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You've likely come across the term "ERC-20" in your crypto endeavours, with plenty of these token standards currently ranked in the top 10 (even top 100) cryptocurrencies. But what does ERC-20 actually mean, and what is a token standard? In this piece, we're uncovering everything you need to know about these popular crypto terms.

To start things off, ERC stands for Ethereum request for comment.

What is a token standard?

Let's start at the beginning. When Ethereum was created to provide developers with a platform on which to build decentralized apps (Dapps), the team incorporated several token standards. 

These token standards allow new projects to create, issue and deploy various functioning tokens on the blockchain. Each token standard is a smart contract that holds a set of particular "rules" that must be followed in order to be created.

In recent years a number of blockchain platforms that provide Dapp creation functionality have created their own token standards, however, for the sake of this article we are only looking at Ethereum.

The most popular token standards on Ethereum are the ERC-20, ERC-721, ERC-777, and ERC-1155 tokens. Each holds its own functionality and would be utilized depending on what the Dapp intends to use it for, i.e. will it be a transferable asset or be used to hold ownership rights. 

What is an ERC-20 token?

By far the most popular token standard utilized on the Ethereum network, the ERC-20 token is a fungible token that can be bought, sold and traded in the blockchain ecosystem. To date over 350,000 ERC-20 tokens have been created. 

Similar to the functioning of other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Litecoin, ERC-20 tokens also hold value and are able to be bought and sold, however, they operate solely on the Ethereum blockchain. This means that all ERC-20 transactions conducted are executed on the Ethereum blockchain network.

The rules associated with this particular token ensure that it can function optimally on the Ethereum blockchain, and must be submitted to the community leadership for approval prior to its launch. While some rules are mandatory and others optional, the required ERC-20 rules are as follows:

• total supply: defines the total supply of the token
• balance of: indicates how many tokens are in a wallet address
• transfer To, Transfer From: must be able to be transferred from one user to another
• allowance: ensures that wallets have a sufficient amount before making a transaction
• approve: checks total supply against transactions

The optional elements are centred around the token's name, its ticker symbol and how many decimal places it would have %u200BFor instance, Ethereum's token name is Ether, its ticker symbol is ETH and it is divisible by up to 18 decimal places.

Examples of ERC-20 tokens are Augur (REP), Basic Attention Token (BAT), Maker (MKR), USD Coin (USDC) and OmiseGO (OMG).

Can you mine ERC-20 tokens?

ERC-20 tokens, unlike Ethereum and its native coins (ether), cannot be mined. That is, new tokens are 'minted' when a planned initial token offering (ICO) or security token offering (STO) event takes place. Usually, these events involve users sending ether to a smart contract address and in return receiving the newly minted ERC-20 token.

An ERC-20 token is technically a smart contract so it's possible for the developer team behind an ERC-20 token to issue new tokens at will. However, this isn't recommended because users would be less likely to trust these tokens if they could be minted at will. There must be a measure of scarcity in order for tokens to be valuable.

The pros & cons of ERC-20 tokens:

Some of the main benefits of ERC-20 tokens include: 

Fungible

Fungible ERC20 tokens are interchangeable, just like cash. Although the coins are technically distinct, they function in exactly the same way. You can trade one for another and they will be functionally equivalent, just like cash or gold.

Fungible tokens are fantastic, and there's a lot of value in the technical aspect. On a technical level, it's worth noting that fungible tokens don't add extra value to goods. They're typically beneficial in a variety of commercial scenarios.

Broad adoption

The popularity of ERC-20 tokens is quite apparent in the cryptocurrency industry. The number of exchanges, wallets, and smart contracts that already support newly-launched tokens has made it easy for new projects to integrate with them. There is plenty of developer support and documentation to go around.

Flexibility

The first thing to note about ERC-20 tokens is that they are highly flexible and may be used in a variety of circumstances and applications. This is due to the fact that these tokens are very customizable. They can be used in a lot of different scenarios such as Loyalty points programs, in-game currencies, or digital collectibles such as NFT's.

