Counterparty is an innovative peer-to-peer financial platform. Unlike Wall Street and other centralized financial institutions, Counterparty provides open, secure financial tools and markets that do not require a trusted third party or middleman to use. The first of its kind, Counterparty aims to democratize finance in the same way the Internet itself democratized creation and sharing of information.
The platform is built on top of Bitcoin, and extends the functionality of the Bitcoin network in new and unprecedented ways. With Counterparty, anyone with an Internet connection gains access to financial instruments that were previously cost prohibitive or not available at all.
The primary goal of Counterparty is to enable entrepreneurs, developers, artists and more to build a new, productive economy: doing things that have never been done before, made possible by the amazing technology behind Bitcoin. We want to unlock the potential of “Bitcoin 2.0″ for thousands of people, who will then create profitable businesses, as well use the technology to further the social good. Read more about how to get started on building with Counterparty technology.
Counterparty’s native currency, XCP, is un-mined and slightly deflationary, with 2.6 million XCP created by burning bitcoins in January 2014. Read more about how this burn process lead to an unpresidented fair launch, as well as how XCP is used, and where XCP may be purchased.