Osmosis

Osmosis is a decentralized token exchange protocol built on the Cosmos SDK. As an Automated Market Maker (AMM), it allows users to trade and provide liquidity without the need for traditional buyers or sellers. Osmosis stands out for its full decentralization, transparency, and interoperability with other blockchains in the Cosmos ecosystem. Users can provide liquidity to various pools and earn rewards, while the community can influence the project's direction and development through the governance system.

The main founders, Josh Lee and Sunny Aggarwal, are experienced in the blockchain and DeFi space.

Together with a team of seasoned experts, they are actively involved in protocol improvements and are striving to develop Osmosis Dex while bringing innovative solutions. Osmosis addresses interoperability issues using the Cosmos SDK and IBC (Inter-Chain Communication) development package. One interesting feature is Superfluid Staking, which allows for the repeated utilization of LP (Liquidity Provider) staked OSMO tokens with validators. Another new feature is SuperCharged pools, which allow you to target a given price level to get better use out of your LPs and maximize your rewards.

The OSMO token is used for voting on protocol upgrades, allocating liquidity rewards, and setting exchange fees. The total supply of OSMO is 1 billion and is allocated for various purposes, including liquidity mining, staking, developer rewards, and a community fund. In 2021, Osmosis Labs raised 21 million USD from Venture Capital (VC) funds. It's possible that a portion of these funds was allocated from strategic reserves in the form of tokens. However, upon examining the public addresses of the participating funds, no OSMO tokens were found.

Analyst’s View of Osmosis

The value of OSMO has declined since its peak in 2023, but the team is still actively working on development and community engagement, which may present an interesting investment opportunity in the event of a subsequent growth trend. Superfluid staking and other innovations could also contribute to further growth of the Osmo token in terms of value.

If you are interested in Osmosis, you can stake your OSMO with validators or provide them to LP pools to earn rewards.

Kujira

The Kujira blockchain platform aims to transform the decentralized finance (DeFi) landscape through user-friendly decentralized applications (dApps). Its main goal is to overcome limitations associated with exchanges, staking, and ICOs, to provide small investors with the same opportunities as experienced professional investors.

Kujira develops efficient and user-friendly applications that cater to a wide range of users, from cryptocurrency beginners to experienced retail investors. The platform offers seven main applications:

• Blue - The foundation of the entire Kujira ecosystem, a dashboard for managing KUJI (staking, governance, swapping, bridging)
• BOW - Hosts liquidity pools utilized by FIN for its trading pairs
• FIN - Enables users to buy and sell cryptocurrencies through an order book
• Finder - A blockchain explorer
• Orca - A platform for loan liquidation, allowing users to purchase liquidated loan collateral below market value
• Pilot - A launchpad for tokens within the Cosmos ecosystem
• Ghost - A platform for borrowing and lending

The Kujira team is active and regularly communicates with the community through Discord and Github. Most team members have extensive experience in software development across various industries and have previously worked on the Terra blockchain.

The KUJI token is used within the Kujira ecosystem for governance, staking, and transaction fees. The total supply of KUJI was adjusted to 116.97 million at the beginning of 2022. The release of KUJI into circulation was divided into three periods: 6, 12, and 24 months from issuance. As of August 2, 2023, KUJI has only been released for the team and ecosystem management. All KUJI held by VC funds have likely been sold.

Kujira has its own stablecoin called USK, an overcollateralized stablecoin with a minimum coverage of 166%. The collateral for USK includes various cryptocurrencies such as ATOM, DOT, wETH, and wBNB.

Analyst’s View of Kujira

The team behind Kujira demonstrated its strength in May 2022, continuing to work and support its community even after the fall of the Terra blockchain. According to the graph, the price fell in May but then rose again after the new start, although not to the same extent. It's also worth noting that at the end of 2022, all KUJI tokens for VC investors were withdrawn, likely due to the price decline, which means you can now easily purchase KUJI and stake them with a validator to participate in voting on new proposals or add them to LP (Liquidity Provider) pools and earn rewards in the form of new KUJI.

Personally, I have had some exposure to this ecosystem, which currently represents 7% of my portfolio (as of August 2, 2023).  Am keeping an eye on the ever-approaching maximum supply in a few months, and the ecosystem's diversity.

Secret Network

Secret Network is a blockchain platform focused on providing privacy for smart contracts by default. This feature enables the creation of permissionless applications while safeguarding user privacy. Built on the Cosmos SDK, Secret Network benefits from independent consensus, on-chain governance, and additional features like slashing and delegation. It is the only project in the Cosmos ecosystem that addresses data privacy and offers new possibilities in the realm of Web 3.0. SCRT Labs, led by Guy Zyskind, a specialist in blockchain technology and private cloud computing, is the main team behind this platform.