Some of the main cons of ERC-20 tokens include:

Mainstream

The popularity of ERC-20 tokens is also their greatest weakness. There are so many projects using the same standard that it's difficult to stand out from the crowd without differentiating your token in some way. Moreover, since they're essentially all the same on a technical level.

Fraud and Scams

It takes minimal effort to create a simple ERC-20 token, meaning that anyone could do it for good or bad purposes. As such you want to be careful with what you're investing in when considering blockchains projects because there are some Pyramid schemes masquerading as legitimate projects out there and trying to get unsuspecting investors involved in their scams. As a result, when looking at blockchain projects, you need to be cautious with what you invest in.

Other ERC Token Standards

While there is a large range of ERC tokens available, below we've outlined the most popular ones (excluding the ERC-20 one as it is listed above). 

ERC-721 

This token standard is for a non-fungible token (NFT) which gained huge popularity in the last year across the gaming and digital art worlds. These tokens represent ownership of something, and cannot be used interchangeably. 

ERC-777 

An evolution of the ERC-20 token, the ERC-777 provides more usability, particularly pertaining to its ability to mint or burn tokens. It also holds improved transaction privacy and an emergency recovery function. 

ERC-1155

This token standard allows for the creation of both utility tokens and non-fungible tokens. Making trading more efficient, the token standard allows for bundling of transactions which in turn saves costs. 

Learn more about cryptocurrencies and blockchain

You can learn more about crypto basics from our specially created Learn centre, which covers everything a trader ought to know about cryptocurrencies and the blockchain industry. 

We are delighted to announce the listing and support of Polygon ( MATIC ) on Tap!

MATIC is now available for trading on the Tap mobile app. Buy, Sell, Trade or hold MATIC for any of the other asset supported on the platform without any pair boundaries. Tap is pair agnostic, meaning you can trade any asset for any other asset without having to worries if a "trading pair" is available.

We believe supporting MATIC will provide value to our users. We are looking forward to continue supporting new crypto projects with the aim of providing access to financial power and freedom for all.
The MATIC token is highly liquid with a market cap of $8,031,194,777 at the time of writing.
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MATIC is an ERC-20 token native to the Polygon Network used for a variety of purposes, such as paying transaction fees, staking, and governance. Polygon (formerly Matic Network) is a Layer-2 solution that operates on the Ethereum network. By using sidechains, Polygon offers developers secure and instantaneous transactions that can easily scale. Those who create decentralized applications (DApps) will find the Polygon network advantageous due to its cheap fees and speedy transaction time.

Get to learn more on Polygon MATIC here.

We are delighted to announce the listing and support of Sandbox (SAND) on Tap!

SAND is now available for trading on the Tap mobile app. You can now Buy, Sell, Trade or hold SAND for any of the other asset supported on the platform without any pair boundaries. Tap is pair agnostic, meaning you can trade any asset for any other asset without having to worries if a "trading pair" is available.

We believe supporting SAND will provide value to our users. We are looking forward to continue supporting new crypto projects with the aim of providing access to financial power and freedom for all.

The Sandbox is a pioneer in the movement to incorporate blockchain technology into the gaming sector. Created in 2011, The Sandbox is an play-to-earn game that allows users to be both creators and players, with the ability to monetize their in-game assets and earn SAND tokens.

Powered by the SAND token, the Sandbox’s native token serves as the foundation for all transactions and interactions. SAND tokens can be obtained by playing games, selling digital assets on the Sandbox Marketplace, participating in competitions, or buying it through a reliable exchange.

Get to know more about The sandbox (SAND) in our dedicated article here.

Gnosis is spearheading the merger of prediction markets with digital assets, enabling the market to take on a more decentralised approach. Prediction markets allow investors to trade on the outcome of events, similar to how they would exchange digital assets. 

What is Gnosis?

Gnosis is a prediction market platform built on the Ethereum blockchain. The platform allows users to trade crypto assets representing event outcomes from around the world, from sports matches to elections. As the results unfold, Gnosis tokens either increase or decrease in value depending on what was predicted by the user. 

