Ren (REN) is an open protocol that strives to foster interoperability and liquidity between different blockchain platforms. The protocol's native token, REN, serves as a bond for those operating nodes, known as Darknodes, which power the Ren Virtual Machine (RenVM). Ren's primary objective aims to enhance the accessibility of decentralized finance (DeFi) by eliminating the challenges associated with liquidity between blockchains. The protocol seeks to allow users to essentially swap any token between any two blockchains, bypassing intermediary steps such as using "wrapped" versions of tokens.

Ren operates through its RenVM, a network of virtual computers that collectively form a virtual machine. The computers that power this network are referred to as Darknodes. RenVM employs a Byzantine fault-tolerant protocol that enables ECDSA threshold key generation and signing via secure multi-party computation (sMPC). This functionality allows RenVM to securely manage (ECDSA) private keys on different blockchains, thereby intending to enable the transfer of tokens between these blockchains, a feature known as interoperability. While Ren charges various fees for internal operations, most of these are not directed towards profitability but are paid to miners.

Ren's primary use case aims to overcome barriers to entry for DeFi projects. As a plug-in, it enables DeFi projects to incorporate foreign cryptocurrency assets such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Zcash (ZEC) into their offerings. This broadens the scope of DeFi projects, allowing users to swap any token between any two blockchains without the need for intermediary steps. This feature aims to enhance the interoperability of different blockchain platforms, thereby intending to increase the accessibility and liquidity of DeFi projects.

Ren was founded by Taiyang Zhang in 2017 and was initially known as Republic Protocol. The project was first announced in January 2018, with Zhang outlining its initial use case as a "decentralized dark pool." Ren launched RenVM, its virtual machine mainnet, in May 2020. Zhang has a background in the cryptocurrency space, having co-founded a crypto hedge fund. Prior to that, he co-founded Neucode, a software and web development startup, in 2014.