Input Output Global

Based in Hong Kong, Input Output Global (IOG) was formed by Charles Hoskinson (Founder of the Cardano blockchain) and Jeremy Wood. The company researches, engineers, and develops blockchain infrastructure for governments as well as the public and private sector. As of November 2022, the company had 400+ employees working across remote locations around the world.

IOG was contracted by the Cardano blockchain to design, build, and maintain the Cardano network. It also developed Plutus, Cardano’s smart contract language, as well as Marlow, an open-source language and product suite designed to streamline the creation of financial smart contracts on Cardano.

It also launched a sidechain called Midnight , for the Cardano network in November 2022, with its own native token – Dust. The network aims to preserve the privacy of users; however, it will grant access to regulators and auditors a backdoor into the system if required. The company also provides a toolkit for developers to create custom sidechains on Cardano that are also EVM compatible. The company also launched Lace, a Web3 wallet for the Cardano network, through which users can purchase and manage NFTs and access dApps and DeFi services.

The company also developed a self-sovereign identity (SSI) platform called Atala Prism deployed on the Cardano network. This provides consumers complete control over how their personal data is used and accessed, with data shared with other persons or organizations via secure, private, peer-to-peer communication channels. Governments can use it to issue digital identities to provide people with access to government services, while companies can use it to onboard new customers while lowering compliance risks and expenses.