There are several thousands of cryptocurrencies out there, known also as altcoins. These coins and tokens all have their own unique features and uses, for example, some are used to help decide the direction the creator company should take, others give you discounts or access to special features. The Coin Guide is a concise summary of the aims and technology behind a certain cryptocurrencies. Insight is crucial in this field. Many projects disguise their progress through complicated jargon, making it hard to distinguish those who are building something meaningful from those who are not.
Post.tech is a next generation Web3 social network built on Arbitrum. Post.tech allows you to earn points and tokens simply by using and posting on Post.tech or Twitter (X). Here’s our secret strategy guide on how to get maximum Post.tech points and $POST tokens!
Interacting with other users will give you MAXIMUM points and $POST, so follow us on Twitter so we can $POST you too!
Check out our other SocialFi platform strategy guides:
Post.Tech is a social media platform that operates similarly to its predecessor, Friend.Tech. It offers token-gated channels where users can buy and sell access tokens. Post.tech charges a 10% fee on transactions, which is split evenly between the app and the channel’s owner. The Post.Tech platform has been gaining huge popularity recently, and on 20th September 2023 recorded $875,000 in transaction volume and trading volume exceeding $1.81 million in 24 hours.
How does Post.tech work?
Posting or engaging on either the Post.tech or Twitter (X) platforms gives you rewards. On Post.tech, users will need to create posts and engage with the community. Meanwhile, on Twitter (X), users will need to create tweets or reply mentioning @PostTechSoFi and $post in order to earn points. At the end of each epoch (i.e. week), Post.tech will calculate the number of points earned which can be redeemed for Post.tech’s tokens after the airdrop campaign ends. Users will be able to claim their tokens then.
Will there be a Post.tech $POST token airdrop?
Post.tech have confirmed on their website they will be doing an a $POST token airdrop. To get a Post-tech airdrop, all you need to do is post and engage with the community on Post.tech or Twitter (X).
How to use Post.tech?
Here’s how to set up, use and start earning Post.tech $POST points and tokens.
Posts and engagement on both Twitter (X) and Post.tech give you points, with the latter platform giving you more points. But remember, if you post on Twitter (X), you need to mention @PostTechSoFi and $POST in order to earn points.
Buy and sell profiles
To buy and sell profiles, you will need to deposit at least 0.001 ETH. The advantages of doing this are that you will earn 5% in trading fees when your profile’s shares a traded. You will also increase your reputation on the Post.tech platform, which can lead to extra rewards. You can see the number of points awarded for each post/interaction here.
Claim $POST tokens
At the end of each epoch (i.e. 1 week), Post.tech will finalise your point count. And after the end of the airdrop campaign, Friend.tech will tally up all your points and determine your $POST token entitlement.
How are Post.tech points calculated?
Different interactions on Twitter (X) and Post.tech give you differing amounts of points. Here’s how the Twitter (X) and Post.tech points are calculated:
Points for posting on Post.tech
Here’s how points are calculated for posting on Post.tech:
Shares holding (i.e. purchasing and holding shares on Post.tech): 200k – 15M points
Buy/Sell shares (i.e. profile trading on Post.tech): 30k points (unlimited)
Points for posting on Twitter (X)
Here’s how points are calculated for posting on Twitter (X). Note that each tweet or reply must mention @PostTechSoFi and $POST in order to qualify:
Original tweet: Up to 15k points (5 tweets/day)
Tweet replies: Up to 7.5k points (25 replies/day)
How to get maximum Post.tech $POST points: Strategy guide
Here are some strategies to get maximum $POST points:
Profile trading: Buy and sell newer/cheaper profiles faster to earn more points on profile trading. Remember, there’s no limit on the number of points you can earn through profile trading!
Only hodl “good” profiles i.e those with high engagement posts.
On smaller Post.tech or Twitter (X) accounts, reply to original posts with @PostTechSoFi and $POST. This is so they may also reply to your posts and you can win together!
Focus on posting on Post.tech. Whilst you get fewer points for posting on Post.tech, the engagement will be very high since everyone who is on Post.tech is in it for the points. It is also a good place to make friends to exchange engagement.
Where can I trade $POST tokens?
Post.tech $POST tokens have not officially launched yet, so they are not tradable on any exchange. They are likely to launch once their airdrop campaign ends.
Conclusion
Post.tech is a Web3 social network that rewards users for posting and engaging on its own platform or on Twitter (X). Users can earn points and tokens by creating content, interacting with others, and trading profiles. Post.tech also offers token-gated channels where users can access exclusive content and communities. Post.tech is currently running an airdrop campaign where users can claim $POST tokens based on their points. With our guide and strategies, you can earn the maximum number of points and $POST tokens! Good luck and show your support by following us on Twitter!
Tipcoin refers to itself as the “future of social interaction”. It allows users to receive points simply for posting on Twitter/X. What’s more, there are ways to get multipliers on points depending on the type of tip. Here’s our secret strategy guide on how to get maximum Tipcoin $TIP tokens.
Interacting with other Twitter users will give you MAXIMUM points and $tip, so follow us on Twitter so we can $tip you too and get you started!
Check out our other SocialFi platform strategy guides:
Use our strategies to get maximum points and $tip. See here.
What is Tipcoin?
Tipcoin is a cryptocurrency aims to transform Twitter / X into a platform for seamless social interaction by enabling users to reward friends and their favorite content creators effortlessly. It operates as a decentralized social platform, rewarding users on Twitter for their engagement and tweets. To earn rewards, users simply need to mention Tipcoin by tagging @tipcoineth on Twitter and using $tip or #tip in their tweets.
How does Tipcoin work?
Twitter/ X users are rewarded with points for replying, quoting or tweeting if they mention $tip or #tip. As will be seen below, different types of tweets e.g. original tweets, tipped quotes or replies, and kickbacks will entitle you to get more points.
Tipcoin has been working on 1 week epochs since 1st September 2023 at 8:00am EST (i.e. their launch date). Points earned during each epoch (week) are calculated. Then, Tipcoin will calculate and determine how much $tip they earned using their point system. Finally, users can claim their earned $tip tokens in the next epoch (i.e. next week).
Will there be a Tipcoin $tip airdrop?
According to Tipcoin’s tokenomics, 35% of $tip tokens will be reserved for platform rewards. Tipcoin have also confirmed that they will be doing airdrops on their future $tip platform. More details will be released in the week leading up to the end of epoch 3. So, watch this space for more details on the upcoming Tipcoin airdrop! (Diazepam)
How to use Tipcoin?
Here’s how to set up, use and earn Tipcoin ($tip)
Set up and activate $tip account
On their page, click “Start Now” to link and authorise your Twitter account. You will then need to send out an activation sweet and share a confirmation post by following their prompts.
Begin tweeting!
Reply, quote, or tweet by tagging @tipcoineth and mentioning $tip or #tip. You will then automatically be awarded points!
Claim points
Your points and $tip allocation will be calculated after each epoch. To claim your earned $tip, go to the “Claim” tab on the top of the page.
How are Tipcoin points calculated?
Different interactions on Twitter give you differing amounts of points. Here’s how Tipcoin points are calculated:
1 point per view;
100 points per like;
250 points per reply;
500 points per quote; and
1,000 points per retweet.
Also, here are the actions which will give you multipliers on points:
original tweet- 30x point multiplier;
tipped quote- 10x point multiplier;
tipped reply- 1x point multiplier; and
replied kickbacks- 1/10 points per tip.
However, the Tipcoin team have hinted there may be additional multipliers during claim.
How to get maximum $tip: Strategy guide
Here are some strategies to get maximum Tipcoin $tip:
Focus on original tweets if you have a larger Twitter account. You can only get points on 5 original tweets per day, with a maximum of 18 million points per tweet!
Tip quotes is a good strategy for smaller accounts. You can get points for 10 quote tweets daily, with each quote tweet potentially earning a maximum of 1 million points. This is because quoting others’ tweets whilst mentioning $tip, #tip and @tipcoineth gives a point multiplier of 10x. So, quote others’ tweets in the hopes they will quote you in return. So, follow us on Twitter and we can $tip you too!
Tipped replies. Replying to others’ tweets with $tip, #tip and @tipcoineth can get you 25,000 points for 15 replies every day. Tipped replies however only offers a multiplier of 1x, so whilst it is better than nothing, the strategies in 1 and 2 above are better if you have less time.
