Firo

## What Is Firo (FIRO)?

Firo (FIRO), formerly known as Zcoin, is a cryptocurrency that focuses on being private digital cash. It created the Lelantus privacy protocol which allows users to burn their coins and redeem them later for brand new ones that do not have any transaction history.

Prior to Lelantus, it was also the first cryptocurrency to code and launch a practical implementation of the Zerocoin protocol which became one of the most prevalent privacy protocols in use, prior to it being replaced by Sigma and then Lelantus after cryptographic flaws were discovered in the Zerocoin protocol in 2019.

### Who Are the Founders of Firo?

The founder of Firo (then Zcoin) is Poramin Insom. He earned a masters degree in Information Security from Johns Hopkins University where he wrote a paper on a proposed practical implementation of the Zerocoin protocol. Aside from Firo, he is also a co-founder of the Satang Corporation and has served as second lieutenant with the Royal Thai Armed Forces in its cyber warfare division.

Reuben Yap joined the project shortly after its launch in 2016 and now leads the project in its overall strategy, development and research goals. Reuben has been a vocal advocate of online and financial privacy, having founded one of Southeast Asia’s earliest VPN services to combat censorship and is a well-respected speaker on the topic, with featured commentary in CoinDesk, BBC, Forbes, Nasdaq, Reuters and Cheddar News, among others. He assumed the role of Project Steward & Co-Founder in November 2019.

#### What Makes Firo Unique?

Firo's Lelantus privacy protocol and its predecessor, Sigma, relies as part of its construction a specialized zero-knowledge proof called one-out-of-many proofs which unlike other zk constructions, does not require a trusted setup or exotic math/cryptographic assumptions while retaining high anonymity sets.

It was also the first project to deploy Dandelion++ in October 2018, a method of propagating transactions that prevents third parties from linking an IP address to a transaction. 

In November 2018, Firo's (then Zcoin) blockchain was used in the Thai Democrat Party's primary election to elect its party leader. With over 127,000 votes cast nationwide, it is the world's first large-scale political election held on a blockchain.

Firo was rebranded from Zcoin in October 2020.

#### How Many Firo (FIRO) Coins Are There in Circulation?

Firo (FIRO) has a circulating supply of 12,211,042 coins and a maximum supply of 21,400,000 FIRO as of August 2021. It follows a similar distribution schedule as Bitcoin.

### How Is the Firo Network Secured?

Firo uses a PoW-Chainlock hybrid consensus model whereby quorums are formed by several hundred masternodes deterministically selected (LLMQ) that perform a verifiable network-wide measurement/vote of the “first-seen” rule and locks in the block that is first-seen. Blocks are final with a single confirmation as no reorganizations are allowed past this point. This also mitigates 51% mining attacks as more than half the masternode network would need to be compromised to disable Chainlocks before a 51% attack can be mounted.

Firo's mining algorithm is MTP which relies on memory hardness to make it resistant to ASICs. It is moving to FiroPOW, a ProgPOW variant that is designed explicitly for GPU mining and is even more resistant to ASICs and FPGAs to encourage fair distribution of its coin.

### Where Can You Buy Firo (FIRO)?

Firo (FIRO) can be traded on the following exchanges:

*   [Binance](https://www.binance.com/)
*   [Bittrex Global](https://bittrexglobal.com/)
*   [Huobi Global](https://www.htx.com/)
*   [Gate.io](https://www.gate.io/)
*   [MEXC](https://www.mexc.com/)
*   [Satang](https://satangcorp.com/exchange/)
*   [Tokocrypto](https://www.tokocrypto.com/)

You can also swap Firo (FIRO) on the following swap services:

* [ChangeNOW](https://changenow.io/)
* [LetsExchange](https://letsexchange.io/)
* [StealthEX](https://stealthex.io/)
* [MajesticBank](https://majesticbank.sc/)
* [Exchang.io](https://exchang.io/)
* [SimpleSwap](https://simpleswap.io/)
* [Changelly](https://changelly.com/)
* [Swapzone](https://swapzone.io/)

If you are interested in learning how to buy Bitcoin ([BTC](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/bitcoin/)), read our official guide [here.](https://coinmarketcap.com/how-to-buy-bitcoin/)


MetaMask

Binance Chain Wallet

FIRO

Komodo

Ravencoin is a digital peer-to-peer (P2P) network that aims to implement a use case specific blockchain, designed to efficiently handle one specific function: the transfer of assets from one party to another. Built on a fork of the Bitcoin code, Ravencoin was announced on Oct. 31, 2017 and released binaries for mining on Jan. 3, 2018 with what is called a fair launch: no premine, ICO or masternodes. It was named in reference to a TV show Game of Thrones.

