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  • Dash Uncovered: Technology, Community, Use cases

    Dash Uncovered: Technology, Community, Use cases

    Dash (DASH) is a privacy-orientated cryptocurrency project that claims to offer everything that Bitcoin (BTC) can but with an added level of privacy, speed, and community led-governance. 

    The Dash project was launched in 2014, and its native coin has since grown into one of the top dogs in terms of market capitalization. In addition, the project has found its feet as a payment solution and has a thriving ecosystem of Web 3.0 and dApps running on its testnet.  

    In this article, we’re going to get to grips with how DASH functions, its community-led governance approach, and take a look at its most promising use cases. Despite the current bearish trend in the market Dash remains an extremely appealing project due to its decentralization, scalability, and impressive Web3 prospects. 

    Dash (DASH)

    DASH: Bitcoin Level Security With Extra Privacy 

    Dash is a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) payment solution that leverages blockchain technology to record decentralized transactions. Transactions are processed using the Proof-of-Work (PoW) and Proof-of-Service consensus model, similar to Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH)

    Although the project has a strong resemblance to Bitcoin through its use of PoW mining and similar code base, it is much more than a mere imitation of Satoshi’s efforts to build a decentralized finance network, thanks to three unique features. 

    InstantSend 

    InstantSend is where the DASH network’s payment solution system shines; this system allows merchants and customers to carry out transactions that settle almost instantly between Dash wallets without depending on a centralized actor or giving up their right to privacy. 

    An InstantSend transaction occurs as follows: 

    1. A user initiates the payment, and the network delegates processing to a masternode for confirmation; then, the funds are blocked, guaranteeing that double-spending can’t be carried out by malicious actors. 
    2. The locking system allows transaction finality to be achieved in 1-2 seconds as confirmation in a mined block can be completed by nodes separate from the quorum of masternodes responsible for locking the transaction. 

    Masternodes: The 24/7 Transaction Miners  

    Think of masternodes the same way you think of any node on a blockchain network, with the only difference being that they take on a lot more responsibility. These masters run the InstantSend and ChainLocks protocol, mixed coin transactions, and vote on budget decisions. 

    A masternode has to have at least 1000 DASH tokens locked and must be online 24/7, a failure to fulfill its duties or to go offline for an extended period will result in a Proof of Service ban. On the other hand, if a masternode fulfills its obligation, it will be rewarded per processed block with DASH. 

    As of writing, 1000 DASH is worth around $50K. Since this high entry barrier might put people off from joining the masternode network, shares were created to allow users to meet the collateral barrier as a group. 

    Privacy

    Privacy 

    By mixing together transactions through the CoinJoin mechanism DASH has been able to add a layer of privacy to transactions as tracing them is extremely difficult without negatively impacting ease of use. 

    Governance 

    The project is governed by a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO), which adds to its security by negating the ability of one central figure to manipulate the direction of the project and involved the community in governing its growth. Two of the most notable Dash DAOs include: 

    Dash Incubator: This open-source platform is used to encourage the development of projects that will improve the Dash network through cooperative community efforts. 

    Dash Investment Foundation: By connecting the Dash network to businesses through legal and financial arrangements the foundation is bringing Dash to companies worldwide and growing the network’s value in the process. An example of the foundation’s success is reflected in the addition of Dash support to the Edge Wallet following an investment round. 

    A Global Community For A Global Project 

    A Global Community For A Global Project 

    The governance model that directs the development of Dash has led to a passionate community developing around the cryptocurrency, with people from all over the world voicing their opinions on how the network should be improved and changed. 

    The level of global participation in the Dash network is reflected by the fact that the official website has been translated into 20 languages and the developers are in constant dialogue with the community about proposals. 

    The History of DASH

    The History of DASH

    DASH was launched by the blockchain developer Evan Duffield in 2014 through a fork on the Litecoin (LTC) network. The token was initially called XCoin, it then became Darkcoin, and in 2015, the project’s codebase was shifted to that of Bitcoin, and Darkcoin finally became Dash. 

    The project has come a long way since Duffield first envisioned a private, secure, and fast blockchain-based payment solution, and today, hundreds of developers are building on DASH. 

    The Dash Ecosystem and Use Cases 

    To get an idea of just how developed and diverse the network’s ecosystem has become due to the project’s use cases, follow this link and browse through the sea of DASH-based dApps, DAOs, and DeFi projects. 