Replied kickbacks. This requires your Twitter account to be verified (i.e., blue tick). Tipcoin kickbacks means you earn points for receiving $tip and @tipcoineth replies from others. However, the multiplier is only 1/10, but with no daily upper limit.
Where can I trade Tipcoin $tip?
You can trade Tipcoin $tip on Uniswap, LBank, Bitget, BingX and MEXC. We expect more exchanges to offer trading in $tip soon as its popularity increases!
Conclusion
Tipcoin allows users to reward each other on Twitter with simple tweets. Use the @tipcoineth handle and the $tip, #tip symbol to earn points which can be exchanged for Tipcoin $tip tokens. With our guides and strategies, you can earn the maximum number of points and get more $tip! Good luck and support us by following us on Twitter so we can $tip you too!
zkLend began its creation in late 2021 with aims to create a layer 2 money-market protocol built on StarkNet. With StarkNet being one of the hottest anticipated airdrops, there is massive speculation that zkLend will also have an airdrop. Particularly since zkLend’s V1 mainnet is fast approaching. This guide will teach you how to get a potential zkLend ($ZEND) token airdrop, which may also increase your potential StarkNet airdrop too!
zkLend is a money-market protocol built on StarkNet. Its aim is to combine the best of zk-rollups and Ethereum. zkLend will enable users to earn interest on deposits and borrow assets. To achieve this, zkLend will be offering a dual solution in the form of 2 products: Artemis, and Apollo.
Currently, zkLend has launched the Artemis MVP testnet on StarkNet Goreli testnet. Artemis is designed for regular DeFi users, and enables them to deposit, borrow and lend in a decentralized and permissionless manner on StarkNet.
zkLend’s other major product, Apollo, is designed for institutional clients. The aim of Apollo is to become a gateway for institutional users into the world of DeFi. It will allow permissioned users to deposit, borrow and lend on StarkNet, but without compromising on compliance and security.
What is the zkLend ($ZEND) token?
The zkLend ($ZEND) token has not been launched yet. However, when it does, there will be a total token supply of 100 million tokens. 35% of the total supply of $ZEND tokens will be allocated towards staking and distribution rewards.
The ZEND token is intended for governance and utility functions on zkLend. In particular, ZEND tokens will be rewarded to users when they interact with the zkLend network. For example, ZEND tokens will be distributed for users when borrowing/lending or providing liquidity to the network. Also, when users participate in community events or marketing/airdrop campaigns. ZEND token holders will also be entitled to voting rights which allow them to vote on future features of zkLend.
What is the Current Status of the zkLend ($ZEND) Token Airdrop?
zkLend has not launched its $ZEND token yet. However, the chances of zkLend doing an airdrop are promising. This is because they have already stated in their Whitepaper that a proportion of zkLend’s revenue would be allocated for airdrop campaigns.
How do I participate in the $ZEND token airdrop?
As there is no official airdrop announcement yet, many users can only speculate how to become eligible for $ZEND token airdrops. It is speculated that users could participate in the Artemis public testnet. This is in the hopes that completing zkLend testnet actions will inevitably entitle them to airdrops when the $ZEND token is launched. However, users should note that an airdrop is not guaranteed.
Connect your wallet to zkLend’s Questboard and complete the tasks. Tasks include joining their Discord, liking and retweeting their Tweets, and submitting your Starknet mainnet wallet address.
Artemis is still in the testnet stage, and it is hoped that the mainnet will be launched in 2023, as well as the launch of the $ZEND token.
When reviewing an airdrop, there are several factors to consider. First, the likelihood the project will even do an airdrop in the first place. Then, to look at how many tokens the project intends to allocate towards airdrop campaigns, as well as the difficulty in participating in their airdrop. It is also important to look at the utility of the token so that there will be an actual use and purpose in participating in the airdrop in the first place. Finally, a factor to consider when reviewing an airdrop is whether the airdropped tokens are subject to any lockup period.
Likelihood of Airdrop: The zkLend ($ZEND) token has not been launched yet. But the team has said that $ZEND tokens would be allocated towards staking and distribution rewards.
Airdropped Token Allocation: zkLend ($ZEND) will be a total token supply of 100 million tokens. 35% of the total supply of $ZEND tokens will be allocated towards staking and distribution rewards.
Airdrop Difficulty: It is possible that participating in the Artemis public testnet could make you eligible for a potential $ZEND airdrop. Whilst this requires time and technical knowledge, you will only be using testnet ETH so it does not cost any money on your part. Otherwise, there are simple social tasks on their Questboard which are easy to do. There may also be a possibility that doing zkLend tasks may make you eligible for the potential StarkNet airdrop too!
Token Utility: The ZEND token is intended for governance and utility functions on zkLend. ZEND tokens will also be rewarded to users that interact with the zkLend network.
Token Lockup: There is no announcement on the $ZEND token lockup yet. However, it is hoped that the mainnet will be launched in 2023, together with the $ZEND token.
Alchemy Pay ($ACH) is leading the Chinese coin rally. And data suggests Alchemy Pay prices can go much higher throughout 2023. They are collaborating with the likes of Binance, Visa, MasterCard, and PayPal to provide crypto and fiat payment services. In this article, we will explain what Alchemy Pay is, and why $ACH should be on your 2023 watch list.
What is Alchemy Pay?
Alchemy Pay provides real-world crypto payment solutions and fiat on/off ramps for global businesses, developers, and consumers. One key problem in the current blockchain payment landscape is the lack of integration between traditional financial systems and cryptocurrencies. The project aims to address this by incorporating a hybrid solution. The solution is to (1) simplify the use of crypto to access traditional financial services; and (2) have fiat currency access blockchain services and value.
This will be huge for driving crypto adoption, as it is essentially a network system that allows cross-platform payments. For example, users can use their credit cards to make payments in fiat currencies. Their payment gateway converts this into crypto. This allows users to make credit card purchases while benefiting from the advantages of cryptocurrency. Such as faster and more secure transactions.
Payment Channels and Strategic Partners
Alchemy Pay already has a global reach of 173 countries and over 300 fiat payment channels. These include Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, regional mobile wallets, and domestic bank transfers. They also have a massive network of strategic partnerships with many major blockchain networks and services. For example Polygon, Chainlink, Arbitrum, Coinbase, and Bybit.
Who is the Team behind Alchemy Pay?
In 2018, Molly Zheng and Shawn Shi established Alchemy Pay in Singapore. Both founders have extensive backgrounds in the financial sector. Zheng previously held the position of senior consultant at PayPal China, and also worked for HSBC China and Mastercard China. In 2021, Zheng was appointed Chairwoman of Alchemy Pay’s Board and was succeeded as CEO by John Tan, the then-COO. Tan was responsible for driving the growth of the project’s payment business. He did this by securing the company’s initial base of merchant networks across Asia. Their team now boasts over 80 members who have deep experience across the blockchain and payments industries.
Furthermore, the announcement of a new licensing regime for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) in Hong Kong has generated public interest in Chinese cryptocurrencies. Even though this licensing regime will not have a direct impact on retail buyers. However, both these catalysts may not have as significant of an impact as anticipated. The uncertainty of the actual size of the monetary easing and the lack of a well-defined concept of a “Chinese coin” remain.
People are still interested in taking advantage of any potential mini-rally despite these uncertainties. And are actively searching for investment opportunities. Whilst $ACH still has a small market cap, but with strong connections and established infrastructure, it could become a leading contender in China this year.
Alchemy Pay news
On 23rd February 2023, Alchemy Pay announced its partnership with Conflux Network. Conflux Network is a permissionless Layer 1 blockchain which connects decentralized economies across borders and protocols. Through this partnership, Alchemy Pay would be able to have an easy fiat on-ramp onto its ecosystem. This on-ramp payment solution will allow people to buy crypto using their local currency, which will give Conflux’s system a higher level of convenience for both beginners and experienced users. By working together, Alchemy Pay will help Conflux expand its reach around the world. Now with 2 of China’s hottest projects joining forces, we will hopefully see a massive boost for both Alchemy Pay and Conflux’s tokens.
Alchemy Pay $ACH Token and Price Prediction for 2023
$ACH is the utility token of Alchemy Pay, issued on the Ethereum blockchain as an ERC-20 token. There is a total circulating supply of 4 billion $ACH. Its primary use is for its partners to pledge their $ACH as an intermediate settlement currency between token payment networks. Also, as a medium for transaction fees. Alchemy Pay coin is required for every transaction. But, businesses and merchants within the network receive $ACH incentives for accepting crypto as payment at their point of sale.
