
What is Algorand? A Speedy, Scalable Platform for Dapps
Security, scalability, and decentralization often don't mix. Algorand is hoping to be the solution to this blockchain scalability trilemma.

Security, scalability, and decentralization often don't mix. Algorand is hoping to be the solution to this blockchain scalability trilemma.
Technology
The Algorand Foundation on Thursday announced a plan to make its blockchain resistant to future quantum-computing attacks by the end of 2027, laying out a roadmap to upgrade everything from user accounts to core network infrastructure. The proposal is the latest effort by a major blockchain to prepare for a future where quantum computers could break the cryptography that secures billions in digital assets. "Algorand's roadmap reflects a belief that security should be designed for the future," A...
Markets
Algorand has extended its rally over the past week, supported by a recent citation in a Google research paper singling out the blockchain as an early adopter of post-quantum protocols. Algorand jumped around 13% in the past 24 hours to $0.12, according to CoinGecko data, far outpacing the broader crypto market. It is up over 44% in the past week, a move experts attribute to growing interest in the quantum-resistant narrative. Google's whitepaper, "Securing Elliptic Curve Cryptocurrencies agains...
Markets
Bitcoin's start-of-the-month rally has pushed it close to $70,000, with altcoins and the broader crypto market following suit. Algorand, Stable and Morpho have taken the top spots, notching 23%, 17% and 13% gains over the past 24 hours respectively, according to data from price aggregator CoinGecko. Other tokens including, Provenance Blockchain, Jupiter and Render have achieved gains of over 5% in the past day. The total cryptocurrency market capitalization has grown 2.7% in the past 24 hours t...
Business
The organization behind the layer-1 network Algorand has laid off 25% of its staff as a result of crypto’s continued slide and macroeconomic uncertainty. Details about how many individuals were affected were not shared. A representative for the foundation did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s request for comment. “These employees have been best-in-class contributors to this ecosystem and to the Foundation, and this was an incredibly tough decision,” the organization posted on X. “We belie...
Business
The tokenization industry has gained momentum at breakneck speed. New use cases are continually emerging, with Boston Consulting Group projecting that the total size of this nascent sector could reach $16 trillion by 2030. Others believe it might take a little extra time. McKinsey recently forecast that the market capitalization of tokenized assets will hit $2 trillion by the end of the decade—and potentially $4 trillion in a bullish scenario. That would eclipse the current value of all cryptocu...
NFTs
FIFA Collect, the official digital collectibles platform for the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) soccer organization, will migrate to its own Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible FIFA blockchain—leaving behind Algorand in the process. Scheduled to occur no sooner than May 20, the migration away from Algorand does not require any immediate action from FIFA Collect users or NFT owners. “As FIFA Collect evolves, we are migrating the platform to the FIFA Blockchain, an...
Coins
Alrogrand (ALGO) made a new all-time low yesterday of $0.09, per CoinGecko data, amid a broad bearish move in the market. Alrogrand is a proof-of-stake based layer-1 blockchain launched in June 2019. The ALGO price was looking to establish support above the $0.11 since June’s breakdown. However, yesterday’s market slump dragged the token’s price to a new all-time low of $0.0905 yesterday. The token is now trading hands at $0.957, per CoinGecko. The blockchain was previously regarded as “great t...
Coins
Although the SEC took official action against the world's two largest exchanges, it also chose to name a number of cryptocurrencies that it describes as unregistered securities, triggering a drop across many altcoins. Two of them—Algorand (ALGO) and Flow (FLOW)—fell to all-time lows over the weekend. Their inclusion in the SEC's actions has called their regulatory status into question, along with many of crypto’s leading altcoins, like Polygon (MATIC), Solana (SOL), and Cardano (ADA), which have...
Business
Crypto Twitter honed in on the connection between SEC Chairman Gary Gensler and Algorand on Monday, after the agency filed a lawsuit against the cryptocurrency exchange Bittrex—claiming several tokens are securities simultaneously. Algorand was one of six tokens named in the lawsuit as alleged examples of “crypto asset securities” available to customers on Bittrex’s platform. They are an essential part of the agency’s claims—proof that Bittrex supposedly operated as an unregistered exchange, bro...
Business
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) categorized six cryptocurrencies as securities in its lawsuit against crypto exchange Bittrex on Monday, highlighting them as potentially pivotal assets in an enforcement action against the Seattle-based firm. The crux of the SEC’s complaint against Bittrex is that the platform failed to register with the watchdog as an exchange, broker-dealer, or clearing agency—a requirement for offering securities to customers in a manner regulated by the Securitie...