    One of the most notable organizations in the Dash network is the Dash Core Group (DCG) which is creating a platform on which developers can build dApps and websites. The DCG platform will create a space where developers and businesses can improve their integration and payment solutions using Dash as a gateway to decentralized finance and commerce. 

    Although DCG is still working on perfecting the project’s usability, the DashDirect application is already used by an estimated 155,000 retailers across the United States.  The application uses Dash to buy gift cards in the precise value of the transaction at the point of sale that can be traded for goods such as food, travel tickets, and clothes, with transactions that settle almost instantly.

    As DCG finishes its platform, we can expect Dash to attract even more innovative developers.   

    The Dash Ecosystem and Use Cases 

    Final Thoughts on DASH

    Dash is far more than just a Bitcoin 2.0; this project is building a thriving ecosystem of payment solutions and dApps while keeping its word in terms of both privacy and decentralized governance. The project’s development is in safe hands with the DCG, and as they improve the usability of Dash, investors, traders, and developers should be keeping a very close eye on especially considering it is trading at a 96% discount from its all-time high. 

  • Exploring Crypto Sustainability With Nano Foundation

    Exploring Crypto Sustainability With Nano Foundation

    Digital money shouldn’t cost the earth. That is the central message of Nano’s lightweight blockchain ecosystem, a far cry from the existing energy-intensive Proof-of-Work method of mining and securing some of the world’s most popular crypto projects like Bitcoin and Ethereum

    However, with the introduction of Nano’s new Open Representative Voting ecosystem of ultrafast transactions running on a green decentralized network, the future of environmental-friendly crypto projects has never looked brighter.

    Environmental Impact Of Crypto

    Environmental Impact Of Crypto

    Energy consumption is one of the many flashpoints of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. In the last decade, environmental activists and crypto critics have rightly pointed accusatory fingers at the crypto industry for exacerbating the already critical environmental crisis because of its ever-increasing energy needs. 

    Take Bitcoin, for example. The energy required to sustain its massive network is enormous and rivals the energy needs of many small countries. According to data from Diginomist’s Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index, the annualized total carbon footprint of the No.1 cryptocurrency is about 73.67 Mt CO2 (a number comparable to the carbon footprint of Turkmenistan, a country of over 6 million people). In terms of electrical energy, Bitcoin’s yearly average of 132.07 TWh rivals Argentina’s power consumption.

    This staggering energy consumption statistics have drawn condemning remarks to the whole crypto industry from staunch crypto critics such as Bill Gates, who said “Bitcoin uses more electricity per transaction than any other method known to mankind…it’s not a great climate thing.” 

    The Mining Problem: What Could Be In Store For Us if Proof-of-Work is Here To Stay

    The Mining Problem: What Could Be In Store For Us if Proof-of-Work is Here To Stay

    The idea that became Proof-of-Work (PoW) was first introduced to the world in 1993 by Cynthia Dwork and Moni Naor, before being popularized and adopted to the bitcoin blockchain by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008. 

    An edX course describes this mechanism in more detail, “The Proof-of-Work consensus algorithm involves solving a computationally challenging puzzle to create new blocks in the Bitcoin blockchain. The process is known as ‘mining’, and the nodes in the network that engages in mining are known as ‘miners’. The incentive for mining transactions lies in economic payoffs, where competing miners get rewards for their work.”

    The problem with the PoW consensus system is its enormous energy consumption requirement and the unsustainable computing power needed to solve increasingly-complex mathematical puzzles, which requires even more energy with time. 

    Bitcoin: A Giant In Energy Consumption

    As mentioned earlier in the article, Bitcoin is a significant energy hog, consuming an unsustainable percentage of the world’s energy. In fact, Kazakhstan, now the world’s second-largest Bitcoin hub since the infamous crackdown in China, gets about half of its energy needs from high-emission coal plants. Perhaps even more concerning, one single bitcoin transaction (according to Diginomist’s Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index) cost the planet 802.60 kgCO2, 1438.96kWh of electricity (equivalent to the power consumption of an average U.S. household in about 50 days or 968,151 VISA transactions), and 377.50g of additional toxic waste.

    Today, the Bitcoin ecosystem consumes more energy than entire nation-states, and if it were a country it will rank No.30, higher than countries like Norway or the United Arab Emirates. These enormous energy consumption numbers are expected to keep rising to unsustainable figures as more miners look to keep adding power-hungry machines to their mining setup to keep up with the rest of the network.

