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ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) regulations for crypto assets aim to address their environmental impact (e.g., energy-intensive mining), promote transparency, and ensure ethical governance practices to align the crypto industry with broader sustainability and societal goals. These regulations encourage compliance with standards that mitigate risks and foster trust in digital assets.
| Name | Bitpanda Asset Management GmbH, Bitpanda GmbH |
| Relevant legal entity identifier | 9845005X9B7N610K0093, 5493007WZ7IFULIL8G21 |
| Name of the crypto-asset | PowerPool |
| Consensus Mechanism | PowerPool is present on the following networks: ethereum, gnosis_chain. The Ethereum network uses a Proof-of-Stake Consensus Mechanism to validate new transactions on the blockchain. Core Components 1. Validators: Validators are responsible for proposing and validating new blocks. To become a validator, a user must deposit (stake) 32 ETH into a smart contract. This stake acts as collateral and can be slashed if the validator behaves dishonestly. 2. Beacon Chain: The Beacon Chain is the backbone of Ethereum 2.0. It coordinates the network of validators and manages the consensus protocol. It is responsible for creating new blocks, organizing validators into committees, and implementing the finality of blocks. Consensus Process 1. Block Proposal: Validators are chosen randomly to propose new blocks. This selection is based on a weighted random function (WRF), where the weight is determined by the amount of ETH staked. 2. Attestation: Validators not proposing a block participate in attestation. They attest to the validity of the proposed block by voting for it. Attestations are then aggregated to form a single proof of the block’s validity. 3. Committees: Validators are organized into committees to streamline the validation process. Each committee is responsible for validating blocks within a specific shard or the Beacon Chain itself. This ensures decentralization and security, as a smaller group of validators can quickly reach consensus. 4. Finality: Ethereum 2.0 uses a mechanism called Casper FFG (Friendly Finality Gadget) to achieve finality. Finality means that a block and its transactions are considered irreversible and confirmed. Validators vote on the finality of blocks, and once a supermajority is reached, the block is finalized. 5. Incentives and Penalties: Validators earn rewards for participating in the network, including proposing blocks and attesting to their validity. Conversely, validators can be penalized (slashed) for malicious behavior, such as double-signing or being offline for extended periods. This ensures honest participation and network security. Gnosis Chain – Consensus Mechanism Gnosis Chain employs a dual-layer structure to balance scalability and security, using Proof of Stake (PoS) for its core consensus and transaction finality. Core Components: Two-Layer Structure Layer 1: Gnosis Beacon Chain The Gnosis Beacon Chain operates on a Proof of Stake (PoS) mechanism, acting as the security and consensus backbone. Validators stake GNO tokens on the Beacon Chain and validate transactions, ensuring network security and finality. Layer 2: Gnosis xDai Chain Gnosis xDai Chain processes transactions and dApp interactions, providing high-speed, low-cost transactions. Layer 2 transaction data is finalized on the Gnosis Beacon Chain, creating an integrated framework where Layer 1 ensures security and finality, and Layer 2 enhances scalability. Validator Role and Staking Validators on the Gnosis Beacon Chain stake GNO tokens and participate in consensus by validating blocks. This setup ensures that validators have an economic interest in maintaining the security and integrity of both the Beacon Chain (Layer 1) and the xDai Chain (Layer 2). Cross-Layer Security Transactions on Layer 2 are ultimately finalized on Layer 1, providing security and finality to all activities on the Gnosis Chain. This architecture allows Gnosis Chain to combine the speed and cost efficiency of Layer 2 with the security guarantees of a PoS-secured Layer 1, making it suitable for both high-frequency applications and secure asset management. |
| Incentive Mechanisms and Applicable Fees | PowerPool is present on the following networks: ethereum, gnosis_chain. Ethereum, particularly after transitioning to Ethereum 2.0 (Eth2), employs a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism to secure its network. The incentives for validators and the fee structures play crucial roles in maintaining the security and efficiency of the blockchain. Incentive Mechanisms 1. Staking Rewards: Validator Rewards: Validators are essential to the PoS mechanism. They are responsible for proposing and validating new blocks. To participate, they must stake a minimum of 32 ETH. In return, they earn rewards for their contributions, which are paid out in ETH. These rewards are a combination of newly minted ETH and transaction fees from the blocks they validate. Reward Rate: The reward rate for validators is dynamic and depends on the total amount of ETH staked in the network. The more ETH staked, the lower the individual reward rate, and vice versa. This is designed to balance the network's security and the incentive to participate. 2. Transaction Fees: Base Fee: After the implementation of Ethereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 1559, the transaction fee model changed to include a base fee that is burned (i.e., removed from circulation). This base fee adjusts dynamically based on network demand, aiming to stabilize transaction fees and reduce volatility. Priority Fee (Tip): Users can also include a priority fee (tip) to incentivize validators to include their transactions more quickly. This fee goes directly to the validators, providing them with an additional incentive to process transactions efficiently. 3. Penalties for Malicious Behavior: Slashing: Validators face penalties (slashing) if they engage in malicious behavior, such as double-signing or validating incorrect information. Slashing results in the loss of a portion of their staked ETH, discouraging bad actors and ensuring that validators act in the network's best interest. Inactivity Penalties: Validators also face penalties for prolonged inactivity. This ensures that validators remain active and engaged in maintaining the network's security and operation. Fees Applicable on the Ethereum Blockchain 1. Gas Fees: Calculation: Gas fees are calculated based on the computational complexity of transactions and smart contract executions. Each operation on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) has an associated gas cost. Dynamic Adjustment: The base fee introduced by EIP-1559 dynamically adjusts according to network congestion. When demand for block space is high, the base fee increases, and when demand is low, it decreases. 2. Smart Contract Fees: Deployment and Interaction: Deploying a smart contract on Ethereum involves paying gas fees proportional to the contract's complexity and size. Interacting with deployed smart contracts (e.g., executing functions, transferring tokens) also incurs gas fees. Optimizations: Developers are incentivized to optimize their smart contracts to minimize gas usage, making transactions more cost-effective for users. 3. Asset Transfer Fees: Token Transfers: Transferring ERC-20 or other token standards involves gas fees. These fees vary based on the token's contract implementation and the current network demand. The Gnosis Chain’s incentive and fee models encourage both validator participation and network accessibility, using a dual-token system to maintain low transaction costs and effective staking rewards. Incentive Mechanisms: Staking Rewards for Validators GNO Rewards: Validators earn staking rewards in GNO tokens for their participation in consensus and securing the network. Delegation Model: GNO holders who do not operate validator nodes can delegate their GNO tokens to validators, allowing them to share in staking rewards and encouraging broader participation in network security. Dual-Token Model GNO: Used for staking, governance, and validator rewards, GNO aligns long-term network security incentives with token holders’ economic interests. xDai: Serves as the primary transaction currency, providing stable and low-cost transactions. The use of a stable token (xDai) for fees minimizes volatility and offers predictable costs for users and developers. Applicable Fees: Transaction Fees in xDai Users pay transaction fees in xDai, the stable fee token, making costs affordable and predictable. This model is especially suited for high-frequency applications and dApps where low transaction fees are essential. xDai transaction fees are redistributed to validators as part of their compensation, aligning their rewards with network activity. Delegated Staking Rewards Through delegated staking, GNO holders can earn a share of staking rewards by delegating their tokens to active validators, promoting user participation in network security without requiring direct involvement in consensus operations. |
| Beginning of the period | 2024-01-30 |
| End of the period | 2025-01-30 |
| Energy consumption | 281.98951 (kWh/a) |