10 things every Blockchain Whitepaper must have
A whitepaper is a detailed document that outlines the technical & business aspects of a Blockchain project.
A whitepaper is a detailed document that outlines the technical & business aspects of a Blockchain project. It should:
be clear, concise & easy to understand, and should not have too much technical jargon or overly complex language.
be transparent & honest about the project's goals, progress, risks & challenges.
be clear about the token distribution mechanism, token price, and distribution of funds.
provide a detailed plan for the use of funds and how they will be used to achieve the project's goals.
Essential information
Executive Summary:
Provide a simple non-technical summary of the Project
Date of issue
Contact information
Problem & Solutions:
Describe the problem(s) that the project aims to solve.
Outline the solution(s) that the project offers to address the problem(s).
Use Cases & Competitive Landscape:
Describe in detail the various use cases for the project and how it addresses the problem it sets out to solve.
Describe the project's competition and how it differentiates itself from other projects in the same field.
Team, Advisors & Partnerships:
Introduce the team behind the project, including their backgrounds and qualifications.
Introduce the project's advisors.
Mention any partnerships the project has formed with other companies & organizations.
Community: Outline the project's plans for community engagement & development, including forums, social media & other communication channels.
Technology:
Describe the technical aspects of the project - e.g. consensus mechanism, technology architecture, smart contract functionality, frameworks used, technology stack, etc.
Provide relevant links, resources, documentation, and a glossary of technical terms and acronyms used.
Token
Token Issuance & Allocation: Mention the supply & other metrics and explain how tokens will be distributed e.g. airdrop, ICO, reverse ICO, IEO, IDO, DAICO, ETO, STO, SAFT, pre-sale, public sale, etc. Also, mention the restrictions on the free transferability of the tokens - vesting dates, etc.
Token Emission: Explain the ongoing process of creating and releasing new tokens into circulation e.g. through mining, staking, etc.
Token Utility: Explain how the token will be used within the ecosystem and the various use cases it will have e.g. incentivizing users, securing the network, medium of exchange, etc.
Token standard: Mention the token standard used for the project e.g. ERC-20, BEP-20, etc.
Token lockup: Outline any token lockup or vesting periods for the team or early investors.
Token listing: Mention the exchange or platforms where the token will be listed.
Token price & method of payment: Mention the token price during the sale or distribution mechanism.
Distribution of funds: Explain how the funds raised during the token sale will be used and what percentage will go to development, operations, marketing & other expenses.
Regulatory & Compliance
Legal structure: Explain the legal structure of the project - e.g. it is a foundation, company, decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), etc.
Legal compliance: Outline the legal considerations & compliance requirements including those related to:
White-listing & Know Your Customer (KYC),
Anti-money Laundering (AML),
Countering the Financing of Terrorism procedures (CFT),
Data Privacy,
Consumer Protection,
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).
Security
Auditing: Mention the names and links of third-party auditing or security assessments performed on the project's code or smart contracts.
Cyber security safeguards: Describe the measures taken to protect the project, wallets, etc against cyber threats.
Future Development & Roadmap: Outline the project's plans for future development, including any planned upgrades, partnerships & integrations.