Technology
Algorand-centric wallet MyAlgo told users they “strongly advise” withdrawing any funds from mnemonic wallets that were stored in MyAlgo, following reports of an attack worth just under $9.2 million. MyAlgo did not release the estimated figures involved in the attack, but blockchain sleuth ZachXBT said it is suspected that over $9.2 million was stolen between February 19 and February 21, citing data from blockchain intelligence platform TRM Labs. The service confirmed that it experienced an attac...
NFTs
The streaming music incarnation of the storied Napster brand is taking its next step into Web3 with the acquisition of startup Mint Songs. Napster originally announced its move into blockchain last June with a plan to launch a token using the Algorand blockchain. Today, Napster says the Mint Songs acquisition will be the foundation for the company’s first Web3 offerings. Mint Songs co-founder and CTO Garrett Hughes will join Napster as an advisor. “As we looked for a partner that could take what...
Business
National Australia Bank (NAB) will become the second of the country’s major financial institutions to launch a stablecoin, a top executive told the Australian Financial Review (AFR). The coin, dubbed AUDN, will launch on the Ethereum and Algorand blockchains later this year. Howard Silby, NAB’s chief innovation officer, told AFR the stablecoin would allow customers to settle transactions on the blockchain in real-time, using Australian dollars. Australia Unveils Plans for Crypto Regulations Unli...
NFTs
With the 2022 World Cup just months away, FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, has announced it will launch an NFT platform for soccer-themed digital collectibles. The platform, FIFA+ Collect, is set to launch later this month, and will feature “affordable, inclusive, and accessible” NFTs that depict notable soccer moments, art, and imagery, according to FIFA. As the World Cup—set to take place in Qatar in late November—unfolds, moments from the marquee global soccer tournament may also be con...
Business
Algorand CEO Steven Kokinos has resigned to pursue “other interests,” but plans to continue as a senior adviser until mid-2023. Kokinos is leaving Algorand the company, but not Algorand the blockchain. Early Wednesday morning, Kokinos shared in a statement that he’ll be moving on to “focus on key projects in the Algorand ecosystem that will help scale adoption.” Kokinos didn’t specify which projects, and he hasn’t yet responded to Decrypt’s request for comment. Today I want to share with the #...
Long Reads
Blockchain platform Algorand has teamed up with Envision Racing for a series of NFTs to tie in with the ABB FIA Formula E electric race series. Each of the 1,000 limited-edition NFTs, designed by 3D artist Adam Spizak and creative agency Funday, depicts a helmet representing one of the eight locations hosting an ABB FIA Formula E race. "For us, nothing tells the story of a driver’s journey quite like their helmet," Matty Schwartz, Creative Director at Funday, told Decrypt. Schwartz explained ho...
Business
Veteran music streaming app Napster is making moves into the Web3 space, with the announcement of a planned $NAPSTER token launch on Algorand. The company has released a litepaper outlining its plans to build out its existing music streaming ecosystem on the layer-1 blockchain, though a launch date has yet to be announced. “Napster will unlock all the opportunities of Web3 for fans, rights holders and music makers,” the litepaper reads. It added that the Algorand blockchain is “the only carbon-n...
Business
As the company continues its push into the U.S. market, Luxembourg-based Bitstamp is set to introduce its Bitstamp Earn product to American investors. The product, which is already available to Bitstamp’s non-U.S. customers, is meant to be a turn-key Ethereum (ETH) and Algorand (ALGO) staking solution. Investors fund their Bistamp accounts and then collect staking rewards. For its part, Bitstamp takes a fee on the yield customers earn. Very importantly, U.S. CEO Bobby Zagotta told Decrypt, that...
NFTs
Digital music sharing services are coming back… in Web3 form. Just days after news broke that Napster will return in the form of an NFT marketplace on Algorand, LimeWire—which announced its own Algorand-based marketplace in March—announced today that it has signed major label Universal Music Group to its platform. The global deal will let artists signed to Universal Music Group and its myriad imprint labels release tokenized digital collectibles via the upcoming LimeWire marketplace. Universal’s...
Business
The Drone Racing League sees competitors pilot custom-built quadcopters through courses at up to 120 miles per hour, all viewed in first-person using VR-like goggles. Founded in 2015, the DRL is a tech-forward league with rising viewership, and now it plans to expand its fan experience and interactions through a deal with blockchain network Algorand. Today, the companies announced a five-year alliance that will see the league adopt Algorand’s blockchain in various ways. Algorand also picks up ti...