Ontology (ONT) is a Layer 1 blockchain platform and distributed trust infrastructure developed by Onchain (a Chinese blockchain company) and led by founder Jun Li — focusing on decentralized identity (DID), data sovereignty, and trust systems for enterprises — with ONT serving as the staking and governance token and ONG (Ontology Gas) serving as the fee token generated by holding ONT.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Ticker | ONT |
| Price | $0.07 |
| Market Cap | $73.83M |
| 24h Change | -3.5% |
| Circulating Supply | 1.00B ONT |
| Max Supply | 1.00B ONT |
| All-Time High | $10.92 |
How It Works
- Dual-token model — Ontology uses two tokens: ONT (staking and governance, fixed supply) and ONG (network fees, generated by holding ONT over time). This separation allows governance participation and fee payment to function independently.
- VBFT consensus — Ontology uses VBFT (Verifiable Byzantine Fault Tolerant), a combination of Verifiable Random Function (VRF) and BFT consensus. Consensus nodes are selected via VRF, achieving high throughput with BFT finality.
- ONT ID — Ontology’s decentralized identity framework allows individuals and organizations to create self-sovereign identities on-chain. ONT ID is compatible with W3C DID standards.
- Data marketplace — Ontology’s DDXF (Decentralized Data Exchange Framework) enables data owners to monetize data access while controlling who sees it and under what conditions.
- Smart contracts — Ontology supports NeoVM smart contracts (originally co-developed with NEO) and WebAssembly.
- EVM layer — Ontology EVM (OEVM) provides Ethereum compatibility for Solidity developers.
Tokenomics
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Ticker | ONT |
| Max Supply | 1,000,000,000 (1 billion) |
| ONG Supply | Dynamic; generated from ONT holdings |
| Consensus | VBFT |
| Launch | March 2018 (airdrop to NEO holders) |
| Fee token | ONG |
Use Cases
- Decentralized identity — ONT ID for self-sovereign identity across platforms.
- Enterprise trust — KYC/AML integration, credential verification.
- Data authorization — Control who accesses your data via Ontology’s DDXF framework.
- Staking — Stake ONT to earn ONG (gas token) continuously.
- Smart contracts — Build DApps on Ontology’s NeoVM or EVM layer.
History
- 2017 — Onchain (Chinese blockchain company), previously known for NEO blockchain development, announces Ontology as an identity and trust-focused blockchain. ONT airdropped to NEO holders.
- 2018-03 — Ontology mainnet launches. ONT holders begin receiving ONG.
- 2018–2019 — Ontology establishes partnerships with Chinese enterprises for KYC, supply chain, and identity use cases. Strong presence in Chinese blockchain ecosystem.
- 2020 — Ontology EVM layer launches, making the platform Ethereum-compatible.
- 2021 — ONT enters broader bull market growth. Ontology maintains China-adjacent enterprise blockchain positioning.
- 2022–2025 — Ontology continues developing DID standards compliance (W3C). Enterprise focus continues; retail attention limited.
Common Misconceptions
“ONT and ONG are both governance tokens.”
ONT is the governance and staking token. ONG is the utility/gas token automatically generated by holding ONT. They are distinct assets with different economic functions.
“Ontology is a fork of NEO.”
Ontology was developed independently by Onchain (the company also behind NEO), sharing some technical DNA and using NeoVM originally. It is not a fork of NEO.
Social Media Sentiment
Ontology has strong enterprise-facing credibility particularly in Asia, where identity and data sovereignty use cases are relevant. The retail crypto community has less engagement with Ontology than DeFi-focused platforms. ONT’s dual-token model and W3C DID compliance are appreciated by enterprise blockchain developers.
Last updated: 2026-04