Tezos (XTZ)USD

Tezos is an open-source blockchain platform for smart contracts and decentralized applications. Its defining feature is on-chain governance paired with a self-amending protocol, meaning the network can upgrade itself through token-holder votes rather than requiring hard forks. Arthur and Kathleen Breitman conceived the project around 2014 and built it through their company Dynamic Ledger Solutions. The testnet went live in June 2018, and the mainnet launched in September 2018. Tezos uses proof-of-stake consensus. Validators, called bakers, propose and confirm blocks. These same bakers participate in the on-chain governance system, where token holders can propose and vote on protocol changes directly. The native token is called tez (ticker XTZ). It pays for transaction and smart-contract fees, is staked by bakers to secure the network, and is used to vote on governance proposals. XTZ has an uncapped, inflationary supply model: new tokens are continuously issued as baker rewards, with circulating supply roughly between 1.0 and 1.1 billion XTZ as of 2024 to 2026. Tezos supports DeFi protocols, NFTs, and general decentralized application development.