Discover TRON, the Chinese layer 1 public blockchain aiming to position itself as a major player in Web3, empowering developers to build and deploy decentralized applications and smart contracts. Learn more about TRON and its cryptocurrency TRX, which has gained popularity in recent years.
Tron is a next-generation public blockchain that aims to revolutionize the internet as we know it. Launched in 2017 by Chinese entrepreneur Justin Sun, this decentralized platform seeks to create a digital ecosystem where content creators can interact directly with their audience, without going through traditional intermediaries like Google, Facebook, or YouTube.
The Tron blockchain operates through an innovative consensus mechanism called Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS). This system achieves exceptional performance with a throughput of 2,000 transactions per second, a speed far superior to that of Ethereum. This remarkable performance comes with extremely low transaction fees, making the platform accessible to the widest possible audience.
The block validation process on Tron is remarkably efficient. Every 3 seconds, a new block is added to the blockchain, and each validator receives a reward of 23 TRX tokens for their work. This processing speed makes Tron one of the highest-performing blockchains in the current crypto ecosystem.
The Tron journey began in 2017 when Justin Sun, a graduate of Peking University and former Ripple representative in China, decided to create a blockchain capable of democratizing access to digital content. His vision was clear : build a decentralized internet where creators could directly monetize their work without depending on centralized platforms.
The project quickly gained notoriety through an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) that raised substantial funds. From its inception, Tron distinguished itself through aggressive marketing and its ability to create buzz in the crypto community. Justin Sun effectively used social media to promote his vision of a decentralized web, attracting the attention of investors and developers worldwide.
The year 2018 marked a decisive turning point in Tron’s history with the strategic acquisition of BitTorrent for $120 million. This acquisition was not incidental : BitTorrent was then the largest peer-to-peer file-sharing network in the world, with up to 170 million active users each month. This integration gave Tron instant access to a massive user base and a concrete use case for its blockchain technology.
The integration of BitTorrent into the Tron ecosystem led to several innovations, including the launch of the BTT (BitTorrent Token), which rewards users for sharing files. This synergy between modern blockchain technology and a proven sharing protocol perfectly illustrates Justin Sun’s vision: using blockchain to improve existing internet services.
Justin Sun is an emblematic figure in the Chinese crypto ecosystem. Born in 1990, this young entrepreneur quickly climbed the ranks of the tech world thanks to his strategic intelligence and ability to identify emerging trends. After graduating from Peking University with a degree in history, he continued his studies at the University of Pennsylvania where he earned a master’s degree in international relations.
Before creating Tron, Justin Sun held the position of chief representative of Ripple in China, an experience that allowed him to understand the technical and commercial challenges of cryptocurrencies. He also founded Peiwo, an audio streaming application that achieved notable success in Asia with more than 10 million users.
Justin Sun’s personality leaves no one indifferent. Known for his keen sense of communication and spectacular marketing moves, he has kept Tron in the crypto news spotlight. His frequent media appearances and announcements on social networks regularly move the price of TRX, testifying to his considerable influence on the project.
TRX primarily serves as a payment method for transaction fees on the Tron network. This fundamental function allows users to interact with decentralized applications (dApps) hosted on the blockchain, make token transfers, or deploy smart contracts. The extremely low fees on the Tron network, often less than $0.01, make these interactions accessible to everyone, unlike competing blockchains where fees can reach several dozen dollars during periods of congestion.
Staking represents another major use case for the TRX token. Holders can delegate their tokens to super representatives of their choice and receive regular rewards in return. This mechanism not only generates passive income but also actively participates in securing the network. TRX staking yields generally vary between 3% and 7% annually, offering an interesting alternative to traditional investments.
Governance also constitutes a fundamental pillar of TRX’s utility. Each token gives the right to vote for super representatives who validate transactions and make important decisions regarding protocol evolution. This democratic dimension allows TRX holders to directly influence the future of the blockchain, creating a truly participatory ecosystem where every voice counts.