As of 20th February 2023, we can see from the price chart that $ACH price is gaining a momentum. There has been a 142.1% increase over the past seven days. Technical indicators do show that $ACH is overbought. But its long-term 50 & 200 daily moving average crossover indicates a bullish trend. This suggests that $ACH is likely to continue its uptrend. The pump to $0.041 at the time of writing is partly attributed to news of them partnering with Google Pay. Provided they expand their infrastructure and build more connections, $ACH could deliver strong returns in 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is Alchemy Pay?
Alchemy Pay is a blockchain and cryptocurrency project which aims to provide real-world crypto payment solutions and a fiat on/off ramp for global businesses, developers, and consumers.
Is Alchemy Pay a good coin?
Alchemy Pay is a good coin with potential. $ACH is currently at US$0.050599 and its all-time high price was $0.198666. It is currently ranked number 177 amongst all cryptocurrencies in terms of market capitalization.
Is Alchemy Pay a good investment?
Alchemy Pay’s $ACH token is also very popular among Chinese cryptocurrency investors. As with any investment, it is important to do your own research and consider the potential risks before investing in Alchemy.
Does Alchemy Pay have potential?
Alchemy Pay does have potential since the Chinese cryptocurrency community views the project so favourably. Also, the Chinese crypto narrative is seen as a huge trend this year, which will certainly give Alchemy Pay a boost.
Who invested in Alchemy Pay?
Alchemy Pay completed its Series A funding round in 2022. They raised US$15 million from several investors including Charles Schwab and Jay Z.
What is Vechain? VeChain ($VET) is a next-generation smart contract blockchain platform focused on solving enterprise and supply chain management solutions. The blockchain supports the creation of smart contracts – self-executing contacts that have a guaranteed outcome without third-party trust. Vechain’s unique advantage is that it has close relations with the big four auditing firms, such as Pricewaterhouse Cooper, who will use blockchains to audit firms.
Vechain is designed to can solve enterprise problems such as:
Anti-counterfeit for Luxury Brands – through the use of smart chips, Vechain tracks each individual item and prevents duplication. Vechain Toolchain allows anyone to create anti-counterfeit tags.
Cold-chain Logistics – ensure that food doesn’t spoil during transportation and storage by using smart IoT sensors that automatically report crucial information to the blockchain.
Automobile – keep a tamper-proof record of vehicle data including repair history, insurance, registration, and driver habits.
Carbon Credits – Quantitatively track the carbon contributions of a particular company to reduce carbon emissions. For retail users, the app is already available on WeChat. Consumers engaging in low-carbon behaviors (e.g. purchasing low-carbon products) would be rewarded with credits that can be redeemed for environmentally friendly goods or donated to charity.
Clinical trial traceability platform – with a partnership with Bayer China, Vechain will use blockchain to solve problems of digitalized clinical trial traceability.
Using blockchain technology, VeChain makes it simple and secure for product manufacturers to collect, manage, and share important product data with vendors and consumers throughout the life-cycle of a product.
Key Features of Vechain
Public blockchain Anyone can read, write and deploy decentralized applications and smart contracts onto the VeChainThor blockchain.
In-house IOT and supply chain management technology Proven blockchain implementation experiences in industries such as luxury goods, liquor, and agriculture.
Native Fee Delegation The blockchain supports the implementation of native fee delegation, which means dApp users do not need to hold VET or VTHO to write transactions if associated gas costs are specified by the developers to be sponsored.
VeChain Ecosystem
To achieve its ambitious vision, VeChain has developed a powerful blockchain-enabled enterprise software platform. The Platform enables manufacturers to assign products with unique identities, which then allows manufacturers, supply chain partners, and even consumers to interact with the product through the platform. It uses blockchain technology to ensure the security of the data collected, allocating private keys to all participants within the supply chain.
Products are assigned a unique ID, which is stored simultaneously on the blockchain and attributed to the product with an NFC chip, RFID tag or QR code. At any point during the product’s life, the chip, tag or code can be interacted with, whether by a distribution or retail partner ascertaining batch membership, or a consumer wanting to learn more about a product. The Company envisages a broad range of applications, including brand protection, anti-counterfeit, and food safety.
VeChain has existed since 2015 and migrated its previous private and consortium blockchain to its public VeChainThor blockchain in 2018. This move opens up the advanced features found on the blockchain to any developer or third party to develop and write applications on the platform. There have been several companies that chose to build their business on top of VeChainThor, including Plair and 8Hours Foundation, as well as several independent community developers.
Vechain Roadmap in 2023
Vechain Token Economics
Vechain uses a dual-token economic model. The primary token, VeChain Token (VET) is used to represent value on the network, with various mechanisms designed to stabilize the price of VET over time.
VET holders will also automatically generate the utility token, VeChain Thor Token (VTHO). VTHO is a “gas” currency, and is required to send transactions or perform actions on the network. Regular network users do not have to worry about separately buying VTHO though, as it is automatically generated in proportion to the amount of VET held. When a transaction is executed, 70% of VTHO is permanently destroyed (“burned”) and 30% is given as a block reward to Authority Node holders.
This dual-token economic model was introduced to improve network economics. This system is designed to help developers on the network. Developers holding enough VET will be able to use the network for free, as the VTHO generated will be enough to pay for transactions. If a developer is developing a transaction-intensive app, they can also look to use the multi-party payment protocol.
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In short:
Vechain Token (VET) serves as a reserve for economic staking and value transfer on the platform. VET can be “staked” in various economic nodes and generate VTHO which powers transactions on the network.
VeThor Token (VTHO) is the “gas” required to perform transactions and interact with smart contracts. Each time a transaction is made, VTHO is consumed and destroyed.
Using and Storing Vechain
Vechain can be stored safely on the VeChainThor Wallet which is available on smartphones (iOS and Android). The mobile wallet securely encrypts and provides keys to provide maximum security for Vechain holders.
What are VeChain Nodes?
Nodes are traceable wallets (such as the VeChainThor wallet) that have a specified minimum amount of VeChain stored inside. There are 2 types of nodes: Authority Nodes and Economic Nodes, both of which have their own requirements, functions, and benefits.
Authority (Thrudheim) Nodes: Securing Vechain by Proof of Authority
At the heart of Vechain are the 101 Authority Nodes that process and validate all the blockchain transactions, as well as govern the network via a voting mechanism. These Authority Nodes are selected by the Vechain Foundation and go through a full application and KYC procedure. As a reward, Authority Node holders receive the highest VTHO production rate and voting rights. Authority Nodes are generally owned by large enterprises and trusted individuals to ensure decentralized trust. Little is known about the identity of these Authority Node holders for security reasons, but several large enterprises such as DNV GL and PwC have come forward saying they hold Authority Nodes.
Economic Nodes: Providing stability to the ecosystem through staking
Economic Nodes do not validate blockchain transactions, rather they keep the Vechain ecosystem stable by keeping a certain amount of VET tokens in their VeChain Thor mobile wallet. There are different tiers of economic nodes and the more VET tokens staked for a longer period of time, the higher the rewards.
To become a Normal Economic Node holder, a minimum of 1,000.000 VET for 10 days is required.
More dedicated node holders can join VeChain’s X Node program which offer even more rewards. For X Node holders, holding a minimum of 600.000 VET at all times is required.
There are 4 types of rewards depending on the type of Node held. These range from earning a sum of VTHO per day, rewards from the Company’s Foundation Reward Pool, to whitelist access to VeChain ICOs.
VeChain started in 2015 with the establishment of its company in Shanghai. Founded by CEO Sunny Lu (ex-CIO of Louis Vuitton China), the Company has been developing enterprise-focused solutions based on its private blockchain. As the trend towards better decentralization occurred in the blockchain industry, VeChain migrated to a consortium blockchain before finally establishing the VeChain Foundation and starting their final migration to a Proof of Authority (PoA)-based public blockchain platform.
The Foundation’s vision is to create greater market transparency and provide consumers with access to more detailed information about the products they buy, sell, and interact with. By having a full 360-degree view of the supply chain, with all components securely recorded and stored in a tamper-proof distributed ledger, retailers and manufacturers can be certain of the quality and authenticity of their products, guaranteeing consumers that what they are buying is really what they think it is.
VeChain boasts partnerships and lives use cases with many notable partners, including DNV GL, PwC, Deloitte, Walmart China, BMW, BYD Auto, Bayer China, H&M, LVMH, ENN, AWS, PICC, ASI Group, etc.
