Aptos is one of the fastest blockchain that emerged from Meta's (formerly Facebook) abandoned web3 project. It is developed by Aptos Labs, a web3 startup that focuses on building a scalable layer-1 blockchain. The project is spearheaded by Mo Shaikh and Avery Ching, both of whom are former Meta engineers. Aptos is not a fresh venture; its roots trace back to the Diem blockchain, Meta's initiative that was abandoned. This gives Aptos a robust foundation to build upon.

Aptos is designed to be a scalable Proof-of-Stake Layer 1 blockchain that employs Move, a unique smart contract programming language. This language, which was independently developed by Meta, emphasizes safety and flexibility. The Aptos blockchain uses a combination of parallel transaction processing and the Move smart contract language to achieve a theoretical transaction throughput of over 160,000 transactions per second.

In September 2022, Aptos received a strategic investment from Binance Labs. As a result, the company's valuation soared to US$4 billion.

Whitepaper: https://github.com/aptos-labs/aptos-core/blob/main/developer-docs-site/static/papers/whitepaper.pdf

Official website: https://aptosfoundation.org/

Aptos stands out due to its unique approach to transaction processing. Unlike many high-profile blockchains like Bitcoin and Ethereum, which process transactions sequentially, Aptos processes all transactions simultaneously. This means that a single failed transaction won't stall the entire chain. Instead, all transactions are processed at once and validated afterward. Failed transactions are aborted and re-executed. This is made possible through their STM (software transactional memory) libraries, which detect and manage conflicts.

The Aptos network is designed to leverage all available physical resources to process numerous transactions simultaneously. This results in higher network throughput and faster transaction speeds, leading to reduced costs and an enhanced experience for blockchain users.

Aptos also offers a unique smart contract execution model. It uses cloud infrastructure as a scalable and cost-efficient platform for building widely-used applications. This approach enables DeFi projects to be built on its blockchain, with over 50 DeFi projects already active in the ecosystem.

APT is the native token of the Aptos platform. At the moment, there are 219.33 million APT tokens in circulation.It serves multiple purposes:

- Transaction and Network Fees: APT is used to pay for transaction and network fees on Aptos. Validators prioritize higher-value transactions and can discard lower-value ones, ensuring efficient operation even when the system is at capacity.

- Governance: APT can be used for governance voting on protocol upgrades and various on/off-chain processes.

- Securing the Blockchain: APT is used in a proof-of-stake model. Validators holding a minimum number of staked APT tokens can participate in transaction validation on the Aptos blockchain. Stakers can select validators to stake their tokens with and receive a pre-agreed split of the rewards.

As the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector continues to flourish, the emergence of blockchains like Aptos holds significant implications for the world of finance. Given its rapid transaction speeds and high throughput, Aptos is poised to handle financial processes that traditionally take banking systems longer durations and higher costs.

- Financial Inclusion: With its special infrastructure, Aptos can help bring financial services to the unbanked population, granting them access to loans, insurance, and savings products without the need for traditional intermediaries. This, in turn, can spur economic growth in regions that have been underserved by the traditional financial system.

- Cost Efficiency: Financial institutions are always on the lookout for ways to streamline their operations and cut down on costs. Aptos's unique transaction processing approach can potentially offer banks and financial service providers a more cost-effective means to process large volumes of transactions.

- Improved Liquidity in DeFi: As mentioned, over 50 DeFi projects are active on Aptos's blockchain. The rapid transaction times and high throughput of Aptos could stimulate more liquidity in these projects, leading to a more vibrant DeFi ecosystem.

- Cross-border Transactions: Traditional cross-border transactions can be costly and time-consuming. With Aptos's scalability and rapid processing speeds, it could become a preferred platform for international transfers, thereby reducing fees and wait times for businesses and individuals alike.

- Increased Transparency: Blockchains, in general, are lauded for their transparency, and Aptos is no exception. Financial operations conducted on Aptos are transparent, which can result in reduced fraud and improved trust among stakeholders in the financial sector.

In conclusion, Aptos is a promising blockchain that offers unique features and capabilities. Its foundation in the abandoned Diem project, combined with its innovative approach to transaction processing and smart contract execution, positions it as a potential leader in the blockchain space.