In the BitTorrent ecosystem integrated with Tron, TRX facilitates exchanges and rewards between users. People who share files can be paid in TRX, creating a circular economy where value is redistributed to network contributors. This innovation transforms file sharing from a free activity into a potential source of income.
Finally, decentralized applications developed on Tron heavily use TRX as the base token for their services. Whether for gaming platforms, decentralized exchanges, lending services, or NFT creations, TRX serves as a common denominator for all these interactions. This versatility reinforces token adoption and creates a beneficial network effect for the entire ecosystem.
The Tron network is built on a sophisticated blockchain architecture that combines performance, security, and decentralization. At the core of this technology is the Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) consensus mechanism, an evolution of traditional Proof of Stake that enables exceptional performance while maintaining a high level of security.
The Tron blockchain is structured in three distinct layers that work in synergy to offer an optimal user experience.
The storage layer manages data persistence and transaction history, using a distributed database that guarantees redundancy and information availability. This layer is optimized to process a large volume of transactions without compromising network performance.
The consensus layer implements the DPoS algorithm that allows super representatives to validate blocks efficiently. Unlike the Proof of Work used by Bitcoin, which requires considerable computing power, Tron’s DPoS consumes very little energy while maintaining a throughput of 2,000 transactions per second. This energy efficiency makes Tron an “environmentally friendly” blockchain.
The application layer hosts smart contracts and decentralized applications. Tron uses the Tron Virtual Machine (TVM), which is compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine, allowing developers to easily port their applications from Ethereum to Tron. This compatibility has facilitated rapid platform adoption by developers and contributed to the ecosystem’s growth.
Tron’s Delegated Proof of Stake represents a major innovation in the field of blockchain consensus mechanisms. Unlike traditional systems where all participants can validate transactions, DPoS delegates this responsibility to a limited number of validators democratically elected by the community.
Tron’s architecture is based on a democratic system where 127 representatives are elected by TRX token holders. Among them, 27 super representatives have the crucial responsibility of validating blocks and transactions on the network.
Tron’s 27 super representatives are chosen from candidates who receive the most votes from TRX holders. These elections occur continuously, with automatic renewal every 6 hours, ensuring that only the most competent and reliable representatives maintain their positions. This regular rotation prevents power centralization and maintains the democratic nature of the network.
Each super representative is responsible for producing blocks according to a predetermined order. Every 3 seconds, one of them creates a new block containing pending transactions and broadcasts it to the network. The other super representatives validate this block and add it to the blockchain if it complies with protocol rules. This method allows for near-instantaneous transaction finality.
Let’s now look at the strengths and areas for improvement of Tron.
Tron presents numerous assets that make it a particularly attractive blockchain for developers and users :
Despite its many strengths, Tron faces several challenges that may limit its adoption or development.
The TRX token currently occupies a respectable position in the cryptocurrency ranking by market capitalization, generally maintaining itself in the top 15 of the most valued digital assets. This position testifies to investor confidence in the Tron project and the growing adoption of its technology.
At the time of writing this article, TRX displays a market capitalization of approximately $25 billion for 94 billion tokens in circulation. These figures place Tron among the most important blockchains in the crypto ecosystem, with a daily trading volume that regularly exceeds $200 million, testifying to satisfactory liquidity for investors.
The tokenomics of TRX presents interesting characteristics for analyzing its growth potential. With a capped total supply and inflation controlled by staking mechanisms, TRX benefits from an economic structure that can support long-term appreciation. Staking rewards also create deflationary pressure by temporarily removing tokens from circulation.
The history of TRX’s price reflects the major stages in the development of the Tron ecosystem. Launched at a very low initial price during its ICO in 2017, TRX experienced its first major rise during the 2017-2018 bull market, reaching historic highs driven by general enthusiasm for cryptocurrencies and the project’s promises.
A historic peak for TRX was reached in April 2021 at $0.16, in the context of the crypto bull market fueled by Bitcoin’s institutional adoption and the DeFi explosion. This remarkable performance was explained by several converging factors : the successful integration of BitTorrent, the development of the DeFi ecosystem on Tron, and the growing interest in blockchain alternatives to Ethereum.
