Agoric (BLD)

Staking and Governance

Agoric's native token BLD is used for staking to support the network's security and for governance, allowing holders to participate in decision-making.

Payments and Fees

The IST token, a stablecoin minted by the Inter Protocol, is used to pay all protocol fees, including transaction (gas) fees, providing a stable medium of exchange within the ecosystem.

Cross-Chain Orchestration

Agoric enables complex multi-step transactions across multiple blockchains through its Orchestration system. This allows users to perform actions like staking, swapping, and transferring assets across different chains with a single interaction, improving user experience and simplifying development.

Developer Platform

Agoric offers a JavaScript-based smart contract platform that makes Web3 development accessible to millions of developers. It supports building decentralized applications (dApps) that can interact across chains using familiar programming tools.

DeFi and Digital Assets

Agoric supports the creation and exchange of digital assets, including fungible and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and enables decentralized finance (DeFi) applications with features like offer safety and payout guarantees.

Interchain Connectivity

With native support for the Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol (IBC) and extensibility to other protocols, Agoric connects to a wide multi-chain ecosystem, allowing apps to access liquidity and services across many blockchains.

Scheduled and Automated Operations

Agoric supports on-chain timers and scheduled operations, enabling automated tasks such as recurring payments and time-sensitive transfers without extra user actions.

Ecosystem Support

Tokens are also used for grant-making, community support, advocacy, and ecosystem development to foster growth and innovation within the Agoric network.

Advantages

• Agoric uses JavaScript, the most popular programming language, making it easier for over 10 million developers to build smart contracts and decentralized apps without learning new languages.
• It offers a secure, object-capability security model that manages permissions safely and granularly.
• The platform supports cross-chain interoperability through native IBC and Axelar GMP, enabling seamless multi-chain applications and liquidity orchestration.
• Agoric’s asynchronous architecture allows smart contracts to execute over multiple blocks with scheduled and long-term actions.
• It provides a reusable library of DeFi components, speeding up development and reducing errors.
• The ecosystem includes two tokens: BLD for staking and governance, and RUN as a stable token for transaction fees and smart contract execution.
• Agoric’s design is crypto-network agnostic, allowing smart contracts to operate across different blockchains.
• The platform has strong backing from notable investors and integrates with the Cosmos ecosystem, enhancing credibility and network effects.

Disadvantages

• The BLD token has experienced price declines recently and underperformed compared to the broader crypto market and similar smart contract platforms.
• Early investors have not yet recovered their initial investments, indicating potential volatility or slow returns.
• Market activity and trading volume for BLD have decreased recently, which may affect liquidity.
• As a relatively new and specialized platform, Agoric may face challenges in widespread adoption despite its technical advantages.

Founders of Agoric

Agoric was founded by Dean Tribble, Mark S. Miller, Bill Tulloh, and Brian Warner. These founders are early cypherpunks and supporters of the free, open, decentralized web. They started Agoric in 2018 to build a practical and accessible platform for smart contract development using JavaScript. Dean Tribble serves as CEO, and Mark S. Miller is the Chief Scientist. Bill Tulloh and Brian Warner also played key roles in the founding team.

Key Investors

Agoric is backed by a strong group of global investors including Outlier Ventures, Polychain Capital, MetaStable Capital, Gumi Cryptos Capital, Interchain Foundation (Cosmos), Kilowatt Capital, Lemniscap, Rockaway Blockchain, Xpring (Ripple), and others. Early seed investors include the Zcash Company, Naval Ravikant, and Polychain Capital.

Funding Rounds

Agoric has raised over $85 million through multiple rounds, including a $32 million private token sale led by Polychain Capital and MetaStable, and a $50 million public token sale on CoinList.

Institutional Support

Agoric’s native token BLD is supported by institutional platforms like Finoa, which offers custody and staking services for institutional investors, highlighting confidence from crypto-native investment firms.

Summary

Agoric’s investors range from venture capital firms specializing in crypto and blockchain to angel investors and institutional platforms, reflecting broad support for its secure JavaScript smart contract platform.

Halal Status of Agoric

• General Crypto Halal Considerations: Cryptocurrencies are considered halal if they comply with Islamic finance principles, which include the absence of interest (riba), avoidance of excessive uncertainty (gharar), and not being involved in forbidden activities like gambling or unethical practices.
• Scholarly Views: Some scholars allow investment in cryptocurrencies if the project itself is halal and does not involve interest or speculative elements. Others caution that not all cryptocurrencies meet these criteria.
• Agoric Specifics: There is no direct information available about Agoric’s halal status in the provided data. Since halal status depends on the project’s compliance with Islamic principles, and given that many cryptocurrencies require individual assessment, Agoric’s halal status would need to be evaluated based on its structure and use.
• Short Answer: No explicit confirmation that Agoric is halal is available; therefore, it cannot be definitively stated as halal without further specific Shariah compliance screening.