Charts

GMCI Digital Asset Taxonomy

Our comprehensive asset taxonomy with consistent, thorough, and standardized industry definitions provides a clear and uniform approach to understanding, analyzing, and identifying investment opportunities for digital assets.
Assets are classified in two dimensions: First, based on their use case or sector, and second, based on their tech stack.

Sector Classification

Our sector classification assigns digital assets to a primary sector or application area, such as DeFi, DePIN, and Memes.
Multiple sub-levels further help identify a project's purpose and competitive landscape, shedding light on the potential use case in the broader ecosystem. Accurate classifications can also guide targeted investment strategies based on specific narratives and market interests.

General Purpose Blockchain Networks

Blockchain infrastructure layers designed to support a diverse range of decentralized applications (DApps) and functionalities. This encompasses platforms that facilitate smart contract executions as well as those that prioritize cross-chain communication and integration.

Example Protocols

Ethereum

ETH

Solana

SOL

Avalanche

AVAX

Currency Networks

Assets of either applications or sovereign blockchain networks that primarily function as digital currencies or cryptocurrencies, serving as a medium of exchange, store of value, and unit of account. Within these networks, the token itself (and any network effects stemming from the token's use) is the primary utility.

Example Protocols

XRP

stellar

XLM

Monero

XMR

Memes

Cryptocurrency tokens associated with internet memes and viral content. Tokens often lack serious utility beyond the novelty of the meme they are associated with and can exhibit high volatility due to speculative trading.

Example Protocols

Dogecoin

DOGE

Dogwifhat

WIF

Pepe

Decentralized Finance (DeFi)

Decentralized Finance

Native assets of decentralized finance protocols which may be used for governance, user rewards, collateral and staking, among other uses.

Example Protocols

uniswap

uni

aave

Thorchain

rune

Managed Yield Service

Managed Yield Services

Protocols that allow users to earn interest/yield on their assets through a structured product or general predefined strategy allocation.

Example Protocols

Mantrachain

Pendle

Lido DAO

LDO

Lending & Borrowing

Platforms that allow users to supply or access credit on-chain.

Example Protocols

aave

Compound

COMP

JustLend

jst

Risk Management & Insurance

Platforms that allow users to protect their investments from specific & definable risks such as smart contract related attack vectors.

Example Protocols

AMP

DeFi Infrastructure & Data

Services that provide infrastructure or data primarilly to DeFi protocols.

Example Protocols

Chainlink

link

Uma

Pyth Network

PYTH

Asset Origination and Issuance

Protocols that create on-chain representations of categories of existing assets or issuance of new token types.

Example Protocols

Ethena

ena

Ondo

Maker

mkr

Other (DeFi)

Miscellaneous decentralized finance platforms that don't directly fit into predefined categories but contribute uniquely to the DeFi ecosystem.

Example Protocols

Constitution DAO

People

Kadena

Kda

Trading Platform

Trading Platforms

Application whose primary purpose is the exchange of on-chain assets or contracts.

Example Protocols

uniswap

uni

Thorchain

rune

Jupiter

jup

Decentralized Physical Infrastructure (DePIN)

Decentralized Physical Infrastructure

Native tokens used for DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) protocols. DePIN use tokenization and cryptonetwork incentives to coordinate and fund the operations of the infrastructure projects (leverage tokens to crowdsource resources). DePIN projects have utility and governance tied to real-world processes and needs, such as IoT, compute, storage and more. This categorization emcompasses both physical resource networks and digital resource networks.

Example Protocols

Akash Network

AKT

Helium Network

HNT

Arweave

Virtual Private Network

Networks that provide a tool for establishing secure and encrypted connections over otherwise potentially insecure networks.

Example Protocols

ANyONe Protocol

anyone

Orchid

oxt

Sensor Networks

Crypto networks dedicated to the decentralized collection, transfer, and analysis of data from diverse sensors, serving industries like agriculture, healthcare, transportation, and more.

Example Protocols

Helium Network

HNT

IoTeX

IOTX

Hivemapper

Honey

Other (DePIN)

Miscellaneous decentralized physical/digital infrastructure network assets that don't directly fit into predefined categories but contribute uniquely to the DePIN ecosystem.

Example Protocols

solve

Computation

Cryptonetwork-based assets that facilitate decentralized computational power, enabling users to process data without relying on centralized computation providers.

