vast ecosystem of new DeFi, NFT and GameFi dApps. The token utility of Shimmer will be expanded with the growth of the ecosystem.

Beyond being a test laboratory for innovations before integration with the IOTA mainnet, Shimmer is designed to evolve into its own ecosystem and community. The $SMR token is an integral part of that evolution.

IOTA is a distributed ledger technology (DLT) that features unique architecture and an open-source product suite for individuals, businesses, and institutions to use in Web3. It is built on a directed acyclic graph (DAG) called the Tangle, which can be pictured as a multi-dimensional blockchain. It enables the exchange of data and value on a decentralized platform through direct and secure transfers, executed on and immutably recorded on the network.

To learn more about this project, check out our deep dive into IOTA.

Together with its staging network Shimmer, IOTA aims to offer solutions to establish a secure and permissionless infrastructure that can drive the economy of the future. It enables the development of decentralized applications through automated trust in the form of Ethereum-compatible smart contracts, an advanced consensus algorithm, and thoughtfully balanced incentives.

IOTA delivers tools for creating and managing custom Layer 2 (EVM) chains, deploying smart contracts, minting native tokens and NFTs with distinctive features, and introducing digital identities to users.

Launching in 2024, IOTA 2.0 will be a protocol upgrade that rebuilds IOTA’s architecture to deliver full decentralization. You can find more about it here.

Energy Web Token (EWT) is the operational token behind the Energy Web Chain, a blockchain-based virtual machine designed to support and further application development for the energy sector.

Energy Web Chain was launched in June 2019. The Energy Web Foundation is the non-profit enterprise behind the project. EWT aims to bring diversity to the energy sector by allowing developers to create decentralized applications (DApps). The virtual machine has the potential to benefit actors from all areas of energetics, including grid operators, software developers, and vendors.

Energy Web Token

Launched on mainnet on March 30, 2021, Casper is the first live proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain built off the Casper CBC specification. The Casper platform is designed to boost the adoption of blockchain technology, smart contracts, and DApps on a global scale.

With its future-proof architecture, Casper is designed to ensure the platform is continually developed according to the evolving needs of its users, and that it’s maximally accessible to developers of all backgrounds. As per the official whitepaper, Casper is optimized to suit both enterprise and developer needs. Casper’s mission is to usher in a new era for Web3, as demand for intuitive, interconnected services continues to grow across the board. Casper does so by solving the adoption trilemma: offering enterprise-grade security, scalability and decentralization all within the same blockchain protocol.

Casper

Moonbeam is an Ethereum-compatible smart contract parachain on Polkadot. Moonbeam makes it easy to use popular Ethereum developer tools to build or redeploy Solidity projects in a Substrate-based environment.

Moonbeam is much more than just an EVM implementation: it’s a highly specialized parachain that mirrors Ethereum’s Web3 RPC, accounts, keys, subscriptions, logs, and more. The Moonbeam platform extends the base Ethereum feature set with additional features such as on-chain governance, staking, and cross-chain integrations.

Moonbeam’s Ethereum compatibility is unmatched:

Minimal Changes: developers can use existing Solidity smart contracts right away, with no need to rewrite or reconfigure

Use Existing Developer Tools: connect popular tools like MetaMask, Hardhat, Waffle, Remix, and Truffle via a complete set of Web3 RPC endpoints. Use well-known Javascript libraries such as Web3.Js or Ethers.Js.

Unified Accounts, Addresses, and Signatures: use your existing Ethereum H160 accounts & ECDSA signatures to interact with Moonbeam

Tap into the Most Integrations on Polkadot: use existing oracles, bridges, wallets, and other tools that are already building on Moonbeam

Moonbeam provides integration and connectivity between Polkadot Parachains as well as with other chains such as Ethereum and Bitcoin via bridges. Moonbeam was started in 2019 by Derek Yoo of Pure Stake.

Moonbeam

Quant launched in June 2018 with the goal of connecting blockchains and networks on a global scale, without reducing the efficiency and interoperability of the network. It is the first project to solve the interoperability problem through the creation of the first blockchain operating system.

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

The project is built as an operating system distributed ledger technology— and Overledger Network — for connecting different blockchain networks. The project is billed as the first OS to be built for blockchains.

The main aim of Quant — using Overledger — is to bridge the gap that exists between different blockchains. The backbone of the project is the Overledger network, which Quant bills as the ecosystem on which the future digital economy ecosystem will be built.

Overledger allows developers to build decentralized multi-chain applications (known as MApps) for their customers. For developers to build a Mapp on the network, they must hold a certain amount of Quant tokens (QNT).

