Marketeted as "digital currency for the modern era," Nano stands out as a lightweight cryptocurrency engineered to enable secure, nearly instantaneous transactions devoid of fees, addressing key shortcomings of traditional financial systems and many contemporary cryptocurrencies. Project development commenced in 2014 under the moniker RaiBlocks, with the coin (then referred to as XRB) launching the subsequent year via a public faucet, enabling users to claim small XRB amounts upon completing captcha challenges. Any individual with access to a computer or mobile device could partake in captcha solving and earn RaiBlocks. The quantity of XRB awarded per solved captcha fluctuated over time. In January 2018, RaiBlocks (XRB) underwent a rebranding to Nano, a name selected to better convey the project's emphasis on speed and simplicity for users. Nano operates as a peer-to-peer platform utilizing a distinctive block-lattice data structure, facilitating seamless value transfers among users without reliance on centralized intermediaries. Diverging from conventional platforms that rely on large-scale mining networks for consensus through combined proof-of-work, Nano employs a novel system called Open Representative Voting (ORV). In ORV, account holders cast votes for their preferred representatives, who then verify transaction blocks securely. The implementation of ORV renders Nano highly energy-efficient, positioning it as a more environmentally sustainable alternative to proof-of-work (POW)-based cryptocurrencies. In November 2021, with the aim of integrating Nano into real-world applications and aligning with globally recognized standards from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Nano adopted a new ticker and standard symbol: XNO and Ӿ.