Example Protocols

Fetch ai

FET

AIOZ Network

AIOZ

Akash Network

AKT

Storage

Assets that enable decentralized storage solutions, allowing users to securely store data across a distributed network without relying on traditional centralized storage providers.

Example Protocols

Filecoin

FIL

Arweave

Siacoin

Media, Arts & Entertainment

Native assets of metaverse, NFT, social networking, and gaming focused protocols. These tokens enable users to participate in virtual economies/ecosystems, purchase and trade unique digital assets (NFTs), and engage in immersive gaming experiences. They provide access to virtual real estate, digital collectibles, in-game items, and participation in governance decisions that shape the evolution of metaverse environments, NFT marketplaces, and gaming platforms.

Example Protocols

Immutable

IMX

Beam

Decentraland

mana

Metaverse

Platforms that facilitate a digital world experience.

Example Protocols

Decentraland

mana

The Sandbox

sand

ApeCoin

ape

Streaming Platform

Streaming Platforms

Platforms for accessing audio/visual media or required general streaming infrastructure.

Example Protocols

Audius

audio

NFT Infrastructure

Tools or platforms used to facilitate applications using NFTs.

Example Protocols

Enjin

enj

Gaming

Online games or services tied to games that leverage blockchains or blockchain-based assets.

Example Protocols

Immutable

IMX

Beam

Gala

Social Network

Social Networks

Platforms that facilitate the experience of a traditional social network on a blockchain or tools that enable the ownership of social data across external platforms.

Example Protocols

Mask Network

mask

Beam

Decentraland

mana

Fan Tokens & Collectibles

Tokens representing access rights to different loyalty-based communities.

Example Protocols

Chiliz

CHZ

Loyalty Program

Loyalty Programs

Applications that provide users with rewards for performing online tasks.

Advertising

Platforms that facilitate the distribution of advertising money between advertisers, publishers, and readers of online marketing content.

Example Protocols

Basic attention token

BAT

Other (Media, Arts & Entertainment)

Miscellaneous Media, Arts & Entertainment platforms that don't directly fit into predefined categories but contribute uniquely to the Media, Arts & Entertainment ecosystem.

Example Protocols

Wemix

Open Campus

EDU

Blockchain Utilities & Tools

Native assets within Blockchain Utilities & Tools category encompass cryptocurrencies that power specific utility-based protocols and middleware tools for blockchain ecosystem development. These tokens often serve as means of access, participation, and governance within their respective ecosystems. They fuel functionalities like smart contract execution, decentralized application deployment, and infrastructure development, contributing to the growth and expansion of the blockchain landscape.

Example Protocols

Wormhole

The Graph

GRT

Celestia

tia

Interoperability

Protocols that facilitate the arbitrary transmission of data, information or state across discrete blockchain networks, such as cross-chain communication protocols.

Example Protocols

Wormhole

Axelar

AXL

LayerZero

ZRO

Scalability & Performance

Protocols that provide services to blockchains that make them more performant or scalable, but do not natively handle transaction execution.

Example Protocols

Celestia

Tia

Eigenlayer

eigen

Avail

Privacy (Utilities & Tools)

Tools or protocols that provide privacy services to external blockchain or blockchain-like networks.

Example Protocols

Beldex

BDX

Developer Tools

Arbitrary tools that enable developers to build their own blockchains or add functionality to applications, such as APIs or SDK frameworks.

Example Protocols

Quant

QNT

Saga

Ankr Network

Ankr

Identity & Authentication

Platforms or services that provide pseudonymous or real-world identities to on-chain actors.

Example Protocols

Worldcoin

WLD

Ethereum Name Service

ENS

Wallets

Tokens issued by wallet service providers.

Example Protocols

Trust Wallet

TWT

Data & Analytics Provider

Data & Analytics Providers

Protocols that store or analyze blockchain-specific data, generating insights on blockchain data, and/or providing marketplaces for discrete sets of data.

Example Protocols

The Graph

GRT

JasmyCoin

Jasmy

Arkham

ARKM

DAO Creation / Management

Tools used for management or other services related to DAOs and on-chain communities.

Example Protocols

DeXe

Other (Blockchain Utilities & Tools)

Miscellaneous blockchain utilities & tools platforms that don't directly fit into predefined categories but contribute uniquely to the blockchain utilities & tools ecosystem.

