Gnosis is a decentralised infrastructure project operating within the Ethereum ecosystem. It focuses on providing a secure, resilient, and decentralised Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) Layer 1 network. Gnosis includes several projects such as Gnosis Chain and GnosisDAO, aiming to make decentralised financial tools more accessible.
Gnosis works by leveraging Ethereum's blockchain to create a three-layered architecture: Core Layer, Service Layer, and Applications Layer. It uses smart contracts for prediction markets and employs the Olympia, an off-chain Oracle system, to validate data. Gnosis operates with a Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism on the Gnosis Chain, where validators secure the network by staking GNO tokens.
Gnosis has a wide range of use cases. It supports decentralised finance (DeFi) by enabling platforms for trading, lending, and borrowing. Its prediction markets allow for speculation on events ranging from sports to elections. Additionally, Gnosis supports decentralised governance through GnosisDAO and offers tools such as Gnosis Safe for secure asset management. The platform also facilitates the development of decentralised applications (dApps).
Gnosis was founded in 2015 by Martin Köppelmann and Stefan George. It raised $12.5 million in a 2017 ICO. Over the years, Gnosis developed several products, including Gnosis Safe and the Conditional Token Framework for prediction markets. Notably, Gnosis merged with xDai Chain in 2021, forming Gnosis Chain. Recent developments include the spinoff of Gnosis Safe into SafeDAO.