    Alex De Vries, the Dutch economist who created the Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index, expects Bitcoin’s energy usage to continue rising as miners buy more hardware. This could eventually bring energy consumption to 200 TWh, a figure eclipsing the energy consumption numbers of all data centers globally or the total energy needs of London.

    Nano Foundation: Can Crypto Be Green?

    Nano Foundation: Can Crypto Be Green?

    The simple answer to this question is yes. One of the factors that make crypto energy-intensive is the notorious Proof-of-Work mechanism, and if avoided, crypto projects could become greener and energy-efficient. 

    The Core of Nano: Sustainability, Efficiency, and Eco-friendliness

    Nano (with it’s native $XNO token) is the future of cryptocurrencies and the blockchain. Being a sustainable, energy-efficient, and eco-friendly project, Nano performs lightning-fast transactions without PoW mining or other energy-intensive processes.

    Instead of mining, Nano uses an innovative and energy-efficient Open Representative Voting(ORV) system to secure its vast network. Thus, providing an eco-friendly and sustainable currency for a greener future.

    The Core of Nano: Sustainability, Efficiency, and Eco-friendliness

    No Mining: What is Nano’s Open Representative Voting

    The Nano blockchain has pioneered a unique Open Representative Voting (ORV) consensus mechanism. With this network, every account is free to select representatives who can vote on their behalf regardless of whether the delegating accounts are online or offline. These representatives could grow their chances of becoming principal representatives depending on the sum of Nano in the balance of the accounts they represent.   

    Other online nodes will then rebroadcast the votes from the chosen representatives. As these votes are shared and rebroadcasted between nodes, they are tallied up and compared against the online voting weight available. 

    Once a node sees a block and gets enough votes to reach quorum, that block is confirmed. Due to the lightweight nature of Nano blocks and votes, the network reaches confirmation fast and within seconds. All these processes require little energy impact. 

    Notably, the Nano mechanism is distinct from the Proof-of-Stake mechanism because the funds associated with voting are not locked. Also, Nano funds present in the account can be spent by their owners with zero restrictions. 

    No Mining: What is Nano's Open Representative Voting

    Comparisons Of Energy Consumption Between Nano and Other Currencies

    Coin/financial serviceElectricity Consumption/transaction
    Nano0.000112 kWh
    Bitcoin1438.96 kWh
    Ethereum123.49 kWh
    Dogecoin62.56 kWh
    VISA0.00149 kWh

    Nano At The Reset Connect Event: What’s It About, and Why Is It Important

    As one of the leading eco-friendly crypto projects, The Nano Foundation will be joining the Reset Connect Event in London on the 28th & 29th of June 2022. This year, the London Climate Control Week brings together world-leading climate professionals and communities across London and beyond to find practical solutions to climate change.

    In addition, Nano directors, George Coxon and Colin Lemahieu will be speaking at the event about the energy usage of cryptocurrencies, the sustainability of Nano, and how it differs fundamentally from other cryptocurrencies.

    Closing Thoughts

    Closing Thoughts

    The overarching question is probably whether blockchain technology, with its advancements, is laying a solid foundation for a sustainable future in the financial world. Nano developers believe sustainability should be promoted more to establish cryptocurrencies safely and on a large scale. 

    In December 2020, Jack Dorsey said that by 2030 “We believe that cryptocurrency will eventually be powered completely by clean power, eliminating its carbon footprint and driving adoption of renewables globally,” Well, that revolution is already here with Nano. 

  • Crypto Making Difference: 4 Tokens Involved In The Charitable Activities

    Crypto Making Difference: 4 Tokens Involved In The Charitable Activities

    A new world’s means of payment, an investment vehicle, an enormous community and a market worth around 1 trillion euros: this is cryptocurrency today. Arising it shuffled the world’s economy – nowadays it’s one main part of it. 

    As crypto is everyday closer to the mass adoption, it’s time to consider how it may additionally help outside driving the web3 economy and creating monetary profit. Cryptocurrency provides us with extra liberty and gives crypto projects massive opportunities to make difference with the immense forces of their communities. Let us meet and praise the projects taking advantage of their resources to make the world a better place raising funds, donating and supporting charity activities and organisations.