The corrections that followed this peak are part of the general dynamics of the crypto market, with TRX generally following the trends of Bitcoin and other major altcoins. These consolidation phases allowed the project to focus on technical development and ecosystem expansion, laying the foundations for more sustainable growth.
In December 2024, the price of TRX exploded again to reach its all-time high of over $0.44. This came after an exceptional increase of 174% in just 1 month.
The long-term perspectives for TRX appear promising, supported by several favorable trends in the crypto and technological ecosystem. The continued growth of decentralized finance and blockchain applications should benefit high-performance platforms like Tron, which offer a viable alternative to more expensive blockchains.
The expansion of the digital creative economy represents a major catalyst for Tron. With the rise of NFTs, the metaverse, and decentralized content platforms, Justin Sun’s original vision of democratizing content creation finds growing resonance. Tron is well-positioned to capture a significant share of this growth thanks to its low fees and high performance.
Technical analysts identify several key price levels for TRX. A return toward the historic high of $0.44 during the next bullish impulse seems achievable, given the solid fundamentals of the project and the continuous improvement of its ecosystem. Some more optimistic analysts even mention the possibility of far exceeding this level if Tron manages to establish itself as the reference blockchain for certain application sectors.
Let’s now trace the important moments in the evolution of Justin Sun’s ecosystem.
The year 2017 marks the genesis of the Tron project with the launch of the ICO by Justin Sun. This initial fundraising collected millions of dollars to finance the development of a blockchain capable of decentralizing the web. Tron’s original whitepaper presented an ambitious vision: create a free internet where content creators could directly monetize their work without intermediaries.
Tron’s mainnet was officially launched in June 2018, marking the transition of the TRX token from the Ethereum blockchain to its own infrastructure. This major technical migration demonstrated the project’s maturity and its ability to keep its development promises. The success of this transition strengthened the community’s confidence in the development team.
The acquisition of BitTorrent for $120 million in July 2018 constitutes arguably the most significant event in Tron’s history. This strategic transaction instantly brought Tron a user base of 170 million people and a concrete use case for its blockchain technology.
The years 2019 and 2020 saw the emergence of decentralized finance (DeFi) on Tron. Platforms like JustSwap, JustLend, and SUN were launched, offering users trading, lending, and yield farming services with considerably reduced fees compared to Ethereum. This expansion into DeFi attracted many users concerned with avoiding Ethereum’s high fees.
The launch of USDT TRC20 by Tether on the Tron blockchain marked a major turning point. This version of USDT benefits from Tron’s advantages in terms of speed and costs, quickly becoming one of the most popular versions of the stablecoin. This adoption by Tether validated Tron’s technical credibility and attracted many traders and investors.
The year 2021 was marked by the explosion of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), and Tron quickly positioned itself in this growing market. Platforms like APENFT were launched to enable the creation and exchange of NFTs on the Tron blockchain, benefiting from reduced fees to democratize access to this new form of digital art.
Recent years have been characterized by a more mature approach to Tron’s development. The focus has been on improving infrastructure, optimizing performance, and strengthening security. The development of TRON DAO marked an important step toward more decentralized governance, reducing dependence on Justin Sun’s leadership.
Acquiring TRX tokens is an essential step for those who wish to invest in the project, participate in its governance, or use the applications in its ecosystem. Due to its growing market capitalization and popularity, the TRX token is available on the majority of centralized exchange platforms (CEX).
These platforms allow you to buy Tron directly with euros or dollars via different payment methods (bank card, wire transfer). Here is our ranking of the best platforms in 2025 :
It is important to distinguish between specialized exchange platforms (like those mentioned above) where you actually buy and hold cryptocurrencies, and brokers that sometimes offer derivative products such as CFDs (Contracts For Difference) on cryptocurrencies. For direct ownership and total control of your assets, it is preferable to use a specialized exchange platform.
