Counterparty

What is Counterparty?

The Counterparty Protocol is an innovative extension to the Bitcoin protocol, designed to implement features that Bitcoin itself does not offer. By building on Bitcoin’s robust and secure foundation, Counterparty enables functionalities such as token issuance, a decentralized and trustless asset exchange, contracts for difference, native oracles, and trustless gaming. This allows users to create and trade digital assets and execute smart contracts directly on the Bitcoin blockchain.

Key Features of Counterparty:

• Asset Creation: Users can create custom named assets for a small fee or numerical assets for free.
• Decentralized Exchange (DEx): Enables trustless trading of assets.
• Security and Open Source: Counterparty software is open source and has been reviewed by Bitcoin security experts since its release in January 2014.

How Does Counterparty Work?

Counterparty operates by embedding additional data into Bitcoin transactions. These transactions appear as ordinary Bitcoin transactions to a standard Bitcoin client, but they contain extra information that can be interpreted by Counterparty software. When a Counterparty node (which runs both Bitcoin and Counterparty Core software) encounters these transactions, it reads and decodes the embedded data according to specific rules. This process allows the node to construct its own ledger of Counterparty transactions, synchronized with the Bitcoin blockchain.

What Does a Counterparty Transaction Look Like?

A typical Counterparty transaction involves sending tokens from one address to another within a Bitcoin transaction. For example, a transaction may involve transferring 48 SJCX tokens (used by Storj) between addresses. To a Bitcoin block explorer, this transaction appears as a small amount of Bitcoin being transferred. The actual BTC involved is minimal, just enough to incentivize Bitcoin miners to include the transaction in a block. The primary purpose is to record and secure the Counterparty data within the Bitcoin blockchain.

Does Counterparty Have Its Own Blockchain?

Counterparty does not have a separate blockchain; it exists entirely on the Bitcoin blockchain. Such protocols are often referred to as metaprotocols or metachains, leveraging the security and widespread adoption of Bitcoin.

Is Counterparty "Polluting" the Bitcoin Blockchain?

Counterparty primarily uses a data-encoding method called OP_RETURN, which is prunable. This means the data can be discarded by Bitcoin nodes that choose not to store it. While some unprunable Counterparty transactions use alternative encoding methods, these do not linger in the memory of Bitcoin nodes for long. Additionally, every Counterparty transaction pays a fair fee to the Bitcoin network for its inclusion in blocks.

How is the Counterparty Network Secured?

Counterparty transactions are inherently secure because they are Bitcoin transactions. As such, they benefit from the security measures and validation processes of Bitcoin miners. The security of Counterparty is therefore equivalent to the security of the Bitcoin network itself.

How Do Counterparty Nodes Stay in Sync?

All Counterparty nodes run the same code and process the same Bitcoin transaction data, ensuring consistent ledgers across all nodes. Unlike Bitcoin nodes, Counterparty nodes do not directly communicate with each other. Instead, they connect to the Bitcoin network, download transactions, and decode them according to Counterparty’s rules. This method allows Counterparty to leverage Bitcoin’s infrastructure for data transport and security.

What is XCP?

XCP is the native token of Counterparty, used in scenarios where Bitcoin cannot serve as the working currency. Since Bitcoin is not aware of the Counterparty protocol, BTC cannot be used for certain Counterparty functions except to prevent spam by covering the size-based transaction fees. XCP is essential for activities like creating and trading assets within the Counterparty ecosystem.

Other PoW Assets

Some other assets in the Proof-of-Work category: Bitcoin Cash, Conflux, Bitcoin Gold, Goldcoin, Diamond, Vertcoin, Safecoin...

Project Development

The Counterparty project has achieved a significant milestone with the release of Counterparty Core v10.0.0, featuring over 700 commits and the closure of more than 100 issues. This release is a testament to the community's contributions in development and testing. Key highlights of the release include:

• Over 20 times faster blockchain catch-up
• A fully operational test suite
• Updated dependencies with official OS support
• Implementation of a log-structured database for improved reorganization speed and safety
• Resolution of multiple consensus issues
• Extensive code refactoring
• Simplified and accelerated deployment processes
• Enhanced logging capabilities
• Repository reorganization and renaming
• Numerous bug fixes

Counterparty Price Analysis

As of July 5 2025 Counterparty has a marketcap of $12M. This is {{percentagefromath}} from its all time high of $91.13. In terms of its tokenomics, there's a total supply of 2.6M with 98% currently outstanding. Keep in mind Counterparty has a fully diluted value of $12M which many investors might interpret as overvalued.

Of course, don’t trust price predictions alone, always check the Coinrotator token screener to follow the trending market.