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OMG Network, formerly known as OmiseGo, is a non-custodial, layer-2 scaling solution built for the Ethereum blockchain. As an Ethereum scaling solution, OMG Network is designed to allow users to transfer ETH and ERC20 tokens significantly faster and cheaper than when transacting directly on the Ethereum network. The network is based on a novel scaling solution called MoreViable Plasma, which uses a sidechain architecture to group several transactions off-chain into a batch, which can then be verified as a single transaction on the Ethereum root chain. According to OMG Network, this technology has the potential to scale Ethereum to thousands of transactions per second (TPS) — instead of the 10 to 14 tps Ethereum 1.0 is currently capable of. The network is powered by the OMG utility token, which can be used as one of the payment methods for fees on the OMG Network, and will eventually be stakable — helping to secure the network in return for rewards.

The OMG Network currently consists of a team of more than 50 employees scattered across the world. It was founded by Thai-born Vansa Chatikavanij and operates as a subsidiary of SYNQA — a Thailand-based fintech firm that was formerly known as Omise Holdings. As the projector founder, Vansa Chatikavanij received a master’s degree in earth and environmental sciences at New York's Columbia University. Following this, Chatikavanij held several consulting roles at prominent financial institutions including the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and World Bank Group, before founding OMG Network (then OmiseGo) in 2017. Chatikavanij held the role of managing director at the company until 2019, before transitioning to the role of CEO, which she still holds to this day. Beyond this, Stephen McNamara — former head of blockchain R&D strategy at Huawei Technologies — is OMG Network's COO, whereas Kasima Tharnpipitchai, a heavily experienced engineer and consultant, is its CTO.

OMG Network believes that Ethereum’s significant speed and cost barriers will need to be overcome before mainstream businesses will consider building their products and applications on the network. As such, the OMG Network project is built to help make Ethereum more attractive to businesses and projects that want to scale while simultaneously cutting down on their carbon footprint. It achieves this with its plasma-based sidechain solution, which can help reduce electricity usage by up to 99% compared to Ethereum and cut fees by around two thirds, while ensuring assets remain secured by the underlying Ethereum network. The platform itself is supported by $25 million in funding obtained during its 2017 initial coin offering (ICO). Moreover, OMG Network parent firm SYNQA recently raised a further $80 million in Series C funding — and was supported by several major investment firms, including Toyota Financial Services Corporation and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.

Like most cryptocurrencies, OMG Network tokens have a fixed maximum supply. This is set at exactly 140,245,398 OMG and will never increase beyond this point. Unlike many other cryptocurrencies, this total supply has already been fully minted, with the majority already in active circulation. Of the total supply, 65.1% of tokens were distributed to investors and 5% were distributed in an airdrop, whereas the last 29.9% is held by the project and team. Of this 29.9%, 20% is locked in the OMG Network reserve smart contract for funding future developments and network validation, and the remaining 9.9% is reserved for the founding team. Both the OMG reserve and team allocation were locked for one year, but this has since elapsed.

The OMG Network mainnet will eventually move to a proof-of-stake (POS) consensus system, which will allow users to stake their tokens to help secure the network and earn rewards. Until then, OMG Network child chains are secured by a proof-of-authority (PoA) consensus mechanism, which is basically a simplified form of proof-of-stake which is controlled by a single block producer (OMG Network itself) for now — which essentially stakes its reputation on staying honest. OMG Network plans to transition to proof-of-stake as soon as it’s ready, following which OMG holders will be able to become stakeholders in the success and security of the network, by delegating their stake to validators.

OMG tokens are highly liquid and can be purchased or traded on well over 200 different exchange platforms, including several top 10 exchanges — such as Coinbase Pro and Binance. Some of the most popular trading pairs include OMG/USDT, OMG/BTC and OMG/ETH. OMG can also be traded against several fiat currencies, including U.S. dollars (USD), euros (EUR) and British pound sterling (GBP). To find out more about purchasing cryptocurrencies with fiat, read our simple guide — here.