Quant

COTI is a fast and light confidentiality layer on Ethereum. Powered by the breakthrough cryptographic protocol Garbled Circuits and secured by Ethereum, COTI introduces the most advanced and compliant solution for data protection on the public blockchain. Paving the way for the next wave of Web3 innovation and adoption, COTI unlocks a whole new world of use cases, including confidential transactions, Artificial Intelligence, DeFi, decentralized identification, and more.

COTI

Verasity is an open-ledger ecosystem designed to fight advertising fraud, provide open access to infrastructure for publishers and advertisers, and reward users for watching video content. Verasity also provides payment solutions and a rewarding staking ecosystem with 15% yields guaranteed through to April 2024.

Powered by a mix of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and cutting-edge blockchain technologies, Verasity is building the most powerful advertising ecosystem in the world through VeraViews; developing an open-access payments platform through VeraWallet, the VeraCard, and VeraPay; and enhancing the attention economy through its patented Rewarded Video module.

Verasity

Flare is an EVM-based layer 1 aiming to make blockchain more useful by giving developers decentralized access to high-integrity data from other chains and the internet. This enables new use cases and monetization models, while allowing dapps to serve multiple chains through a single deployment.

Flare

Nervos Network (CKB) is an open-source public blockchain ecosystem. Its goal is to create a peer-to-peer (P2P) crypto-economy network where users can access a wide range of provably secure blockchain services and capabilities.

The Nervos mainnet launched in November 2019 with a novel dual-layer architecture. There’s a base layer where the consensus mechanism operates and smart assets are stored, and a computation layer where transactions are processed.

The base layer, also known as the Common Knowledge Base, has its own cryptocurrency called CKByte (CKB). It uses the Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus mechanism and drives the Nervos ecosystem. It is used to pay miners for keeping the network safe, managing network resources, and letting users store things on the network.

The Nervos Network allows developers to create decentralized applications (dApps) that can operate on various blockchain systems. Any of the network layers can be used to run both decentralized apps and smart contracts.

Nervos Network

Hedera is the most used, sustainable, enterprise-grade public network for the decentralized economy that allows individuals and businesses to create powerful decentralized applications (DApps).

It is designed to be a fairer, more efficient system that eliminates some of the limitations that older blockchain-based platforms face — such as slow performance and instability.

It was funded through an initial coin offering (ICO) in August 2018 and first launched open access to its mainnet just over a year later in September 2019. As part of the ICO, investors were able to purchase the platform’s native utility token (HBAR) at the lowest possible pricing.

The HBAR token has a dual role within the Hedera public network.

First and foremost, HBAR the fuel that powers Hedera services, such as smart contracts, file storage and regular transactions. Second, it's used to help secure the network, since HBAR users can stake their tokens to assist with maintaining the integrity of the platform.

Hedera (HBAR) is the native cryptocurrency of Hedera Hashgraph, a platform that is positioned as an alternative to traditional blockchain technology and aims to excel in speed, efficiency and security.

Older blockchains tend to use a consensus mechanism like proof-of-work (PoW) to validate transactions, while younger blockchains opted for proof-of-stake (PoS). The Hedera Hashgraph system has a structure that was created from scratch particularly for the project. Hedera is based on a PoS model that is believed to increase the efficiency of transaction verification in the network, provide a high level of security, and protect the network from hacker attacks. Its ecosystem has the underlying hashgraph consensus algorithm and the global enterprise governing body.

Hedera Hashgraph is a distributed ledger technology (DLT). According to the project website, Hedera differs from other blockchains because it uses a new consensus algorithm called hashgraph. It intends to process and execute transactions faster, eliminate delays, and smooth out the TPS (transactions per second) indicator. Hashgraph is claimed to be an upgrade in transaction speed, cost, and scalability.

Core network services by Hedera:

Consensus Service (HCS). With HCS, clients send messages to the network to negotiate consensus timestamping and order. In this case, the state is stored offline, and users can define privacy and access control.

Hedera Token Service (HTS). Thanks to HTS, token creation and management are available to customers. It supports built-in tokenization.

The goal of Hedera’s hashgraph is to increase the speed of transactions. Moreover, the network is also focused on high-volume operations: micropayments, data integrity and tokenization.

Like the EVM, the Hedera network maintains a virtual machine that writes smart contracts in the Solidity programming language. On top of that, Hedera offers a set of built-in KYC and AML checks.

From a technical point of view, Hedera is a form of distributed ledger technology. It is a hashgraph, or consensus algorithm, where users agree on the order in which transactions should be performed. However, Hedera is not exactly a blockchain. It has its own distinctiveness and works differently. With hashgraph, all transaction branches are merged, no block equivalent is thrown away, and each is used to reach consensus.

