Qtum (QTUM)
Qtum (pronounced "Quantum") is intended as a blockchain platform which other utility projects can be built upon. It uses a combination of Bitcoin's core functionality, with the smart contract capabilities of Ethereum, in an interesting hybrid system.
Mining/Staking
We have no information about the consensus mechanisms for this project. However, there's a nice world map on the main website showing all currently active nodes.
Development Team
Qtum's team is mid-sized, and focuses more upon developers than marketing/advisory. However, the writeups on the official website could use some improvement in terms of layout and phrasing.
Criticisms, Caveats, and Competitors
Although Qtum currently appears to have a few dozen dapps already built, none of the names of these apps were recognized when we researched this project. We believe that Qtum needs a bit of time to mature, to grow more dapps, and to work on additional marketing and communications.
Additional Resources
The project's main website: https://qtum.org
Link to Wikipedia Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qtum
Link to Reddit Community: https://www.reddit.com/r/Qtum
Link to Twitter account: https://twitter.com/qtumofficial
Link to Team information: https://qtum.org/en/team
Link to data on Live Coin Watch: https://www.livecoinwatch.com/coins/QTUM
Whitepaper: https://qtum.org/en/white-papers