CANTO Introduction

CANTO is a Layer-1 permissionless blockchain aimed at providing decentralized open financial infrastructure. It is built on the Cosmos SDK and fully compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), allowing seamless deployment of Ethereum smart contracts. With the core principle of 'Free Public Infrastructure' (FPI), CANTO is committed to establishing a rent-free financial ecosystem to ensure that all users have free access to core DeFi services.

CANTO adopts a unique approach by prioritizing decentralization, while abandoning traditional elements commonly found in blockchain projects, such as venture capital funding, presales, or private sales. This grassroots model emphasizes a community-centric concept, providing users with foundational DeFi services, including decentralized exchanges (DEX), lending markets, and stablecoin accounts.

Canto's core goal is to provide decentralized financial services as a public good. Unlike models that rely on third parties or for-profit entities, Canto builds the underlying DeFi infrastructure as a free and open-source public tool. The Canto team firmly believes that DeFi projects must break free from rent extraction models (such as charging high fees or setting admission barriers to profit) in order to achieve true independent operation. By establishing free public infrastructure, Canto eliminates the need for governance tokens and ensures that these services remain neutral, resilient, and open to all community members.

Canto's ecosystem is aimed at a wide range of decentralized finance user communities, including developers and ordinary users:

• DeFi enthusiasts and tradersCanto provides users with attractive options through zero-cost decentralized exchanges (DEX) and lending markets, avoiding the high cost issues in traditional services.
• Developers and builders: With its EVM compatibility and interoperability with the Cosmos ecosystem, CANTO provides an ideal environment for developers to deploy dApps and create projects in decentralized networks.
• Community-centered users: CANTO provides a platform for users who wish to participate in community governance and use transparent, decentralized infrastructure, freeing themselves from traditional financial constraints and centralized control.
• Institutions and projects seeking decentralized solutionsCanto provides infrastructure that focuses on accessibility and neutrality, enabling institutions and projects to build and deploy reliable, scalable, and cost-effective DeFi solutions on their network.

Mission and Vision

The core mission of CANTO is to provide basic decentralized finance (DeFi) infrastructure as Free Public Infrastructure (FPI). Unlike many DeFi projects that rely on fee-based models and proprietary systems for revenue, CANTO's philosophy is deeply rooted in the concept of public goods. This mission reflects a commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, ensuring that core financial services such as trading and lending are not affected by rent-seeking behavior, including high fees, access restrictions, and centralization control.

To achieve this goal, Canto has established an ecosystem that provides core DeFi services (such as decentralized exchanges (DEX), lending markets, and accounting unit tokens) in an open, transparent, and free manner to everyone. Canto has abandoned token-based governance mechanisms and instead focuses on providing neutral, non-exclusive infrastructure to prioritize meeting user needs, rather than pursuing profits. This decentralized infrastructure allows users to participate in a more open financial system that effectively resists market manipulation and monopolistic control.

Canto's vision is to create a decentralized and accessible financial ecosystem that reduces rent-seeking behavior by providing streamlined infrastructure. In Canto's view, rent-seeking behavior refers to intermediaries or service providers charging fees or setting restrictive rules for their own benefit, but at the expense of the broader community. This behavior is particularly harmful in the DeFi space, as high fees and exclusionary mechanisms not only hinder adoption, but also go against the core principles of openness and community-driven finance.

Canto's vision is to build an autonomous network to counter this trend by eliminating unnecessary intermediaries, costs, and centralized control points. Canto adopts a practicality-driven approach to replace the profit-driven model, ensuring that its financial services remain as cost-free and neutral as possible. This model aims to attract and support a diverse community, including developers, investors, and everyday users, so that everyone can benefit from this truly open and fair financial system.

By building an ecosystem based on these principles, Canto is committed to setting new standards in the DeFi field and providing an alternative to traditional finance and centralized DeFi models. With this vision, Canto aims to empower users worldwide and create a future where everyone has access to financial tools and opportunities. Regardless of users' backgrounds or resources, they can participate equally in this decentralized and community-driven framework.

