The Skycoin Platform is the most advanced blockchain platform in the world. Developed by early contributors to both Bitcoin and Ethereum, Skycoin’s platform is completely secure, infinitely scalable, and ISP independent. It uses its own specific distributed consensus algorithm, called Obelisk, instead of other commonly used algorithms like proof of work (POW) and proof of stake (POS). Obelisk uses the concept of ‘web of trust dynamics’ which distributes influence over the network and makes consensus decisions depending upon the influence score of each node. Each node subscribes to a select number of other network nodes, and the density of a node’s network of subscribers determines its influence on the network. Skycoin is very fast. With transaction speeds close to 2 seconds and no transaction fees it can rival any other cryptocurrency on the market as a payment method. The transaction costs of Skycoin are covered by Coin Hours. This is value paid to Skycoin holders for each hour they hold a Skycoin. Skycoin is against charging transaction costs and mining incentives as it only drives up the costs of the network. The biggest benefit of Skycoin is that it is energy efficient due to the Web-of-Trust social proof. It can even run on a 30-watt cell phone processor making it great for mobile payments. Centralization becomes less of an issue when anyone can participate in the blockchain. Sia stores tiny pieces of your files on dozens of nodes across the globe. This eliminates any single point of failure and ensures highest possible uptime, on par with other cloud storage providers. A major goal of Skycoin is to promote actual usage of cryptocurrency rather than speculation. Skywire, the flagship application of Skycoin, has the ambitious goal of decentralizing the internet at the hardware level and is about to begin the testnet in April. However, this is just one of the many facets of the Skycoin ecosystem. Skywire will not only provide decentralized bandwidth but also storage and computation, completing the holy trinity of commodities essential for the new internet. Skycoin also has its own ICO platform called Fiber, their own deterministic programming language, CX, derived from Golang, a private decentralized messenger system called Sky-Messenger, and a decentralized social media platform, BBS. Here is another way to think of Skycoin: An open-source, community-owned, hardware-based peer to peer internet designed from first principles and leveraging the incentive system of the blockchain.
Emercoin (EMC) is an open-source cryptocurrency which originated from Bitcoin, Peercoin and Namecoin. Other than being a cryptocurrency, it is also a platform for secure distributed blockchain business services. The EMC coin is used for accessing the blockchain-based services provided by Emercoin. Emercoin inherits the reliability and security of Bitcoin, while at the same time adding more features to its own blockchain by leveraging several innovative technologies. The Emercoin blockchain has been specially designed to provide businesses with the secure blockchain services and also allow them to create their own decentralized apps. Emercoin was founded in the year 2013 by Eugene Shumilov who also serves as the chief executive officer of Emercoin. The Emercoin team also consists chief technical officer Oleg Khovayko, a cryptocurrency & financial expert and Stan Polozov a Blockchain Implementation Specialist. Emercoin is also backed by a decentralized team of nine advisors from across the world. Emercoin has been in the market since 2014, and its past trend in the cryptocurrency market shows that it has followed a steady and stable growth. Emercoin has scored many partnerships. Two of its major partners are Coca Cola and Microsoft. Some other partners are RedHat, LLoyd’s, Bitfury, Aspanta, Deloitte, Authorizers, Foundico, Anteko, etc. Emercoin has also been featured on some prominent media platforms such as Forbes, Digital Trends, Engadget, The Business Times, Aljazeera, Gadgets Now and others. With the sheer variety of services that the Emercoin platform makes available to its users, it would not be surprising to see this currency be viewed as a lucrative investment option by many novice as well as experienced investors in the near future. With the currency’s value currently hitting new highs, it can be said that many people are now beginning to see the true power and potential of this emerging blockchain. However, as is the case with all crypto assets, past performance should not be used to predict the future value of EMC.