Karura (KAR) is an all-in-one decentralized finance (DeFi) platform that allows users to swap, borrow, lend, earn, and more with minimal transaction fees. The Karura platform is scalable and allows developers to create decentralized applications (DApp). Karura protocol is designed to operate as a DeFi hub on the Kusama—a multi-chain network for radical innovation.

As per the whitepaper, the Karura protocol is a parachain on the Kusama network serving as the experimental network for sister network Acala. Parachains are the individual blockchains running parallel within the Polkadot and Kusama ecosystems on their network. The Karura platform seeks to evolve as the proving ground for protocol upgrades and a place to experiment with new DeFi protocols and on-chain governance. The Karura platform aims to push the boundaries of what’s possible by launching on Kusama, offering the Acala foundation team a platform to launch new financial ideas.

Additionally, the Karura platform seeks to access Kusama’s plug-and-play security while also benefiting from high-capacity processing speeds, gas prices, and interoperability across numerous networks that are eventually connected to the Polkadot network. The Karura network aims to deliver decentralized financial products and stable assets to Kusama’s networks.

The Karura platform has KAR as the native utility token powering the DeFi hub of Kusama. The KAR token is used to pay for micro gas expenses and execute smart contracts. KAR is also used as a governance token that empowers the community to vote, elect council members, and drive the Karura development. 

Acala Foundation launched the Karura network in 2019. As mentioned on the platform’s website, Bette Chen, Bryan Chen, and 0xThreeBody are the founders of the Karura platform.

KAR has a maximum total supply of 100,000,000 tokens.