Factom (FCT)
Factom (FCT) is a decentralised, open-source cryptocurrency platform launched in September 2015. Unlike Bitcoin whose blockchain is used for currency transactions only, Factom comes with an enhanced blockchain that allows anyone to add new entries to the blockchain, including contracts and agreements in the form of scripts and applications. In other words, Factom creates an additional data layer (a record-keeping system) on top of the blockchain. As an incentive to maintain the network and to distribute the blockchain, Factom issues "factoids", or tokens that can be traded on cryptocurrency exchanges. Original announcement.
Stellar Lumen (XLM)
Stellar Lumen (XLM) is a cryptocurrency used by the Stellar payment network. Launched in July 2014 by Jed Mccaleb, the founder of the failed Mt. Gox Bitcoin exchange and the Ripple payment network, Stellar was originally based on the Ripple consensus protocol, but it was later replaced by the project's rewritten version. It is a proof-of-stake (PoS) coin with a total supply of 100 billion of stellars and an annual inflation of 1%. Unlike most other cryptocurrency projects, Stellar does not provide a desktop client and all transactions are performed through its web wallet. Furthermore, a new account can only be created by an existing Stellar user who has to send a minimum of 20 XLM to the new account; a Facebook account is mandatory to confirm the reception of funds. Original announcement.
BitShares (BTS)
BitShares (BTS) is a brand of open-source software based on the as blockchain technology as used by Bitcoin. Unlike bitcoins, which do not produce any income for their owners, BitShare can be used to launch Decentralized Autonomous Companies (DACs) which issue shares, produce profits and distribute profits to shareholders. As such, BitShares is about making profitable companies that people want to own shares in, thus creating return for the shareholders. The first DAC launched by this proces was called BitSharesX, a decentralized asset exchange based in Hong Kong. BitShares was originally launched under the name of PhotoShares (PTS); it was later renamed to BitShares (PTS) and "reloaded" in November 2014 by merging several products into BitShares (BTS).
PIVX (PIVX)
PIVX (PIVX) [formerly DarkNet (DNET)] is a decentralised, open-source cryptocurrency launched in January 2016 as a fork of Dash. As its name original name suggested, DarkNet's focus is on privacy and anonymity of transactions as it is designed to run on anonymous networks (Tor or I2P). The coin started its life as a mineable proof-of-work currency (using the ASIC-resistant Quark algorithm) to generate some 43 million coins, but it became a pure proof-of-stake coin once the initial mining phase was completed (at block 259,200 or about 180 days since the genesis block). About 60,000 coins were pre-mined, but these were destroyed at the completion of the proof-of-work stage. The project re-branded to PIVX in February 2017. Original announcement.
CLAMS (CLAM)
Clams (CLAM) is a decentralised, open-source cryptocurrency forked from Blackcoin in May 2014. Clams were initially distributed to 3,208,032 BTC, LTC and DOGE addresses based on the 12 May 2014 snapshots of the three respective blockchains. Each of these address received 4.60545574 CLAM. 63,381 addresses have been dug comprising 291,898.39 CLAM. If all the distributed CLAM were dug up, the total money supply would be 15,009,015.13. There was no proof-of-work stage and the network is secured by proof-of-stake only. Original announcement.
NAV Coin (NAV)
NAV Coin (NAV) is a decentralised, open-source cryptocurrency launched in July 2014. It was rebranded several times - from Summercoin, which was a fork of Bitcoin, to Navajocoin, Navajo Coin and finally NAV Coin. After 100,000 proof-of-work blocks (using the X13 collection of hashing algorithms), the cryptocurrency has switched to a pure proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus, with a diminishing rate of PoS interest that started at 20% and ended at 5% per annum starting from the third year on. The project's primary focus is on creating a cryptocurrency with enhanced privacy and anonymity of transactions. Original announcement.
Lisk (LSK)
Lisk (LSK) is an open-source cryptocurrency and decentralised application platform, written in JavaScript. It was formally launched in May 2016 after a highly successful Initial Coin Offering (ICO, an early opportunity to purchase the new cryptocurrency) which raised over US$5 million. The Lisk network operates using a Delegated-Proof-of-Stake (DPoS) consensus mechanism which is secured by 101 democratically elected delegates. Another interesting component of Lisk is its decentralised, JavaScript-based application platform which allows the deployment, distribution and monetisation of decentralized applications and custom blockchains (also called "sidechains") onto the Lisk blockchain. Original announcement.
