Synthetix is based in Australia, Synthetix launched a seed funding round in September, 2017 to develop the concept of a self-contained stablecoin payment network. They then kicked off their public ICO on February 28, 2018 and by the end of the ICO on March 7, 2018, they had met their goal of $30,000,000 USD. Synthetix was rebranded from Havven on November 30, 2018. Synthetix is led by a multidisciplinary team of 13 individuals. The project was founded by Kain Warwick, who previously co-founded blueshyft, one of the largest digital payment networks in Australia. The CTO is Justin Moses, who also serves as the Director of Engineering at MongoDB. Synthetix aims to address the problem that companies running centralized payment networks such as PayPal, credit card networks, or the SWIFT banking network have “absolute control over the value within the network, so any transaction conducted within them may be blocked or reversed at any time.” According to the Synthetix white paper, “Although this is ostensibly designed to protect users, it introduces systemic risk for all participants. If the network is compromised or its owners cease to behave benevolently, no party can trust that the value in their account is secure or accessible.” This is theorized to work because anyone who holds SNX tokens in escrow will be incentivized by Synthetix rewards derived from network transaction fees that will be distributed “in proportion with how well each issuer maintains the correct Synths supply.” When a Synthetix escrow user puts their SNX in escrow, USD-stabilized Synths will be automatically put up for sale on a decentralized exchange at a price of $1 USD. To release escrowed SNX, the user must buy back the Synths issued (also at a price of $1 USD) at which point the Synths will be burned. The Synthetix system uses an algorithm to adjust network fees, and therefore dividends, to SNX holders to incentivize (or disincentivize) the holding of SNX in escrow smart contracts, and thus, the creation of Synths. The theory is that this will cause users to mint and burn Synths in the appropriate amount based solely on supply and demand.
Nuls (NULS) is a Singaporean based project is trying to develop a highly adaptable blockchain that can be used for enterprise solutions. They have regularly used the phrase “Nuls is nothing, Nuls is everything”. In other words, Nuls is not traditionally defined and can be melded into anything that the community sees fit. Nuls is looking to solve the problems faced by blockchains by creating one that features modularity and sub-chain operability. The two part design of functional modules and microkernels will provide both an underlying network mechanism and compartmentalized features for the blockchain.Essentially this should provide scalability and security to the blockchain, while adhering to the programming practices of low coupling and high cohesion. And because the blockchain is designed to be modular, it becomes hot pluggable, allowing for the addition or removal of modules at any time. There are several blockchain problems inhibiting growth and development of the industry that have been identified by the Nuls team. One such issue is the cost of development. Because there is a shortage of blockchain proficient developers, those with skills can command higher salaries.This is simply demand exceeding supply and will eventually level out as more IT professionals learn blockchain skills. That’s when businesses will see greater adoption of the technology, and only the most trustworthy blockchains will be of interest. Nuls is working to make trustworthy solutions to business problems. Nuls is primarily focused on making blockchain more accessible for developers and businesses. It seeks to do this through its modularity and the use of sub-chains, and hopes to break the complexity associated with blockchain projects, while also solving the scalability issue that is hindering the growth of the industry. Nuls will make trust simpler, increasing the adoption rate of blockchain technology by businesses. They will also lower the cost of entry by removing complexity and increasing the supply of developers capable of programming blockchain applications. Taken all together, the Nuls ecosystem will benefit developers, businesses, and cryptocurrency enthusiasts by providing needed solutions and increasing usage and adoption of blockchain technology. Check out CoinBureau for the full review of Nuls.