BitShares (BTS) is an open-source, blockchain-based platform designed for high-performance financial operations and real-time financial transactions. Launched in 2015, BitShares operates as a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that allows BTS token holders to influence the blockchain's future direction. The platform supports various decentralized products including a DEX, user-issued assets, market-pegged assets, DeFi services, and NFTs. BTS serves as the core utility token for transaction fees and development purposes, with a total supply of approximately 3 billion tokens. The platform uses Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) consensus and enables creation of distributed autonomous companies providing services at lower costs than centralized alternatives.