Counterparty

About Counterparty

Counterparty (XCP) is a protocol for creating and trading user-defined digital assets directly on the Bitcoin blockchain. Launched in 2014, it predates Ethereum and was among the first platforms to enable asset issuance without a separate blockchain. Counterparty embeds data into Bitcoin transactions, inheriting its security and decentralization. It supports features like asset creation, peer-to-peer trading, and dividend distribution in BTC. While largely overshadowed by Ethereum's ERC-20 standard over time, Counterparty remains relevant for projects that require deep integration with Bitcoin and its established ecosystem.