Key VeChain Partnerships
DNV GL
DNV GL was founded in 1864 and has 300 offices worldwide. They provide quality assurance services to companies in the maritime, oil and gas, and power and renewables industries.
DNV GL issues Management System Certificates at the end of their inspection and certification process. This evidences that the company’s processes and products meet international standards.
DNV GL is a partner and shareholder of VeChain. Both Companies share the belief that the future of assurance lies in blockchain technologyAt VeChain Summit 2019, DNVGL announced it has completely migrated its private blockchain to the VechainThor
Since the partnership announcement, DNV GL has jointly developed several products including the Low Carbon Ecosystem and MyStory, a traceability and marketing solution. DNV GL has also reaffirmed its commitment to the VeChain ecosystem by migrating its private blockchain onto the VeChainThor public blockchain for its clients. DNV GL also gave each client a digital Non-Fungible Token (NFT) wallet so that each customer has a digital identity and can access and interact with the DNV GL ecosystem. Through this, DNV GL has issued more than 900,000 wallets, compared to Ethereum which only has 400,000 wallets.
BMW
In March 2018, BMW confirmed VeChain’s participation in the BMW Startup Garage Programme, a partnership program whereby BMW will work with the participant to develop their technology and purchase it for BMW’s use.
During the 2019 VeChain Summit, it was confirmed that VeChain and BMW will jointly develop a DApp called VerifyCar for BMW cars. VerifyCar will record vehicle information onto the VeChainThor blockchain. Examples of information which will be recorded include a vehicle’s mileage, insurance and service records.
Cihan Albay, Leader at IT Tech Office Singapore, BMW Group gives a presentation on VerifyCar
PriceWaterHouseCoopers (PwC)
PwC is known as one of the “Big Four” auditors. They are a network of firms in over 150 countries and provide services to 420 of the Fortune 500 companies.
PwC has 3 major service lines:
Assurance providing financial audits;
Advisory on actuarial and insurance management solutions and human resource services; and
Tax planning and consultancy services.
VeChain has partnered with PwC since May 2017 to jointly develop and promote the adoption of blockchain technology. After much speculation, details of their partnership were announced during a joint press conference with PwC and Walmart in June 2019. It was announced that Vechain and PwC were also working with Walmart China, and had launched the Walmart China Blockchain Traceability Platform built on the VeChainThor Blockchain. The Platform takes on the challenge of food safety by using VeChain’s technology to allow Walmart China to implement a traceability strategy for its products. Consumers can scan the products and would be able to view detailed information on the product, such as its source, logistics process, product inspection reports etc.
At the time of the announcement, an initial 23 Walmart product lines were tested and launched on the Platform. By the end of 2020, it is expected that Walmart’s China’s traceability system will see traceable fresh meat account for 50% of its fresh meat sales, traceable vegetables will account for 40% of its total sales of vegetables, and traceable seafood will account for 12.5% of the total sales of seafood.
Bayer China
The partnership between VeChain and Bayer China, the Greater China arm of one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies was announced on 28th May 2020. VeChain has created CSecure, a clinical trial traceability platform to be used in Bayer’s research and development of medical interventions such as drugs and other treatments. Learn more about Vechain and Bayer’s partnership.
VeChain is a blockchain-enabled platform that provides a comprehensive governance structure, a robust economic model, and advanced IoT integration to help enterprises improve supply chain management, asset tracking, data management, and more.
What are the benefits of using VeChain?
VeChain offers a wide range of benefits, including improved transparency, enhanced security, improved traceability, increased efficiency, cost savings, and more.
How does VeChain work?
VeChain uses a combination of blockchain technology, smart contracts, and IoT devices to create an immutable, distributed ledger that can be used to track and manage assets, contracts, and data.
What industries can benefit from VeChain?
VeChain has applications in a variety of industries, including supply chain management, asset tracking, data management, healthcare, finance, and more.
What is VeChain Thor?
VeChain Thor is the native blockchain platform of VeChain, which enables users to develop decentralized applications (dApps) and smart contracts.
Where can I buy Vechain
Currently, the best exchange to trade both the $VET and $VTHO token is Binance – it has the most number of traders and highest liquidity. You can purchase VET on cryptocurrency exchanges such as Binance, Huobi, and OKEx.
What is VeChain’s token?
VeChain’s token is called VET, and it is used to power the VeChain network and reward users for their contributions.
What is VeChain’s roadmap in 2023?
The VeChain Foundation says the project’s developers plan to spend the first half of the year at work on a carbon footprint explorer, a wallet browser extension and an Ethereum (ETH) token bridge, among other projects.
Atari, the pioneer of the videogame industry, is venturing into the crypto space by creating their own token, Atari Token, ($ATRI), to power the future of the interactive entertainment industry. The global entertainment and media market is projected to be worth approximately $2.2 trillion by 2021. Interestingly, gaming is continually accounting for a more significant chunk of the industry’s value and is projected to be worth $200 billion within the next few years, according to Statista. With the integration of blockchain technology and the Atari Token, the company believes that this will revolutionize the global gaming industry.
Atari token is developed by icons in the gaming scene, Atari. The firm has over 200 games under its name. If you are a gamer, their titles would not be able to you as games like Pong, Missile Command, and Roller Coaster Tycoon were once very popular.
Atari has been developing games since 1972. Therefore, its knowledge of the interactive has been enjoyed by gamers through generations.
Notably, to be alive from 1972 means that the company has been able to adapt to the changing needs in its environment swiftly. It’s this open-mindedness that has seen the introduction of the Atari Token. Frédéric Chesnais leads the project as the CEO, with Manfred Mantschev heading the business development division.
Additionally, the project has partnered with notable firms in the cryptocurrency and blockchain fields. They include the Litecoin Foundation, Arkane Network, Chain Games, and Blockchain Game Alliance (BGA).
What is the Atari Token ($ATRI)?
Atari Token ($ATRI) is a blockchain-based currency aimed at streamlining payments in the interactive entertainment space. The token is developed using Ethereum’s ERC-20 standards and is powered by the Ethereum blockchain.
However, before expanding to the entire area, the token sought to first make an impact on the gaming ecosystem. Although the project is driven by a blockchain system with a relatively low transaction speed (around 20 transactions per second), the network is exploring a layer-two scaling solution to enhance the network speed.
With the token, the Atari team is keen on removing the barriers presented by other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. For example, instead of limiting themselves to particular use cases, the cryptocurrency can be used in a wide range of use cases in the long run.
Simply put, the Atari team is keen on developing a token that can be used in everyday activities even outside gaming.
ATRI occupies a critical role in the Atari ecosystem. For instance, the token is used to power activities on smart contracts. In addition, it acts as a medium of exchange on supported platforms. As a start, the token forms a key pillar in the Atari system that has the Atari Casino, Atari Exchange, and Atari Betting.
Atari ($ATRI) Public Sale
The public sale of the Atari Token will begin on 29 October 2020 on Bitcoin.com Exchange. The price per token is set at $0.25 per token with a hard cap for the public sale of $1 million. The Atari Token will be listed on the Bitcoin.com Exchange following the completion of the public sale. For more information, please refer to their telegram or twitter.
Atari Tokenomics
The circulating supply of Atari Token is 65,389,000 and the total supply is 7,771,000,000. Atari Chain applies a token burn/buyback economic policy that aims to track network growth, demand and usage with the emission of new tokens into circulating supply. Any unsold tokens during the Private or Public Sale will ultimately be burned.
Since it’s a community-focused project, the governance of the token is done through a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO). But, the basic rules have to be developed before welcoming community involvement. Therefore, the project will smoothly transition from centralized to decentralized governance.
However, after decentralization, the Atari network will have 12 distributed parties that will oversee consensus among the Atari community.
Advantages of ATRI
Within such an expansive industry, such as interactive entertainment, the token has a wide range of advantages. Top among them include, but not limited to:
Easy Integration
The token is built to be the universal token on gaming platforms. For this reason, the fact that it is based on the Ethereum protocol puts it at its rightful path, considering that the blockchain platform has more than triple the number of developers compared to other decentralized networks.
High Liquidity
ATRI banks on attracting liquidity from a multitude of internet-based entertainment platforms. Notably, the coin will be integrated on platforms that are secure, as well as with high transaction volumes.
