Blockchains

Ethereum is a decentralized, open-source blockchain with smart contract functionality. ETH is the native cryptocurrency of the platform. ETH is second only to Bitcoin in market capitalization.

Ethereum was first described in a 2013 whitepaper by Vitalik Buterin. Buterin, along with other co-founders, secured funding for the project in an online public crowd sale in the summer of 2014. The project team managed to raise $18.3 million in Bitcoin, and Ethereum’s price in the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) was $0.311, with over 60 million Ether sold.

Binance Smart Chain (BSC) is a blockchain created by Binance which is designed for developers looking to build decentralized applications (dapps) and run smart contracts. It also introduces an all-new staking mechanism for Binance Coin, one of the world’s top cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.

Launched in July 2017, Binance is the biggest cryptocurrency exchange globally based on daily trading volume. Binance aims to bring cryptocurrency exchanges to the forefront of financial activity globally. The idea behind Binance’s name is to show this new paradigm in global finance — Binary Finance, or Binance.

Polygon (also known as Matic Network) is a protocol and a framework for building and connecting Ethereum-compatible blockchain networks. Aggregating scalable solutions on Ethereum supporting a multi-chain Ethereum ecosystem.

Polygon combines the Plasma Framework and the proof-of-stake blockchain architecture. The Plasma framework used by Polygon as proposed by the co-founder of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin, allows for the easy execution of scalable and autonomous smart contracts.

Avalanche is a decentralized, open-source blockchain with smart contract functionality. AVAX is the native cryptocurrency of the platform.

After its mainnet launch in 2020, Avalanche has worked on developing its own ecosystem of DApps and DeFi. Different Ethereum-based projects such as SushiSwap and TrueUSD have integrated with Avalanche. Furthermore, the platform is constantly working on improving interoperability between its own ecosystem and Ethereum, like through the development of bridges.

Fantom is a decentralized, open-source blockchain with smart contract functionality. FTM is the native cryptocurrency of the platform.

The Fantom Foundation, which oversees the Fantom product offering, was originally created in 2018, with the launch of OPERA, Fantom’s mainnet, coming in December 2019.