BitcoinDark (BTCD)
BitcoinDark (BTCD) is a decentralized cryptocurrency, forked from NovaCoin in 2014, providing groundbreaking privacy and anonymity. It features two unique characteristics: Teleport, which allows for anonymous transfer of funds by cloning and exchanging standard denominations of currency, and Telepathy, which encrypts communication sent across the network and masks the other user's IP address. Unlike many other cryptocurrencies, BitcoinDark encourages ASIC mining (i.e. generating coins with specialist hardware), which is a much more energy efficient way of generating coins than CPU/GPU mining. Original announcement.
BlackCoin (BLK)
BlackCoin (BLK), formerly BlackCoin (BC), is an open-source peer-to-peer cryptocurrency originally forked from Novacoin in February 2014. After a brief proof-of-work (scrypt) period, BlackCoin has switched to a pure proof-of-stake consensus mechanism which pays a compound annual interest of up to 1% to the stakeholders, depending on the amount of blackcoins staked. On the technical side, BlackCoin's confirmation times of just 64 seconds make it one on the fastest coins around. One interesting aspect of the project is its BlackCoinPool.com mining pool which mines other alternative cryptocurrencies and uses the proceeds to purchase blackcoins on the free market; this creates demand for the currency and it also stabilises its market rate. Original announcement
NobleCoin (NOBL)
NobleCoin (NOBL) is a decentralised, open-source cryptocurrency forked from Florincoin in January 2014, but it was later re-based on Peercoin's source code. Registered as a business entity in Australia, the project's focus is on transparency, philanthropy and digital currency education as it attempts to become the forefront of international philanthropic efforts using cryptocurrencies for direct donations at near zero costs. Technically, NobleCoin is a pure proof-of-stake (PoS) cryptocurrency with the annual stakers' interest rate set at 8%. Original announcement.
Nxt (NXT)
Nxt (NXT) is an open-source cryptocurrency and payment network launched in November 2013 by anonymous software developer BCNext. Created from scratch and written in Java, it uses proof-of-stake, a method of achieving distributed consensus and securing a cryptocurrency network, to provide consensus for transactions. As such, there is a static money supply and no mining. Nxt is specifically conceived as a flexible platform to build applications and financial services around. It has an integrated asset exchange (comparable to shares), messaging system and marketplace. The next major release will also allow users the creation of new currencies within the system. Original announcement.
NuBits (NBT)
NuBits (NBT) is a decentralised open-source cryptocurrency launched in late 2014 by Peercoin developer Jordan Lee. Unlike most other cryptocurrencies, NuBit coins are not mined, but rather issued by the project's shareholders whose primary goal is to maintain a 1:1 NuBit peg to the US dollar. In the case of hyperinflation of the US dollar, the shareholders can vote to peg NuBits to a different currency or to a basket of commodities. By creating more coins to keep prices down and by increasing interest rates on parked coins to restrict supply, the NuBit projects hopes to have created a stable cryptocurrency with limited volatility.
Qora (QORA)
Qora (QORA) is a decentralised open-source cryptocurrency launched in April 2015 and written from scratch, in Java. As a pure proof-of-stake cryptocurrency, Qora relied on initial public offering for the supply and distribution of the 10 billion coins in existence. Besides a unique wallet client, the cryptocurrency also offers a number of innovative features, such as password-protected wallets that can be regenerated from seeds, differential block times which allow addresses to generate blocks after just ten confirmations, an ability to register a key-value pair that can be used for various purposes and even traded, encrypted messenger service or data storage. Original announcement.
OKCash (OK)
OKCash (OK) is a decentralised, open-source cryptocurrency forked from BlackCoin in November 2014 (originally as PimpCash before its rebranding to OKCash in April 2015). It is a pure proof-of-stake coin which pays a variable interest rate - it started with 69%, but this was reduced to 20% after the first year which will be followed by 10 more "halvings" in the coming years. Original announcement.
Reddcoin (RDD)
Reddcoin (RDD) is a decentralised open-source cryptocurrency forked from Litecoin in early 2014, but it was re-based on Bitcoin in August 2016. It is dedicated to tipping on social networks as a way of bringing cryptocurrency awareness and experience to the general public. Original announcement.
