Near is a smart contract platform that has the potential to transform the way systems are planned, applications are developed, and the web itself functions. It is a complex technology having a single goal that developers and entrepreneurs can easily build services that safeguard high-value assets like money and identity while also being performant and usable for users. Near was designed from the ground up to provide end-users with intuitive experiences, scale capacity across millions of devices, and give developers new and sustainable business models for their apps. As a result, Near is building the first community-run cloud capable of expanding the scope of Open Finance and powering the Open Web’s future. Bitcoin, the first blockchain, established in 2008, is now a store of value with a network valued at over $600 billion. Ethereum, the first global computer launched in 2014, has dozens of unique applications ranging from gaming to decentralized banking. Unfortunately, neither these original networks nor any subsequent networks have been able to bridge the gap between general adoption of the applications built on top of them, nor have they been able to provide the scale required to sustain a whole Web. There are two significant factors: Organizational design System design System design is essential because other platforms’ technical architecture causes significant challenges with usability and scalability, making adoption pra...
