Chill Guy is a viral meme illustration that took social media by storm before a crypto project used the meme to launch a Solana-based token. Learn more here.

What started as a simple illustration of a laid-back dog has become a global meme sensation, with the cartoon character known as Chill Guy dominating both social media trends and cryptocurrency markets. Created by artist Phillip Banks in October 2023, the easygoing canine character sparked a viral movement that has attracted major brands worldwide.

This article follows Chill Guy’s transformation from a social media sensation to a cryptocurrency asset. We'll examine its viral beginnings, community growth, market impact and what potential investors can expect from CHILLGUY in the future.

 is a viral meme illustration by artist Phillip Banks, depicting a laid-back dog in casual clothes whose easygoing attitude took social media by storm before a crypto project used the meme to launch Just a Chill Guy as a Solana-based token.

What Does Just a Chill Guy Aim to Achieve?

The CHILLGUY meme coin aims to spread a "Why worry?" philosophy into cryptocurrency markets by embracing the laid-back, stress-free attitude that made the original meme go viral. The project transforms this easygoing vibe into a community-driven token, where being low-key isn't just a catchphrase — it's a shared mindset among holders.

The CHILLGUY community brings this philosophy to life by sharing endless variations of the CHILLGUY meme across social platforms. Through market swings and viral trends, CHILLGUY keeps his iconic pose: hands in pockets, subtle smirk, perpetually relaxed.

Just a Chill Guy (CHILLGUY) operates as a Solana Program Library (SPL) token on the 

 blockchain, leveraging the network's ultrafast speeds and low costs to ensure smooth trading. The token was created using Pump.fun, a specialized platform that lets users launch Solana-based tokens without any fees, removing traditional barriers to token creation.

CHILLGUY is a community takeover (CTO), meaning it's completely owned and directed by its token holders with no central team in control. This decentralized structure ensures the project stays true to its community-driven nature, its holders collectively guiding its future while embodying the laid-back spirit of the original meme.

The CHILLGUY token launched with a maximum supply of 1 billion tokens, of which 999,965,435 are currently in circulation. This near-complete distribution of tokens to the market supports active trading and community participation.

What makes CHILLGUY's tokenomics particularly notable is its widespread distribution across more than 142,000 unique holders (as of Nov 27, 2024), achieved in just 12 days. This rapid expansion of its holder base demonstrates strong community adoption and aligns with the project's decentralized, community-driven principles.

CHILLGUY has exploded across social media, especially on TikTok, where the meme has amassed hundreds of millions of views. Its laid-back character resonates with users worldwide, inspiring countless creative adaptations.

Major brands worldwide have embraced CHILLGUY in their marketing campaigns. From Sprite Europe to NFL on CBS, the character has resonated across mainstream media, even catching the attention of global figures like El Salvador's president Nayib Bukele.

The “Chill Guy” meme’s influence spans multiple social media platforms, with a growing community of followers: 96.6K on X (

). On the other hand, the meme token itself also has a vast community, with 39.9K on X (

) and an active Telegram channel of over 15,000 members. These numbers reflect the meme's ability to engage audiences across different platforms.

The token's popularity in cryptocurrency markets matches its social media success, with CHILLGUY maintaining a substantial 24-hour trading volume of over $330.03M as of Nov 27, 2024. This high trading activity demonstrates the strong market interest in CHILLGUY beyond its meme status.

Looking to trade Just a Chill Guy tokens? Bybit now offers the CHILLGUY/USDT Spot trading pair and CHILLGUYUSDT Perpetual contract. To get started, you’ll first need to create a Bybit account, then fund it with cryptocurrency and navigate to the 

While CHILLGUY has maintained strong trading volumes and continues gaining mainstream attention through its viral social media presence, investors should carefully weigh its strengths and risk factors before making investment decisions.

With its widespread brand adoption, sustained trading activity and explosive community growth of over 142,000 holders, CHILLGUY demonstrates significant market potential. However, meme coins are inherently volatile. Potential investors should 

 and invest no more than they can afford to lose.

CHILLGUY is the latest viral sensation to harness the power of the attention economy to convert social media momentum into crypto market success. While CHILLGUY has already demonstrated its ability to capture mass appeal, its position as a leading meme token will depend upon how effectively it maintains its cultural relevance and community engagement in this fast-moving market.

