Polkadot is an open-source, sharded multichain protocol designed to connect and secure a network of specialized blockchains. It facilitates cross-chain transfers of various data or asset types—not limited to tokens—enabling blockchains to be interoperable. Polkadot aims to establish a foundation for a decentralized internet of blockchains, also referred to as Web3. Recognized as a layer-0 metaprotocol, Polkadot underlies and defines a format for a network of layer 1 blockchains known as parachains (parallel chains). As a metaprotocol, Polkadot can autonomously and forklessly update its codebase through on-chain governance based on the preferences of its token holder community. Polkadot offers a platform to support a decentralized web controlled by its users, streamlining the development of new applications, institutions, and services. The Polkadot protocol can connect public and private chains, permissionless networks, oracles, and future technologies, enabling these independent blockchains to share information and transactions seamlessly and securely through the Polkadot Relay Chain. Polkadot’s native token, DOT, serves three distinct functions: staking for operations and security, facilitating network governance, and bonding tokens to connect parachains. Polkadot comprises four core components: * Relay Chain: The “heart” of Polkadot, facilitating consensus, interoperability, and shared security across the network of various chains; * Parachains: Independent chains that can have their own tokens and be tailored for specific use cases; * Parathreads: Similar to parachains but with flexible connectivity, operating on an economical pay-as-you-go model; * Bridges: Enable parachains and parathreads to connect and interact with external blockchains like Ethereum. For current data and more information on Polkadot, visit Eulerpool.

Polkadot is the premier protocol of the Web3 Foundation, a Swiss organization dedicated to developing an open-source, fully functional, and user-friendly decentralized web. The founders of Polkadot are Dr. Gavin Wood, Robert Habermeier, and Peter Czaban. Dr. Gavin Wood, the president of the Web3 Foundation, is the most prominent member of the group due to his significant impact on the industry as a co-founder of Ethereum, founder of Parity Technologies, and creator of the smart contract programming language Solidity. He is also recognized for originating the term Web3. Robert Habermeier is a Thiel Fellow and a distinguished researcher and developer in blockchain and cryptography. Peter Czaban, the former Technology Director at the Web3 Foundation, brings extensive experience from various specialized fintech sectors. Find more information on Eulerpool.

Polkadot is a sharded multichain network, meaning it can process numerous transactions across multiple chains simultaneously, known as "parachains." This ability to execute parallel processing significantly enhances scalability. With the Substrate framework, developing custom blockchains is both rapid and straightforward, and these Substrate blockchains are engineered for seamless integration with Polkadot's network. The network is notably adaptable and versatile, facilitating the exchange of information and functionalities among participants. Polkadot's automatic upgrade capability eliminates the need for forks when introducing new features or correcting bugs. The network employs an advanced, user-driven governance system where every token holder has a say in its management. Teams have the flexibility to tailor their blockchain's governance within the Polkadot ecosystem according to their needs and changing circumstances. Nominators, validators, and collators play essential roles in securing and maintaining the network while deterring malicious activities. In late 2021, Polkadot successfully completed its first set of Parachain auctions. These auctions operated on an un-permissioned candle auction system, wherein the highest bid at a random endpoint of the auction determined the winner. Polkadot allocated the initial five slots to the following auction winners: Acala, Moonbeam, Astar, Parallel, and Clover. These projects will have their parachain slots secured for 96 weeks, with the DOT bidders providing the necessary collateral. Consistent with Polkadot's practices, all projects had previously been rigorously tested on its de-facto testnet Kusama.

After a referendum on Polkadot, the network underwent a redenomination, resulting in an increase of DOT balances by a factor of 100. Consequently, one old DOT became equivalent to 100 new DOT. This change transformed the initial maximum supply from 10 million old DOT in August 2020 to 1 billion new DOT tokens. The redenomination was implemented solely to eliminate the use of small decimals, simplifying calculations. Despite this adjustment, all balances increased by a factor of one hundred, leaving the distribution of DOT and holders' proportional shares unaffected. Polkadot conducted its first initial coin offering (ICO) in October 2017, pricing at $0.29 per token, with 2.24 million tokens made available. The second ICO took place in July 2020, offering Polkadot at a price of $1.25 per token, and resulting in the sale of 342,080 DOT tokens.

The Polkadot network employs a Nominated Proof-of-Stake (NPoS) mechanism, involving both validators and nominators. Nominators support validators by delegating their tokens, thereby enhancing chain security by making malicious activities prohibitively costly. Validators are staked on the Relay Chain and are responsible for validating transactions originating from various parachains. This distinctive validity framework allows chains to interact securely under a unified set of rules while maintaining independent governance. You can find more detailed information on Polkadot by visiting Eulerpool.

The leading exchanges for trading Polkadot (DOT) currently include Binance, Huobi Global, OKEx, Coinbase, and KuCoin. Additional exchanges can be found on Polkadot’s markets page on Eulerpool. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum can now also be purchased directly with a credit card in the fiat currency of your choice. For more details, read further. To check the live price of Polkadot in any fiat currency, you can utilize the converter feature available directly on the Polkadot currency page on Eulerpool. Here are some other articles that might interest you: * What Is a Crypto Faucet? * What Are Crypto Debit Cards? * What Is Web 3.0? * What Is Yield Farming? * What Is Crypto Lending?

Announced in June 2022, the protocol is poised to revamp the existing framework to further embed the network in the ethos of decentralization. The team highlighted that the current governance system contains elements of centralization. For instance, the Polkadot Council, a body of executives, held exclusive control over certain decision-making processes, including the allocation of the network's treasury. To address this, the new development introduces a new governance infrastructure in the form of a "referendum." This planned upgrade will implement a voting system that allows anyone to submit proposals and have them approved. Dubbed Governorship version 2 or Gov2, this upgrade purportedly eliminates all forms of preferential first-class citizenry such as the Technical Committee and the Polkadot Council. With this change, the protocol intends to diminish the concentration of voting power by replacing the Technical Committee with the Polkadot Fellowship. This fellowship is designed to include up to tens of thousands of members and features a lower barrier for entry. Members are ranked to reflect the protocol's expectation that each participant will make informed decisions and support proposals beneficial to the network. Another key element of the upgrade is the Origins and Tracks system. This mechanism will evaluate the significance of a proposal and determine the appropriate treatment. Consequently, the network can implement suitable safeguards to ensure the decision-making process remains decentralized and equitable. For example, proposals labeled as Root Origins are the most sensitive and therefore undergo longer and more scrutinized consideration periods with a higher approval threshold. Additionally, the system ensures that only one hypersensitive proposal can be reviewed at a time. Conversely, proposals with less sensitive Origins have shorter consideration periods with a lower approval threshold. In essence, the grading of the importance of proposals will dictate the type of safeguards assigned and the duration of their decision-making process. Gov2 will initially be tested on Kusama, an experimental development environment for application testing, before being deployed on Polkadot. After the completion of the testing and audit phase, the team will submit the proposal to launch Gov2 on the Polkadot network.