Meta Coins

• Meta Coins are extensions of the Bitcoin protocol that use either a new blockchain or ties into Bitcoin’s blockchain whilst adding more features.
• MetaCoins that are built using Bitcoin’s blockchain are said to be on-chain – whilst those with their own blockchain are said to be off-chain.
• The basic idea of MetaCoins is to add additional functionality to the Bitcoin protocol such as distributed exchanges, CFD’s, digital assets and various forms of contracts.
• MetaCoins that use the Bitcoin blockchain benefit from the high level of security in the system due to its high network hashing power with the downside that they have to use space and memory in Bitcoin’s blockchain. This has caused a problem between on blockchain meta coins, such as counterparty and MasterCoin, and pure Bitcoin enthusiasts.
• https://www.cryptocompare.com/coins/guides/what-are-coloured-coins-and-meta-coins/