The SCRT token serves as payment for fees, governance, and staking on the network. It is inflationary and does not have a fixed maximum supply. The inflation rate is set dynamically and depends on the percentage of staked SCRT.

The number of active accounts on Secret Network continues to grow, indicating users' interest in privacy within the crypto world; hence the adoption of this blockchain.

Analyst’s View of Secret

As we are living in an environment with high inflation, it is essential to consider the high risk associated with investing in this blockchain. However, it's worth noting that the SCRT price might experience significant growth when Secret Network sees more adoption. Given that this blockchain is based on privacy, a highly valued aspect in the crypto world, it is expected that new users and increased utilization of the blockchain will positively impact the token's price. With a larger influx of users and wider adoption of the platform, the inflation rate is also expected to decrease.

I have invested 3% of my investment portfolio in this project, mainly due to its high privacy protection capabilities. I believe this aspect can have a positive impact on the token's value in the long term.

If you own SCRT tokens, you can further evaluate them through validators, or by participating in pools on the Secret Swap platform.

Stargaze

Stargaze is one of the first NFT markets in the Cosmos ecosystem, providing a user-governed and owned, decentralized marketplace. Its functioning is based on creating the first NFT standard within the Cosmos ecosystem (ICS721). The network employs various incentives, such as staking rewards, to motivate users to take actions within the network, promoting activity and the health of the ecosystem.

Led by Shane Virana, the team is internationally distributed and consists of experienced blockchain developers. In June 2023, one of the co-founders, Jake Hartnell, left the team and returned all the STARS tokens he had received for initiating the project.

The STARS token is used in the ecosystem for governance, fee payments, and staking. It is inflationary, and a certain amount of new tokens will be issued annually up to a circulation of 4 billion STARS. Through a burn mechanism, where a portion of fees is burned, inflation will be reduced.

The number of active accounts on Stargaze hovers at around 2,000 daily, with a slight declining trend. However, the 30-day overall increase in users indicates sufficient interest in the platform, and with the growing awareness of NFTs beyond the Ethereum blockchain, Stargaze may attract new users in the future.

Analyst’s View of Stargaze

Stargaze shows promise as an NFT marketplace within the Cosmos ecosystem. It focuses on greater decentralization and distribution of ownership of STARS tokens, indicating its efforts toward democratization. With the expected increase in interest in NFTs beyond the Ethereum blockchain, Stargaze could attract many new users during future bull runs.

STARS tokens can be staked not only with validators, but also deposited into liquidity pools (LPs) on the Osmosis platform. Osmosis offers various incentives, including internal, external, and superfluid. Benefits from these incentives are occasionally supported through Stargaze, providing additional motivation for users.

Juno

Juno is a L1 blockchain integrated within the Cosmos ecosystem, focusing on supporting smart contracts and DeFi functionalities. Juno's technology utilizes Cosmos SDK and CosmWasm for smart contract interoperability. Programmers can write contracts in various languages such as Golang, Java, Kotlin, Python, Rust, TypeScript, and more. One of its key features is its full decentralization, without any intervention from foundations or external companies. The project is supported by an extensive developer community worldwide and managed on GitHub under the name CosmosContracts. The community plays a crucial role in deciding the direction and development of the network.

The JUNO token is used for governance, staking, and fee payments. The initial distribution of JUNO included an airdrop for ATOM stakers, a community pool, the development team, and others. The total supply of JUNO is 185,562,268, and new tokens are gradually being released in ten phases, with decreasing inflation rates.

User activity on the Juno network is currently stagnant, with about 3,000 daily active users and a declining trend. The overall number of users on Juno is impressive, but there hasn’t been a significant influx of new users.

This waning interest from new users may be due to market sentiment. For new and less experienced users, the entire Cosmos ecosystem can be an unfamiliar place, and the decentralization factor, with no company or VC publicly supporting the blockchain, might play a role in uncertainty as well.

Analyst’s View of Juno

Juno is one of the key platforms in the Cosmos ecosystem, with the potential to attract both new developers and many other users who are looking to become more involved in DeFi across Cosmos in the future.

The main reason I decided to allocate 10% of my portfolio to this protocol is its high degree of decentralization, which is a key factor in its future growth. Additionally, with a relatively small market capitalization, Juno presents a great opportunity for investors who see the potential of this project.

JUNO offers the option of staking with validators, which last year achieved an Annual Percentage Yield (APR) of around 100%. As of July 13, 2023, the APR is around 28%, which is very attractive, especially if you believe in the long-term growth of this protocol. Another option is to provide your JUNO to a pool on the Osmosis platform.

