Ampera, previously known as AMP Token, is a grassroots payments initiative, anchored by the AMP collateral token. AMP is also the foundational collateral for Flexa Network. ^[1][2][9]

Overview

Founded in 2018 by Trevor Filter, Zachary Kilgore, and Tyler Spalding, Amp is a digital collateral token designed to facilitate efficient value transfer, especially for use cases that prioritize security and irreversibility. As collateral, Amp insures the value of any transfer while it remains unconfirmed. ^[3]

Amp tokens used as collateral are generally released when consensus for a particular transfer is achieved, making them available to collateralize another transfer. If consensus is not achieved for the transfer, the Amp collateral can instead be liquidated to cover losses. Amp facilitates effective, verifiable assurances for any pending or future value transfer so that any actions dependent on the transfer can proceed without delay.^[4]

Flexa, a payments network, is the first use case of Amp's features as a collateral token. The Flexa Capacity contract is a collateral manager that uses Amp to collateralize the payments of merchant locations across the US and Canada. Users stake Amp in exchange for rewards funded by the merchant fees. ^[3][2][7]

AMP Token

The AMP token contract was created in 2020 by Flexa and Consensys. It is deployed on the Ethereum blockchain as an ERC-20 token. It is also available on Solana (SOL) and NEAR Protocol. ^[4][6][8]

“The new Amp token demonstrates Flexa’s unrelenting commitment to DeFi and to building new technologies that will democratize access to payments for people all over the world,” - said Tyler Spalding, CEO of Flexa. “Our team has been developing Amp and its capabilities for the better half of a year, and the collateral partitions and managers at the core of the new standard implement Ethereum-based technologies that have never been deployed at this scale.”^[6]

Ampera Foundation

Launched in February 2023, the Ampera Foundation is an independent organization that operates as a not-for-profit, with an initial donation of AMP tokens from Flexa Network, Inc. ^[5]

“After years of hard work and diligence, Flexa is delighted at the launch of the Ampera Foundation, and very pleased to support its mission with a founding donation. Alongside all of the other projects integrating with Ampera and its protocols, we look forward to the Foundation’s stewardship in the years to come.” — Daniel McCabe, Co-Founder/CEO, Flexa^[5]

The Ampera Foundation exclusively supports the continued development of open-source software on public, decentralized blockchains. Accordingly, all AMP trademarks and intellectual property will be forever released to the public domain. ^[5]

In February 2024, the Ampera Foundation introduced an update for Ampera alongside another project called Anvil. ^[9]

"This strategic decision stems directly from listening to community feedback, and our long-term commitment to best support the crypto ecosystem." - the team said^[9]

The Ampera project was updated to become a grassroots payments initiative, anchored by the AMP collateral token. AMP remains the foundational collateral for Flexa, and Ampera continues to support projects committed to decentralizing transaction risk. ^[9]

Anvil is a collateral protocol for issuing digital letters of credit, governed by the ANVL token. The core Anvil contracts have been audited to ensure high standards of security and reliability. To provide a more immediate opportunity for integrations, Anvil has been deployed on a private testnet. ^[9]