Intermediate

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Just a Chill Guy (CHILLGUY): Embracing the Art of Nonchalance

Zircuit (ZRC) combines optimistic and ZK rollups with AI-driven security, offering fast, low-cost Ethereum Layer 2 solutions. 

 network has flourished, mainly due to the ongoing network congestion, high fees and poor scalability of the latter. Many of these platforms use rollup technology, whereby batches of multiple transactions processed off-chain are bundled together and posted in bulk to the underlying Layer 1. Ethereum-linked rollups mainly come in two varieties 

 (ZK). While optimistic rollups boast lower computational overhead, the ZK variety of these networks features a higher degree of security.

Zircuit (ZRC) is a Layer 2 chain that adopts a hybrid approach, combining the elements of optimistic and 

. This lets the platform offer the performance benefits of optimistic technology along with the security of ZK validity proofs. To further enhance overall security, Zircuit uses a unique 

 (AI)–driven system of monitoring for malicious transactions.

 (ZRC) is a hybrid Layer 2 blockchain that combines the features of optimistic and ZK rollups, and uses AI-driven monitoring for potentially harmful transactions. 

 rollup development technology, a popular framework for building optimistic rollup networks. Additionally, it uses zero-knowledge proofs, which lets the platform offer the best of both worlds 

 the performance benefits of optimistic rollups and the security of ZK technology. Zircuit is 

The Zircuit project takes security very seriously, and has introduced a unique system of AI-based protection against malicious transactions at the sequencer node level. The use of ZK proofs and an AI-based protection system make Zircuit one of the most secure platforms in the competitive world of Ethereum Layer 2 chains.

Along with its excellent security benefits, Zircuit also boasts low costs, fast transactions, excellent scalability and 2-second block production intervals. All these features make it an ideal environment for 

 (DApps) in various niches, particularly 

 (DeFi). In fact, the leading protocols within the Zircuit ecosystem are all dedicated to the finance niche, with Zircuit Staking being the largest application by TVL.

With its heavy focus on DeFi, Zircuit aims to become a leading liquidity hub for various token types within the sector, including 

. These assets can be staked through the Zircuit staking program — supported by the platform's Liquidity Hub — to earn staking APRs, airdrop rewards and points based on the Zircuit Point program (covered further in our article).

The platform also operates a secure native bridging solution, 

, to help users transfer assets between its Layer 2 network and Ethereum Layer 1.

The company behind the project, Zircuit Ltd., was founded in 2021 in Canada by Dr. Martin Derka, Jan Gorzny and Angel Xu. Zircuit's testnet was launched in November 2023, but made headlines in April 2024 when the project reported that its 

 (TVL) had soared past $2 billion. While testnet TVLs are more a gauge of future potential for a blockchain than an indicator of its existing worth, the news attracted the attention of industry observers toward the platform. Following its highly publicized testnet success, Zircuit launched the first phase of its mainnet in August 2024. This was followed by the launch of the platform's native token, ZRC, in November 2024.

As a typical rollup, Zircuit uses an off-chain sequencer node to batch and organize Layer 2 transactions for subsequent posting to the underlying Ethereum Layer 1. The batches have ZK validity proofs attached to them to signal to Layer 1 validators that they’re free from fraudulent transactions. Zircuit's architecture also includes prover nodes, whose job is to produce these validity proofs.

However, unlike other rollups using ZK proofs (also known as validity proofs), Zircuit doesn't generate validity proofs for every block of transactions. Instead, some blocks have pre-generated template proofs, while others go through the process of having a dedicated validity proof created for them. After a few blocks featuring validity proofs, there are several more that utilize template proofs. The image below illustrates this approach.

The key reason Zircuit has adopted this form of proof design is that the process of generating ZK proofs is computationally intensive. By using template proofs for some of the blocks in a sequence, Zircuit can reduce the overall computational overhead. However, the project’s team has stated that the template proof model is temporary, and will be phased out in the future. At that stage, the platform will move to generating ZK proofs for each block.

Zircuit features a highly modular design whereby provers — responsible for generating validity proofs on the platform — can easily be plugged into or removed from the network. This modular approach is distinct from the standard ZK rollup design, in which provers are more tightly and less flexibly integrated into the overall architecture.

As noted earlier, Zircuit uses a dedicated sequencer to organize and batch transactions into blocks. The platform also applies AI-driven monitoring at the sequencer level (the Sequencer Level Security, or SLS) to spot and exclude fraudulent transactions before they’re finalized on Layer 2.