Stride

Stride is a protocol within the Cosmos ecosystem that enables the liquid staking of tokens. It collaborates with partners and integrates with new DeFi dApps, opening up new possibilities for users and contributing to the growth of the Cosmos ecosystem. The functioning of Stride is based on the principle of Liquidity Staking, where users can stake their ATOM, Juno, INJ, and other supported cryptocurrencies and receive ST tokens as rewards. The protocol's development is managed by Stride Labs, which is based in New York, and the security of the protocol is ensured through audits by two firms.

The STRD token has several uses within the ecosystem, including governance, fee payments, and staking. Out of the total supply of 100,000,000 STRD, all tokens not issued to the community are held by the DAO. Tokens for investors (16,700,000 STRD) and the Dev team (24,200,000 STRD) will begin to be released from September 2023 to September 2025.

Active Stride users are increasing, supported by the growing popularity of liquid staking and active marketing efforts by Stride.

Analyst’s View of Stride

As can be seen in the graph, the price of STRD has shown significant growth with the recent indication of a potential turnaround in the crypto world. This is why I chose this protocol, as its liquidity staking on Cosmos has the potential to attract many users in the future. As can be seen, the fees collected by the protocol amount to around 20,000 USD, and these funds are redistributed among STRD stakeholders.

I have 1% of my portfolio invested in this project for a simple reason - I see a future in liquidity staking, which is highly favored by users. Once new users join, they will undoubtedly use it extensively. The second aspect is that the community owns the largest share of STRD and governs the protocol through voting. However, it's crucial not to forget about the first unlock for investors in September 2023, so if you are considering a larger investment, I would wait and observe its impact on the price.

Another possible use for STRD, besides holding and staking, is its utilization on Osmosis within a pool, which you can find here.

Injective

Injective Protocol is a decentralized exchange (DEX) built on the Cosmos ecosystem. Its main advantage is the ability to trade any derivative or token without restrictions, providing users with maximum freedom for their trading activities. The functioning of the protocol includes unique features, such as insurance funds for the rescue network of traders in case of insolvency and burn auctions that support the value of the INJ tokens. The Injective Protocol team consists of experienced professionals whose aim is to create a transparent and efficient platform for cryptocurrency and derivative trading.

INJ serves as the platform token with utility in various ecosystem functions, including governance, staking, fee payments, auctions, and insurance. The total supply of INJ is 100,000,000, out of which 22,670,000 INJ were allocated for investors and vested in 2022. In spring 2023, there were 7,000,000 INJ left to be vested for the team, 700,000 INJ for advisors, and 3,020,000 INJ for ecosystem development.

User activity is growing thanks to new features such as the Open liquidity program and the introduction of NFTs. Injective is forging numerous new partnerships, and it is investing more than ever in marketing, which has resulted in an influx of a large number of new users.

Analyst’s View of Injective

All in all, the Injective project has been actively working towards its goals for quite some time and has built a large community that believes in and supports the project.

The graph indicates that Injective has been performing well since the beginning of the year and is gradually improving. This fact is supported by the active community and the Injective team, who are very active on social media and working on new partnerships and innovations within their protocol.

I have invested 5% of my portfolio in this protocol due to its "long history" and the team's activity. I like the Auction feature, which gradually removes active tokens from circulation, thus increasing their value.

INJ can be purchased on various cryptocurrency exchanges (CEXs) or directly on the website using a credit card. It can also be acquired on the Kujira platform. After acquiring INJ, you can stake it with validators or participate in auctions for selected fee packages.

Akash Network

Akash Network is a decentralized cloud platform within the Cosmos ecosystem that allows users to buy and sell unused computing power. Its team of experienced professionals is working on creating a decentralized marketplace for cloud resources, offering transparency and low costs. The platform's functioning relies on a decentralized marketplace where users can lease their unused resources to others. The process is governed by smart contracts on the blockchain, ensuring transparency and security. Leading the development is founder and CEO Greg Osuri, who has extensive experience in open-source and cloud technologies.

An important feature after the launch of Akash AI is the AIsupercloud software, which enables the testing of artificial intelligence using Akash GPU. This feature has the potential to improve the future development of the Akash network and ecosystem.

The AKT token is used for governance, staking, service payment, and fees. Its total supply was launched in 2020, and further allocations occurred gradually until March 2023. Now, all AKT allocated in the genesis has been vested, and new AKT is only created as a reward for block production. As of February 8, 2023, the inflation rate is 14%, and this is expected to stabilize around 2% by 2030, when a maximum supply of 388 million AKT will be reached. Considering that there have been several proposals to change AKT's tokenomics since its inception, which did not pass voting, it is very likely that changes will be made over time.

Daily active accounts hover at around 1,000, and this number has been relatively stable over the long term. In the last 30 days, there have been 949 new accounts out of a total of 84,409. This indicates a steady and robust community utilizing the Akash ecosystem.

