What is Decred? How It Works & Where to Use It

Overview

Decred at a glance.

Decred is a cryptocurrency and governance system that lets stakeholders vote on protocol rules and how treasury funds are spent. Here is how it works and what it is used for, not the price.

Total value locked (DeFi)

n/a

Value locked in DeFi protocols on Decred. Updated Jun 8, 2026. Source: DefiLlama.

Native token

DCR

Used for fees and securing the network. See the live DCR price.

How it works

How Decred works.

Miners do proof-of-work to package transactions and propose new blocks. To stake, holders time-lock DCR to buy tickets, and five tickets are drawn at random to vote on each proposed block. A block needs at least three "yes" votes to be accepted, which lets stakeholders check the work of miners. The block reward is split between miners, voters, and the project treasury.

Consensus: Hybrid proof-of-work and proof-of-stake

Miners do proof-of-work to package transactions and propose new blocks. To stake, holders time-lock DCR to buy tickets, and five tickets are drawn at random to vote on each proposed block. A block needs at least three "yes" votes to be accepted, which lets stakeholders check the work of miners. The block reward is split between miners, voters, and the project treasury.

Tickets

Holders lock DCR to purchase a voting ticket, which is later called at random to validate blocks and vote on governance. Locked funds are returned after the ticket votes or expires.

Politeia

An on-chain proposal platform where ticket holders vote on how the Decred treasury spends funds, including paying contributors and funding work.

Treasury

A portion of every block reward goes to a project treasury that the community directs through proposals and votes, funding ongoing development.

Consensus rule voting

Changes to the protocol are activated only after ticket holders vote to approve them on-chain, so upgrades reflect stakeholder consent.

Ecosystem & usage

What Decred is used for.

Decred centers on its wallets, staking tools, and the Politeia governance platform.

Staking and voting

Lock DCR to buy tickets, earn a share of block rewards, and vote on blocks and proposals.

On-chain governance

Submit and vote on funding proposals through Politeia to direct the treasury.

Holding and transfers

Use DCR as a self-custodial store of value and to send value between wallets.

In Zypto App

Hold, swap and spend DCR.

Decred is integrated in Zypto App. Hold DCR in self-custody, swap it to any supported asset, and use it across Zypto’s features.

Hold DCR in Zypto How to buy DCR

Be the reason Decred ships next.

Decred isn’t in Zypto App yet. Post the request to your followers, chains with the most demand get prioritised.

Request on X

FAQ

Common questions.

What is Decred used for?

Decred is used to send value, to stake by locking DCR into voting tickets, and to take part in on-chain governance over protocol rules and treasury spending.

How does Decred reach consensus?

It combines proof-of-work mining with proof-of-stake voting. Miners propose blocks and ticket-holding voters approve them, so neither group controls the chain alone.

What is the DCR supply?

The DCR supply is capped at 21 million coins, with issuance shared among miners, stakers, and the treasury.

What is Politeia?

Politeia is Decred's proposal and voting system, where ticket holders decide how treasury funds are allocated and which initiatives go ahead.

Can I hold DCR in Zypto App?

Not yet. DCR isn't in Zypto App at the moment. You can hold it in any self-custodial wallet, and you can ask us to add Decred using the "Request Decred" button above.

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