When transactions are first posted to Zircuit, they enter the 

 — a temporary area from which the sequencer picks and organizes individual transactions into blocks. The mempool is being monitored at all times, using AI algorithms to identify suspicious transactions. If a transaction in the mempool raises a flag, it's quarantined and assessed for validity before the sequencer can include it in a block. The image below shows how this process works.

One of the distinct features of Zircuit is its hybrid architecture, which combines the properties of optimistic and ZK rollups. At the base level, Zircuit is built using Optimism's Bedrock development framework, a technology popular for optimistic rollup networks. However, the use of ZK proofs — or, to be more precise, a combination of validity proofs and template proofs — ensures that Zircuit enjoys a security level that standard optimistic rollups normally can't match.

The use of AI-based SLS provides robust security to Zircuit, complementing the already highly secure ZK proof system. Very few Layer 2 networks in the industry currently feature anything similar, making the platform a true pioneer of AI use for sequencer-level operations.

Like any rollup based on Optimism Bedrock, Zircuit enjoys EVM compatibility. This allows for smooth interoperability with the underlying Ethereum Layer 1. EVM compatibility also makes it easy for developers familiar with Ethereum’s environment to develop Zircuit-based DApps, or to port existing Ethereum applications to the platform. Developers can take advantage of technologies commonly used for Ethereum (e.g., the Solidity programming language and the Hardhat development framework) to build Zircuit applications and smart contracts.

Zircuit Bridge is a native bridging solution designed to easily transfer tokens between Ethereum and Zircuit. It boasts high security, low transaction fees and fast transfers, and allows users to move a variety of cryptocurrencies between Ethereum and Zircuit, including ETH, 

) and LRTs like Super Symbiotic LRT (weETHs). As of late November 2024, the total number of cryptos supported by the bridge is close to 30.

Zircuit has launched a reward program called Zircuit Points. Users can earn these Points by staking supported assets, and by participating in the Build to Earn initiative (more on this below). Accumulated points will be converted to ZRC tokens in the future. Points also create the opportunity to qualify for token airdrops.

The primary way for most users to earn Zircuit points is via 

. The Zircuit Staking program lets you stake LSTs, LRTs, popular stablecoins, some wrapped tokens and Ether (ETH) to earn points. Using LSTs and LRTs, you can earn yields (along with native Zircuit staking APRs and Points) from the respective staking and restaking platforms that issue these assets.

Zircuit Points earned via staking have different multipliers, depending upon the asset. For example, Ether has a multiplier of 0.5, while LSTs, LRTs and stablecoins have a multiplier of 1. Multipliers for different LST and LRT assets may be subject to change in the future.

Build to Earn is another way to qualify for Zircuit Points. The program allows developers to contribute to the Zircuit ecosystem and earn Points in a number of ways, including:

Launched in November 2024, ZRC is the platform's native cryptocurrency. It's an 

 asset deployed on both Zircuit and Ethereum Layer 1. ZRC is mainly used for reward distributions, and participation in token airdrops for ecosystem DApps. Currently, transaction fees on the network are paid in Ether. It's possible that, in the future, ZRC might be used for some transaction fee payments.

ZRC is also used for rewards under the Gas Rebate program. As users conduct transactions on the platform, they 

. Zircuit’s Gas Rebate program provides rebates to offset some of the incurred fees. The amount of ZRC earned as a rebate is proportional to the amount spent on gas in ETH; the project's documentation states that for each ETH spent on gas, the user earns 125% in ZRC. All kinds of gas fee payments qualify for the rebate, including ordinary asset transfers and transactions involving interaction with Zircuit DApps.

ZRC is a supply-capped token, with a maximum and total supply of 10 billion. The token's supply allocation shares are as follows:

The ZRC token is available on Bybit's Spot market as a swap pair with USDT (

 to grab a share of the 5 million ZRC prize pool. New users who sign up for a Bybit account and complete identity verification can earn ZRC rewards by accumulating a deposit volume of at least 2,000 ZRC, or by depositing 100 USDT and trading 100 USDT worth of ZRC via their first trade with Bybit. 

Meanwhile, existing users can qualify for ZRC rewards by trading at least 500 USDT worth of ZRC on the Bybit Spot market, with the possibility of earning up to 10,000 ZRC based on trading volume. The 

 event will run through Dec 10, 2024, 8:59AM UTC.

