What is Numbers Protocol (NUM)?

Quick Facts

  • Founded: 2019 by Bofu Chen and Tammy Yang, Taiwan-based
  • Token: NUM — native utility token of Numbers Protocol
  • Blockchain: Numbers Mainnet (Avalanche Subnet), with ERC-20 and BEP-20 deployments
  • Core purpose: Digital media provenance, authenticity, and content verification
  • Key standard: Co-designed ERC-7053, an Ethereum standard for on-chain media verification
  • Industry partners: C2PA (Adobe, Microsoft), Reuters, NIST AI Risk Framework
  • Launched mainnet: December 2022

Introduction

Numbers Protocol is a decentralized provenance network built to combat misinformation, deepfakes, and digital piracy by establishing trustworthy records for photos and videos. It gives creators, journalists, and platforms the tools to prove where content came from and how it has changed over time.

The native token, NUM, powers all activity on the network — from registering assets to verifying content integrity.

History & Background

Numbers Protocol was founded in 2019 in Taiwan with a mission to create community, value, and trust in digital media. The project launched its NUM token in 2021 and introduced its own dedicated blockchain mainnet in December 2022 — becoming one of the first blockchains purpose-built for digital media provenance.

Early backers included YZi Labs (formerly Binance Labs), reflecting strong institutional confidence in the project's vision.

How Numbers Protocol Works

Numbers Protocol uses a three-step framework to anchor content authenticity:

  • Capture: Metadata such as time, location, and device information is attached at the moment of content creation.
  • Certify (Seal): Cryptographic proofs are stored immutably on the Numbers Mainnet, an EVM-compatible blockchain.
  • Check (Trace): Anyone can verify a piece of content's full history using decentralized tools like ProofSnap.

The Numbers Blockchain is a Layer-1 chain built on Avalanche Subnet technology, providing cost-effective and environmentally friendly asset archiving. It supports NFT minting, smart contracts, royalty distribution, and the full lifecycle of digital assets.

Tokenomics

NUM is the utility token at the heart of Numbers Protocol. It is designed to incentivize users to create, archive, and verify content with integrity. Key uses include paying for asset enrollment, marketplace listings, and accessing platform services.

A key economic mechanic is that NUM tokens are burned when creating or managing verifiable assets — making the token deflationary by design and aligning long-term token value with network usage.

Circulating supply ? 361.35 million NUM
Reserved supply ? 23 NUM
Burned
0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000001
23 NUM
Total supply ? 361.35 million NUM
Max supply ? 1.00 billion NUM
Updated 2d ago

Ecosystem & Use Cases

  • Journalism: Reuters used Numbers Protocol during election coverage to validate news photos.
  • AI content datasets: The protocol helps build user-owned, consent-registered datasets suitable for AI model training.
  • Creator monetization: Artists can register, license, and monetize work as NFTs with full provenance records.
  • IP licensing: Partners like WandProtocol enable IP licensing and yield-generating vaults for registered assets.

Team, Governance & Community

Numbers Protocol was co-founded by Bofu Chen and Tammy Yang. The project is governed with a DAO structure in mind, with NUM tokens enabling community participation in the network's future direction. The community is active across Discord, Telegram, and Twitter.

Advantages

  • Proven real-world adoption with major media organizations like Reuters.
  • Open standards leadership via ERC-7053 and C2PA collaboration with Adobe and Microsoft.
  • Deflationary token model tied directly to network usage.
  • Purpose-built blockchain optimized for digital media assets.

Risks & Challenges

  • Niche market focus on digital provenance may limit mainstream adoption speed.
  • Competition from other content authenticity solutions and emerging AI verification tools.
  • Regulatory uncertainty around digital media standards and NFT-linked ownership rights.
  • Token liquidity remains a concern for a specialized utility token in a narrow sector.

Long-Term Vision

Numbers Protocol aims to become the global decentralized provenance standard for digital media. As AI-generated content and deepfakes proliferate, the demand for reliable content verification is expected to grow substantially. The project envisions a future where every photo and video on the internet carries a verifiable, traceable, and immutable record of its origin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Numbers Protocol is a decentralized blockchain platform that verifies and tracks the provenance of digital media such as photos and videos. It uses cryptographic proofs and blockchain records to establish the authenticity and ownership of content.

NUM is a utility token used to pay for services within the Numbers Protocol network, including asset registration, marketplace listings, and content verification. NUM tokens are also burned when creating verifiable assets, making the token deflationary.

Numbers Protocol was founded in 2019 by Bofu Chen and Tammy Yang. The company is headquartered in Taiwan.

Numbers Protocol operates its own Numbers Mainnet, a Layer-1 blockchain built on Avalanche Subnet technology. NUM is also available as an ERC-20 token on Ethereum and a BEP-20 token on BNB Smart Chain.

The protocol uses a capture-certify-check framework. Metadata is attached at content creation, cryptographic proofs are stored on-chain, and anyone can verify a file's full history using decentralized tools.

ERC-7053 is an Ethereum standard for on-chain media verification that Numbers Protocol co-designed. It provides a standardized way to attach and verify provenance records for digital assets on the Ethereum network.

Numbers Protocol collaborates with C2PA — a coalition that includes Adobe and Microsoft — on content credential standards. Reuters has also used the protocol to validate news photos during major elections.

The protocol helps build user-owned, consent-registered content datasets that AI models can use ethically. It also combats AI-generated misinformation by providing verifiable provenance for authentic media.