The Polkadot white paper was written just over three years ago; we couldn’t be more excited to announce the next step in Polkadot’s evolution to become a live, decentralized network.

Individuals and entities that hold allocations of dots – Polkadot’s native token that enables access to the protocol’s features – can now take the first step to prepare for Polkadot’s launch in the coming months.

Unsure if you have dots? You can verify your claim using the Ethereum address checking tool. Next, dot holders can generate a Polkadot address, connect their dot allocation on Ethereum with their Polkadot address, and claim their dots via our new Polkadot claims website. Please note that this website is only for dot holders with Ethereum-based dot allocation indicator tokens.

Dot holders have four options to claim their dots:

Coinbase Custody (read about our partnership with Coinbase here) Polkadot.js browser plug-in Subkey Polkadot.js user-interface.

The ability to create Polkadot addresses and claim dots via the Polkadot claims website is the first step in Polkadot’s rollout. In later stages, dot holders will be able to stake their dots, participate in governance, and build and use parachains.

For questions on the claims process, please email dots@web3.foundation or join our Riot room.

If you are interested in acquiring dots to enable access to Polkadot’s features, please sign up for our newsletter to learn about future distributions.

About Polkadot

Polkadot is a scalable sharded chain and the first protocol that provides a secure environment for cross-chain composability of applications and protocols across multiple shards.

By parallelizing transactions, Polkadot solves major scalability issues that have thus far hampered blockchain development. Polkadot also introduces a highly advanced, open governance system that will allow the network to innovate and grow at a much more rapid pace than legacy networks. Applications from decentralized finance and energy to gaming and communications will thrive on Polkadot, challenging the centralized platforms of Web 2.0. Polkadot is the first initiative spearheaded by Web3 Foundation. For more information visit polkadot.network.

About Web3 Foundation

Web3 Foundation funds research and development teams building the stack of technologies that form the basis of the decentralized web. It was established in Zug, Switzerland by Ethereum co-founder and former chief technology officer Dr. Gavin Wood. For more information visit web3.foundation.

About Coinbase Custody

With $7.5 billion in assets under custody and more than 250 clients, Coinbase Custody is the largest and most trusted institutional crypto custodian. Launched in 2018, Coinbase Custody offers clients access to the secure, institutional-grade offline storage solution that has been used by Coinbase’s exchange business since 2012. Coinbase Custody is an independent, NYDFS-regulated entity built on Coinbase’s crypto-first DNA, offering the most sophisticated and reliable custody solution in the world. For more information visit custody.coinbase.com.

Read the full press release here.