Zircuit is among the pioneering Layer 2 platforms to adopt a hybrid design for a rollup network. Thanks to the platform's architecture, users can take advantage of low transaction costs, fast transfers and great scalability while enjoying the benefits of high security delivered by ZK proofs and AI-driven mempool monitoring. AI-based monitoring for fraudulent transactions is a particularly notable feature of the platform and is undoubtedly among the most advanced technologies employed in the blockchain industry.

User security combined with faster and cheaper transactions for the Ethereum network — all in one package — is now feasible, thanks to Zircuit's innovative technology and unique approach!

Advanced

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What Is Zircuit (ZRC): Where Performance Meets Cutting-Edge Security

Bybit is celebrating its sixth anniversary with the #Super6Bybit event, offering a $1.2 million prize pool and focusing on its bbSOL token.

Daily Top Performer — Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL)

On Wednesday, the S&P 500 fell 0.38% as tech stocks dropped and inflation data reinforced a hawkish Fed outlook. Coindesk Indices, an index measuring broader cryptocurrency market performance was down by 0.40%, with Bitcoin and Ether dropping by 1.86% and 1.79%, respectively in the past 24 hours.

Today's top performer is VIRTUAL, which surged 53.6% following the launch of the $MUSIC token by Agentstarter, featuring AI-driven music video capabilities and community-focused tokenomics.

Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL), founded in 2021, allows users to invest in and co-own AI-driven virtual assets like companions and influencers. Its model fosters community ownership, transforming AI agents into revenue-generating assets across platforms like Roblox and TikTok. The platform attracts contributors from AI and gaming to drive innovation in virtual economies. 

, using AI to create music videos and offering features like animated videos, voice mimicry, and karaoke tracks. The tokenomics allocate 60% for airdrops, 20% for liquidity, and 10% each for the development team and Virtuals Protocol.

Check Out the Latest Prices, Charts, and Data of 

Bybit is celebrating its sixth anniversary with the 

, offering a $1.2 million prize pool and focusing on its bbSOL token. Launched in September 2024, bbSOL is the first exchange-backed Liquid Staking Token on Solana, providing liquidity and staking rewards. The campaign, running from November 28, 2024, to January 6, 2025, invites participants to build, transform, and supercharge their bbSOL through tasks, leaderboards, and community milestones, increasing rewards. The event combines gaming mechanics, community engagement, and opportunities to win prizes while promoting innovation and growth in the crypto space.

Yesterday, there were no flows in BTC Spot ETFs, including GBTC and non-GBTC categories.

. Stake BNB on Lista's portal to get slisBNB, then deposit it into Astherus to earn airdrop points with multipliers (3X for Lista, 1.15X for Astherus). No lockup is required, and slisBNB is the most efficient option.

Beginner

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Bybit Celebrates 6th Anniversary with $1.2M Prize Pool and bbSOL Supercharging Campaign

Our weekly crypto derivatives analytics report delves into macro events, the current state of crypto and trading signals from spot trading volume, and futures, options and perpetual contracts.

ETH has outperformed, bolstered by SEC Chair Gary Gensler's announcement of his Jan 20, 2025 departure, and suggested by growing open interest in ETH perpetual. This positive momentum extends to several large-cap altcoins previously scrutinized by the SEC, as indicated by bullish funding rates for long positions.

Please check out the report’s highlights.

ETH Open Interest Grows While BTC’s Declines

ETH is outperforming BTC following the announcement of SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s departure, as evidenced in perpetual swap markets. BTC open interest has decreased from last week's highs, while ETH contracts have increased. Additionally, ETH trade volumes constitute a larger share of daily trading as compared to much of the past six months, despite an overall dip in trade volumes this week. The gradual decline in BTC open interest, without a surge in trading activity, indicates a strategic repositioning, rather than a wave of liquidations.

BTC Option Curve Inversion Deepens as Price Retreats

The pullback in the spot BTC price from the $100K target has led to a flat ATM volatility term structure, with short-tenor options dropping below 60%. 

This trend continues the correlation between term structure inversion and BTC spot price returns observed since the U.S. election on November 5, 2024

. The decline in front-end volatility aligns with lower realized volatility levels. While demand for short-tenor options has moderated, there hasn't been a notable change in open interest for calls or puts. Instead, their growth has stalled at the week's start.

