BLD Agoric

Agoric Use Cases

Agoric is designed to support a wide range of decentralized applications (dApps) across various sectors. Here are some of the key use cases:

• Decentralized Finance (DeFi): Agoric is particularly suited for DeFi applications due to its secure environment and interoperability features. It allows developers to build complex financial instruments such as derivatives, automated market makers, and stablecoins. The platform securely manages and trades digital assets across chains, which is crucial for DeFi protocols that require integration of diverse assets and liquidity sources.

• NFT Marketplaces: Developers can create and manage non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for digital art, collectibles, and more using JavaScript. Agoric’s ERTP framework facilitates the creation, sale, and trading of NFTs in a secure environment, ensuring that transactions are verifiable and assets are not duplicated.

• Subscriptions and Payments: Agoric enables the creation of blockchain-based subscription services by handling long-lived contracts and scheduled transactions. This automates periodic payments and manages user subscriptions directly on the blockchain, increasing transparency and reducing the potential for disputes or fraud.

• Supply Chain Tracking: Companies can use Agoric to build systems that track the provenance and status of goods across supply chains, leveraging the security and transparency of blockchain.

• Cross-Chain Orchestration: Agoric allows for the orchestration of liquidity and services across multiple blockchain ecosystems, enabling developers to create next-gen Web3 applications that seamlessly coordinate digital assets and services.

• Stablecoin Integration: Agoric features the Inter Stable Token (IST), an over-collateralized stablecoin that provides a stable medium of exchange and fee payment mechanism across the Agoric network.

Key Features

• JavaScript-Based Smart Contracts: Agoric uses JavaScript for smart contract development, making it accessible to a wide range of developers.
• ERTP Framework: Agoric’s ERTP framework enables the creation and management of digital assets in a highly composable environment.
• Zoe Escrow Service: Agoric’s Zoe framework operates as an escrow mechanism for secure transaction execution, ensuring users either get what they specified in their contract or receive a full refund.
• Threshold Signature Schemes (TSS): Agoric uses TSS for enhanced security, making it more difficult for attackers to exploit the network.
• Composability: Agoric is designed to be composable, allowing dApps to interact with each other in a secure and efficient way.

Pros of Agoric

• Developer Accessibility: Agoric uses JavaScript, a widely known programming language, making it easier for developers to build decentralized applications (dApps) without needing to learn new languages.
• Security: Agoric employs object-capability security and Threshold Signature Schemes (TSS) for enhanced security and protection against attacks.
• Interoperability: It supports cross-chain functionality, allowing dApps to interact with other blockchains smoothly, which maximizes the platform's usage and facilitates seamless multi-chain operations.
• Efficient Governance: Agoric has a robust and efficient governance model focused on economic security and sustainability, making the network more dependable and reliable.
• Composability: The Electronic Rights Transfer Protocol (ERTP) token standard enables developers to build smart contracts from reusable components, supporting diverse types of digital assets and contracts.

Cons of Agoric

• Limited Adoption: As a relatively new platform, Agoric may have limited adoption and a smaller community compared to more established blockchain platforms.
• Complexity: While Agoric simplifies development with JavaScript, its underlying technology and architecture can be complex for new developers to understand and integrate.
• Dependence on Cosmos Ecosystem: Agoric's interoperability and scalability are heavily dependent on the Cosmos ecosystem, which could be a limitation if there are issues with the Cosmos network.
• Staking Requirements: The staking economy requires BLD holders to stake their tokens, which can be a barrier for those who do not have sufficient tokens or are not familiar with staking processes.
• Development Stage: Agoric is still under development, which means it may face challenges and changes as it evolves, potentially affecting its stability and reliability.