Auditable
The cryptocurrency industry has been filled with scams and poorly secured platforms for a long time, leading to security breaches and loss of investors’ funds. ATRI solves this by opening up to independent audits. This powers secure smart contracts and prompt the use of standardized safety policies. (https://www.srmfre.com)
ATRI Use Cases
The token can be used by gamers and developers alike. For gamers, the ATRI is ideal for making micro-transactions inside games, making digital representations of avatars, and allows participation in casino games centered around cryptocurrency.
Developers, on the other hand, enjoy an enhanced payment process during development and an incentive to build blockchain-based games. For example, developers can easily integrate in-app purchases and collaboratively program, test, and translate their work.
Conclusion
In an industry expected to reach a valuation of 2.2 trillion US dollars, putting those who matter, gamers and developers, at the heart of the growth is the key to foster a motivated community and a vibrant interactive entertainment industry. This can only be achieved through innovative solutions like the Atari token.
From powering in-game purchases to facilitating chat-based payments, ATRI sits at the core of the gaming sub-industry and forms a core pillar in the entire internet-based entertainment sector. Through its key partnerships, easy integration, high liquidity, and openness for auditing, the Atari token is ready to conquer all the sectors of crypto-based online entertainment.
Importantly, its success in these realms would naturally lead to its adoption for daily uses outside the entertainment space.
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.
Yield ($YLD) is a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency lending/borrowing platform with incentivized mechanism. Decentralized finance (DeFi) has opened new profit-making avenues for people who have additional funds to spare. Instead of just keeping assets in their wallets, DeFi has introduced several models in facilitating peer-to-peer lending and borrowing. Holders of digital assets can now earn interest income from supplying their funds to those who are willing to borrow. Yield introduced an individualized lending pool for each user who wants to earn interest income from their assets.
What is Yield?
Yield is an Ethereum-based, peer-to-peer cryptocurrency lending platform. It connects available lenders to borrowers without the need for any third-party to permit the approval of loan requests. Lenders can also conveniently place their offers on the platform which will then link to current requests.
Loans made on the platform can be repaid anytime the borrower wishes to. Furthermore, lenders receive a fixed and guaranteed interest income which starts with 2% of the principal amount of the loan.
The borrower also earns YLD as a reward for paying their loans. As of now, the reward for borrowers stands at up to 350 YLD.
This peer-to-peer set-up for a lending platform is cheaper and more profitable for both the lender and borrower, as opposed to the traditional system of lending. After all, in conventional financial firms, looking for available borrowers who will not default on their loans is difficult. On the other hand, borrowers also find it difficult to pass the rigorous financial standards imposed by traditional banking institutions for their lending instruments.
The Yield project is still in its Beta stage. There are no recent updates yet as to when the program will be launched on the mainnet.
With Yield, the power to leverage on one’s assets is vested to the owner. Not any bank nor any other financial institution.
How does Yield Differ from Other Crypto-Lending Platforms?
Loans made on Yield do not follow the money-market model in supplying funds to borrowers. What does this mean? Let us first take a look at how its competitors do it.
The biggest crypto-lending platforms, MakerDAO or Compound Finance, for example, have their own pool of funds for specific digital assets available for lending. This is what users see from dashboards that reflect a list of ERC-20 assets, or whichever asset the platform is supporting.
The pools from these platforms come from users who lock their tokens in smart contracts that are designed to supply the requests of borrowers. The supply of these tokens and the number of its borrowers affect the calculation of its annual percentage yield (APY). So normally, the change in the depth of the pool also impacts its APY.
While the commonly employed method of lending in most platforms ensures that lenders earn interest from their idle assets and borrowers have funds to access, there are some disadvantages as well.
One disadvantage that Yield is trying to address is the potential volatility in lending APY. Since the APY for asset pools are automatically computed, lenders do not have control over it. This affects borrowing rates and the amount of profit lenders can earn from supplying funds to a pool.
And most of the time, borrowers lose out on these market shifts, specifically because this can lead to higher collateralization requirements and risks of liquidation.
Personal Non-Pooled Loans
Loans made on Yield are individualized. This means that the supply of a particular asset that you are offering will not be affected by other loan offers since it is not pooled. There are no supply-to-borrower dynamics that will drive wild fluctuations in a lender’s expected APY as well.
In these loans, borrowers stand to benefit from the transaction too. Yield rewards good peers: those who pay their loans through its native token $YLD. This is expected to incentivize lending and borrowing, a feature that not all crypto-lending platforms have.
$YLD Token
$YLD token is the platform’s native utility token. Interest fees on any asset borrowed from the platform are paid in YLD. Transaction fees also use $YLD.
According to the team behind the project, the purpose of these fees is to discourage malicious actors from taking advantage of the platform and incentivize user activity.
YLD’s token supply model is deflationary, which means that each time YLD is used to pay for transaction fees, the YLD is burned.
Additionally, holding YLD gives them benefits such as a 25% discount from transaction fees, an increase in YLD rewards for borrowers, and lower collateral liquidation ratios for borrowers.
Yield Garden
Yield has also set up a liquidity staking pool. Through the Garden, users can stake their YLD and earn rewards in doing so. Available staking pairs are YLD-ETH and YLD-RFI.
According to the team, the Garden is powered by a slightly modified version of the smart contract from Ampleforth’s (AMPL) geyser. There is a cooldown period for stakers (the time that stakers are not yet allowed to unstake or withdraw) which is set at 7 days.
Unstaking also incurs 0.75% unstaking fees if it is done earlier than 14 days since the initial stake, 0.5% after 14 days but before 27 days, and 0.35% after 27 days.
As of now, there is already a total of $2,456,403.31 staked in the platform.
Conclusion
While the DeFi space is still relatively young, it certainly has a lot of potential in helping cryptocurrency holders make the most out of their assets. There are a lot of projects today in the space that aims to provide passive income to asset owners and Yield is among those. As new as it is, the approach of the project in the business of crypto-lending seems positive and promising.
However, how this new approach will work in maintaining a steady supply of funds for borrowers to tap remains to be seen. As of today, Yield’s individualized pooling method on loan supply cannot assure that there will be enough assets to borrow every time. Even with all things considered, Yield is still definitely a project that the DeFi community has to watch out for.
Decentralised Finance (DeFi) series: tutorials, guides and more
With content for both beginners and more advanced users, check out our YouTube DeFi series containing tutorials on the ESSENTIAL TOOLS you need for trading in the DeFi space e.g. MetaMask and Uniswap. As well as a deep dive into popular DeFi topics such as decentralized exchanges, borrowing-lending platforms and NFT marketplaces
More videos and articles are coming soon as part of our DeFi series, so be sure to SUBSCRIBE to our Youtube channel so you can be notified as soon as they come out!
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.
Keep3r Network ($KP3R) (“Keep3r”) appeared out of nowhere on 28th October 2020 with a Medium article by its creator, Andre Cronje. It is described by Cronje as an “…agnostic, easy to implement, incentivization layer for routine ecosystem maintenance.” Cronje is arguably the the “Father” of decentralised finance (DeFi) and Yield Farming, being the creator of the widely successful yEarn Finance ($YFI) which eventually spawned multiple clones and projects inspired by YFI. Keep3r is another one of Cronje’s experiments, and as per his usual “I test in prod” approach- he will launch the product FIRST, then do the necessary testing etc. Despite Cronje’s repeated and clear warnings on this, many still hope for a quick profit and thus throw their cryptocurrencies at the product as soon as it goes live.
Background
As mentioned in the introduction, Keep3r Network had small beginnings as a Medium article and subsequent Twitter post by creator Andre Cronje. Owing to his reputation in this space (his first project YFI grew from USD$0 to USD$300 in market capitalisation in a mere 2 months and spawned the current DeFi wave), many see that whatever Cronje touches turns into gold and so “aped” in by buying up the KP3R token as soon as it listed on Uniswap. Immediately upon launch, prices of KP3R were going up at the rate of around USD$1 per minute. This of course resulted in the word being further spread around social media, and more people decided to join in because they did not want to miss out on this opportunity.
What is Keep3r Network ($KP3R)?
Keep3r Network ($KP3R) can be described as a “job matching” network for Job posters looking for “Keepers” to do tasks for them, together with an incentive mechanism for all the parties involved.
What are Keepers?
Keepers are persons/teams with technical knowledge who are able to take up Jobs, for example, flash liquidation, providing Uniquote price feeds, collecting harvests, and Metawallet batch executions. These are simple manual tasks but can be tedious as it needs to be done regularly. For example, collecting harvests from yield farming is something that generally needs to be done every day. These tasks are usually done by the programmer i.e. Cronje himself, but it would be time-consuming for them to do.