Sentiment in ETH options markets seems moderately more bullish than in BTC's during the recent decline in momentum from the post-election rally. Call options lead in both trading volumes and open interest. 

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Bybit X Block Scholes Crypto Derivatives Analytics Report (Nov 27, 2024): Signal on ETH Outperformance Against BTC Surfaces on Long-Term Contracts

Altcoins

Concerned about the energy cryptocurrencies are consuming? Why not help save the planet with these environmentally friendly cryptocurrencies.

While cryptocurrencies depend on the use of energy to generate their value, environmentally friendly cryptocurrencies do exist. These green crypto options offer a low carbon footprint — and can even provide real benefits for the environment. Finding the most energy-efficient cryptocurrency can help you to make environmentally responsible decisions about your investment strategies. This, in turn, can promote a greener future for the entire planet. Here’s an introduction to the basics of sustainable cryptocurrency for investors.

Some cryptocurrencies use a lot of energy because they require substantial computing power on the part of 

 to solve extremely complex mathematical problems. This is how the nodes provide 

 to support the value of the cryptocurrency. For example, Forbes

can be attributed to its adoption of a PoW verification system. 

PoW systems award cryptocurrency only to the computing system that offers the final piece of a computation puzzle, which means that a large portion of the work and energy expended by numerous nodes will be wasted. By contrast, 

 systems require a small investment on the part of miners, who are then allowed to enter a lottery to verify transactions. 

Transitioning from PoW to PoS systems will significantly reduce the energy needed to generate cryptocurrency. For green-conscious investors, finding low-energy cryptocurrency options can provide additional ways to save energy and protect the planet.

Which Is the Most Environmentally Friendly Cryptocurrency?

When determining the environmental impact of various cryptocurrencies, it’s important to note that energy consumption is not necessarily equivalent to carbon emissions. The Harvard Business Review indicates that

, which is roughly equivalent to one-half of one percent of annual worldwide energy production. For investors seeking sustainable cryptocurrency, there are some much better choices available in the green crypto marketplace. The following includes 19 of the best options for environmentally friendly cryptocurrencies in the financial marketplace.

Rather than generating value by performing computations or solving puzzles, 

 cuts directly to the heart of green crypto by creating one SolarCoin for every megawatt of electricity generated by solar power through its network. This incentivizes the use of solar power while ensuring a low carbon footprint for miners, investors and solar power proponents.

SolarCoin can potentially be a solid source of income for those who create significant amounts of electricity through the use of solar panels. The relatively low return on this cryptocurrency, however, makes it somewhat less attractive for investors looking to make money in the sustainable cryptocurrency field. SLR is essentially a specialty low-energy cryptocurrency designed for those in the solar power industry.

BitGreen offers an environmentally friendly cryptocurrency, with incentives for green-friendly behaviors like carpooling, biking, and consuming sustainable products. BitGreen can be spent at vendor sites which partner with this eco-friendly crypto. Additionally, BITG is traded on exchanges and operates on a PoS system.

BitGreen is a direct alternative to Bitcoin. While it hasn’t yet achieved the same legendary status, BitGreen does show promise for profitability and sustainability into the future, both financially and environmentally.

Designed specifically to reduce the energy costs of generating crypto, 

 (XCH) is an environmentally friendly cryptocurrency which utilizes farming, rather than mining, to create value. This significantly reduces the cost in energy per transaction, bringing it down to 0.023 kilowatt-hours (kWh) and securing a spot for Chia as a low-energy cryptocurrency option.

Chia coins are farmable on hard drives and use a concept called proof of space (also abbreviated PoS), rather than proof of stake or proof of work. This allows home users to implement a Chia farming project that can earn them coins without using a great deal of energy. The one environmental drawback of Chia is its ever-expanding need for hard drive space and storage, which can create artificial demand for hardware and increase the amount of electronic waste that’s generated in the consumer marketplace.

The ability of individuals with minimal computing resources but plenty of hard drive space to farm Chia has made it a popular cryptocurrency. Chia features a decentralized network, and allows farming through the cloud platform of Amazon Web Services. This is a much more efficient method for generating profits and earning cryptocurrency than that of most PoW platform models.

With a low carbon footprint of just 0.00011 kWh per transaction, 

 is a truly environmentally friendly cryptocurrency. The system used to generate IOTA operates using the 

, a system of nodes that confirms transactions within the low-energy cryptocurrency. Consequently, IOTA works more quickly and with lower energy consumption than many other blockchain producers. As a distributed ledger, IOTA also benefits from partnerships with major retailers like Volkswagen and Bosch to create value in the sustainable cryptocurrency marketplace.

