Request

Request (REQ) is a cryptocurrency launched in 2017. It functions as the native utility token of a decentralized payment protocol designed to disintermediate global invoicing and settlement.

The protocol operates as an Ethereum-based invoicing infrastructure where any party can issue a payment request specifying the recipient address, amount, and detailed terms—effectively creating a cryptographically signed invoice. Counterparties receive these requests and fulfill them with a single on-chain action, eliminating the need for shared bank account details or conventional payment rails. By replacing pull-based transactions with a push-generated model, the system slashes processing fees and sidesteps the data exposure inherent to legacy card networks. The network’s architecture also embeds compliance with national trade laws, letting businesses generate legally recognized payment records across jurisdictions.

Request operates on the Ethereum network. The protocol also integrates the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) for encrypted document storage, ensuring that sensitive invoice metadata remains decentralized and under the end user’s control.

The REQ token conforms to the ERC-20 standard and has been bridged to Polygon’s proof-of-stake chain, enhancing throughput and lowering fee burdens for high-frequency invoicing applications. Each transaction propagates across the network and incurs a fee denominated in REQ, which compensates miners for securing the state transitions. Smart contracts govern the creation, acceptance, and on-chain settlement of requests, while IPFS hosts associated documents like invoices and compliance records, reinforcing data sovereignty.

Christophe Lassuyt and Etienne Tatur, who previously co-founded a cross-border payments firm called MONEYTIS, designed the protocol in 2017. Lassuyt oversees financial operations. Tatur, a former lead developer at the music streaming service QOBUZ, directs the technical architecture. The network went live in September 2017, with the token generation event and initial distribution occurring shortly thereafter.

At its core, the Request Network exists to transform the backbone of B2B and B2C payments by replacing fragmented banking relationships with a single, permissionless settlement layer. Instead of settling for days and paying high intermediary fees, a merchant in Berlin can send a legally compliant invoice to a buyer in Tokyo and receive near-instant on-chain confirmation in any currency. The protocol’s push-payment model inverts the risk of unauthorized data access. Business relationships remain direct, auditable, and sovereign.

REQ tokens fuel the network’s operation. Every advanced payment request, invoice broadcast, or state update on the smart contract spends a small amount of REQ. The protocol permanently burns a portion of each fee, recalibrating the burn rate dynamically based on total supply and exchange rates to introduce deflationary pressure.

A logistics firm integrating the Request API spends REQ to generate immutable client invoices, permanently removing a fraction from circulation. High-volume applications deployed on Polygon batch thousands of requests at negligible cost while still contributing to the same burn mechanism. Any business using the protocol to encode legally compliant payment records must acquire and expend the utility token, tying operational cost directly to network demand.

Request (REQ) has a maximum supply of 1,000,000,000 tokens. Currently, 744,291,192.26 REQ are in circulation. A fraction of every transaction fee is permanently burned, with the burn rate adjusting according to the total supply and prevailing exchange rates. With a market capitalization of $56,019,642, Request (REQ) ranks #441 among all cryptocurrencies.