Example Protocols

Jito

JTO

Centralized Finance (CeFi)

Centralized Finance

Native assets of CeFi platforms / applications, such as exchanges, payment solutions, on-ramp / off-ramp solutions and other traditional financial services.

Example Protocols

Cronos

CRO

Swissborg

BORG

KuCoin Token

KCS

Exchanges & Trading Platforms

Venues that allow for the buying and selling of digital assets in which a third party custodies funds.

Example Protocols

OKB

Gate.io

GATE

KuCoin Token

KCS

Payment Solution & On-ramp / Off-ramp

Services or platforms that facilitate the conversion and transfer of funds between traditional fiat currencies and digital assets.

Example Protocols

Coti

Other (Centralized Finance)

Miscellaneous centralized finance platforms that don't directly fit into predefined categories but contribute uniquely to the centralized finance ecosystem.

Stablecoins

Stablecoin

Tokens designed to maintain a stable value relative to a specific asset or a basket of asset. This category encompasses the three primary stablecoin configurations, fiat-backed, algorithmic, and crypto-backed.

Example Protocols

USD Tether

USDT

USD Circle

USDC

Ethena USDe

USDE

Spot / Swaps

ZK Rollup

Applications that allow for exchange of crypto assets or that allow for aggregation of swapping of assets.

Example Protocols

Uniswap

UNI

Raydium

RAY

Osmosis

OSMO

Derivatives

Options and futures markets, often employing leverage as a trading instrument.

Example Protocols

dYdX

Synthetix

SNX

Aevo

Prediction Market

Prediction Markets

Venues that allow for the trading/issuance of binary events that can be speculated on in future scenarios.

NFT Marketplace

NFT Marketplaces

Venues that allow for the buying and selling of non-fungible tokens.

Example Protocols

blur

apenft

nft

superrave

rare

Diversified Trading Platform

Diversified/Other Trading Platforms

Trading platforms that allow for exchanges of assets not covered in the other sub-categories specified within the trading platforms category.

Example Protocols

Rollbit

RLB

Vault

Applications that generate yield for users, often abstracting away the yield-generation strategy for the invested user.

Example Protocols

Mantrachain

Pendle

Yearn.finance

YFI

Liquid Staking

Protocols that enable end-users to tap into staking yields while also returning users a tokenized depository receipt of their staked amount.

Example Protocols

Lido DAO

LDO

Ether.fi

ETHFI

Rocket Pool

RPL

Crypto Based Lending Platform

Applications that allow for lending & borrowing in peer-to-peer pools for crypto-specific assets.

Example Protocols

Aave

Compound

Comp

JustLend

JST

Real World Asset lending platform

Real World Asset lending platforms

Applications that allow for lending & borrowing for real world assets, typically through an intermediary delegate.

Example Protocols

Creditcoin

CTC

Maple

MPL

Goldfinch

GFI

Bridge or Bridge Aggregator

Bridges & Bridge Aggregators

Protocols that allow users to move assets between separate blockchain systems.

Example Protocols

Threshold

Synapse

SYN

Oracle

Oracles

Protocols responsible for the validation of off-chain data into on-chain systems, typically used in DeFi contexts for asset price calculations.

Example Protocols

Chainlink

Link

Pyth Network

Pyth

UMA

Stablecoin System

Protocols that generate an asset tied to an existing currency such as the US dollar. However, the actual stablecoin itself would not fall under this section.

Example Protocols

Ethena

ENA

Ondo

ONDO

Maker

MKR

Security Token Platform

Security Token Platforms

Platforms that provide a venue for an on-chain secondary market for instruments that already have a legal structure in place.

Example Protocols

Polymesh

POLYX

Centrifuge

CFG

Launchpads & IDO Platform

Launchpads & IDO Platforms

Platforms that provide a venue for tokens to generate liquidity for their token genesis events.

Index Provider

Index Providers

Platforms that structure closely coupled asset categories into investable products.

File Storage

Application whose primary purpose is storing files in a decentralized manner, ensuring redundancy and availability through P2P networks.

Example Protocols

Filecoin

fil

Arweave

Siacoin

P2P Hosting

Protocols that leverage peer-to-peer networks to host websites and applications, distributing the hosting responsibility among nodes.

Example Protocols

BitTorrent

btt

Livepeer

LPT

Holo

hot

General Purpose Compute

Platforms that allow users to access and provide general computational resources for a broad range of tasks.