One of the most noticeable features of the network is the Gossip-about-Gossip protocol. According to Dr. Leemon Baird, Hedera's inventor, within the system nodes randomly transmit data about themselves to other nodes via hashgraph using the Gossip protocol. Soon, all nodes in a cluster become familiar with each other. Then a certain data structure is formed. It consists of a payload of transactions, a timestamp, a digital signature, and hashes to the previous structures.

HBAR is Hedera's native token that powers applications on the Hedera network. HBAR is utilized to pay for network services, transaction fees, in-app payments and micropayments. Developers can pay network fees with HBAR tokens, namely: work with smart contracts, file storage and currency exchange. HBAR is used to incentivize and pay network nodes.

Hedera Hashgraph has a decentralized governance system that is set apart. All critical decisions about pricing policy, software updates, and wealth management are made by the Governing Council.

Hedera

Celo is a carbon-negative, permissionless, blockchain with a rich ecosystem of global partners building innovative Web3 dapps to support a more inclusive financial system. Accessible to anyone with a mobile phone, the Celo ecosystem consists of a decentralized, proof-of-stake blockchain technology stack (the Celo platform), CELO governance asset, and several Mento stable assets (cUSD, cEUR, cREAL) that allow for real-world users to use digital assets. The open source Celo mainnet launched on Earth Day 2020.  The Celo community passed an indicative on-chain governance proposal (temperature check) to have Celo migrate to an Ethereum layer-2.  Google Cloud, Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica, and many others run validators on the Celo Platform.  Today, the Platform supports 1,000+ projects in over 150 countries are building on Celo to, helping to create the conditions of prosperity for all.  For more information, please visit Celo.org.

Celo

Algorand is a self-sustaining, decentralized, blockchain-based network that supports a wide range of applications. These systems are secure, scalable and efficient, all critical properties for effective applications in the real world. Algorand will support computations that require reliable performance guarantees to create new forms of trust.

The Algorand mainnet became live in June 2019, and was able to handle almost 1 million transactions per day as of December 2020. Algorand transaction metrics can be viewed here. Algorand initial coin offering (ICO) was held in June 2019, with the Algorand price of $0.24 per token.

Algorand

Osmosis (OSMO) is a decentralized exchange (DEX) for Cosmos, an ecosystem of sovereign, interoperable blockchains all connected trustlessly over IBC, the Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol. Osmosis also offers non-IBC assets bridged from the Ethereum and Polkadot ecosystems. Originally based on Balancer-style pools, Osmosis is moving to a more sustainable concentrated liquidity model that provides a superior trading and liquidity provision experience.

As an appchain DEX, Osmosis has greater control over the full blockchain stack than DEXs that must follow the code of a parent chain. This fine-grained control has enabled, for example, the development of Superfluid Staking, an improvement to Proof-of-Stake security. Superfluid staking allows the underlying OSMO in an LP position to add to chain security and earn staking rewards for doing so. The customizability of appchains also allows for the development of a transaction mempool shielded with threshold encryption, which will greatly reduce harmful MEV on Osmosis.

Osmosis's vision is to build a cross-chain native DEX and trading suite that connects all chains over IBC, including Ethereum and Bitcoin. To build out the trading functionalities, Osmosis has invited external developers to create a bespoke DEX ecosystem that includes lending, credit, margin, fiat on-ramps, Defi strategy vaults, NFTs, stablecoins, and more – all the functionalities of a centralized exchange and more, plus the trust-minimization of decentralized finance.

Osmosis

MultiversX is a blockchain protocol that offers true horizontal scalability by using all aspects of sharding (Network, Transaction & State). The project describes itself as a technology ecosystem for the new internet, which includes decentralized finance, real world assets and the Metaverse. Its smart contracts execution platform is reportedly capable of up to 100,000 transactions per second, 6-second latency and a $0.002 transaction cost.

MultiversX is governed and secured through the EGLD token. EGLD, or Electronic Gold, is MultiversX's native token. It acts as a store of value currency to pay for network usage. The coin also serves as a medium of exchange between platform users and validators. Users pay transaction fees in EGLD and validators participate in the consensus process.

EGLD allows developers to deploy smart contracts, protocols, and dApps on the platform. It empowers participants to perform any network action. Through staking and validation rewards, as well as transaction fees, EGLD manages the MultiversX network. Plus, EGLD is endowed with the functionality of a governance token, so its holders can vote on network decisions.