    Not Just A Meme: Crypto Dogs Helping Save The Real Ones

    Humorous characteristics and an internet joke in the core – that what you could think of the mene coins before, but in several years some of these projects became valuable market participants with major turnover and noble missions. The “doggo” coins are ones being most in the public eye and fortunately use their power to change things for the better for our smaller brethren.

    BabyDoge Supporting ASPCA National Animal Relocation Program


    In May 2022 BabyDoge Community achieved a huge milestone – the 200,000th dog was transported to its new home within ASPCA relocation program and BabyDoge sponsorship was an issue to make it happen. Following its mission the memecoin became the first ASPCA brand partner financing its activities.

    source: https://twitter.com/BabyDogeCoin

    Beyond that, the community has already donated at the very least $750,000 in the purpose of saving dogs by sponsoring diverse dog shelters and animal organizations, such as Best Friends, furkids, Paws with Cause and others. 

    BabyDoge Supporting ASPCA National Animal Relocation Program

    Pitbull’s Long-term Donation Partnerships

    The Pitbull token team claims its pursuit to be a support for veterinary clinics and animal shelters, and it’s not just simple endorsements. In November 2021 the Pit community announced a team up with Voorhees Animal Orphanage (VAO), taking initiative in raising money for animal help. Today, according to the token’s official website, the memecoin is funding such organisations as K2C, Bullies in Need and Rolda. As every member of the community can donate directly through the website in their $PIT tokens the charity activity is smooth and regular, making Pitbull one of the notable contributors to the philanthropic activities.

    Pitbull’s Long-term Donation Partnerships

    When “Feed Every Gorilla” is not just words: FEG supporting The Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA)

    Not just taking the gorilla as a mascot, but driving the issue to another level – that’s the right way to describe the FEG ecosystem. The community joined the “army” of animal rescuers becoming an official sponsor of PASA – every month it fits $750 in donations from the community. The Pan African Sanctuary Alliance – an alliance of wildlife centers in Africa united to protect African apes and monkeys – have rescued and rehabilitated thousands of primates, therefore naturally attracting the attention of the Feed Every Gorilla community. As Gregg Tully, Executive Director of PASA, says: “The work to protect African primates is complex and costly, and it will take innovation to develop solutions that work for both communities and wildlife. That’s why FEG’s support means so much to us.”

    When “Feed Every Gorilla” is not just words: FEG supporting The Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA)


    Special Aimed Crypto: AID in the first place

    Making crypto charity easy, transparent and safe – that’s what obviously would make it more common for the participants of the cryptocurrency community to donate regularly. As some crypto projects are making their contribution by helping some or many non-profits, others are originally created for one and only aim – to help and service the crypto philanthropy.

    One particular example of such projects is AidCoin – a ERC20 token built on the Ethereum blockchain – and the AIDChain. Its mission is simple, yet honorable – to create an ecosystem of services that utilizes cryptocurrency as a simple way to improve transparency in nonprofits. As the project recalls for itself – its “The token for the new era of giving”. Also, the ecosystem includes the AIDPay – a widget that allows charities to receive donations directly on their website.

    Not only the projects serves the donation purposes but also arranges various charitable activities, including the ones in third world countries.

    Special Aimed Crypto: AID in the first place

    Closing thoughts

    It is said “the more you give – the more you gain”, and that is promising that crypto projects – the ones driving the world’s economy to the new era – are also making efforts and spending resources for some good causes. If we say that the cryptocurrency market is the one building the future, let’s hope for more protocols to involve into making the world a better place not only in the financial field but also in the spheres that need our concern.

    How Can You Donate Crypto?

    Got inspired and eager to participate in some of the above stated projects? Swapzone – an instant cryptocurrency exchange aggregator – is here to help you get some $PIT, $BABYDOGE, $FEG or $AID at the best rates and with the lowest fees.

    Simply follow these steps to swap the coins you need: 

    1. Follow this link to Swapzone’s swapping page.
    2. Select the coin you want to swap from in the Send section.
    3. Enter the amount you wish to swap.
    4. Choose crypto to get in the Get Up To section.
    5. Review available offers and their providers.
    6. Select an offer to proceed with.
    7. Enter your wallet address to receive crypto.
    8. Next, send your crypto deposit to a generated address.
    9. Rate your exchange provider once the transaction is completed.

    With Swapzone, you can easily find the best crypto swap rates for such trading pairs as BTC to USDT, USDT to BTC, USDT to TRX, BTC to ETHBTC to XMR, XMR to BTC and more!