Blocknet (BLOCK)
Blocknet is a project attempting to create a peer-to-peer protocol between nodes on the blockchains of participating cryptocurrencies. Blocknet was initiated by XCurrency (XC), but it was later extended by several other cryptocurrency projects all of whom have representation on the Blocknet Foundation's Board. This groundbreaking initiative enables open-ended communication and delivery of services between users of participating cryptocurrencies, thus effectively uniting the community that has been fractured by hundreds of cryptocurrency projects. To maintain Blocknet's network and services, the project issues its own "tokens of value" as a reward to those who participate in maintaining a healthy network. This makes Blocknet (BLOCK) a proof-of-stake cryptocurrency which is actively traded on a number of popular altcoin exchanges. Original announcement.
Coin Magi (XMG)
Coin Magi (XMG) is a decentralised, open-source cryptocurrency forked from Peercoin in September 2014. It is a hybrid proof-of-work/proof-of-stake cryptocurrency that allows coin generation by both mining and staking. Its mining method uses a unique M7M hashing algorithm, along with a particularly designed block rewarding system. As such, mining can only be accomplished using standard CPUs, allowing anybody with modest hardware to participate in the coin generation process, while disallowing large mining farms from taking part in mining. Original announcement.
Omni (OMNI)
Omni (OMNI) is an open-source, decentralised cryptocurrency and communications protocol built on top of the Bitcoin blockchain. Launched in January 2015, Omni is a logical continuation of Mastercoin (MSC), a simple cryptocurrency which had been created in July 2013 as a fork of Bitcoin. Unlike Mastercoin, Omni Layer is a highly ambitious effort that seeks to take advantage of Bitcoin's blockchain to build support for additional distributed services, such as a decentralised currency exchange, digital assets trading and smart contracts. Although Mastercoin (MSC) is still traded on some exchanges, the current series of desktop wallet clients provide support for Bitcoin (BTC) and Omni (OMNI) only, while the project's web-based client (called Omniwallet) can be customised to include other assets.
BitCrystals (BCY)
BitCrystals (BCY) are digital assets acting as both the game-fuel and the premium in-game currency in EverdreamSoft's Spells of Genesis game. BitCrystals were issued in February 2015 in a limited supply of 100 million units, 70% of which were offered for purchase during the initial BitCrystals crowdsale. BitCrystals can be traded on the Counterparty blockchain or used to purchase blockchain-based cards, playable within Moonga and Spells of Genesis. As an asset issued on the Counterparty (XCP) platform, the project does not provide an independent wallet, although a client is available from Google's Chrome Web Store as an extension for the Chrome and Chromium web browsers. Original announcement.
Capricoin (CPC)
Capricoin (CPC) is a decentralised, open-source cryptocurrency forked from Novacoin in July 2015. It is a pure proof-of-stake (PoS) coin, paying a diminishing interest rate that started at 2% per annum. Of the projected supply of 208 million coins, 200 million were pre-mined; about half of that amount was designating for future distribution to users maintaining the network and staking the coins. Capricoin is a reasonably fast coin, providing transaction confirmation times of just 60 seconds. Original announcement.
Primecoin (XPM)
Primecoin (XPM) is an open-source peer-to-peer cryptocurrency that implements a unique proof-of-work system based on scientific computing and prime numbers. Besides providing security and minting to the network, Primecoin also generates a special form of prime number chains (known as Cunningham chains and bi-twin chains) which are currently not well-understood and which could be of interest to mathematical research. Original announcement.
ARCHcoin (ARCH)
ARCHcoin (ARCH) is a decentralised, open-source cryptocurrency launched in October 2014 in Portugal. It is a pure proof-of-stake coin which pays a variable interest rate of between 3 - 20%, depending on the state of the ARCHcoin network. The project's main goal is to develop a centralised business model on top of a decentralised blockchain - by offering a platfrom for various investment niches (ARCHprojects) and allowing integration of advanced blockchain services. Original announcement.
Breakout Coin (BRK)
Breakout Coin (BRK) is a product of Breakout Gaming which is a new, globally accessible online gaming entertainment company that plans to provide poker, sports wagering, casino games, fantasy sports, and other popular gaming options. The original currency, Breakout Coin, was later integrated into a unique multi-currency wallet system called "Breakout Chain". While Breakout Coin (BRK) remains the principal currency for Breakout Gaming, there are also Breakout Stake (BRX) and Sister Coin (SIS) which serve to secure the ledger through a combined proof-of-stake (PoS) and proof-of-work (PoW) model. The PoS system uses Breakout Stake as the stake, minting Breakout Coin. As such, the Breakout Stake money supply will never increase, whereas the Breakout Coin money supply increases at a rate of approximately 5% per year. Breakout Chain’s PoW system produces Sister Coin as an incentive to miners. Original announcement.