IOTA has had its ups and downs. It is, however, currently on the upswing, thanks to its robust relationships and its unique and innovative approach to generating value. This makes IOTA a solid buy for investors looking for environmentally friendly cryptocurrency options. It’s also a popular answer to the question of which crypto uses the least energy per transaction in the financial marketplace.

 is an eco-friendly crypto option that expends only 0.5479 kWh per transaction. This makes it one of the most environmentally friendly cryptocurrency options currently available. Cardano relies on PoS rather than PoW, significantly reducing its use of energy and ensuring a low carbon footprint for this green crypto. Some estimates put Cardano’s energy use at just 0.01 percent of that used by Bitcoin for the same type of transaction.

Cardano’s carbon-neutral stance has made it a popular sustainable cryptocurrency, significantly improving its overall outlook. For those seeking environmentally friendly cryptocurrency, Cardano offers a great compromise between sustainability and profitability in the current green crypto environment. As one of the largest crypto platforms, this low-energy cryptocurrency is an outstanding investment option for both risk-averse and green-conscious crypto traders.

When it comes to which crypto network uses the least energy, Nano has a good claim. With an expenditure of just 0.000112 kWh, it’s a significant step down from the energy used by giants like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Nano uses 

 to make its PoW system less costly in terms of energy use. Accordingly, Nano is regarded as one of the top contenders, if not 

 most energy-efficient cryptocurrency, due primarily to its decentralized network and its low energy expenditures per transaction.

Many industry experts and financial analysts are predicting an increase in value for Nano over the next few years. While the current price point is above $5, this is expected to quadruple (or more) by 2025. If you’re looking for an energy-sustainable crypto option, Nano is an outstanding choice that makes sense now and going forward.

Ripple has become an eco-friendly alternative to many of the larger cryptocurrencies. Because Ripple doesn’t use PoW, it can achieve much greater efficiency in terms of the energy used and the production of crypto. Ripple has pledged to go carbon-neutral by 2030, a lofty goal — and one that sets it apart from many of the other environmentally friendly cryptocurrency options currently available. Ripple’s consensus model requires that each transaction be approved by a group of trusted validators, which reduces the amount of work and energy needed for verification.

Ripple began with 100 billion coins and has been releasing them over time, which makes it a stable addition to any sustainable cryptocurrency portfolio. Additionally, with an energy expenditure of just 0.0079 kWh per transaction, Ripple has earned its place as one of the most energy-efficient cryptocurrency products in the competitive financial marketplace.

 was initially created as a joke, it’s been cited by Tesla CEO Elon Musk as one of the top cryptocurrencies considered as a green crypto alternative to Bitcoin. Its use of PoW consensus reduces its efficiency compared with some other options in the green crypto environment. In May 2021, Elon Musk stopped accepting Bitcoin in payment for Tesla products. The very next day, however, he announced that he would be collaborating with the creators of Dogecoin to improve its energy efficiency and to make it a more sustainable cryptocurrency for use in investments and transactions.

Dogecoin’s energy use is estimated at 0.12 kWh per transaction, which is far from the most energy-efficient cryptocurrency rating currently. However, Dogecoin is looking to improve its environmental status, and is one of the top seeds in the low-energy cryptocurrency sector. With the help of Elon Musk and other fans of this eco-friendly crypto, Dogecoin may have the staying power necessary to cement its place as an environmentally friendly cryptocurrency.

 (XLM) has circumvented the need for proofs altogether by establishing trustworthy nodes through which it authenticates its transactions. The Stellar network was founded in 2014 as an offshoot of Ripple. This environmentally friendly cryptocurrency platform is rapidly taking its place as a viable alternative to PayPal for financial transactions. Additionally, since the 

 is a nonprofit funded by public donations, Stellar Lumens eliminates many of the fees associated with network maintenance and cross-border payments.

Stellar is a distributed technology ledger. This means that other currencies can be exchanged on its platform, with XLM being used to facilitate these trades. An open-source consensus protocol speeds the processing of trades and eliminates the need for verification of trades and transactions. Banking institutions in France, India, Ukraine and the Philippines have already engaged with Stellar Lumens, which should help make it a solid choice for investors.