Here’s how to buy Tron in 5 steps on the best platform in our ranking.
Choose a platform that matches your needs in terms of fees, security, ease of use, and regulatory compliance in your jurisdiction.
Once you have acquired TRX tokens, the question of their secure storage becomes paramount. Leaving your cryptocurrencies on an exchange platform (CEX) involves significant risks : you don’t directly control your private keys, and your funds could be lost in case of platform hacking, regulatory issues, or company bankruptcy.
This is why it is strongly recommended to transfer your TRX to a personal wallet where you alone hold the private keys. “Not your keys, not your coins” is a fundamental adage in the ecosystem.
There are mainly two types of wallets for storing your TRX :
The choice between a cold wallet and a hot wallet depends on your specific needs: prioritize a cold wallet (like Ledger) for maximum security of your main investments, and possibly use a hot wallet (like MetaMask or Trust Wallet) for smaller amounts intended for regular interactions with Tron’s DeFi ecosystem. The essential thing is to always carefully secure your recovery phrase (seed phrase) and never share it or store it digitally.
Here are different ways to get tokens for free.
Airdrops constitute one of the most popular methods to obtain TRX for free. These token distributions are often organized by new projects built on the Tron blockchain to promote their launch and reward the existing community. TRX holders automatically receive these new tokens proportionally to their holdings, creating an incentive to hold TRX long-term.
APENFT, WIN, and BTT are among the major projects that have organized airdrops for TRX holders. These distributions can represent significant value, sometimes equivalent to several percentage points of the value of the TRX held. To be eligible for these airdrops, it is generally necessary to hold your TRX in a personal wallet rather than on an exchange platform.
Participation in loyalty programs of super representatives can also generate free tokens. Some validators redistribute part of their rewards in the form of alternative tokens or organize exclusive lotteries for their delegators. This approach allows for portfolio diversification while supporting the Tron ecosystem.
Tron faucets allow obtaining small amounts of TRX for free in exchange for simple tasks such as solving captchas or watching advertisements. Although the amounts are generally modest, these platforms can be useful for beginners who wish to discover the Tron ecosystem without initial investment.
Referral programs offered by exchange platforms and wallets constitute another source of free TRX. By inviting new users to join these services, it is possible to receive bonuses in TRX or discounts on trading fees. These programs create a beneficial network effect for the entire ecosystem.
TRX enjoys legal status in the vast majority of developed countries, where cryptocurrencies are generally recognized as legitimate digital assets.
In Europe, TRX is treated as a digital asset under the MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets) regulation, which harmonizes the legal framework for cryptocurrencies in the European Union. This regulation offers legal security to investors and companies wishing to integrate TRX into their activities.
In the United States, TRX is not classified as a security by the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission), allowing it to be freely traded on American platforms. This important regulatory clarification distinguishes TRX from many other tokens facing legal uncertainties.
In Canada, Australia, and most developed countries, TRX is considered a legal digital asset subject to standard tax regulations. Investors can freely buy, hold, and exchange TRX, but must declare their gains according to local tax laws.
The situation is more complex in China, Justin Sun’s country of origin, where authorities have banned cryptocurrency exchanges and ICOs since 2017. However, this ban does not apply to the private holding of cryptocurrencies, and many Chinese citizens continue to use TRX via offshore platforms.
Some countries like India and Turkey have adopted ambiguous positions regarding cryptocurrencies, creating legal uncertainty for TRX and other digital assets. These jurisdictions may impose restrictions on exchanges or cryptocurrency advertising, but generally do not prohibit their private ownership.
The Tron Foundation and Justin Sun historically hold a significant portion of the total supply of TRX, although this concentration has decreased over time thanks to distributions and strategic sales. This substantial holding by the founders is common in the crypto ecosystem and allows financing long-term project development while aligning the creators’ interests with the platform’s success.