What are Jobs?
In the Keep3r Network, anyone can add a particular Job for someone to do. Jobs are smart contract calls that want an external entity to perform an action in good faith and without any malicious intent or outcome. So they would register themselves as a Job on the Network and provide the relevant documentation and details such as job name, address etc.
The Keeper i.e. the person/team would then register themselves as being able to perform the job and execute on the Job’s contract. Keepers have the freedom to set up their own DevOps, infrastructure and create their own rules to complete the job.
This process is all done on-chain, and the advantage of this is that everyone can confirm that a particular task has been done.
The Keep3r Ecosystem
Having discovered that the Keep3r Network has the potential to be more than a job registry, creator Andre Cronje has decided to combine all of his projects under the Keep3r ecosystem to be one large liquidity ecosystem: options liquidity mining (olm), fixed forex and some other v3 liquidity incentives Cronje has in the works as follows.
Keep3r Eden
Keep3r Eden is a rule set to order transactions within a block in a way that is fair and transparent. This is important for the Keep3r Network since it prevents keepers and jobs from being front-run yet giving them priority access to block space.
Keep3r is partnered with Eden Network. Through Keep3r’s acquisition of 602,409 EDEN, Keep3r is able to guarantee that it will be an anchor slot tenant. This allows Keep3r jobs to by default have the benefits of MEV and front running protection, as well as priority block inclusion. And if users use the Eden RPC, they also have private transactions.
Keep3r’s Fixed Forex
Fixed Forex aims to bring forex markets into DeFi by allowing for deep on-chain forex liquidity- this provides an alternative to USD denominated stable coins (i.e. USDT, BUSD etc).
Keep3r’s Fixed Forex is a liquidity incentive and fee claim system for Iron Bank’s Fixed Forex. The IBFF and veIBFF tokens will be merged with the KP3R and vKP3R tokens. At the same time, the fee claim of approximately $60k/week will move to vKP3R.
Fixed Forex is partnered with zarp.cash, their token ZARP is a cryptocurrency pegged to the price of the South African Rand (ZAR) on a 1:1 ratio. For security, ZARP tokens are stored in a treasury account and are independently audited by Kempen Audit. Therefore, according to the team, “ZARP is the only fully backed, transparent and audited stablecoin for the South African Rand”. ZARP is intended to be used as a representation of the Rand in DeFi. Other currencies such as EUR, KRW, GBP, CHF, AUD and JPY.
Keep3r OLM (Options Liquidity Mining)
Keep3r’s generalized OLM platform for projects allows them to have an instant options-based reward incentivization program. vKP3R holders benefit from this platform as 1% of all exercised option fees will go to them- this will mean around $100k/week in fees will go to vKP3R holders.
Keep3r v3 liquidity incentives
There is a liquidity mining program launched on Keep3r v3 for Uniswap v3. Liquidity providers (LPs) will be able to deposit their UNI v3 NFT positions and earn KP3R. 50% of fees earned will be distributed to vK3PR holders.
Keep3r wonderland
Keep3r Wonderland (also known as DeFi Wonderland) is an activist fund that provides capital and developmental support to protocol development projects.
What are $KP3R tokens?
$KP3R is the native token for the Keep3r Network and having more KP3R represents a higher “reputation” in the Network. As an example, say a Job requires someone to collect a harvest from the YFI contract. This task could impact the prices of different cryptocurrencies and lead to people front running. So you want the person completing this task to act in the interests of everyone and not be selfish.
This is where the KP3R token comes in. Those who complete tasks are rewarded with KP3R, this will be equivalent to the gas spent on the transaction plus a premium, the amount of which depends on the complexity of the Job. The more KP3R tokens you have, the higher your “reputation” in the space and as a result you can take on higher-end jobs. It is also worth noting that there is a mechanism for slashing your bonded KP3R if you are found to be a malicious actor.
By default, this is in the form of bonded KP3R but you can unbond it to become normal KP3R.
Advantages and disadvantages of keeping bonded KP3R
Advantages of keeping bonded KP3R include:
Higher bonds increase the types of Jobs Keepers can qualify to do;
only bonded KP3R grants voting rights in governance; and
bonded KP3R cannot be exploited. This is in case a Job introduces an exploit.
Yet the disadvantage of keeping bonded KP3R is that you cannot immediately recoup ETH for Keeper transactions. Meaning that Keepers had to keep an unbond days amount of ETH as a float. A solution to this is MetaKeep3r (see below).
What are $rKP3R tokens?
rKP3R are redeemable KP3R tokens. They are wrapped KP3R tokens that have the option to be exercised as a KP3R CALL option at a 50% discount at any time. Note however that once created, you only have 24 hours to exercise the CALL, failing which the option will simply expire.
rKP3R can be earned by providing curve.fi/factory. liquidity to ib forex assets or uniswap v3 liquidity to KP3R/ETH (with more pairs to come soon). Furthermore, all distributed KP3R rewards will be in the form of rKP3R for composability with Curve Gauges, Sushi Onsen, etc.
Holders of rKP3R can redeem for the KP3R CALL by selecting “claim” on fixedforex.fi/options. It will then display under “strike” the USDC amount you would have to pay for the amount of KP3R should you choose to exercise the option and the expiry date. If you wish to exercise this option, simply click “redeem”. The amount of USDC would be transferred to the treasury address which then distributes all fees to vKP3R holders.
Keep3r partners with Chainlink
Keep3r tapped into Chainlink’s highly secure and fault-tolerant oracles to advance its services. Although the two have similar functionalities, they serve different target markets.
For example, Chainlink serves companies that require loads of always-online, secure, and fault-tolerant data i.e. the Fortune 500 companies.On the other hand, Keep3r is developed for apps yet to become a Fortune 500. That is, companies still in the research and development stage. Therefore, the coming together of the two protocols smoothens the process of switching to Chainlink when an application’s off-chain data needs to increase.
Most importantly, the cooperation allows Keepers who have already done a substantial number of jobs to become eligible to be part of Chainlink’s node operators running critical jobs. When Keepers upgrade to become Chainlink node operators, they will transition from using K3PR to using LINK for payment and staking.
$KP3R prices
$KP3R launched at around USD$1 per token. However, due to speculators rushing in after hearing of a new Andre Cronje project, prices for the token shot up by 27x within 40 minutes- at around the rate of USD$1 per minute. As word quickly spread about KP3R, more people bought in for fear of missing out, resulting in prices skyrocketing even higher.
Prices reached an all-time high of USD$1,385.62 on 11th November 2021.
Create a bond by clicking “add”, input your amount of KP3R (you can even join without any tokens by inputting “0”) and confirm by clicking “add” again. After 3 days you will be able to activate your Keeper.
Create a bond
How to perform jobs
Currently available jobs are listed on the main page. You can click on them to find out more details about the job such as the relevant documentation and the credits (in the form of KP3R) you can receive for the job.
Job detail
With the newest update, you can also use OpenZeppelin Defender with Keep3r Network. OpenZeppelin Defender is a wrapper for smart contract developers to automate maintenance tasks such as calling specific functions to manage the protocols on these contracts. This is helpful to developers as traditionally they would have to periodically do these tasks manually. Furthermore, the underline layer is written by the OpenZeppelin team (a security audit firm) which would bring stability to the DeFi ecosystem.
How to register a Job
Jobs can be any system or task that requires external execution. Jobs can be registered in 1 of 2 ways, either through governance or the contract interface.
Registering a job through governance is probably the easiest method as it only requires you to submit a Governance proposal which includes the relevant contract as a job. No further action is required if your governance proposal passes. Cronje has stated in his interview with Synthetix that currently, it is relatively easy to pass this proposal as the quorum requirements are not high.
The other method i.e. contract interface is slightly more complex and requires calling the add liquidity to job function on the Keep3r contract. However, you must not have any current active jobs associated with the account to do this and you can only create a Job through this address every 14 days.
How to collect credits for Jobs?
As seen in the Job interface, completing Jobs gets you credits in return. To collect these credits you will need to provide KPR-WETH liquidity in Uniswap, and you will be given an equal amount of KPR tokens in return. Note you are not required to purchase KPR tokens.
By default, this is in the form of bonded KP3R but you can unbond it to become normal KP3R.
