---
title: IOP Community Report 2020.12.31
weblogName: IOP Global Community
postDate: 2020-12-31T14:15:32.2163211+01:00
date: 2020-12-31T14:15:32.2163211+01:00
author: Markus Maiwald
---

# IOP Community Report 2020 Q4

:::info
:bulb: **Reminder**: Our goal for 2021 is to become the _de facto_ easiest and cheapest open-source standard for gatekeeper-free DID & SSI solutions. Our key selling points include state of the art crypto features with the lowest barriers of entry.
:::

###### tags: `IOP` `community report` `2020`

## :memo: Introduction

For many of us, this has been an exceptional year with lots of ups and downsides. This report will try to give you some insight into the achievements and obstacles of our small, but dedicated team. Let's start with our obstacles so that we can finish boasting about our accomplishments.

Similar to most of you, we had to switch those nice and efficient one-on-one meetings for endless hours of video calls. But the main obstacle stemmed from the bureaucracy imposed upon us from the same system that we try to disrupt. The delays caused by the administration and paperwork due to government institutions were endless. Additionally, legal departments reduced their work time due to the health crisis, so even the things that should go smooth took more time.

Nevertheless, by the end of 2020, we are proud of our achievements and our agility to take up challenges effectively. We hit all our goals for this year and now we can look back to a successful year with a lot of improvement to the IOP Stack(tm). Of course, this is not an argument of being content with the current state. Instead, we can motivate ourselves to do even better and disrupt even more by looking back at our accomplishments of 2020.

### Accomplishments

- [x] We have grown the IOP Stack to a remarkable size
- [x] The IOP Stack is production-ready
- [x] We have designed the first SDKs in Typescript and Flutter.
- [x] We have expanded the Hydra Blockchain with SSI and DNS features
- [x] We have released the innovative and convenient Hydra web wallet
- [x] We have added Keystore file generation/authentication to the web wallet
- [x] We have added mnemonic generation/authentication to the web wallet
- [x] We have added voting for delegates to this wallet
- [x] The whole infrastructure automatically builds and deploys which improves the quality of our updates
- [x] We have completed the full SDK in Typescript
- [x] We have developed a keyvault, which will become a very important piece of the future stack
- [ ] With some minor adaptions, this can be made blockchain independent.
- [x] We have hired a promising developer, David De Troch, who is committed to become a new core developer in the IOP Project.
- [x] We have released the first part of the developer introduction videos that explain our stack
- [x] We have integrated DID/SSI into the blockexplorer - Claims made and DIDs created can be publicly verified by the community
- [x] We have integrated DNS into the blockexplorer - Schemas and domains can be registered and publicly verified by the community
- [x] Last, but not least: we have published a developer portal that contains the (SDK) documentation plus tons of tutorials

### Pipeline(next few Months)
- [ ] Public MVP for a product concerning SSI
- [ ] Official MVP for a product concerning digital asset ownership
- [ ] An official joint venture with a German company

We announce them as soon as we can. We need to wait until everything is complete and thoroughly tested. Concerning the joint venture, we have to ensure that all the details are finalized. Until then, stay tuned and watch our telegram channel for news soon!:rocket:

## IOP reporting for duty

We are proud to announce that the underlying SSI/DID infrastructure is production-ready.
We arrived at a point where businesses can start to build apps and services on top of our stack. Projects with concrete ideas about a KYC or an identity solution should check out our technology.
Compare our possibilities and costs with other platforms and we are confident about (y)our future!
On top, you can apply for building a common joint venture or request for support how to integrate the stack to your ecosystem. Just get in touch with us!

A common problem with today's crypto is usability. This is improving at a steady pace. At IOP we integrated a [decentralized DNS system](https://letstalkbitcoin.com/blog/post/decentralized-dns-intro), which enables high-reputation actors to name wallets or record the data formats and workflows they use to increase discoverability, transparency and gain trust in the ecosystem.
In English: Wallet addresses, DID contracts can become human readable names like a website address is being read from a browser.

This year we are going to work with Morpheus on an open-source flagship app that incorporates our state-of-the-art features. This makes it easier for teams to start implementing solutions. They do not have to start from ground zero, instead, they have a worked-out example to go by. Additionally, we will gain experience with what we built and gain ideas for further features and improvements.

If you work in identity and access management and you are trying to transform to Industry 4.0, you should talk to us and try our framework out! We are helpful and glad to support everybody with knowledge transfer or joint ventures.

## New Year's resolutions

Building the whole IOP Stack will take time. In the meantime, the goal is to become profitable with our existing portfolio, so that we can ensure the future of our business and lead in the privacy space. This can only happen with healthy and mutually beneficial partnerships. It is time for IOP to leave its comfort zone and look for applications that provide concrete value to its customers and partners alike.

Currently, [Non-Fungible Tokens](https://decrypt.co/resources/non-fungible-tokens-nfts-explained-guide-learn-blockchain) (NFT) are becoming a hot topic in crypto. Our goal is to combine it with our existing stack and DeFi to create a completely new ecosystem. One year should be enough to try to make this unique combination ready for prime time in 2021 Q4. Combining NFT with SSI is a Unique Selling Proposition that as far as we are aware no other project currently has on the radar or is advanced enough to be able to compete in 2022.

Our dedicated team currently consists of experts, veterans, and one newcomer on the block. Behind the team, there is huge support from the community and the delegates. So we thank you all for keeping us company during our ups and downs! As our previous points have laid out, our ambitions are as high as ever. Therefore, another resolution is to expand our team with more fresh blood and energy. This is a necessary step for us to grow and achieve our goals. Ideally, this should also be reflected in the community. We would like to reach out to you! Spread word about our mission to find potential partners, business ideas, or new members for our community. We are confident that this will benefit all!

## BONUS: Cool ways to enter the IOP ecosystem!

**1. Become a delegate**

IOP is made possible by the underlying ecosystem of delegates. These delegates secure the system by processing transactions and earn rewards paid out in Hydra. This is a cool experience with a helpful community, so if you're interested in participating, check out [this link](https://iop.global/become-a-delegate/).

Hydra is currently listed on EU-regulated exchanges, where it can be freely traded. We are very pleased to announce that our delegates committed to not sell off their Hydra tokens to safeguard the stability of the network! This would not have been possible if they didn't believe in the long-term success of the project.

**2. Buy Hydra's and start voting**

You can buy Hydra tokens from [STEX](https://app.stex.com/en/trade/pair/USDT/HYD) (other exchanges will follow) and vote on delegates. This can be set-up in a couple of minutes in our web wallet, after which you can start earning rewards for voting of up to 17% APY.

**3. Useful Links**

The links below are useful to find more information about our technology and products.
* [Official IOP Website](https://iop.global/)
* [Developer's Portal](https://developer.iop.global/)
* [Telegram Channel](https://t.me/IoPofficial)
* [Hydra Webwallet](https://wallet.iop.global/)
* [Hydra Blockchain Explorer](https://hydra.iop.global/)
* [Hydra Reward Calculator](https://hydracalculator.online/)

:::info
:bulb: **Hint:** Developers and CTO's should start right away with a deep-dive into our technology at :arrow_right: https://developer.iop.global
Don't forget to get in touch with our developers through github or send us an email, we gladly assist and give you the right hints where to start!
:::

To your freedom,
Markus, Dieter, Sándor, Attila, István and David