Justin Sun has regularly sold portions of his holdings to finance Tron’s operations and strategic acquisitions like BitTorrent. These sales, although they may create temporary pressure on the price, demonstrate the founder’s commitment to reinvesting in the ecosystem rather than simply accumulating personal wealth.
Several investment funds and family offices have accumulated significant positions in TRX, attracted by the solid fundamentals of the project and its growth potential. These institutional investors bring stability to the market and validate Tron’s credibility with other traditional financial actors.
Exchange platforms also hold significant quantities of TRX to ensure the liquidity of their services. Binance, Coinbase, and Huobi are among the largest institutional holders, although these tokens technically belong to their users and are only held in custody.
Tron has established itself as one of the highest-performing blockchains in the crypto ecosystem. With its 2,000 transactions per second and nearly non-existent fees, the platform offers a credible alternative to first-generation blockchains. The integration of BitTorrent continues to bear fruit, bringing a massive user base and a concrete use case that goes beyond the speculative framework.
Dependence on Justin Sun remains a point of vigilance, although the development of TRON DAO has begun to mitigate this centralization. Intense competition in the high-performance blockchain space requires constant innovation to maintain the competitive advantage against projects like Solana or Avalanche.
Our recommendation for TRX in 2025 is generally positive with a medium to long-term investment perspective. The project has demonstrated its ability to evolve and maintain its competitive advantages. However, it is advisable to maintain a diversified approach and not concentrate too large a percentage of your crypto portfolio on TRX.
Alexandre is one of the core writers at the crypto media outlet InvestX.fr. He specializes in finance in the broadest sense and has a true passion for writing. His articles offer expert insights into investing, the stock market, and cryptocurrencies.
TRON is a decentralized blockchain launched by Justin Sun in 2017. It uses the Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) consensus mechanism. Capable of processing 2,000 transactions per second with near-zero fees, it allows content creators to monetize their work directly without intermediaries.
TRX can be purchased on major exchanges like Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, or KuCoin. It’s recommended to use regulated platforms with 2FA enabled and to transfer your tokens to a personal wallet after purchase.
TRX offers strong potential thanks to its technical performance, mature DeFi ecosystem, and BitTorrent integration. However, like any cryptocurrency, it remains volatile and requires a diversified, cautious investment strategy.
For secure storage, use cold wallets like Ledger or Trezor for large holdings. For daily use, TronLink or Trust Wallet provide a good balance between security and convenience.
Yes, staking TRX allows users to earn passive income ranging from 3% to 7% annually by delegating tokens to Super Representatives. This process also helps secure the TRON network.
TRX is legal in most developed countries, including the United States, Europe, Canada, and Australia. However, some jurisdictions like China impose restrictions. Always check local regulations before investing.
DISCLAIMER
This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice. Trading cryptocurrencies involves risks, and it is important not to invest more than you can afford to lose.
InvestX is not responsible for the quality of the products or services presented on this page and cannot be held liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused by the use of any product or service featured in this article. Investments in crypto assets are inherently risky; readers should conduct their own research before taking any action and invest only within their financial means. This article does not constitute investment advice.
Risk Warning : Trading financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies carries a high level of risk, including the possibility of losing all or part of your investment. It may not be suitable for all investors. Cryptocurrency prices are highly volatile and can be influenced by external factors such as financial, regulatory, or political events. Margin trading increases financial risks.
CFDs (Contracts for Difference) are complex instruments with a high risk of rapid capital loss due to leverage. Between 74% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should assess whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Before engaging in financial or cryptocurrency trading, you must be fully informed about the associated risks and fees, carefully evaluate your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk tolerance, and seek professional advice if needed. InvestX.fr and the InvestX application may provide general market commentary, which does not constitute investment advice and should not be interpreted as such. Please consult an independent financial advisor for any investment-related questions. InvestX.fr disclaims any liability for errors, misinvestments, inaccuracies, or omissions and does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information, texts, graphics, links, or other materials provided.
Some of the partners featured on this site may not be regulated in your country. It is your responsibility to verify the compliance of these services with local regulations before using them.