I/O Digital Currency (IOC)
I/O Digital Currency (IOC) is a decentralised cryptocurrency forked from Novacoin in July 2014. It is a pure proof-of-stake cryptocurrency, except for the initial 14-day proof-of-work period that generated a total of 16 million coins by mining - using the X11 array of hashing algorithms. There was no pre-mine. The proof-of-stake stage carries a 2% percent interest rate on staked coins and the total coin supply is set to 22 million. IOCoin comes with an interesting innovation called IONS (I/O Name Server), a feature that allows sending and receiving payments by using a registered user name. Besides a standard Qt-based wallet, the project developers also provide a more modern alternative based on HTML5. Original announcement.
RubyCoin (RBY)
RubyCoin (RBY) is a decentralised open-source cryptocurrency launched in February 2014. Initially, it appeared to be a fork if Litecoin, with a proof-of-work consensus mechanism, scrypt hashing algorithm, a total supply of 60 million coins, and a modest 2% premine. Starting with the November 2014 release of RubyCoin's wallet version 2.0, the cryptocurrency has switched to a pure proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, paying a flat 5% interest on staked coins to support the network. Its desktop client is a Qt5-based application with a custom ruby-coloured theme. Original announcement.
Sterlingcoin (SLG)
Sterlingcoin (SLG) is a decentralised, open-source cryptocurrency forked from Bitcoin in 2014. The project's primary goal is to provide an energy-efficient cryptocurrency, using technologies and innovations from PeerCoin and Novacoin, such as the proof-of-stake consensus mechanism. It uses the X13 hashing algorithm for increased resistance to coin mining with specialist hardware. Original announcement.
MintCoin (MINT)
MintCoin (MINT) is a decentralised, open-source cryptocurrency forked from Novacoin in February 2014. The project used the proof-of-work mechanism to generate coins by "mining" during the first five weeks of its existence before becoming a pure proof-of-stake cryptocurrency. The "staking" process uses a variable interest rate at 20% the first year. After that it decreases by 5% per year until the 4th year when it reaches a constant annual interest rate of 5%. Since the vast majority of the coins are and will be generating by "staking", it is considered an energy-efficient coing, compared to Bitcoin and other proof-of-work cryptocurrencies. Original announcement.
Paycoin (XPY)
Paycoin (XPY) is a decentralised open-source cryptocurrency forked from Bitcoin and launched in late 2014 by the founders of GAWMiner.com, a well-known provider of Bitcoin mining products. The project's ambition is to deliver a cryptocoin that would be accepted by the non-technical public and seamlessly integrated into existing payment systems, both online and in physical stores, via a physical debit card. The price of Paycoin plummeted shortly after its launch, leading to allegation of a "pump-and-dump" scheme and subsequent removal of Paycoin from a popular exchange.
SolarCoin (SLR)
SolarCoin (SLR) is a decentralised and open-source cryptocurrency forked from Litecoin in early 2014. It is backed by two forms of proof of work; one is the traditional cryptographic proof of work associated with a digital currency, while the other is Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SREC) that has been generated and independently verified by a third party. SolarCoin is equitably distributed using both of these proofs of work as a means to reward renewable energy production. The intent is to provide an incentive to produce more solar electricity by rewarding the generators of solar electricity. In September 2015 the coin has become a pure proof-of-stake cryptocurrency paying an annual interest rate of 2%. Original announcement.
CloakCoin (CLOAK)
CloakCoin (CLOAK) is a decentralised, open-source cryptocurrency launched in June 2014 and re-launched in October 2016 under a new management and based on Bitcoin Core. It was one of the first coins focusing on privacy and anonymity of transactions and this quest was further enhanced after the relaunch as the developers implemented an off-chain peer-to-peer coin mixing arrangement called Enigma, provided by a Tor-like routing system named CloakShield. CloakCoin is a pure proof-of-stake (PoS) cryptocurrency that offers an interest of 6% per annum on staked coins, but users are also eligible to a share in the network's 1.8% transaction fee for their support towards Enigma transactions. Original announcement.
