No journey would be successful without a map of where you’ve been, where you are, and where you’re going.
The Proton Chain Roadmap is our clearest picture of our vision for Proton, with step-by-step progress detailed for the world to see. You can view our Roadmap here, and we’ll walk you through it in this article.
Where We’ve Been
Mainnet Launch
The launch of the Proton mainnet was the genesis moment of our ecosystem, marking a turning point in blockchain technology and signalling a new way to combine traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi). For too long, finances have been separated into individual bubbles that are hard to break out of. With Proton, funds are able to move between bubbles effortlessly, essentially bridging the gap between all areas of finance.
Proton exists to solve the dilemma presented by our modern economy: the clash between identity, privacy, and finance. All too often, we’re forced to sacrifice one – sometimes two – of those concepts to buy anything. For example, writing a check requires that you provide too much of your personal information. Similarly, buying something from an online vendor forces you to give them access to your credit card or bank account – a risky proposition that has ended badly for too many people. Proton fixes this.
By utilizing blockchain technology, Proton is able to verify unique identities, communicate between vendors and sellers, and ensure funds flow only where they’re supposed to go. All of this happens lightning fast and in a hyper-secure environment, an incredible step up from how things are done today.
Open Source Wallet SDK
The creation of our Open Source Wallet SDK allowed iOS and Android developers to build apps with Proton Wallet functionality built-in. Apps that moved to integrate with the Proton Wallet provided their users with a way to move funds in and out of the Proton ecosystem quickly and easily. Additionally, the Open Source Wallet SDK marked the moment that Proton became open for business.
PSR & Web SDK
Proton’s Web SDK acts as a one-stop-shop to integrate and communicate with the Proton Wallet, providing support for different sessions, authentication, and transactions. Additionally, we added support for the Anchor wallet directly so that users can choose whether to authenticate with Proton or Anchor. These releases are further evidence of our commitment to helping developers build on Proton and create the next generation of Dapps, payment systems, and more. We see Proton as an integral piece of the story of cryptocurrency, and we’re excited to see what this decentralized movement can create with the tools we are providing them.
A hallmark use case of Proton is our PSR functionality – Proton Signing Request. This allows users to authenticate and accept payments using on-chain signing, which verifies their identity and helps reduce the possibility of fraudulent transactions. This is all part of our efforts to make Proton fast, helpful, and secure.
ERC-20 Wrapping
Releasing our Proton Wrapping tool offered users the ability to wrap ERC-20 tokens in Proton, allowing these tokens to flow on the Proton blockchain and enjoy the benefits that only Proton can offer. This marks the first time that Ethereum-based tokens can be sent between users instantly and with no gas fees, showing the benefit that Proton can offer to blockchains around the world.
On-chain Verified Identities
By creating on-chain verified identities, Proton has positioned itself to be one of the first blockchains to be compliant with the new OCC regulations surrounding KYC – and this was before the OCC announced these new regulations. Our ability to stay on top of a shifting regulatory environment is due to our focus on bridging TradFi and DeFi; we recognized that monumental shifts were coming, and we worked around the clock to anticipate them well in advance.
By offering on-chain verified identities, we can offer the security of the Proton blockchain to any project that chooses to use it. This means that there will be no growing pains or downtime as they work to become compliant with government regulations – with Proton, you’re already there.
Blockchain Resource Lending
We recognized the strength and advantages of the Proton blockchain, which is why we made it available to any other project in the world. Our blockchain resource lending platform offers developers a way to secure CPU, NET, and RAM resources needed to run their apps on Proton. This allows them to build out their project with all of the tools they need to succeed.
Where We’re Going
Fiat Transaction Integration
The Proton blockchain is one of the best environments in the world for cryptocurrency to move within. We intend to build off of this momentum and create a path for fiat currency to move within the Proton ecosystem as well. Our efforts to seamlessly combine TradFi and DeFi will not be complete until all forms of money can flow throughout our ecosystem.
Long-staking
Designed as the next evolution in staking, long-staking will allow users to stake their XPR for a designated amount of time in a smart contract to outperform Bitcoin. This incentivizes the accumulation of Proton as a way to gain exposure to altcoins while having the safety of the original Bitcoin. We’ll build out step-by-step guides regarding long-staking and how to benefit from it in the near future.
ProtonSwap
A cryptocurrency swapping tool with instant conversion and no gas fees, ProtonSwap was launched as the best way to swap cryptocurrencies. With the ability to swap for single satoshis and small units of crypto, this tool enables first-of-its-kind micro-transactions between blockchains.
Interest-bearing X Coins
Interest-bearing X coins will allow users to gain interest on their Proton-wrapped cryptocurrencies. One area where this feature will shine is with Proton-wrapped stablecoins, which may begin to function as a high-yield savings account where individuals can stake XUSDC and earn high interest yields with minimal risk. Interest-bearing X coins will create an incentive to integrate cryptocurrencies into the Proton ecosystem and will act as a catalyst for widespread adoption of Proton.
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The future of Proton is bright. We’re making our mark on the world in a way that will seamlessly combine TradFi and DeFi, acting as an accelerant for the evolution of our economy. With the Proton blockchain growing every day, the global economy is becoming more and more connected and evolved.