Ravencoin

PIVX

Cortex

ZEN is the governance and utility token for Horizen, a zero-knowledge-enabled network of blockchains powered by the largest node infrastructure in the industry. Blockchain interoperability is enabled by the Zendoo protocol, which uses SNARK-verification and allows for complete flexibility in sidechain type, consensus, and speed. Cryptographic verification of networked chains offers massive scale, and the network currently supports up to 10,000 sidechains with a throughput limit of 10,000,000 TPS.

Zendoo makes Horizen a permissionless network of blockchains. Developers can deploy their blockchains within the ecosystem using a variety of SDKs. In 2023, the ecosystem team launched Horizen EON, a public proof-of-stake sidechain and an EVM-compatible smart contracting platform that allows developers to efficiently build and deploy dapps on the Horizen ecosystem, while benefiting from the Ethereum ecosystem. Since going live with Horizen EON, DeFi projects including SpookySwap, Ascent Exchange, and Yuzu have successfully integrated into the Horizen ecosystem. Get started on Horizen EON today!

Horizen's native cryptocurrency, ZEN, is a mineable PoW coin currently trading on major exchanges, including Coinbase and Binance. ZEN can be staked to participate in Horizen's nearly 50,000 full node network.

While ZEN was previously a privacy token, following ZenIP 42204 in June of 2023, the network removed its existing privacy features in favor of moving towards a vision of adaptability and responsible, scalable growth.

Horizen

IRISnet is a service protocol and cryptocurrency, which was officially launched on Mar. 1, 2019. The primary purpose of the IRISnet protocol is to provide a blockchain-based, open network to small and medium businesses that are offering a wide variety of services.

According to the official IRISnet Whitepaper, the protocol aims to employ different public and consortium blockchains to bring the power of decentralized, open networks to thousands of businesses and freelance service providers. Interestingly, IRISnet was named after Iris, the personification of the rainbow and the messenger of the Gods in Greek mythology.

IRISnet

Ardor

NULS

Grin

Flux is the cryptocurrency that powers the Flux ecosystem. It has a number of uses including purchasing resources, collateralizing nodes and fuelling transactions on FluxOS, as well as rewarding both miners and FluxNode operators for providing computational resources.

The Flux ecosystem is devoted to empowering everyone to develop, deploy and use the decentralized Internet of the future: Web3

At this moment the Flux ecosystem consists of: a native, minable POW cryptocurrency ($FLUX), a powerful decentralized computational Flux Network (FluxNodes), a Linux based operating system (FluxOS), the premier digital asset platform (Zelcore) and, finally, the Flux blockchain for on-chain governance, economics and parallel assets to provide interoperability with other blockchains and DeFi access.

Currently (2023/1) Flux has a computational network consisting of around 15,000 decentralized nodes, distributed globally with more than 108,000 CPU cores, 288 terabytes of RAM and 6.7 petabytes of storage. That makes Flux the largest decentralized network in the world!

Flux

Unifi Protocol DAO

Kava Lend is a decentralized money market built on the Kava Platform that enables the lending and borrowing of cross-chain assets. Kava Lend supports supply-side deposits for BTC, XRP, BNB, BUSD, and USDX. The platform will allow overcollateralized borrowing for supported assets.

Kava Lend

Steem is a community-focused blockchain that creates an instant earning opportunity for the network’s users. The protocol is designed to provide an earning opportunity for customers based on their value to the network. It is designed to provide users with a platform where they can post curated content online, and get paid in cryptocurrency.

The protocol is a publicly available, incentivized blockchain database that allows users to interact with each other and earn in return. It leverages technologies from both social media and cryptocurrency to provide users with value. The network ensures the fair treatment of contributors by running a reward structure that reflects each user’s contribution.

Steemit is the first app that was built on the Steem blockchain, and it launched on July 4, 2016. The protocol aims to provide value for its community of users in the following ways:

To provide thoughtfully chosen news and commentaries.

Creating an opportunity to earn.

As a source that offers answers to users’ inquiries.

Offering a stable cryptocurrency pegged to the USD.

Steem

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

BitShares Blockchain is a decentralized “Blockchain as Organization” (BaO); an industrial-grade decentralized open source platform built to run high-performance financial technology operations. It represents the first decentralized autonomous decentralized community that enables its core utility token (BTS) holders to decide the Blockchain future direction in order to develop and maintain a wide range of decentralized financial technology products, features and functions. BitShares Blockchain is a Blockchain that permanently records financial technology operations between different Blockchain accounts and facilitates a wide range of access controls across BitShares Blockchain user financial means.

BitShares Blockchain is a technology that supports the digital generation entrepreneurs, investors, and developers with a common interest in building and participating in free market solutions by leveraging the power of globally decentralized consensus and decision making. Consensus technology has the power to do for economics what the internet did for information. It can harness the combined power of all humanity to coordinate the discovery and aggregation of real-time knowledge, previously unobtainable. This knowledge can be used to more effectively coordinate the allocation of resources toward their most productive and valuable use.