  • How And Where To Buy IoTeX (IOTX)

    How And Where To Buy IoTeX (IOTX)

    IoTeX is building a connected world. Starting as an open-source project in 2017, the IoTeX developer team has built an effective ecosystem, which today, powers billions of devices and decentralized applications. 

    The IoTeX (Internet of Trusted Things) blockchain is one of the fastest, most secure, and scalable platforms available in the market. As a result, the IoTeX community has attracted a large community of more than 200,000+ participants across 100+ countries.

    Are you interested in buying or swapping the crypto coin that powers the IoTeX ecosystem? Follow the guide provided below for a smooth IOTX crypto coin onboarding and trading experience using Swapzone’s fast trade aggregator

    1. Visit Swapzone’s IOTX Swap Page 

    Buying IOTX and adding it to your wallet is simple and cheap if you use the Swapzone aggregator service. First, head over to the exchange page and select the token you want to swap for IOTX. You can trade IOTX for Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Monero (XMR), or any other coin of your choice – For example, we will use ETH in this guide. 

    2. Decide How Much IOTX You Want 

    You’ll see two boxes on the exchange page; in the send box, you need to enter the amount of ETH you’re willing to swap, and the estimated amount of IOTX coin you’ll receive will be displayed in the get-up-to box. 

    Remember that the get up to box only displays an estimate of your returns, so expect this number to fluctuate slightly up or down once the transaction is complete. 

    Decide How Much IOTX You Want

    3. Select The Best Exchange 

    Once you’ve selected the coin and amount to swap, Swapzone’s automatic system will scan the web for the best exchanges and present them to you in a neat list divided into fastest, best rating, and the best rate. Then you can choose the exchange that suits your needs and press the blue exchange button. 

    Select The Best Exchange

    4. Wallet Details 

    After pressing the exchange button, you will be required to specify the wallet address page, here you can enter your IOTX wallet address, a refund address in case the ETH transaction fails, and optionally your e-mail. Then, once you’ve double-checked that the details are correct, tick the terms and conditions box and press the blue proceed to exchange button. 

    Wallet Details

    5. Deposit ETH

    It’s time to pay for the swap, which means transferring the amount of ETH you agreed to in step 2 into the deposit address displayed on your screen. Head over to your wallet and send the ETH to the address and make sure you copy the address accurately! 

    Entering the wrong crypto address when carrying out a transaction can result in the tokens being lost forever, so take your time to verify the transaction before proceeding. 

    6. Swap Completed 

    Once you’ve made the swap deposit, sit back and wait while the swap is completed; check your IOTX wallet address to ensure the tokens have arrived safely. Using the Swapzone aggregator, you’ve just bought IOTX at a competitive market rate, securely and without any know-your-customer (KYC) hassles.

    Is IOTX A Good Investment?

    Is IOTX A Good Investment? 

    (Disclaimer: None of the information in this article should be considered investment advice; always do your research before investing.)

    The IoTeX ecosystem already boasts of many promising projects and could become a prominent launchpad for more blockchain ideas and projects in the future. So far, some of the real-life products that have emerged from the IoTeX ecosystem include an award-winning blockchain-powered camera(that ensures the security and privacy of your family), and a pebble geo device(that converts real-world phenomena into verifiable, blockchain-ready data). 

    Additionally, because the IoTeX blockchain serves several decentralized machines, its developers are constantly upgrading the fast, high-performance, and EVM-compatible blockchain for high scalability. This shows the developers are focused on long-term sustainability. 

    In terms of price action, the IOTX coin has been struggling of late. Since reaching a euphoric all-time-high(of 25cents) at the beginning of the 4th quarter of 2021, the coin has experienced an extended downturn and currently trades at 2.4cents (losing almost 90% of its value). Still, experts and speculators assert that IOTX could recover over the next years.

    PricePrediction, a popular crypto prediction site, predicts that $IOTX will trade for $0.75 by 2030 and cross the $1 mark by 2031. 

    CryptoCurrencyPricePrediction, on the other hand, predicts $IOTX will cross the $1 mark by 2030 and trade for $1.05 by the end of the same year. You can check more about IOTX price prediction here.

    If the analysts are right, this could be a great time to buy cheap IOTX crypto coins – presenting an opportunity to make massive profits. Head to the IOTX swap page today to buy and swap the IOTX coin