These are the most read whitepapers in 2019 on our site:
- Bitcoin
- Ripple
- Ethereum classic
- Chainlink
- 0x
- Binance Coin
- True UDS
- Facebook Libra
- Electronic Energy Coin
- Blocktrade (former Hedge project)
There are quite a few surprises in there, but that might result from the fact that we have some unique whitepapers that you cannot easily find somewhere else.
Bitcoin, Ripple and Binance have been around for quite some time, but it’s good to see that people are still researching the fundamentals of the big players. Also, our Binance whitepaper is the original 1.1 version of the whitepaper, which still states that tokens will be burned based on profit, which isn’t the case anymore. Facebook Libra is obviously a big player that is entering the crypto market. The whitepaper is very popular and we can expect big things from them. Chainlink, Ethereum Classic and 0x also prove to be pretty popular and we’re looking forward to their contributions to the crypto market. That leaves True USD, Electronic Energy Coin and Blocktrade, who have gained quite the interest last year, so the people researching them could be onto something special.
So, if you want to make sure that you’re not missing out on the next big thing, make sure to read the abstracts and whitepapers below!
A purely peer-to-peer version of electronic cash would allow online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution. Digital signatures provide part of the solution, but the main benefits are lost if a trusted third party is still required to prevent double-spending. We propose a solution to the double-spending problem using a peer-to-peer network.
The network timestamps transactions by hashing them into an ongoing chain of hash-based proof-of-work, forming a record that cannot be changed without redoing the proof-of-work. The longest chain not only serves as proof of the sequence of events witnessed, but proof that it came from the largest pool of CPU power. As long as a majority of CPU power is controlled by nodes that are not cooperating to attack the network, they’ll generate the longest chain and outpace attackers.
The network itself requires minimal structure. Messages are broadcast on a best effort basis, and nodes can leave and rejoin the network at will, accepting the longest proof-of-work chain as proof of what happened while they were gone.
While several consensus algorithms exist for the Byzantine Generals Problem, specifically as it pertains to distributed payment systems, many suffer from high latency induced by the requirement that all nodes within the network communicate synchronously.
In this work, we present a novel consensus algorithm that circumvents this requirement by utilizing collectively-trusted subnetworks within the larger network. We show that the “trust” required of these subnetworks is in fact minimal and can be further reduced with principled choice of the member nodes.
In addition, we show that minimal connectivity is required to maintain agreement throughout the whole network. The result is a low-latency consensus algorithm which still maintains robustness in the face of Byzantine failures. We present this algorithm in its embodiment in the Ripple Protocol.
In this next wave of the digital revolution, digital currencies have emerged as what many believe to be the greatest innovation since the advent of the internet. For the first time in history, value can be sent anywhere in the world at the same speed as information in a secure and trustless way. However, digital currencies are more than just payment facilitators. They offer an alternative to the economic, political, and social systems run by a handful of large institutions. Powered by millions of peers within globally distributed networks, digital currencies are democratizing information and value in
incredible new ways.We believe in a future of multiple digital assets, each with unique comparative advantages that enable them to play distinct roles in driving economic growth and in diversifying investment portfolios.
Smart contracts are poised to revolutionize many industries by replacing the need for both traditional legal agreements and centrally automated digital agreements. Both performance verification and execution rely on manual actions from one of the contracting parties, or an automated system that programmatically retrieves and updates relevant changes. Unfortunately, because of their underlying consensus protocols, the blockchains on which smart contracts run cannot support native communication with external systems.
Today, the solution to this problem is to introduce a new functionality, called an oracle, that provides connectivity to the outside world. Existing oracles are centralized services. Any smart contract using such services has a single point of failure, making it no more secure than a traditional, centrally run digital agreement. In this paper we present ChainLink, a decentralized oracle network. We describe the on-chain components that ChainLink provides for contracts to gain external connectivity, and the software powering the nodes of the network. We present both a simple on-chain contract data aggregation system, and a more efficient off-chain consensus mechanism. We also describe supporting reputation and security monitoring services for ChainLink that help users make informed provider selections and achieve robust service even under aggressively adversarial conditions. Finally, we characterize the properties of an ideal oracle as guidance for our security strategy, and lay out possible future improvements, including richly featured oracle programming, data-source infrastructure modifications, and confidential smart-contract execution.