BitShares looks to extend the innovation of the Blockchain to all industries that rely upon the internet to provide their services. Whether its banking, stock exchanges, lotteries, voting, music, auctions or many others, a digital public ledger allows for the creation of distributed autonomous companies (or BaO) that provide better quality services at a fraction of the cost incurred by their more traditional, centralized counterparts. The advent of (BaO) ushers in a new paradigm in organizational structure in which companies can run without any human management and under the control of an incorruptible set of business rules. These rules are encoded in publicly auditable open source software distributed across the computers of the companies’ shareholders, who effortlessly secure the company from arbitrary control. BitShares does for business what bitcoin did for money by utilizing distributed consensus technology to create companies that are inherently global, transparent, trustworthy, efficient and most importantly profitable.

BitShares has went through many changes and has done its best to stay on top of Blockchain technology. BitShares is using Consensus as the mechanism by which organized people decide upon unitary rational action. While not considered technology in the traditional since, consensus “technology” is the basis of democratic governance and the coordination of free market activity first coined by Adam Smith as the “Invisible Hand.” The process of consensus decision-making allows for all participants to consent upon a resolution of action even if not the favored course of action for each individual participant. Bitcoin was the first system to integrate a fully decentralized consensus method with the modern technology of the internet and peer-to-peer networks in order to more efficiently facilitate the transfer of value through electronic communication. The proof-of-work structure that secures and maintains the Bitcoin network is one manner of organizing individuals who do not necessarily trust one another to act in the best interest of all participants of the network. The BitShares ecosystem employs Delegated Proof of Stake in order to find efficient solutions to distributed consensus decision making.

BitShares

BarnBridge, founded in 2019, is a protocol for tokenizing risks. It was launched in September 2020. BarnBridge is a sort of decentralized finance (DeFi) lego for creating tradeable tokens that expose a consumer to market volatility. As of March 2021, the platform is still in an early stage of launch.

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

BarnBridge is a project that expands the functionality of DeFi to make it more flexible and efficient. By tokenizing market fluctuations and exposure to risks, it can reduce volatility for conservative investors or increase it for daytraders. BarnBridge enables traditional risk management tools and fixed income instruments on the DeFi market. The main focus is dividing cryptocurrency risks into tranches so market participants, depending on their risk profile, can invest in different products or assets.

BarnBridge

BurgerCities aims to create a unified and standardized metaverse world of Web3 via integrating DeFi, NFT to the wider Metaverse.
In this world, users could carry out daily events such as social, gaming, etc. Meanwhile, they could experience DeFi and NFT functions with their own avatars such as trading, staking, NFT exhibitions or Gamefi, etc.

BurgerCities

Conflux (CFX) is a public layer-1 blockchain that was made to power decentralized applications (dApps), e-commerce, and Web 3.0 infrastructure by being more scalable, decentralized, and secure than existing protocols.

Conflux makes it easier to transfer valuable assets by making the process quick, effective, free of network congestion, and with low transaction costs. The platform is based on the Tree-Graph consensus mechanism, and it combines Proof-of-Work (PoW) and Proof-of-Stake (PoS) algorithms to achieve consensus. The protocol uses Turing-complete smart contracts written in Solidity, just like those on  Ethereum, and is compatible with the EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine).

Conflux's growth is fueled by CFX, the platform's native token, which gives users financial incentives to participate and engage more. The token is used to pay transaction fees, govern the network, and is given as compensation to miners who help secure the network via staking.

Conflux

QuarkChain

AdEx is a cutting-edge web3 marketing platform utilizing blockchain and programmatic advertising to elevate digital advertising. Through AdEx, Web3 advertisers can access an untapped market of potential crypto users.

Originating in 2017 as a decentralized ad exchange, AdEx has evolved into a full advertising protocol, boasting 20,000+ registered users and processing billions of micropayments on the blockchain. Currently, AdEx serves as a Demand-Side Platform, allowing advertisers to buy traffic through SSPs, conduct real-time bidding, and leverage programmatic technology. Moreover, AdEx maintains direct partnerships with premium publishers, encompassing all interactions between publishers, advertisers, and end users.

ADX, the native token of AdEx, serves as the platform's native utility token, playing a pivotal role in rewards, governance, payment, and staking. It incentivizes validator uptime, ensuring seamless advertising campaigns. The more tokens staked, the more robust the validator network becomes. ADX token holders can stake their tokens to receive generous rewards and participate in governance decisions. Moreover, advertisers leverage ADX for campaign payments, enjoying reduced fees compared to other payment options.