The efficiency of the Stellar network makes it a popular choice for investors seeking a carbon-neutral cryptocurrency. It also makes it possible to create tokens, which allows for the establishment of sustainability initiatives and incentives. In this way, Stellar Lumens can positively impact the environment far beyond its use of energy to create value.

EOSIO takes a community approach to environmentally friendly cryptocurrency. Using pre-mining to save energy, this public blockchain is based on 

 and uses delegated proof of stake (DPoS) and consensus algorithms to verify transactions. It promotes the fastest and most efficient use of electricity in creating low-energy cryptocurrency for end users and investors. EOSIO is more than 66,000 times as efficient in energy use as Bitcoin, which puts it in the top rank of eco-friendly crypto investments.

 the launch of Bullish Global, a subsidiary that’s dedicated to creating a new exchange for blockchain-based cryptocurrency. EOSIO already offers more than 400 applications, and is responsible for about 85 percent of public blockchain activity across 15 public networks. This alone would seem to suggest that EOSIO is likely to be around for some time as an active and valuable cryptocurrency.

With headquarters in both Singapore and San Francisco, 

 states that its goal is to build infrastructure to decentralize the Internet. Founded in September 2017, the TRON Foundation is a nonprofit organization that manages TRON’s platform and network. Under the leadership of Justin Sun, TRON uses pre-mining to produce eco-friendly crypto, and to allow application creators to share directly through the TRON platform. TRON also uses PoS methodologies to further reduce energy consumption.

TRON has seen some highs and lows since its initial launch. Currently, however, the company’s star appears to be ascending, thanks to its acquisition of BitTorrent in February 2019 — and to its ability to perform 2,000 

 (TPS) with relative ease. Investors could do worse than to keep an eye on this environmentally friendly cryptocurrency over the next few years.

Weighing in at 18.52 kWh per transaction, 

 is definitely not the most energy-efficient cryptocurrency. Created in October 2011, Litecoin was based on Bitcoin’s open-source code. It’s somewhat more efficient than Bitcoin, thanks to its faster block generation rate and its scrypt-based PoW system, which operates much more securely and provides greater privacy for investors and users.

As one of the major players in the cryptocurrency marketplace, Litecoin is worth mentioning as an alternative to Bitcoin since it offers improved energy efficiency. Its established reputation in the financial field makes it a fairly safe bet for investors who are looking for significant returns on their initial investments. For those seeking an environmentally friendly cryptocurrency, however, it’s possible to do better than Litecoin.

On April 22, 2021, Algorand announced that its blockchain had become carbon neutral. Algorand operates based on pure proof of stake (PPoS) combined with smart contracts, which is one of the fastest and most energy-efficient methods for verifying and generating value in the cryptocurrency marketplace. Algorand is currently partnering with a Spanish financial technology firm, ClimateTrade, to create a CO2 marketplace for industries.

With a current target of sustainability and a carbon-negative network in the near future, Algorand looks like a real contender in the low-energy cryptocurrency market. Founded in 2019, the platform had achieved nearly a million transactions each day by the end of 2020. Algorand’s newcomer status, however, may be a deterrent to some investors who may be looking for a safer bet when planning where to put their money. Overall, the green-friendly credentials offered by Algorand are a primary selling point. Profit-minded investors, however, may find other low-energy cryptocurrency options more appealing in the short term.

Another entry in the PPoS sector of the cryptocurrency field, MetaHash is just one component of a four-part project that also includes MetaGate, MetaApps and TraceChain. These platforms work together to create value and to generate MetaHash Coin (MHC), which can be traded or used to pay for transactions. Miners can use relatively low-powered computing systems to participate in the MetaHash network, which ensures a steady supply of support for this low-energy cryptocurrency.

While the speed of the MetaHash network is its primary claim to fame, MetaHash also boasts one of the most secure platforms. With multiple PoS mechanisms, the network integrates multi-layered validation to verify transactions.

 is the second most popular cryptocurrency platform in the world. Launched in 2015, the Ethereum network currently operates on a PoW model, similar to Bitcoin. Over time, the network’s growth has led to both inefficient energy use and slower processing times for transactions, creating higher transaction fees for users and increased use of limited energy resources. It’s estimated that Ethereum mining is responsible for the expenditure of 372 TWh of electricity each year. This amounts to 62.56 kWh per transaction, making the initial version of Ethereum one of the least energy-efficient options in the cryptocurrency marketplace.