Example Protocols

Akash Network

AKT

Render Network

RENDER

Aethir

ATH

Specific Purpose Compute

Platforms dedicated to providing computational resources tailored for specific tasks or applications, distinct from general-purpose computing.

Example Protocols

Theta Network

THETA

Artificial Intelligence (DePIN)

Distributed platforms that provide decentralized machine learning and AI processing capabilities, including the sharing & provisioning of data sets for machine learning purposes.

Example Protocols

Bittensor

TAO

Fetch ai

FET

AIOZ Network

AIOZ

Mobility

Network-based assets related to movement and transportation, enabling decentralized solutions for tracking, navigation, and more.

Example Protocols

Hivemapper

honey

MVL

Wireless

Crypto network-based assets facilitating decentralized wireless connectivity, allowing devices to connect to networks without traditional centralized infrastructure.

Example Protocols

Helium Network

HNT

Helium Mobile

MOBILE

Dent

Geolocation

Platforms that offer geolocation services, providing real-time tracking and location-based solutions.

Example Protocols

XYO

Environmental

Platforms associated with sensor-based monitoring, influencing, or enhancing of environmental factors and conditions, such as air quality, pollution, or ecological conservation.

Energy

Network assets related to decentralized energy solutions, including peer-to-peer energy trading, renewable energy sourcing, and decentralized grid management.

Example Protocols

Powerledger

powr

Tech-Stack Classification

Our tech-stack classification describes the technological setup of a protocol connected to a digital asset. Multiple sub-levels help understand a protocol's or dApp's approach and capabilities which is essential for well-informed users and investors alike.

Application

A protocol or series of protocols that operates on a single or multiple blockchains but does not handle any of the functions of a blockchain platform or specialized utility layer itself

Example Protocols

Uniswap

UNI

Aave

Render Network

Render

Blockchain Network

Blockchain platforms that provide one or multiple of the following network services: execution, settlement, consensus or data availability.

Example Protocols

Bitcoin

btc

Solana

Sol

Optimism

Layer 0

Blockchain platforms that form the base infrastructure in blockchain ecosystems, functioning as both constructors and conduits for inter-chain interactions.

Example Protocols

Polkadot

Dot

Cosmos

Atom

Chainlink

Link

Layer 1

A blockchain platform on which applications can be built that has the ability to provide native execution, settlement, consensus and data availability

Example Protocols

Ethereum

ETH

SUI

Near

Layer 2

Platforms that offload the task of transaction execution from their respective layer-1 platforms to their own respective platform, while still utilizing the Layer 1's security structure

Example Protocols

Arbitrum

ARB

Optimism

Blast

Sidechain

Platforms that maintain their own consensus processes, state and bootstrap their own security but leverage Layer 1s for a variety of key features integral to their functionality

Example Protocols

Shiba Inu

Shib

Ronin

ron

BitTorrent

BTT

Specialized utility Layer

Specialized Utility Layer

Blockchain networks where validators earn through consensus-based computational contributions or where an application's service is intrinsically linked to its consensus mechanism, e.g., Arweave.

Example Protocols

Arweave

Avail

PoW

Blockchain networks where miners earn tokens by contributing computational resources during block creation, exemplified by Bitcoin.

Example Protocols

Bitcoin

BTC

dogecoin

doge

Litecoin

ltc

PoS

Blockchain networks where validators gain rewards by staking the platform's native token, as seen in Ethereum and Solana.

Example Protocols

BNB

Tron

TRX

Avalanche

avax

Hybrid /Other

Hybrid / Other (Layer 1)

Blockchain networks whose consensus mechanism is distinct from pure proof-of-work or proof-of-stake approaches, or is a combination of multiple consensus types

Example Protocols

XRP

Internet Computer

ICP

Stellar

XLM

Parachain

A uniform, application-specific data structure verifiable by Polkadot's Relay Chain validators.

Example Protocols

Astar

ASTR

Moonbeam

GLMR

OriginTrail

TRAC

Subnet

A self-governing network subset of Avalanche validators, ensuring consensus for multiple Avalanche blockchains, with each blockchain validated by a single Subnet.

Example Protocols

Beam

Ethereum Sidechain

A sidechain featuring a two-way bridge connection with Ethereum.

Example Protocols