A forging token securing the Ardor blockchain.

Ardor forgers will secure all childchains spawned on the Ardor (Nxt 2.0) platform.

The Ardor testnet was launched on 1.1.2017, and was made available for public testing on 11.02.2017.

It is estimated that the first live version of Ardor will launch in Q3 of 2017.

Initial roadmap:
https://nxtforum.org/core-development-announcements/announcing-nxt-2-0-roadmap/

Implemenation phases and details (written by lead dev, Jean-Luc):
https://nxtforum.org/core-development-announcements/nxt-2-0-overview/

You can invest in ARDR now.

ARDR will automatically be swapped for the real Ardor tokens when the Ardor chain goes live.
You'll get access to your account on the Ardor blockchain by signing into the network with the same passphrase you already use for Nxt.

The ARDR token is trading on Nxt's decentralised Asset Exchange and on several centralised exchanges. You can also find it on coinmarketcap.com.

ARDR has one job to fulfil: Secure all child chain transactions. Therefore; forge and earn all transaction fees.

The Ardor blockchain secures the whole child chain network and makes sure that all child chains can pay fees.

The forging algorithm is the same that has secured users and held the Nxt platform stable for more than 3 years.

And the child chains?

Ardor's childchains though, will have features. Besides all the current Nxt features, some of the new features to come with Ardor are:

1. Blockchain as a Service - Ardor will open blockchain development to organizations and individuals across the world. The high barriers to getting started with Blockchain are about to vanish.Anyone will be able to create their own solutions using the blockchain technology with the Ardor child chains. From single users all the way up to FinTech startups and governments, create their own child chain and interact with the whole blockchain ecosystem.
2. Manageable Blockchain Size - Ardor will solve the problem of scalability by separating transactions and data that do not affect security from those that do, and moving all of those that don‘t affect security onto child chains.The Ardor team will create the first child chain (IGNIS) to house many Nxt 1.0 tools as well as future features. This small size also comes with short transaction times so processes need only a fraction of time compared to Bitcoin to execute functions.
3. A Decentralized Asset Exchange - based on the Nxt Asset Ex- change, Ardor will provide users with the ability to trade assets on any child chain for any of the child chain tokens.This allows child chains to interact with each other and opens up numerous opportunities for collaboration as well as allow cross chain asset trading, a long-requested feature within the Nxt ecosystem.With a child chain token pegged to BTC or a fiat currency, for example, assets issued on any Ardor child chain will also become tradable for these currencies.
4. Decentralized Voting and Governance Systems - Ardor will be at the core of decentralized consensus in the future.Secure and anonymous voting will be an available feature on all child chains as it is on the Nxt platform.
5. Phased Transactions -Like Nxt, Ardor will use Smart Transactions. Users can set multiple conditions before a transaction is executed, such as a minimum number of votes and a set amount of time.With this, users will only need to submit the parameters necessary for the transaction and the ID of the functionality they want to use. The transaction process is completely decentralized. No centralized server, service, or application is needed.

The first child chain to be spawned will be IGNIS.

IGNIS will be created with the Ardor Genesis Block and will have all the features that Nxt currently has (except the ability to forge).

Holders of NXT will receive a minimum of 0.5 IGNIS tokens per 1 NXT they hold in their Nxt account. Read more about the IGNIS distribution here.

Ardor child chain issuers choose.
A child chain can have all the features that Nxt and Ardor offers.

But it does not have to.

Child chains can be spawned which will have lower fees, fewer or more transactions, which do not allow non-KYC assets to be traded against its token or which applauds shuffling of its coins or not. Which specialises. Also, additional code can be written by any child chain issuer or core dev himself - if the Core Development Team approves, it becomes implemented into the Ardor core.