Nano, a low-latency cryptocurrency built on an innovative block-lattice data structure offering unlimited scalability and no transaction fees. Nano by design is a simple protocol with the sole purpose of being a high-performance cryptocurrency. The Nano protocol can run on low-power hardware, allowing it to be a practical, decentralized cryptocurrency for everyday use. The original Nano (RailBlocks) paper and first beta implementation were published in December, 2014, making it one of the first Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) based cryptocurrencies [6]. Soon after, other DAG cryptocurrencies began to develop, most notably DagCoin/Byteball and IOTA. These DAG-based cryptocurrencies broke the blockchain mold, improving system performance and security. Byteball achieves consensus by relying on a “main-chain” comprised of honest, reputable and user-trusted “witnesses”, while IOTA achieves consensus via the cumulative PoW of stacked transactions. Nano achieves consensus via a balance-weighted vote on conflicting transactions. This consensus system provides quicker, more deterministic transactions while still maintaining a strong, decentralized system. Nano continues this development and has positioned itself as one of the highest performing cryptocurrencies. Nano is a trustless, feeless, low-latency cryptocurrency that utilizes a novel blocklattice structure and delegated Proof of Stake voting. The network requires minimal resources, no high-power mining hardware, and can process high transaction throughput. All of this is achieved by having individual blockchains for each account, eliminating access issues and inefficiencies of a global data-structure. We identified possible attack vectors on the system and presented arguments on how Nano is resistant to these forms of attacks. Check out CoinBureau for the complete review of Nano.
The fast-growing demand for cryptocurrencies calls for a convenient way to administer them. Melon is one such platform that works through a blockchain protocol allowing easy and efficient maintenance of cryptocurrencies. Acting as a hedge fund, Melon presents a fully customizable administration of your digital assets. You can use it as an online vault that allows you to store and transact your funds through its web portal. Melon was developed to meet the need for a cost-efficient and technologically advanced hedge fund to manage digital assets. Reto Trinkler and Mona El Isa founded the company, Melonport AG in July 2016. The company created Melon as a digital asset management protocol. It is a first of its kind system that enables the users to store, administer, and invest in crypto assets through a decentralized network. Melon works through a fully decentralized infrastructure. All the information of the user, such as smart contracts, assets, and records are saved on a decentralized blockchain network. It not only offers reliability for the storage of information but also reduces the risk of custody. The protocol also offers a decentralized system of execution through the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). Smart contracts are distributed across multiple Ethereum networks to provide better efficiency and security for the assets. With the Melon protocol, users can save both time and money for investing in a hedge fund. Additionally, there is no requirement of a third party approval from a lawyer or advisor. Melon’s ICO was launched in February 2017 and sold out within 10 minutes. Melonport is aiming to bridge the gap between the portfolio managers and the investors by removing the role of the third parties such as law firms. Melonport’s CEO, Mona El Isa comes from a strong financial background and is versed with the problems of the investment industry. There is still a lot of work to be done on the Melon project, even though things are looking quite positive already. An audit of the protocol has been completed already, and the project continues to advance. No further specifics have been provided on the website, although it remains to be seen what the future holds. Bringing more value to Melon Coin would be a good idea, yet it remains to be seen how that might be achieved.