The goal at Gnosis is to build a foundation that decentralised applications can use as forecasting tools. This is done by allowing any party access to create their own markets while also gathering public opinion from an uncensored source. The long-term aim is to build a dependable forecasting tool that could help those in finance, business, insurance, and other sectors make more informed decisions.

The platform is made up of three sectors, the Apollo network, Gnosis Safe and DutchX, outlined below. Gnosis also makes use of two cryptocurrencies, GNO and OWL, to ensure their transactions are secure and running smoothly. Even though they're making good progress, they still have a way to go before reaching all their goals, notwithstanding competitors like Augur (REP) that offer similar services.

Who created Gnosis?

The Gnosis prediction market was founded by Martin Koeppelmann and Stefan George in 2015. No stranger to prediction market platforms, George previously founded fairlay.com, a centralised Bitcoin prediction market. The Gnosis platform was one of the first projects backed by the Ethereum-focused incubator, ConsenSys, and has grown into a 50+ team with its main development hub based in Berlin. 

In terms of raising funds, the project successfully underwent an ICO (initial coin offering) in 2017, raising 250,000 ETH (around $12.5 million at the time). In just 15 minutes, the project sold 4% of its GNO supply. 

A few months later, the Gnosis team launched Olympic, a test version of the prediction market platform. The next year, it launched Apollo, version 1.0 of Gnosis alongside DutchX, a decentralised exchange designed to trade and manage digital assets. Toward the end of 2018, the Gnosis ecosystem launched the Gnosis Safe, the platform's integrated wallet. 

How does the Gnosis protocol work?

To ensure a comprehensive experience for all users, Gnosis employs three interoperable product lines and utilises three main products. Entirely built on the Ethereum platform, the three layers to Gnosis' architecture consist of:

• The Core Layer

Provides the foundational smart contracts that power the events, settlements, market mechanisms, and outcome tokens.

• The Service Layer

Offers resources for consumer applications and is used for tools like chatbots, stablecoins, and payment processor integration. It also controls the trading fee model.

• The Applications Layer

Contains the prediction market dapps. The majority of the dapps in this layer were created by third parties who charge users to use them, with Gnosis only building a few themselves.

The three platforms that make up the network are the Apollo Network, Gnosis Safe and DutchX, as outlined below. 

The Apollo Network (Gnosis prediction market)

The Apollo Network, Gnosis' prediction market platform allows users to create their own markets for any events and tokens. Users can then speculate on the outcome by buying and selling positions.

As the outcome approaches, the tokens will increase or decrease in value, and once the event is finalised the tokens representing the final outcome will receive the full value while the others become worthless. 

DutchX (exchange)

DutchX is the platform's decentralised exchange where users can trade and auction off their tokens.

Gnosis Safe (wallet)

Gnosis Safe is a browser and crypto wallet that interacts with Ethereum apps. 

What are the Gnosis digital assets?

GNO Token

Gnosis' native cryptocurrency is GNO, an Ethereum-based token that was sold during the Gnosis ICO. GNO tokens have a maximum supply of 3 million tokens. 

The main use case of GNO tokens is for creating OWL tokens via staking to earn rewards. Users can lock GNO tokens in the Gnosis chain to generate OWL tokens through staking, which is dependent on the length of the staking period. The max time is one year.

OWL Token

OWL tokens on the other hand are used to pay fees on the prediction market platform. These tokens are pegged to the US dollar, with their distribution maintaining its peg. OWL tokens were previously called WIZ tokens before being rebranded at the same time as the website.

Users can also opt to pay fees using supported Ethereum tokens. All fees not paid for in OWL are collected and sold for GNO, then burned. 

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Synthetix offers a unique approach to DeFi (decentralized finance) through its ability to track and provide returns on underlying (synthetic) assets without requiring one to directly hold the asset. By depositing Synthetix's native token, the SNX token, into a smart contract, users can mint synthetic fiat currencies (or any supported underlying assets) known as synths that can be tracked and traded through the platform or other DeFi platforms.

