CCID is a research institute working for the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. A few months ago, they started publishing the Public Blockchain Technology Assessment Index (GPBTAI), a ranking of permissionless blockchains. The index tracks 33 different blockchains, using three broad categories (technology, application and innovation) to produce a final score.

Once again, the institute ranked EOS as the top blockchain network. CCID seems to be giving priority to platform blockchains over coins designed to act as currencies – in the top 10, Bitcoin is the only blockchain not designed to host smart contracts and DApps. Bitcoin did, however, receive the best score for “innovation”, which is not too surprising given that it was the first application of blockchain technology. BTC also jumped up in the rankings compared to July, as it was ranked 17th in the July rankings.

Ethereum, which took second place, received the highest score in the “application” category. Komodo, Nebulas and NEO completed the top 5.

No major technical developments have happened with Bitcoin or the cryptocurrency and blockchain sector in the past 30 days. Bitcoin did, however, perform better than the vast majority of other top 100 coins in the last 30 days in terms of price, which could have influenced the ranking.

EOS got 104.3 points in the category of technology, which was the highest score among all the ranked blockchains. Its blockchain can handle a very strong throughput (its all-time TPS record is currently 3,972), but the design has been criticized for insufficient decentralization.

Out of Touch?

How much weight should we give these rankings? When it comes to choosing which blockchain is best for the average user or developer, probably not too much. It is interesting to see, however, how a research institution backed by the Chinese government views the blockchain space and what kind of platforms and technologies they prioritize.

On a more positive note, the rankings look like they are improving somewhat – in the first edition of the rankings, which was published in May, we were baffled by the institute’s decision to give the exact same total score to Bitcoin and Verge, a cryptocurrency which has had numerous vulnerabilities successfully exploited by attackers.