MetaKeep3r: How Keepers can instantly recoup their gas fees
According to Cronje’s Medium article, MetaKeep3r keeps the “maintenance” of Keepers to a minimum. By using MetaKeep3r with OpenZeppelin defender, Keepers can instantly recoup their spent gas in the form of ETH. This is really important considering there had been previous “gas wars” when DeFi fever was at its highest- basically any benefit that could have been derived from a particular transaction was less than the amount of gas fees which was required to execute the transaction.
As mentioned previously, Keepers that complete Jobs are rewarded with KP3R. By default, this is in the form of bondedKP3R, and whilst keeping bonded KP3R has its advantages, one issue is that ETH cannot be immediately recouped.
Now with MetaKeep3r, you can immediately get ETH in return for trading bonded K3PR. How this works is that MetaKeep3r would keep the bonded KP3R and swap it for ETH as compensation for gas spent on Uniswap.
Note however that a minimum bond of 100 KP3R is required for MetaKeep3r.
Special thanks goes to Alvin and Crypto Warrior from our Telegram community for their valuable input into this article!
Decentralised Finance (DeFi) series: tutorials, guides and more
With content for both beginners and more advanced users, check out our YouTube DeFi series containing tutorials on the ESSENTIAL TOOLS you need for trading in the DeFi space e.g. MetaMask and Uniswap. As well as a deep dive into popular DeFi topics such as decentralized exchanges, borrowing-lending platforms and NFT marketplaces
More videos and articles are coming soon as part of our DeFi series, so be sure to SUBSCRIBE to our Youtube channel so you can be notified as soon as they come out!
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.
CUDOS aims to let users sell their excess computing resources through a collaborative consumption network platform.
In the over 11 years since the launch of the first blockchain, Bitcoin, we have seen a need to connect decentralized networks with real-world data to spur the networks’ usage. The first solution is to introduce layer 2 chains to process transactions before committing them on the underlying immutable protocols.
However, in the rapidly changing blockchain and physical world, we need a platform that is Turing complete, unlike Bitcoin. One that can handle virtually anything we throw at it without hitting a memory or processing power bottleneck. This is what CUDOS aims to do.
Background
In 2017 Matt Hawkings founded the CUDOS protocol. In the past, Hawkings worked in different technology companies in various capacities, such as being the chief technical officer of CORETX and the managing director of C4L.
Other team members include Andrew Sturmey (CTO), Pete Willis (Development Manager), Joan Garcia I Tormo (Data Scientist), and Richard Poole (Lead Developer/ Architect). The development team works under Cudo Ventures.
Notably, the project’s advisors come from reputable firms such as AMD, Sony Entertainment, and ESET UK.
What is CUDOS?
The CUDOS network is a decentralized layer two chain bringing cloud computing functionalities to decentralized platforms.
CUDOS uses a group of smart contracts that sit at the center of the computing functionalities. Also, the smart contract acts as oracles to interface off-chain data with blockchains and vice versa.
Since blockchains use different programming languages, CUDOS’ Turing completeness enables data processing for a wide range of distributed protocols regardless of their underlying programming language. This means that you can process data for Python and Go-programmed networks with ease.
How CUDOS Works
To incorporate Turing-completeness and merge blockchain and cloud computing, CUDOS uses validator nodes known as CVNs (CUDOS Validator Nodes).
Smart contracts allow blockchain developers to interact with CVNs by specifying the number of validator nodes to process their desired data.
The benefit of this approach is that it enables developers to choose the ideal configuration depending on the task at hand.
Where a task spreads across multiple nodes, the nodes share individual results with each other for consensus. Note that agreement can either be conducted outside or inside the blockchain. Off-chain consensus minimizes the transaction costs.
Notably, to be eco-friendly, the project taps into the idle computing power of data centers and other computing devices that would wish to contribute their power to earn incentives.
How CUDOS works
On the surface, a developer interacts with Ethereum smart contracts, which in turn pings to the CUDOS oracle contract. From here, it connects to validator nodes, either on-chain or off-chain. Validator nodes then interface with CUDO data centers that operate on top of the CUDOS platform.
CUDOS Use Cases
Being Turing complete means the platform can process almost anything. Consequently, this expands CUDOS’ use cases. At its basic structure, the network can be used as a layer two oracle to deliver data to and from smart contracts.
Furthermore, its computing capabilities make it a perfect fit for decentralized finance (DeFi) applications, scientific research, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and video rendering.
Advantages of Using CUDOS
CUDOS has numerous benefits due to its unique approach of connecting off-chain and on-chain systems. Key among them include;
Efficiency enhancement – The protocol improves efficiency for developers to optimize workflows and improve the accuracy of results.
Cost Reduction – It is estimated that CUDOS’ users save more than 75% compared to when using traditional cloud computing services.
Flexible management – With CUDOS, you decide how much computing power you need; there are no limits. In addition, it allows users to compute how much processing power they need before running a task.
CUDOS’ Token (CUDOS) and Governance
Interestingly, the network and its native token share the same name, CUDOS.
CUDOS token use cases
The CUDOS token has 3 main use cases.
Gaming: The Cudo platform allows gamers to rent out their spare computational capacity for tasks such as video rendering, AI computing and scientific research. CUDOS tokens are given as a reward for their efforts. These can then be used to access others’ excess computing resources so they can play games that push their hardware past its limits.
Charity: Users can donate their computer’s idle resources to charity. Currently, cryptocurrency miners can use Cudo to contribute the tokens they have mined into their selected charity’s preferred payout currency and deliver this to the charity.
Staking: The CUDOS token can be staked to participate in securing the network.
Note that stakers’ rewards emanate from revenues generated on the protocol. Staking takes two forms. You can stake the base asset to become a validator node, or you can delegate your coins to a staking node to earn staking rewards.
You may have noticed the token doesn’t directly have governance capabilities. This is because CVNs handle the governance aspect. CVNs’ integrity during the decision-making process is determined through a trust score. The score takes into consideration its stake and past behaviors.
How do you become a CUDOS Validator Node?
To become a CUDOS Validator Node, a node has to stake 2 million CUDOS tokens (with a minimum 3-month lockup). Fortunately, a validator node receives a percentage of the transaction fees charged on tasks. Also, they receive staking rewards. On the other hand, developers benefit from enhanced security provided by CVNs’ hardware encryption.
CUDOs’ layer 2 network will run up to a maximum of 100 validators, so slots are limited!
Staking on the CUDOS Protocol
CUDOS supports delegated staking. With this scheme, CUDOS token holders stake their tokens with validators who then interact with the protocol. Validators’ stake amount determines the kind of jobs a CVN will receive. For example, the bigger the stake, the larger the jobs, the higher the rewards.
the CUDOS token also acts as a governance token and the stake size is a measure of a validator’s voice in governance matters. If a validator misbehaves, the network confiscates its stake. For instance, if they fake the outcome of a task to save on computational power.
Note that individual validators can decide whether or not to involve delegators when making decisions.
If you wish to un-stake your CUDOS tokens, be aware that the un-bonding period takes a total of 21 days.
Staking rewards on the CUDOS network
CUDOS will pay out staking rewards over a 10 year period. The first and second year reward levels are fixed, and from year 3 onwards the reward levels will be decided by community vote using the governance mechanism.
CUDOS is also giving a ‘lockup rewards multiplier’ when you have staked your tokens for a set period. Currently, they plan to give a 50% bonus after staking for 6 months and a 100% bonus for a 12 month locked stake.
Conclusion
The CUDOS protocol brings a new dimension to the possibilities of blockchain technology. By being Turing complete, the protocol can handle many tasks from different blockchains regardless of their programming language. Another noble approach is the use of data centers and allowing everyone from desktop PC users to mobile device users to lease their idle computing power.
Its base asset gives holders incentives to either delegate their coins or actively handle tasks on the network. With the current rise in DeFi and blockchain adoption, CUDOS opens the door wider to the world of unlimited possibilities.
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.
Algorand is a high-performance next-generation blockchain whose goal is to create a transparent system in which everyone can achieve success through decentralized projects and applications. Many have called this project “Blockchain 3.0”, as it solves Bitcoin’s well-known scalability problems whilst maintaining security and decentralization. Algorand has the native token $ALGO, which will be used as a transfer of value on the network. In terms of technology backbone, Algorand uses a Pure Proof of Stake (PPOs) and pseudorandom functions to prevent malicious attackers from colluding on the network.
Algorand stands out from other high-performance blockchains by the credibility of its founder, MIT professor Silvio Micali. Professor Micali has is the recipient of the prestigious Turing Award for computer science and many of his inventions have directly impacted the cryptocurrency scene.
