Namecoin is a domain name registry service and was the first coin to fork Bitcoin. Similar to registering a .com or .io domain name, you register a .bit domain on the network. This domain is censorship-resistant and impervious to activity tracking. Governments and large corporations control traditional domain name services (DNS) servers. This control is how the Chinese government, for instance, can block websites that go against their beliefs. To prevent this level of censorship, Namecoin uses blockchain technology to distribute its DNS amongst the users on the network. A pseudo-anonymous founder by the name of “Vince” created Namecoin in 2011. Since then, Vince has disappeared, but a core development team has kept the project alive. The project has several developers listed on the official website and benefits from the contributions of numerous anonymous developers as well. Namecoin has been fully functional for a few years, now, and the development team posts updates several times a month. Namecoin was the first cryptocurrency to use Auxiliary Proof of Work (AuxPoW) for its consensus. By using AuxPow, Namecoin and Bitcoin can be mined simultaneously. In this consensus, the child blockchain depends on the proof-of-work of parent blockchain, which means If a new block is created on Bitcoin blockchain, it will also be added to the Namecoin blockchain. NameID is another technology brought by Namecoin. It serves as an open service for securely registering human-readable names in a decentralized way. NameID is a combination between Namecoin and OpenId, where users can easily convert their Namecoin Identities into OpenIDs. This makes NameID a solution to Zooko's triangle, which states that there are three desirable properties (Human-meaningful, Decentralized, and Secure) for name participants in a network protocol and any participant can only inherit two properties at a given time. Namecoin is among some earliest cryptocurrencies. During its existence in the market, it has seen a high volatility on some occasions, which can be attributed to many reasons. Namecoin has been around in the cryptocurrency market much longer than most cryptocurrencies today; however, despite this, it has not gotten much attention until recently. In 2014, it was among the top ten cryptocurrencies by market capitalisation, which is now changed due to the introduction of hundreds of new cryptocurrencies. Namecoin was abandoned by its creator which can be seen as a red flag by many. The project is currently being developed with the support from its community. The current team has been actively taking the project forward and also provides regular updates on social media channels.
The Gemini dollar — the world’s first regulated stablecoin — combines the creditworthiness and price stability of the U.S. dollar with blockchain technology and the oversight of U.S. regulators. Get Gemini dollars 1-to-1 for U.S. dollars on Gemini. Gemini dollars can be used on the Ethereum network. ISSUER The Gemini dollar is issued by Gemini Trust Company, LLC, a New York trust company. BANK U.S. dollars that correspond to the Gemini dollars issued and in circulation are held at a U.S. bank and eligible for FDIC “pass-through” deposit insurance, subject to applicable limitations. EXAMINATION The U.S. dollar deposit balance is examined monthly by an independent registered public accounting firm to verify the 1:1 peg. All Independent Accountants’ Reports are published and available here. SECURITY AUDIT The Gemini dollar is a cryptographic token built on the Ethereum Network according to the ERC20 standard for tokens. The code of the Gemini dollar smart contracts has been audited by Trail of Bits, Inc., an information security research & development firm, whose report is publicly available here. Gemini was founded four years ago with a mission: build a bridge to the future of money. Gemini dollar aims to combine creditworthiness and price stability of the U.S. dollar with blockchain and the oversight of U.S. regulators, the New York State Department of Financial Service. Gemini dollar is a stable value coin that is: 1. issued by Gemini, a New York trust company 2. strictly pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar 3. built on Ethereum network according to ERC20 token standards Starting 10th September 2018, you will be able to convert U.S. dollars in your Gemini account into Gemini dollars and withdraw them to an Ethereum address. You will also be able to automatically convert GUSD back as USD into your Gemini account. GUSD is expected to be listed on Bibox soon.