This excessive energy consumption, however, is set to end with the rollout of 

, which is already underway. This upgrade will incorporate sharding, a process that decentralizes and splits up the chains currently on the Ethereum network to reduce congestion on this platform. Ethereum 2.0 (also known as Eth2) will also feature the switch to PoS verification and validation, which is a significant shift from its previous unwieldy PoW methodology. Once this part of the rollout is complete, Ethereum 2.0 will implement smart contracts to streamline its processing systems to an even greater degree.

While Eth2 is unlikely to become a top contender in the green cryptocurrency market, its dominant position and the major changes the platform has planned make it worthy of inclusion on this list. It’s not known how efficient these changes will make Ethereum 2.0 after the transition. However, internal sources are estimating that these alterations to the platform will achieve an increase in efficiency of about 100 percent, which is a significant improvement over the current Ethereum paradigm.

Previously known as Burstcoin (BURST), Signum inherited a legacy of innovation with the Turing-complete smart contracts integral to the platform. Signum uses proof of capacity (PoC), rather than PoW or PoS, and has done so since 2014. This allows Signum to save a considerable amount of active energy, which in turn reduces the use of electricity to generate SIGNA for trading. As Burstcoin, the company reported a low energy expenditure of 0.2 kWh per transaction.

Because Signum allows developers to create and deploy smart contracts using JavaScript, this environmentally friendly cryptocurrency has attracted a loyal following. Signum is now working toward a methodology known as 

, which allows mining through committing SIGNA and disk space to promote a more stable, reliable environment. This makes it a standout for investors who are in the market for a low-energy cryptocurrency with high aspirations in the area of environmental responsibility.

Originally designed to handle in-application payments and micropayment transactions, Hedera Hashgraph has evolved to become one of the most sustainable cryptocurrency options. Hedera Hashgraph is powered by a PoS public network that consumes very little bandwidth. This eco-friendly crypto is rated at 0.001 kWh per transaction, which compares very favorably with many other environmentally friendly cryptocurrency options currently available to investors. Hedera Hashgraph is overseen by the Hedera Governing Council, which includes representatives from up to 39 organizations and companies that have included Google, Deutsche Telekom, LG and Boeing.

Hedera Hashgraph has entered into a partnership with 

, producing and developing sustainability projects. These include the delivery of much more efficient energy options to homes in the United Kingdom and the reduction of charging costs at electric vehicle charging stations through the use of the Hedera Token Service, which can make ownership and operation of electric vehicles much more affordable.

Based in Australia and founded in May 2016, 

 raised about $26 million in 2017 during its initial coin offering. This renewable energy blockchain platform advertises itself as a modernized and market-driven grid. Powerledger offers consumers a viable choice in the environmental responsibility of the power they use and the distribution of excess energy through sales and trades on the Powerledger platform. Traders can purchase or sell units of electricity known as Sparkz, which allows a more equitable distribution of renewable energy among those participating on the platform.

Powerledger recently announced a partnership with Tata Power-DDL, the largest integrated electricity company in India. This move has spurred added interest in Powerledger and has boosted its sale price to a significant degree.

 allows stakeholders to vote on changes and upgrades based on the number of tokens they hold. Tezos uses a modified PoS system which rewards innovation, compensating those who submit successful proposals for improvements to the platform. With about 400 block-validating nodes, referred to as bakers, the Tezos platform has been chosen by several brands and artists as a market for non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Both Red Bull Racing and 

 with the support of Quincy Jones, have elected to distribute their NFTs through Tezos.

Based on open-source blockchain protocols, Tezos is constantly evolving and updating based on input from its users. Tezos estimates its annual energy consumption at 0.00006 TWh, which brings it in well below the figures announced by Bitcoin and Ethereum for the same basic period of time. For investors seeking a greater degree of influence over the way in which their low-energy cryptocurrency is managed, Tezos is a solid choice that looks to have the staying power necessary to produce profits now and into the future.

For investors, finding the most energy-efficient cryptocurrency can minimize the environmental impact of these financial outlays. New cryptocurrencies are being developed and released on a continuing basis. By performing the necessary due diligence and investigating the available options, investors can enjoy the benefits of cryptocurrency trading while taking steps to protect the environment at the same time.

19 Environmentally Friendly Cryptocurrencies That Will Save the Planet

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