Kusama, often called "Polkadot's wild cousin," is an experimental blockchain platform designed to offer a scalable and interoperable framework for developers. Built using Substrate, a blockchain development toolkit by Parity Technologies, Kusama shares much of its codebase with Polkadot but operates independently. It serves as a testing ground for developers who want to innovate, deploy, and refine their blockchain projects before launching on Polkadot. However, many projects choose to remain on Kusama due to its lower barriers to entry and fast-paced environment, making it a hub for early-stage startups and experimental applications.

Kusama operates on a multichain, heterogeneously-sharded architecture powered by a nominated proof-of-stake (NPoS) consensus mechanism. This system enables rapid on-chain upgrades without the need for forks and supports cross-chain message passing (XCMP), allowing seamless communication between parachains within the Kusama network. The platform also features decentralized on-chain governance, where any holder of Kusama (KSM) tokens or parachain tokens can vote on governance proposals. This governance model accelerates decision-making and allows projects on Kusama to evolve at a faster pace compared to more traditional blockchain networks.

Kusama is tailored for developers and projects seeking a fast-moving and flexible blockchain environment. It is ideal for testing and launching blockchain applications across various sectors, including gaming, eSports, decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), marketplaces, oracles, and social networks. Its interoperability and scalability make it a preferred choice for projects that want to deploy app-specific blockchains and connect them within the broader Kusama network. This setup helps break down the barriers typically found in isolated blockchain ecosystems, fostering innovation and collaboration.

Kusama was founded in 2019 by Dr. Gavin Wood, a co-founder of Ethereum and a prominent figure in the blockchain space. Kusama was developed by the same team behind Polkadot, under Parity Technologies, a company known for its contributions to blockchain infrastructure. The project receives support from the Web3 Foundation, which provides funding, research, and community development for decentralized web technologies. Kusama's creation aimed to offer a pre-production environment for Polkadot while maintaining its own ecosystem for projects that thrive in a more experimental and adaptable setting.

We update our Kusama to USD currency in real-time. Get the live price of Kusama on Coinbase.

The current market cap of Kusama is $256.80M. A high market cap implies that the asset is highly valued by the market.

The all-time high of Kusama is $623.75. This all-time high is highest price paid for Kusama since it was launched.

Over the last 24 hours, the trading volume of Kusama is $18.26M.

Assets that have a similar market cap to Kusama include Mina, Zilliqa, Cheems (cheems.pet), and many others. To see a full list, see our comparable market cap assets.

The current circulating supply of Kusama is 17 million.

Kusama ranks 215 among tradable assets on Coinbase. Popularity is currently based on relative market cap.

Currently, 93% of Coinbase users are buying Kusama. In other words, 93% of Coinbase customers have increased their net position in Kusama over the past 24 hours through trading.

Yes, Kusama is currently available on Coinbase’s centralized exchange. For more detailed instructions, check out our helpful how to buy Kusama guide.