Founders of Agoric

• Dean Tribble: Co-founder and CEO of Agoric. He co-designed the negotiation process and contract for the first smart contracting system, AMiX, and has extensive experience in distributed object-capability systems and electronic contract systems.
• Bill Tulloh: Co-founder of Agoric. He was a market manager at smart contract pioneer AMiX, co-founder of the Agorics Project on markets and computation, and a lead researcher of the Virus Safe Computing project at George Mason University.
• Mark S. Miller: A pioneer of agoric (market-based secure distributed) computing and smart contracts. He is the main designer of the E and Dr. SES distributed persistent object-capability programming languages and has been involved in various projects related to secure distributed systems.
• Brian Warner: Co-founder of Agoric. He built Foolscap, a Python-based distributed object-capability system, and has contributed to various projects including Tahoe-LAFS and Firefox Sync.

Additional Key Team Members

• Kate Sills: Software engineer with an interest in economics and law.
• Chris Hibbert: Software engineer with experience in email security, financial cryptography, and privacy.
• Michael FIG: Generalist software developer and system administrator with extensive experience in free software, embedded systems, and network security.
• Jessy Irwin: Director of Security at Agoric, with previous experience at Tendermint and 1Password.
• Santiago Semino: Blockchain and smart contract growth marketer with experience in launching global developer programs and executing successful funding rounds.

Website

• Agoric

Investors in Agoric

Agoric is backed by several investors, including:

• Zcash Foundation: A non-profit organization focused on advancing the use of zero-knowledge proofs for privacy and security.
• Polychain Capital: A venture capital firm specializing in blockchain and cryptocurrency investments.
• gumi Cryptos: A blockchain-focused venture capital firm.
• Placeholder: A venture capital firm that invests in early-stage blockchain and cryptocurrency projects.
• NGC Ventures: A venture capital firm focused on blockchain and cryptocurrency investments.
• Rockaway Blockchain Fund: A fund dedicated to investing in blockchain and cryptocurrency projects.
• Lemniscap: A venture capital firm that invests in early-stage blockchain and cryptocurrency projects.

Is Agoric a Good Investment?

Agoric is considered a promising investment due to its robust technology stack and versatile use cases. Here are some key points to consider:

Technology and Security

• Smart Contract Framework: Agoric features Zoe, a secure smart-contract framework that ensures safe transaction execution through its "Offer Safety" function. This reduces risks associated with smart contracts by guaranteeing users either receive what they specified or get a full refund.
• Interoperability: The platform supports a wide range of practical use cases, leveraging its robust security and ease of use.

Use Cases

• Decentralized Finance (DeFi): Agoric is well-suited for DeFi applications due to its secure environment and interoperability features, allowing developers to build complex financial instruments.
• NFT Marketplaces: Developers can create and manage non-fungible tokens (NFTs) securely using Agoric’s ERTP, facilitating the creation, sale, and trading of NFTs.
• Subscriptions and Payments: Agoric enables the creation of blockchain-based subscription services, automating periodic payments and managing user subscriptions transparently.
• Supply Chain Tracking: Companies can use Agoric to build systems that track the provenance and status of goods across supply chains, leveraging blockchain's security and transparency.

Stablecoin and Governance

• Inter Stable Token (IST): Agoric’s over-collateralized stablecoin provides a stable medium of exchange and fee payment mechanism across the network.
• Governance and Staking: The BLD token is used for governance and staking, allowing users to become node validators or delegate to other validators, with additional liquidity options through the getRUN token.

Overall, Agoric’s comprehensive ecosystem and diverse use cases make it an attractive investment opportunity.

No, the halal status of Agoric is not straightforward and requires a detailed Shariah analysis. Each crypto project, including Agoric, warrants separate examination because they differ in objectives, features, technology, and underlying assets.

Key Considerations for Shariah Compliance:

• Legitimacy Screening: Ensuring the crypto-asset is a genuine project and not a scam.
• Project Screening: Ensuring the project itself is Shariah compliant.
• Financial Screening: Ensuring it meets Shariah compliance financial criteria if it is an equity-based token.
• Token Screening: Understanding the Shariah compliance of the token.
• Staking Screening: Understanding the Shariah compliance of the staking mechanism.

Given these considerations, a definitive answer requires a detailed analysis of Agoric's specifics against Shariah principles.