We describe a protocol that facilitates low friction peer-to-peer exchange of ERC20 tokens on the Ethereum blockchain. The protocol is intended to serve as an open standard and common building block, driving interoperability among decentralized applications (dApps) that incorporate exchange functionality. Trades are executed by a system of Ethereum smart contracts that are publicly accessible, free to use and that any dApp can hook into. DApps built on top of the protocol can access public liquidity pools or create their own liquidity pool and charge transaction fees on the resulting volume. The protocol is unopinionated: it does not impose costs on its users or arbitrarily extract value from one group of users to benefit another. Decentralized governance is used to continuously and securely integrate updates into the base protocol without disrupting dApps or end users.
In our view, there are fundamentally two different types of exchanges: the ones that deal with fiat currency; and the ones that deal purely in crypto. It is the latter one that we will focus on. Even though they are small now, we strongly believe that pure crypto exchanges will be bigger, many times bigger, than fiat based exchanges in the near future. They will play an ever more important role in world finance and we call this new paradigm Binance; Binary Finance.
With your help, Binance will build a world-class crypto exchange, powering the future of crypto finance
TrueUSD is a USD-backed ERC20 stablecoin that is fully collateralized, legally protected, and transparently verified by third-party attestations. TrueUSD uses multiple escrow accounts to reduce counterparty risk, and to provide token-holders with legal protections against misappropriation. TrueUSD is the first asset token built on the TrustToken platform.
The world truly needs a reliable digital currency and infrastructure that together can deliver on the promise of “the internet of money.”
Securing your financial assets on your mobile device should be simple and intuitive. Moving money around globally should be as easy and cost-effective as — and even more safe and secure than — sending a text message or sharing a photo, no matter where you live, what you do, or how much you earn. New product innovation and additional entrants to the ecosystem will enable the lowering of barriers to access and cost of capital for everyone and facilitate frictionless payments for more people.
Now is the time to create a new kind of digital currency built on the foundation of blockchain technology. The mission for Libra is a simple global currency and financial infrastructure that empowers billions of people. Libra is made up of three parts that will work together to create a more inclusive financial system:
- It is built on a secure, scalable, and reliable blockchain;
- It is backed by a reserve of assets designed to give it intrinsic value;
- It is governed by the independent Libra Association tasked with evolving the ecosystem.
Electronic Energy Coin Whitepaper
Are you an energy producer and are forced to sell your energy at a low price?
Are you a business owner and the energy cost is more than you can bear?E2C is the latest blockchain platform designed to provide a solution to this problem. It was developed by using ERC-20 infrastructure for easier market adoption and compatibility. Once the platform is more mature, we will transition into Proof-of-Stake system to make our platform fairer and, at the same time, more ecological-friendly. Two hundred years after the invention of electricity, humanity continues to encounter global problems related to it. Electricity is excessively expensive but what is worse is that millions of people around the world still don’t have access to this vital resource. This is the purpose behind our platform. E2C allows people around the world to trade electricity easier and in a more cost-efficient manner while simultaneously helping to build a greener and more sustainable future. We understand that generating and producing energy is difficult for many. We are developing a new generation of solar panel that is lower in cost and take up much lesser space. The current way we produce electricity is not sustainable, cost-effective or healthy. What the world needs now in the face of this is to move the revolution into the mainstream, a model for energy trading that gives people around the world the power of a co-created energy future. That platform is E2C.
1Blocktrade Whitepaper (previously known as Hedge project)
The rapid expansion of crypto space and the continuously increasing influx of institutional money into the market have created the need for the introduction of indices tracking this market and investment options allowing easy diversification and introduction of derivatives allowing investors to hedge their exposure to the crypto market. Evolution of entirely new asset class is indeed bringing many possibilities but also many threats to investors. Diversification and hedging are key concepts in finance that every investor should be aware of and take into account when either investing for long term or day trading. The mitigation of risk is what determines success or failure, even more so, in the crypto space.
We have recognized an enormous market opportunity in developing a platform that is based on a professionally designed, rule book basedcrypto indices. Hedge Project presents first commercial crypto indices with official rulebooks modeled on best principles in index construction and governance. We have successfully launched – the CCX30 (Crypto Currencies Top 30 Index). Our product offering will expand to meet the demands of the crypto community. Following on from the introductions of our indices, various complimentary financial instruments will be the first on the crypto market – Crypto Traded Indices (CTIs).