WAN is a fork of Ethereum and uses proof-of-stake ([PoS](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/proof-of-stake-pos)). Wainchain issued [ERC-20](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/erc-20) WAN tokens to all ICO participants. When the mainnet launched in 2018, the ERC-20 token was adapted to Wanchain’s native chain. The platform’s validation nodes are divided into Vouchers (verify cross-chain transactions), Storemen (manage locked accounts) and Validators (perform regular verifications). Nodes need to stake WAN before they can validate transactions on the network. The locked accounts are created through cryptographic encryption.

The native token of the platform, WAN, is used in payments and on-chain governance. The total amount of tokens sold during the initial coin offering ([ICO](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/initial-coin-offering-ico)) was 107,100,000, worth about 120,000 ETH at the time. The maximum supply is 210,000,000 WAN, while the circulating supply is 169,028,581 WAN as of March 2021. 39% of the total supply of tokens has been allocated to the founders of the project, 51% to the investors, and 10% to airdrops and rewards. WAN is used for transactions both within the parent chain and across chains.

Wanchain is trying to create a broader market for digital assets by establishing connections between various standalone chains. The platform has been able to develop a series of applications via smart contracts, security systems and its own coin (WAN). Most cross-chain transactions are completed through third-party platforms. Wanchain’s uniqueness lies in its decentralization. The platform employs multi-party computing and threshold secret-sharing technology to manage accounts autonomously. The platform has three major cross-chain functionalities. One of these functionalities is the registration module. It also possesses a cross-chain transaction data transmission module and a transaction status query module. The three components are involved from the start to the end of a connection. Similar projects to Wanchain include Ripple ([XRP](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/xrp/)) and ICON ([ICX](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/icon/)).

Wanchain was founded by Jack Lu in 2017 and is headquartered in Beijing, China and Austin, Texas. Jack Lu, the founder and CEO, is an entrepreneur and technical expert with an interest in blockchain. Before Wanchain, he was the co-founder and CTO at Factom in 2014. Lu has also founded Wanglutech, a blockchain protocol focused on data deposit certificates and digital assets. Li Ni, the VP of operations, is a computer scientist with over 15 years of experience in the technology industry. He is also experienced in marketing, business development and sales. He has formerly worked at ZTE, SuperMap Software and Delta Electronics. Weijia Zhang, the VP of Engineering, is an engineer and R&D expert with experience in fields like software modeling, blockchain and cognitive sciences. He was the principal software engineer at DELL for several years. Zhang has over twenty pending and granted tech patents.

Wanchain is a distributed ledger that allows for cross-chain transactions and the interoperability of multiple chains. Although Wanchain facilitates transactions between blockchains, it is also a stand-alone blockchain that runs autonomously. The protocol acts as a [distributed ledger](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/article/what-is-distributed-ledger-technology-dlt) that processes and maintains records of cross-chain transactions. Transactions on Wanchain do not only occur between different public blockchains but between private chains as well. As an Ethereum ([ETH](https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/ethereum/)) fork, Wanchain enjoys some of the properties of the Ethereum blockchain. The protocol securely and autonomously processes applications via smart contracts. The use cases for Wanchain include decentralized exchanges ([DEXs](https://coinmarketcap.com/alexandria/glossary/decentralized-exchange-dex)), lending and borrowing platforms, stablecoins, crowdfunding, multi-currency payments and settlements. The platform is totally decentralized and requires no custodian party to manage or confirm transactions. Unlike other cross-chain systems, Wanchain does not rely on a third-party platform to authenticate transactions. The locked account mechanism is used to secure and manage accounts on the network, eliminating third-party interferences.