Kaspa (KAS): D-Score 79/100 — Decentralized BlockIndex D-Score: 79/100 (Decentralized). Kaspa (KAS) is a Layer 1 cryptocurrency using PoW consensus. Kaspa: High-throughput open-source Layer-1 BlockDAG delivering internet-speed PoW payments with Rust rewrite and bridge support. Source: https://blockindex.ai/coin/kas · Data by BlockIndex.AI · Updated 2026-06-19 D-Score breakdown (0-100, higher means more decentralized) Component: Score: Overall D-Score: 79: Node distribution: 22: Initial distribution: 25: Governance: 16: Age and history: 11: Autonomy: 5: Key facts - Layer: Layer 1 - Consensus: PoW (Other) - Launch: Fair Launch (2021) - Founder: Dr. Yonatan Sompolinsky; DAGLabs (Elichai Turkel involved) - VC funded: No - Max supply: 28,704,026,601 - Circulating: 27,518,872,329 (95.9%) Market data (as of 2026-06-19) - Price: $0.03 - Market cap: $827.39M - 24h volume: $11.59M - 24h change: -2.74% · 7d change: -2.71% About Kaspa is an open-source, community-driven Layer-1 cryptocurrency that reimagines proof-of-work scalability by adopting a blockDAG architecture built on GHOSTDAG ordering and PHANTOM research. Originating from academic research led by Dr. Yonatan Sompolinsky and early engineering work through DAGLabs, Kaspa fair-launched in November 2021 with no premine and has since evolved into a decentralized, community-managed project. The protocol’s core mission is to deliver internet-speed peer-to-peer payments and a settlement layer that preserves PoW security while enabling very high block rates and near-instant confirmations. The project emphasizes transparency—source code and research are publicly available—and community stewardship, with a publicly visible multisignature dev fund operated by elected treasurers. Technically, Kaspa distinguishes itself with a blockDAG design that orders concurrent blocks instead of discarding them, allowing sustained high throughput without compromising decentralization. The protocol uses a PoW consensus with the k-HeavyHash variant and a UTXO transaction model similar to Bitcoin but extended for DAG operation. Important engineering work includes the Crescendo upgrade (targeting ~10 blocks per second operational throughput), a Rust-language client rewrite (Testnet 11), research efforts toward DAGKNIGHT for improved scalability, and explorations of vProgs for verifiable off-chain programs and native programmability. Kaspa's approach to monetary policy is unique: a chromatic emission schedule that geometrically reduces emissions monthly by a factor of (1/2)^(1/12), providing smooth supply decline and a capped maximum supply of roughly 28.7 billion KAS. In practice, Kaspa is positioned as a fast, permissionless settlement layer with a growing ecosystem of wallets, explorers, analytics, and exchange listings. On-chain metrics indicate hundreds of millions of transactions and hundreds of millions of blocks since genesis; the community has delivered key user-facing tooling such as the Kaspium mobile wallet, the KNG wallet, and official explorer analytics. Cross-chain connectivity advanced in late 2025 with the launch of a decentralized Kaspa bridge and growing RPC/infrastructure support through efforts like Igra Labs’ public node rollout. These developments, together with tier-1 exchange listings and ongoing developer tooling, have increased access for users and builders while maintaining the project’s focus on a lean L1 and layered programmability via rollups. Kaspa’s tokenomics emphasize a fair launch and community distribution: there was no premine, no allocated token sale at genesis, and the dev fund is donation-based and governed via publicly-elected treasurers using multisig. The protocol’s emission schedule, capped supply, and high circulating percentage (reported around 94%) shape its long-term monetary outlook. Governance is largely off-chain and community-driven, with spending decisions executed through multisig by voted treasurers; there is no formal on-chain DAO nor a central CEO. Looking ahead, Kaspa’s strategic priorities include stabilizing the Rust client, completing Crescendo performance improvements, rolling out Igra rollups and EVM-compatible programmability, expanding node and RPC infrastructure, and fostering developer adoption. The principal risks remain typical of ambitious protocol projects: coordinating large upgrades across a decentralized contributor base, maintaining security during rapid protocol changes, and sustaining liquidity and developer activity over time. Links - Website: https://kaspa.org/ - Whitepaper: N/A - GitHub: https://github.com/kaspanet --- About the D-Score: BlockIndex.AI rates decentralization from 0 to 100 across node distribution, initial distribution, governance, age and history, and autonomy. Methodology: https://blockindex.ai/dscore