Founder and Team

CANTO was initiated by a group of industry experts with deep experience in decentralized finance (DeFi), blockchain technology, and high-frequency trading. These important contributors include:

• Scott Lewis:AsDeFi PulseOne of the co-founders, Scott played a crucial role in the development of decentralized financial analysis and data platforms. He has made significant contributions to promoting an open and accessible financial ecosystem. His profound insights into the DeFi trend and analysis are essential for building platforms like Canto, which closely align with the concepts of public access and decentralization.
• Slingshot Crypto team:Slingshot CryptoIs a DeFi platform focused on providing users with real-time trading and analysis, with rich experience in developing user-centric and efficient DeFi tools. The Slingshot team's focus on the transparency and accessibility of financial tools is highly consistent with Canto's mission of 'Free Public Infrastructure' (FPI).
• Plex team member:PlexKnown for its expertise in high-frequency trading (HFT) and complex trading algorithms. The Plex team's expertise in high-speed trading and complex financial structures provides a solid technical foundation for Canto to build a powerful and efficient DeFi infrastructure, furthering the mission of creating a reliable, decentralized ecosystem.

Canto's core contributors possess diverse and complementary professional skills, covering areas such as blockchain development, DeFi protocol design, and high-frequency trading. As pioneers in the DeFi space, these founders and contributors have developed essential tools for the ecosystem, such as DeFi Pulse. With a deep understanding of blockchain technology and the DeFi market, they are able to accurately identify the limitations of the current financial system and design innovative solutions that break free from centralized control and rent extraction. This expertise has driven Canto to achieve high interoperability, enabling seamless integration with the Cosmos and Ethereum ecosystems.

The Plex team's expertise in high-frequency trading brings unique advantages to Canto. Their rich experience in handling large-scale, high-speed transactions plays a crucial role in ensuring the efficient operation of the Canto ecosystem, especially in decentralized exchanges and lending markets. The core principles of high-frequency trading guide Canto's development, helping the project achieve the optimal balance between security and speed, which is crucial for building a scalable DeFi network.

The history and origin of CANTO

From the beginning, CANTO founder decided to avoid the common traditional financing methods in blockchain projects, such as venture capital (VC) financing, presale or token lock-up period. This approach reflects CANTO's determination to remain independent from external influences, while ensuring that early stakeholders do not have disproportionate power or control over the project. Without the economic support of venture capital or private investors, CANTO's development relies entirely on the support and participation of the community, making it a naturally evolving, user-centric project.

Launched without presale, Canto creates a fair competitive environment for participants, allowing more people to have opportunities in the ecosystem without facing the competitive disadvantage of presale tokens. This structure reduces the risk of early investors exerting excessive influence on the project or manipulating token prices, which are more common in projects that rely on large initial funding. Canto's grassroots launch strategy encourages genuine community participation and strengthens its mission of providing decentralized financial services as a public good.

Canto's decentralized promise is deeply rooted in its foundational design and operational philosophy. Unlike projects that focus on profit or central control, Canto adopts a community-centric decentralized approach to create a Free Public Infrastructure (FPI) - accessible to anyone free of charge and without hidden costs. By abandoning traditional governance token mechanisms, Canto avoids common issues in voting governance where large or wealthy stakeholders may gain excessive influence. Instead, Canto focuses on providing neutral infrastructure, ensuring the platform's core DeFi services remain highly accessible and reliable.

This basic concept is in line with CANTO's larger vision: to create an inclusive financial system that evenly distributes decision-making power and authority among users, rather than concentrating it in the hands of a few. By eliminating venture capital, private sales, and token lock-ups, CANTO effectively reduces the influence of large stakeholders who often prioritize personal interests over the platform's long-term sustainability and accessibility.

By adopting this community-driven approach, Canto embodies the fundamental principles of blockchain technology: decentralization, transparency, and equal access. It is committed to building a fair and open financial ecosystem, positioning itself as a project that focuses on serving users rather than external interests, while further reinforcing its mission to provide decentralized financial infrastructure as a public utility tool.