Real-world utility is a dream of many cryptocurrency projects, but few manage to reach that level of adoption. The reasons are simple: centralized systems slow things down, updates get stuck on the backburner due to a lack of consensus, and actual use-cases for many projects is sorely lacking. Navigating a project from inception to implementation is an arduous task that few teams can manage.
One team that has proven capable of delivering a workable product is the team at Horizen. With the goal of offering a usable, scalable, and decentralized way for people to build decentralized applications (dApps), sidechain ventures, and various other projects, Horizen has built a flexible and inclusive technological ecosystem.
Did you catch all of that? It’s okay if that seems a little confusing, we’ll explain everything. This week, we’re excited to team up with Horizen to add their native cryptocurrency, ZEN, to our growing Marketplace. We’ll use this blog post to break down what their project is, why it caught our attention, and why we think Metal Pay users might be interested in this innovative cryptocurrency.
What is Horizen?
In simple terms, Horizen is a platform that allows other teams to create their own public or private blockchain product with secure, tested, and dependable tools. This is the type of cryptocurrency project that can accelerate the pace at which other businesses build on blockchain technology. It’s native cryptocurrency, ZEN, offers a unique approach to privacy that should appeal to all types of cryptocurrency users.
What is ZEN?
Some cryptocurrencies are quite public, offering an accessible and identifiable ledger for tracking transactions on the blockchain. On the other hand, some cryptocurrencies are known for their privacy – shielding a user’s identity and making it impossible to track who is receiving what. ZEN offers the best of both worlds: the ability for users to stay public with their transactions, where needed, or switch to a privacy mode to control their digital footprint. This attractive feature is rarely found in the cryptocurrency industry and helps ZEN stand out as a unique coin.
Scalable, Usable, Distributed
If a cryptocurrency project can’t be used, what’s the point in building with it? Horizen recognizes that usability is key when it comes to crypto, which is why they designed their products to be available and useful to a variety of audiences. You don’t have to be a blockchain genius to use their products and services, and the ability to build on the Horizen Sidechain SDK helps teams sidestep numerous hurdles that plague cryptocurrency projects.
Additionally, Horizen boasts the largest node network in the cryptocurrency industry. Strategically dispersed around the globe, transactions and data can be shared quickly, efficiently, and securely on the Horizen distributed network.
What is a decentralized application (dApp), anyway?
Maybe this is the first time you’ve heard of dApps, or maybe you’ve heard it too many times to count. Regardless, understanding the utility of dApps is key to understanding how useful Horizen really is. Decentralized applications is a computer application that is ran using a distributed system – this often means that the processing power is delivered by all of the systems hooked up to the dApp. These dApps can be games, social networking sites, or any other application you can think of. By offering a way to build your own dApp, Horizen is speeding along the use of this innovative way to distribute processing tasks.
Who uses ZEN?
Anyone wanting to build a blockchain project of their own will be interested in ZEN. As more and more companies, institutions, and industries move to incorporate blockchain technology into their own strategies, they’ll be looking for efficient and user-friendly ways to build. Horizen stands ready to guide them through their first steps into the world of blockchain technology, with ZEN acting as the fuel for all on-chain transactions.
Ready to see what the hype is all about? Download Metal Pay and see how easy it is to buy, sell, send, and receive ZEN. While you’re there, check out all of the other cryptocurrencies we have to offer, as well as our innovative Discovery section.
We’re excited to add ZEN to our Marketplace, where our users can buy and sell an expanding list of cryptocurrencies. New to Metal Pay? Download us from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. Have a question? Reach out to our Support Team on Twitter.
Still have questions about what Horizen is or what it can do? Be on the lookout for more content about ZEN in the Discover section of the Metal Pay app, as well as on our primary social media accounts: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook.
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