What Is Tezos (XTZ)?
Tezos is a blockchain network that’s based on smart contracts, in a way that’s not too dissimilar to Ethereum. However, there’s a big difference: Tezos aims to offer infrastructure that is more advanced — meaning it can evolve and improve over time without there ever being a danger of a hard fork. This is something that both Bitcoin and Ethereum have suffered since they were created. People who hold XTZ can vote on proposals for protocol upgrades that have been put forward by Tezos developers.
This open-source platform bills itself as “secure, upgradable and built to last” — and says its smart contract language provides the accuracy that is required for high-value use cases. According to Tezos, its approach means that it is futureproof and will “remain state-of-the-art long into the future,” meaning it can embrace developments in blockchain technology.
The technology underpinning Tezos was first proposed in a white paper that was released in September 2014. After a series of delays, the Tezos mainnet launched four years later.(https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/tezos/)
Tezos addresses key barriers facing blockchain adoption to date: smart contract safety, long-term upgradability, and open participation.
Secure, Institutional Grade Smart Contracts
Tezos is designed to provide the safety and code correctness required for assets and other high value use cases. Its native smart contract language, Michelson, facilitates formal verification, a methodology commonly used in mission-critical environments such as the aerospace, nuclear, and semiconductor industries.
Upgradable to the State of the Art
Tezos’ modular architecture and formal upgrade mechanism allow the network to propose and adopt new technological innovations smoothly as they emerge. These aspects, combined with Tezos’ on-chain invoicing mechanism, enable the protocol to remain the state-of-the-art long into the future — without sacrificing community consensus.
Open Participation and Incentive Alignment
In Tezos, all stakeholders may participate in network upgrades by evaluating, proposing, or approving amendments. Unlike in Proof-of-Work and other Proof-of-Stake networks, all stakeholders can help to secure the network (via baking or delegating), and avoid being diluted by inflation. (https://tezos.com/)
Who Are the Founders of Tezos?
Arthur Breitman was the man who wrote the Tezos white paper — and in a nod to Satoshi Nakamoto, he wrote his works under the pen name L. M. Goodman. He argued that one of Bitcoin’s biggest failings was the lack of a governance process that invited contributions from the community who use the network — as well as the fact that new tokens couldn’t be issued through this blockchain.
He and his wife Kathleen founded a startup called Dynamic Ledger Solutions which was tasked with writing the code that would underpin the Tezos protocol. This company was subsequently purchased by the Tezos Foundation to ensure that it owned all of the intellectual property rights relating to the network.
What Makes Tezos Unique?
Although staking is common across blockchains, Tezos has a unique twist on this process. Participants can get involved with the network’s governance through “baking,” where they effectively stake 8,000 XTZ. This creates a financial incentive to act honestly.
Bakers are then tasked with voting on proposed changes to the blockchain’s code in a four-step procedure that takes approximately 23 days. Proposals that receive support from the vast majority of participants are put through their paces on a testnet for 48 hours and are fully implemented if they are backed by a super-majority.
Tezos is also unique because of how it has started to be used by high-profile businesses. In September 2020, it was announced that the French banking giant Societe Generale planned to use this blockchain for experimenting with a central bank digital currency.
Big cryptocurrency exchanges such as Binance and Coinbase have also unveiled support for Tezos staking, meaning users can receive rewards based on the XTZ that they hold. This is not a feature that’s seen too widely across digital assets.(https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/tezos/)
How Is the Tezos Network Secured?
Like other blockchains, Tezos uses a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism.
Anyone can become a validator and contribute to the smooth running of the network by making a security deposit. To incentivize honest behavior, rewards are given to those who work in the best interests of the blockchain — and those who act dishonestly risk losing their stake altogether. (https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/tezos/)