Diamond (DMD)
Diamond (DMD) is a decentralised, open-source cryptocurrency launched in July 2014. As a hybrid proof-of-work/proof-of-stake coin, it combines various interesting aspects of other popular cryptocurrency projects, including Bitcoin, Litecoin, Novacoin, Luckycoin (random block feature) and Florincoin (support for transaction comments). Other features include very low transaction fees, steady coin supply at one diamond per block for eight years, and a limited number of total coins capped at just 4.38 million. Original announcement.
Fluttercoin (FLT)
Fluttercoin (FLT) is a decentralised, open-source cryptocurrency launched in March 2014. Although it uses a hybrid Proof-of-Work/Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism, the project has introduced a new mining rewards system named Proof-of-Transaction (FLT coins are mined simply by receiving or sending them) which should act as an economic stimulus designed to gain merchants' acceptance and make the coin circulate in the digital economy. Some of the more interesting features incorporated in the custom Fluttercoin wallet include Flutterspeed (speeds up the download of the blockchain on new installations), Fluttershare (ability to share stake rewards with another address), Block Browser (to browse the blockchain from within the wallet) and encrypted messaging. Original announcement.
StealthCoin (XST)
StealthCoin (XST) is a decentralised, open-source cryptocurrency forked from Novacoin in July 2014. As its name suggests, the project attempts to provide a complete anonymity solution for cryptocurrencies. This is achieved by using a concept called StealthAddress, a cryptographic blockchain obfuscation technique where innumerable destination addresses can be created from each public receiving address; the destination addresses can not be linked to each other or to the public receiving address. Another interesting feature of the cryptocurrency is StealthText, a multi-platform anonymous cryptographic SMS transaction sending technology. StealthCoin has a fair distribution with nearly four hours of low block rewards, a small premine of 1%, and the long-term energy efficiency of proof-of-stake minting. Original announcement.
BitSwift (SWIFT)
BitSwift (SWIFT) is a decentralised, open-source cryptocurrency forked from Novacoin and launched in October 2014. It is a pure proof-of-stake (PoS) coin, with the annual PoS interest set at 3%. The project's developers plans include, among other features, seamless integration with fiat currencies which would enable worldwide money transfers at zero cost. The BitSwift cryptocurrency and its blockchain run on the BlockNet platform. Original announcement.
Opal (OPAL)
Opal (OPAL) is a decentralised, open-source cryptocurrency released in September 2014 as a re-branded OnyxCoin. The project's main focus is on developing what it calls "Opacity technologies", which implement several unique features in the cryptocoin's blockchain. These include encrypted messaging (messages can be encrypted, stored and sent anonymously to contacts), opaque addresses (mathematical functions to protect personal financial transactions and keep them hidden from public view), and in-wallet trading using the Bittrex exchange. All these features are available directly in Opal's custom-built wallet. Original announcement.
Rimbit (RBT)
Rimbit (RBT) is a decentralised cryptocurrency launched in May 2014 as a fork of Novacoin. It is a pure proof-of-stake coin which is not generated by mining.
FIMKrypto (FIMK)
FIMKrypto (FIMK) is an open-source cryptocurrency and payment network forked from (and compatible with) Nxt (NXT) in July 2014. It is intended as a national cryptocurrency of Finland, with a goal of offering all Finnish citizens a regular basic income. Besides being a modern cryptocurrency platform, FIMKrypto also provides numerous useful decentralised functions, such as direct transmissions of payments from person to person, strongly encrypted private messaging, and other features. As with most cryptocurrencies, nodes running the FIMK wallet software are eligible to compete for block rewards that are distributed automatically every 30 seconds. Original announcement.
Steps (STEPS)
Steps (STEPS) is a decentralised open-source cryptocurrency launched in September 2015 as a fork of Novacoin. It is a pure proof-of-stake (PoS) coin which pays a variable interest rate depending on the amount of "staked" coins; starting from block 60,100 the PoS interest will be set to 1%. The project's future plans include various additional services, such cryptocurrency trading platform, payment gateway and web wallet. Original announcement.
EverGreenCoin (EGC)
EverGreenCoin (EGC) is a decentralised, open-source cryptocurrency forked from Bitcoin and inaugurated in December 2015. It started life as a proof-of-work (PoW) coin using the X15 spectrum of hashing algorithms for generating coins, but it was converted into a pure proof-of-stake (PoS) currency some six month after its launch. It offers a 7% annual interest on staked coins. EverGreenCoin's parameters make it a faster and more environmentally-friendly cryptocurrency than Bitcoin. Initial announcement.