MultiversX

VeChainThor (VET) is a versatile enterprise-grade L1 smart contract platform whose origins began in 2015. VeChain is known as a pioneer of real-world enterprise applications, and built a distributed platform powered by Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, NFC chips and blockchain to help various industries solve data-related challenges.

VeChain solves major blockchain adoption hurdles. The platform uses an intelligent two token model, VET and VTHO, separating the protocol's Store of Value and gas fee payment mechanisms, ensuring costs can be kept low and stable. Fee delegation allows smart contracts to pay gas fees on behalf of business users, and an advanced transaction model allows data to be packaged more efficiently while ensuring finality of data.

VeChain is focused on delivering a wave of incentive-based sustainability dApps through its new platform, VeBetterDAO, working closely with Boston Consulting Group to achieve adoption across enterprise and individual users, and helping  onboard the next billion users to Web3 over the coming decade.

From supply chains to sustainability, VeChain has continuously demonstrated its leading role as a driver of blockchain in business, and is dedicated to its role as a pioneer of driving real world adoption of blockchain technology.

VeChain

Bloktopia is a decentralized metaverse backed by and built on Polygon. In Bloktopia, a decentralized virtual reality skyscraper made up of 21 levels (as recognition to 21 million Bitcoin) acts as a central hub for users to have access to crypto information and immersive content in one place. The so-called Bloktopias can educate themselves in the basics or more advanced crypto learnings, earn revenue by owning virtual real estate, play games, build networks and more. Moreover, advertisers and sponsors can monetize the platform’s userbase through a dedicated NFT mechanism. By providing a VR experience for the crypto community, users can engage in an immersive environment according to Bloktopia’s four core pillars: learn, earn, play and create.

Bloktopia

Neutron

Astar Network helps developers build decentralized applications (dApps) and layer 2 solutions by providing interoperable web 3.0 infrastructure, financial incentives, incubation programmes and technical support. It seeks to provide the best solution for all developers by supporting EVM and making a parachain where EVM and WASM smart contracts can co-exist and communicate with each other.

Astar connects the Polkadot ecosystem with layer 1 blockchains like Ethereum and Cosmos. It's a Polkadot Parachain, and was designed as a multi-chain Polkadot dApp hub with support for DeFi, NFTs, DAOs, where developers can move beyond infrastructure and focus more on application development.

The project, which is backed by Binance Labs and Coinbase Ventures, operates on two layers: the first layer is built on the Substrate framework, and the second is built using OVM or Optimistic Virtual Machine, for scalability.

Astar

The XDC Network is a blockchain developed to support trade finance and the tokenization of RWAs. A highly optimized, EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain, XDC Network reaches consensus through a delegated proof-of-stake (dPoS) mechanism, which allows for a transaction time of mere seconds, near zero gas fees, and a high number of transactions per second (TPS).

Secure, scalable, and highly efficient, the XDC Network powers a wide range of novel blockchain use cases and provides state-of-the-art infrastructure for enterprise-grade blockchain applications. With architecture that enables the creation of sovereign sub-networks, XDC Network is uniquely equipped to support those who require dedicated blockchain environments for enhanced permissions and control, such as government agencies, financial institutions, and businesses.

As of April 25, 2024, there are 312 XDC Network validator masternode candidates, of which 108 actively operate as validator masternodes, and the remainder are standby masternodes. Each masternode operator is required to stake 10M XDC.

A forthcoming upgrade to the consensus mechanism, dubbed XDC 2.0, is currently running on testnet. It and subsequent iterations of the XDC Network protocol will further enhance the security of the consensus mechanism and incorporate a novel "judiciary branch" into the consensus mechanism.

Developed by Princeton University's Pramod Viswanath, Hash Laboratories' Fisher Yu, and their team, XDC 2.0’s cutting-edge compliance technology will ensure unprecedented Byzantine fault tolerance (BFT) by holding validators accountable for their actions on an automated yet discretionary basis.

XDC Network

Immutable positions itself as the first layer-two scaling solution for NFTs on Ethereum. According to Immutable, its blockchain does away with Ethereum’s limitations like low scalability, a poor user experience, illiquidity, and a slow developer experience. Instead, users benefit from instant trading and massive scalability while enjoying zero gas fees for minting and trading NFTs without compromising user or asset security.

Thanks to this technology, users will be able to create and distribute assets like ERC-20 and ERC-721 tokens on a massive scale. Chris Clay, the game Director of Gods Unchained, a project already building on Immutable, stated that Immutable allows Gods Unchained to implement a new meta-system that was previously impossible. In this fashion, Immutable aims to create a world-class experience for users and developers alike.