Analyst’s View of Akash

Akash Network is on a good path to become a leading mediator for decentralized cloud services. Its commitment to true decentralization is evident, which cannot be said for many of its competitors. Its planned integration of artificial intelligence for testing in cloud services could also bring in a sufficient number of new users.

For this reason, I have decided to invest 2% of my portfolio in the Akash Network project and actively monitor its development. I am particularly interested in the progress and implementation of AI, which presents an exciting opportunity for growth and attracting new users.

Most AKT holders prefer to stake their tokens with validators. You can also purchase AKT on the decentralized exchange DEX Osmosis, or on centralized exchanges like Kraken, KuCoin, and Gate.io.

Canto

Canto is an L1 blockchain developed with Cosmos SDK and Tendermint Core, focusing on providing DeFi tools such as a DEX, a lending protocol, and a decentralized stablecoin. Its functioning includes an EVM platform that supports DeFi and offers financial primitives like Canto DEX, Canto Lending Market, and the stablecoin NOTE. The only way to acquire NOTE is by borrowing it on the Canto Lending Market.

Among the main contributors to the development of the Canto blockchain are Scott Lewis, the Plex team, the B-Harvest team, and NeoBase.

Canto significantly differs from other blockchains by advocating the concept of Free Public Infrastructure, guaranteeing that dApps on Canto do not require any fees for using services. This promotes openness and equality within the ecosystem.

The Canto token (CANTO) is utilized for staking, governance, and fee payments. The total supply of CANTO is set at 1 billion, and its distribution was decided by the community.

Canto is an interesting example of investors seeming hesitant to invest. Active accounts have fluctuated at around 80 to 90, and monthly activity has declined from 2,500 to 1,500 active accounts in the last 3 months, despite no technical or other difficulties. However, new accounts continue to increase, with 700 added in the last 30 days, out of a total of 35,474.

Analyst’s View of Canto

Here we have another decentralized blockchain within the Cosmos ecosystem. Its major advantage is compatibility with the EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine), making it easier for new users who are already familiar with and using Ethereum. This compatibility allows them to utilize their knowledge and skills to develop on the Canto blockchain, thereby fostering growth and ecosystem development.

Personally, I am impressed by the Canto blockchain community and their passion for building this ecosystem. Their enthusiasm and dedication to creating innovative solutions and developing Canto motivated me to invest 10% of my portfolio into this blockchain. The main advantage is that Canto is not influenced by VC funds, which might be waiting for a favorable price to sell to retail investors. This provides a stable and independent environment for further growth and ecosystem development.

CANTO can be used for staking with validators, and as of July 17, 2023, it was offering 9% APR. By staking, you can actively contribute to the operation and security of the network while earning passive income from your held CANTO tokens. Another option is to pair CANTO with other cryptocurrencies such as ATOM, ETH, or NOTE in liquidity pairs. This allows you to utilize Canto in decentralized exchanges and trade various assets on the platform.

Persistence

Persistence is a specialized L1 network built on Tendermint that focuses on unlocking liquidity from collateralized assets in the DeFi application ecosystem. It enables the issuance and deployment of liquid staked (stk) assets, allowing users to earn rewards from staking while participating in DeFi primitives such as borrowing / lending and providing liquidity on DEXes. Using dApps like pStake on its blockchain, Persistence operates liquidity providers for multiple chains. This module enables users to unlock the liquidity of their staked assets. For Cosmos-based assets, the pSTAKE module was created above the Persistence chain, while for other assets like ETH or BNB, implementations are built within their respective ecosystems.

Persistence is being developed by the Persistence Labs team in Singapore, consisting of Tushar Aggarwal, Punnet Mahajan, Abhinav Kumar, and Abhiteja Singh, who are experienced engineers in the fields of cryptocurrencies and blockchain.

The XPRT token was launched in 2021 and serves various purposes, including staking, governance, and fee payments. The total supply of XPRT is set at 100,000,000, and there will be a gradual release of these tokens over 42 months. XPRT inflation gradually decreases over time, which supports increased rewards for early stakers.

The number of active accounts on Persistence ranges from 500 to 700, indicating an engaged and sustainable community on this platform. Users regularly utilize the protocol's features, suggesting trust in the project and its ability to continuously evolve.

Analyst’s View of Persistence

Persistence has the potential to bring new users and developers to the Cosmos ecosystem in the future, thanks to its focus on liquid staking. You can buy XPRT on Dexter and then stake it with a validator in your Keplr wallet. If you want to use stk tokens, you can stake your ATOM on pStake to receive stkATOM, which you can then stake on Dexter pool in order to make the most of your ATOM.