Formerly called Havven, Synthetix rebranded in 2018 and has built up a solid reputation within the crypto and DeFi ecosystem since. 

What is Synthetix (SNX)?

Synthetix is a groundbreaking decentralized asset protection protocol that permits users to mint, hold, and trade derivatives across different asset classes such as commodities, fiat currencies, stocks, and even cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. This provides an efficient way to gain exposure without needing ownership of the underlying securities or having to rely on centralized intermediaries.

Through the protocol's synthetic assets known as synths, collateralized by the Synthetix Network Token (SNX), users can gain access to classic financial assets and opportunities for new trading strategies while also realizing an increase in the value and liquidity of the underlying assets. The platform also offers binary options, and opportunities to gain capital for different components within the Synthetix ecosystem. 

When the platform launched in 2017 it was governed by the Synthetix Foundation, an Australian non-profit foundation. However, by 2020, the ecosystem is now governed by three decentralized autonomous organizations:

• ProtocolDAO: responsible for controlling the funding for protocol upgrades and changes to Synthetix’s smart contracts
• GrantsDAO: responsible for controlling funding for the community proposals for public goods on Synthetix
• SynthetixDAO: responsible for controlling funding for entities that are advancing the network’s development.

Synthetix provides a decentralized, permissionless, and censorship-resistant platform that allows users to gain exposure to both crypto and non-crypto assets without the need for ownership of these assets. This enables anyone with an interest in DeFi to join the industry through the use of synthetic assets regardless of whether they hold the actual assets or not.

Who created the Synthetix platform?

The platform was initially launched by Kain Warwick in 2017 under the name Havven (HAV) before rebranding to Synthetix a year later. Warwick has previously been an Advisory Council Member in Blockchain Australia and an Advisory Board Member at The Burger Collective. 

Warwick teamed up with software developer Peter McKean, the platform's acting CEO and business strategist, market analyst, and sales leader, Jordan Momtazi, who acts as COO. The CTO, Justin J. Moses, co-founded Pouncer with Warwick, an Australian live-action site, and has been a part of Synthetix since its conception. 

In 2018, the platform raised $30 million through an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) initiative. In 2019, Synthetix raised a further $3.9 million by selling SNX tokens to Framework Ventures. 

The initial goal of the platform was to create cryptocurrencies that tracked the performance of cash like the U.S. dollar or the Euro on various blockchains, including Ethereum and EOS. After rebranding, the platform expanded its goals to incorporate synthetic assets for commodities and other cryptocurrencies. 

How does the Synthetix protocol work?

Synthetix's synthetic assets minting service is powered by two separate cryptocurrencies. The first cryptocurrency is its native token, Synthetix Network Token (SNX), and the second is synths, a versatile digital asset with the capability to mimic any real-world underlying asset.

In order to generate synths, a user will need to buy SNX and deposit it onto the platform. The platform will then create a new synth token relative to what the user is after. The value of the deposited SNX is then locked and is required to remain at or above 750% of the value of the synth created. I.e. if a user deposited $1,000 worth of SNX to create synthetic Euros, they would receive $133 worth of sEUR. 

Economics

As the SNX token is a tradable cryptocurrency its value is dependent on the open market. As the price fluctuates, the number of synths in circulation will also fluctuate. I.e. when the SNX price rises, the protocol will release additional SNX tokens that are not needed to guarantee previously created synths. These SNX tokens can then be locked up again to create new synths. 

Using the example above, if the price of SNX doubled this would release half of the $1,000 of SNX tokens locked up. These funds could then be used to create more sEUR synths. The higher the SNX price, the more synths can be created. 

Kwenta (DEX)

The Synthetix protocol uses price feeds known as oracles to determine the price of synths. When two synths are exchanged, the first synth is burned (destroyed) and the synth it is being exchanged for will use the price feed to determine its price. The protocol will then automatically create the correct number of synths based on this information. 