Founder of Algorand: Silvio Micali
Silvio Micali is the recipient of the Turning award (the highest award from computer scientists) with innovations built around his research in cryptography, zero-knowledge, pseudorandom generation, secure protocols and mechanism design. On top of this, Dr. Micali is the co-inventor of probabilistic encryption, Zero-Knowledge Proofs, Verifiable Random Functions and many of the protocols that are the foundations of modern cryptography
Algorand Foundation
The Algorand Foundation makes use of the Algorand protocol and software developed by Silvio Micali and his team. Their aim is to create an ecosystem that everyone can use to build a borderless digital economy on Algorand.
Specifically, the Algorand foundation holds one-quarter of the total supply of ALGO (i.e. 500 million ALGO), and manages the Algorand blockchain.
Algorand attempts to overcome the Blockchain Trilemma
Vitalik Buterin proposed that a Blockchain can only have a maximum of 2 of these properties
Currently, transactions on the blockchain are very slow because of the “Blockchain Trilemma”. This is a term coined by Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum.
According to this idea, a blockchain has three major features: decentralization, scalability and security.
However, the Blockchain Trilemma proposes that it is very hard for a project to have all three features to a satisfactory condition. A network that is decentralized and has a tough security would not be scalable. Similarly, a blockchain that is decentralized and scalable will have little security etc.
Buterin believes at a fundamental level, a blockchain network can only achieve two of the three features at any time. The Blockchain Trilemma could be the source of scalability issues on most cryptocurrency blockchains. Most cryptocurrency projects cannot handle high numbers of transactions while ensuring network decentralization and security.
What is Algorand- Is it really a Next Generation blockchain?
To attempt to overcome this, Algorand opted for a Pure Proof of Stake (Pure PoS) consensus mechanism. Interestingly, the mechanism employs a different approach compared to other alterations of the PoS mechanism.
For instance, instead of requiring 100% consensus from all the validating parties, Algorand is comfortable with a two-thirds majority consensus. This means that in order to attack Algorand, you will need to purchase more than one third of the total supply of Algorand. This will anyway be uneconomical and holding such a large volume of the supply means that you have a large stake and would not want to see it fail.
Algorand’s secret sauce: Cryptographic sortition
Since today’s blockchain platforms require speed as an integral component, Algorand has a fast transaction time by enabling fast transaction finality through cryptographic sortition.
“All transactions are final in Algorand. Once a block appears, users can rely on the transactions it contains immediately, as they can be confident that the block will forever be part of the chain. Even if the Internet is split into multiple pools of users, only one safe and consistent Algorand chain will exist. [Additionally], Neither a few delegated users nor a fixed committee is responsible for proposing blocks in Algorand. Instead, all users are randomly, secretly, and continuously selected to participate in the Algorand consensus protocol.”
The process of confirming blocks on the platform involves two stages; the proposal and voting stage. During the proposal stage, a token is randomly selected, and its owner suggests the next block to be confirmed. At the voting stage, 1000 random token owners are selected to form a committee that approves the proposed block.
How to Stake Algorand?
Anyone can participate in the Algorand platform as a block proposer by merely switching their address from offline to online on the Algoexplorer. Luckily, this option does not depend on the amount of Algo tokens staked. Mining is not required, all you need is to stake its ALGO token and have the nodes online.
The Algorand platform supports two types of nodes; relay and participation. An important point to note is that the relay nodes don’t participate in voting or decision making. Instead, they facilitate communication between participation nodes. Relay nodes are also hardware intensive compared to participant nodes.
Although Algorand is designed around being fully decentralized, the Algorand Foundation holds a lot of ALGO tokens and hence control. However, the platform is anticipated to be more decentralized in coming months as the foundation continues to liquidate its position.
You can also stake Algorand using your Ledger cryptocurrency hardware wallet. Check out our Ledger Nano X review.
Algorand 2.0 Protocol Upgrade
On 22nd of November 2019, the Algorand foundation announced the next huge leap for Algorand – dubbed Algorand 2.0. This release brings about 3 major features: Native token issuance (Algorand Standard Asset), Atomic swaps for interoperability and smart contract support via the TEAL scripting language.
Algorand Standard Asset (ASA) brings about easy token creation and issuance directly on the Algorand main chain. ASA supports a wide range of tokens, such as fungible tokens (similar to Ethereum’s ERC-20, and also non-fungible tokens (used for digital collectibles). Algorand’s implementation of tokenised assets is directly on the protocol layer (“Layer 1”), allowing for direct access to assets with maximum security. This is a significant advantage over Layer 2 Scaling which requires payment channels in order to operate.
“Algorand is delivering that innovation with this new set of features that brings an impressive amount of opportunity to decentralized finance.
Shay Finkelstein (CTO of Securitize)
Algorand listed on Coinbase, price surges over 30% in one day
In a complete surprise to cryptocurrency enthusiasts, Algorand was listed on Coinbase on 17th July 2020. People found out only when they saw the announcement on Coinbase’s blog, whereby the Exchange said that their customers can now buy, sell, convert, send, receive or store $ALGO in all Coinbase supported regions. Be sure to check out our Coinbase exchange review and some hacks and tips to avoid Coinbase fees.
People were completely caught off guard by this announcement since in the few weeks prior Coinbase had talked about 18 other cryptocurrencies they might consider listing. Yet Coinbase was not one of those 18 cryptocurrencies.
This listing created a whole flurry of activity for $ALGO, especially in terms of its prices. Since the listing, prices for $ALGO shot up 30% since the announcement and was even trading at $0.367 at its peak.
Algorand becomes the official blockchain platform of FIFA
FIFA, the world football governing body has announced its partnership with Algorand. This sponsorship and technical partnership will see Algorand becoming the official blockchain platform for FIFA, providing blockchain-supported wallet solutions as well as helping FIFA develop its digital assets strategy.
Algorand will also be a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Regional supporter in North America and Europe, and a FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 official sponsor.
The future of ALGO token: Algorand’s 10-year plan
When the Algorand blockchain was first launched, 10 billion ALGO was minted, which represents the fixed and unchangeable maximum supply of AGLO.
Since then, only 16% of this total supply has been injected into circulation via an auction in June 2019 and subsequent community rewards. Auction proceeds have been used to finance various community, academic, and industry projects which ultimately support the development of economic infrastructure and business opportunities on the Algorand blockchain.
After consideration by the Algoradnd team and based on their analysis and feedback received, the Algorand team have decided that the remainder of the initial 10 billion ALGO tokens would be gradually distributed over a period of 10 years from 2020, i.e. by 2030, the entire supply of ALGO would be distributed. This is much longer than the initial 4 years from 2020 as originally planned by the Algorand team.
In order to implement Founder Silvio Micali’s vision of innovative community governance, the Algorand team are moving towards a new reward system that rewards existing and future participants who are committed to participating in the governance of the Algorand ecosystem and prove their loyalty by locking up their ALGO for the long term. Resources i.e. 3 billion ALGO will be correspondingly distributed to reward long-term holders, and economic and business activity on the Algorand blockchain. The aim of this is to achieve a rate of growth of chain loyalty and economic adoption which would be more than enough to compensate for the gradual release of tokens over 10 years.
Furthermore, the funds initially allocated for sales will now be diverted to other areas such as community incentives, governance participation and ecosystem support.
FAQ
How do you mine Algorand?
It is currently not possible to mine Algorand using computer hardware. Algorand uses a proof-of-stake consensus, so it is possible to earn ALGO rewards by simply staking Algorand in the wallet.
Where is Algorand located?
Algorand is a decentralized project founded by MIT professor Silvio Micali. The foundation responsible for maintaining Algorand, the Algorand Foundation is incorporated in Singapore and is located at 1 George Street, #10-01, One George Street, Singapore (049145).
How do I buy an Algorand?
You can Buy Algorand on popular exchanges such as Binance or Coinbase with the ticker $ALGO
How do you stake algorand
Algorand can be directly staked via the mobile wallet application which can be installed on both Android and iOS devices. To stake the coin, deposit ALGO directly into the wallet. The wallet will automatically accumulate ALGO over time.
What is Algorand’s community governance?
Algorand started its community governance program on 1st October 2020, it gives ALGO holders the power to make decisions regarding the direction and future of Algorand. People can participate in governance i.e. become Governors by committing their ALGO for the duration of the 90 day voting period and then voting on the proposals. After the 90-day voting period, participants can claim their governance rewards.
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.