Another important element of the Synthetix ecosystem is Kwenta, a decentralized exchange (DEX) that facilitates the trading of synths and cryptocurrencies. Kwenta utilizes peer-to-contract trading, using smart contracts instead of an order book.

Bypassing central exchanges and the capacity to deal with large amounts of orders, this peer-to-contract style of trading easily converts currencies and does not require any waiting periods for matches to be fulfilled. 

DeFi

As synths are Ethereum-based they can be deposited on other compatible DeFi platforms (Uniswap, Curve) to provide liquidity and earn interest. Alongside derivatives, synths play an integral role in building markets and helping them reach equilibrium by facilitating price recovery and assisting to hedge against volatility.

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What is SNX?

Synthetix Network Token (SNX) is an ERC-20 token native to the Synthetix ecosystem. The tokens are used to provide collateral when minting the synthetic assets on the platform, meaning that they are locked up in smart contracts when synths are created, and can also be used for staking. When deposited into the staking pool holders earn rewards, which are generated through transaction fees paid on the Synthetix Exchange. 

Through the derivatives liquidity protocol, the exchange also provides a platform for trading synths (digital assets portraying real-world assets).

There is a maximum supply of 308,069,419 SNX, of which there are roughly 81% in circulation (at the time of writing). 

How can I buy Synthetix (SNX) tokens?

Anyone can add SNX tokens to their cryptocurrency portfolio with the Tap app. This intuitive mobile app allows for a comprehensive and secure experience when trading cryptocurrencies. Creating and verifying an account is straightforward, allowing anyone easy access to buy or sell Synthetix Network Token (SNX) safely. 

Tap into the Synthetix market with Tap's integrated crypto wallet and buy SNX tokens using both fiat currencies and cryptocurrencies. Download the app and create an account to get access to buy, sell, hold and trade SNX.

Formerly called the Matic Network, Polygon was created as a scaling solution to improve on some of the problems (including transaction price) within the blockchain network. Currently sitting within the top 20 biggest cryptocurrencies based on market cap, Polygon has caught the attention of many crypto investors. In this article, let's explore what Polygon is and discover the services and use cases associated with MATIC.

By providing a framework for generating scaling solutions that are compatible with Ethereum, Polygon aims to guide that future closer to reality. The team has announced the launch of a Proof of Stake sidechain, which has already attracted some interest among the Bitcoin, decentralised apps and cryptocurrency community.

The much-anticipated Ethereum scalability roadmap is now coming into force, and the Polygon initiative is one of them helping to achieve this. Let's take a closer look at the platform.

What is Polygon (MATIC)?

The Polygon network enables the development of Ethereum-compatible blockchain networks and scaling protocols. Polygon is more of a protocol than a single solution. This is why one of the ecosystem's primary products is the Polygon SDK, which allows developers to create these Ethereum-compliant networks. Designed as a modular, flexible second layer, the network aims to expand Ethereum in terms of size, efficiency, usefulness and security and in turn transform it into a full-fledged multi-chain system. 

Polygon uses a Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism combined with the Plasma Framework. The Plasma Framework facilitates the execution of scalable and autonomous smart contracts, as proposed by Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin. 

Through the platform's intricate technology and architecture, Polygon can process up to 65,000 transactions per second and execute block confirmation in less than two seconds. While Polygon is currently only interoperable with the Ethereum network, in the future it aims to support several other top blockchain platforms. 

Who founded Polygon / Matic?

The network was created by blockchain developers Jaynti Kanani, Sandeep Nailwal, and Mihailo Bjelic all with extensive experience building with Ethereum. The other co-founder, Anurag Arjun, is the only founding member to come from a non-programming background and serves as a business consultant and product manager.

After a successful ICO in 2017 and 2019, the team raised over $5.6 million. The Matic Network was later launched in 2017, before undergoing a rebranding in 2021 to the Polygon network as it is known today.  

How does Polygon work?

Polygon is a multi-chain platform that makes use of a network of side chains to facilitate transactions in an effective and cost-efficient manner. Bound to the Ethereum blockchain, Polygon can handle many different protocols, including the recently popular DeFi movement.

Polygon has similar functionality to other blockchain platforms like Polkadot, Cosmos, and Avalanche.

Through the platform, users are able to build Ethereum-compatible decentralized applications (dapps) using sidechain architecture and connect them to the main blockchain.

Through the PoS mechanism, users are able to stake MATIC in order to validate transactions as well as vote on network upgrades. The platform also uses a process known as PoS 'checkpointing' which revolves around a select team of block producers being appointed to each checkpoint by the stakers on the network.

These producers enable the platform to create blocks at a rapid pace as well as maintain decentralization by delegating PoS checkpoints to the main Ethereum chain. Block validation happens when periodical proofs of blocks are published by the block producers.

The Polygon network allows you to execute almost all of the same functions as Ethereum, but with fees that are significantly lower.

What is MATIC?

Matic is the native cryptocurrency to the Polygon network and gets its name from the platform's former name. MATIC is a utility token centred around providing governance rights and securing the network, as well as being used for staking and gas fees on the platform. 

As a sidechain, it runs parallel to Ethereum. It's used for fees, staking, and more. Polygon is a "layer two" or "sidechain" scaling solution that runs alongside the Ethereum blockchain - allowing for speedy transactions and low fees. The end goal of Polygon is to achieve millions of transactions per second.

The Polygon Network uses its own cryptocurrency, MATIC, to pay fees on the network, for staking, and for governance (meaning holders of the token get to vote on changes). The acronym MATIC is derived from Polygon's earlier days. Polygon was launched as Matic Network in October 2017, but developers changed their name to Polygon in early 2021.

Polygon's MATIC token is an ERC-20 standard utility token based on Ethereum. The token allows for low fees and instant transactions, just like the rest of the Polygon ecosystem. The maximum supply of MATIC is 10 billion coins, with new coins released into circulation on a monthly basis. At the time of writing roughly 70% of this total supply has entered circulation with all coins scheduled to be released into circulation by December 2022, according to the official schedule. With a maximum supply capped at 10 billion, this is making MATIC deflationary.

How has the price of Polygon (MATIC) changed over time?

Let's explore the MATIC price performance, looking at the value in US dollars. After a launchpad sale selling MATIC tokens at $0.00263 per token in April 2019, MATIC soon began trading at $0.0044 once launched on its own network.

For the next nineteen months, the price ranged between $0.01 and $0.03, before gradually entering a more bullish trading period in early 2021.

Opening the year at $0.01, the price reached $0.41 in March before soaring to its current all-time high price of $2.68 achieved in mid-May. Following the price peak, the price soon dropped to $1.08 in the next five days, before correcting to $2.21.

In July 2021, the MATIC price reached a low of $0.61 before embarking on a gradual uptrend. How much is Polygon worth? Several months later and at the time of writing MATIC was trading at $1.60.

What factors can affect the price of Polygon (MATIC)?

There are several factors affecting the price of the Polygon token, MATIC. The most pressing factors are the demand for the token (people buying and selling the cryptocurrency) and the number of users looking to participate in staking.

Other factors include the general crypto economics, the market sentiment, the project's fundamental and technical developments, the news surrounding both the MATIC market and cryptocurrency market in general, and how actively the token is traded on exchanges (inflow and outflow). Regulation announcements also typically affect the price of cryptocurrencies as consumers outside of the market gain more confidence in digital asset investment.

How to buy MATIC

MATIC is one of the many cryptocurrencies tradable on Tap, providing users seamless access to the growing cryptocurrency market. Users can buy, sell, trade, and store a variety of top cryptocurrencies through the simplicity of our Tap mobile app with an integrated digital wallet.

Tap is the best place to buy, sell, trade, and hold MATIC in the United Kingdom and European regions. Signing up for a Tap account enables you to buy, sell, and hold fiat and cryptocurrency and be a part of the financial revolution.

You can read more in-depth articles on cryptocurrency coins and tokens and study how cryptocurrencies like MATIC work in our crypto basic blog.