Preamble, also known as premine, is a term used in the cryptocurrency world to refer to the practice of creating and distributing a certain number of coins to a specific group of people before the official launch of a blockchain network. This group of people is usually composed of the developers, founders, and early investors of the project.
The purpose of premining is to provide the developers and early investors with the necessary funds to finance the development and promotion of the project, as well as to reward them for their early support. Preamble can also be used to create a sense of scarcity, as the early release of coins can create a sense of urgency among potential buyers and investors.
However, premining has been criticized by some in the cryptocurrency community as it can create an unfair distribution of coins and can also be used to artificially inflate the price of a coin. For example, if a large number of coins are premined and distributed to a small group of people, they can control a significant portion of the total supply and use it to manipulate the market. This can result in a situation where the price of a coin is artificially inflated, and investors are misled into buying the coin at an artificially high price.
Preamble also can be used in a malicious way, where developers premine a large number of coins and then dump them on the market, causing the price to crash. This can result in significant financial losses for investors who bought the coin at a high price.
To avoid these problems, some projects opt to not premine any coins and instead rely on crowdfunding or other methods of raising funds. Additionally, some projects choose to premine a small number of coins and then distribute them to a large number of people, to create a more fair distribution of coins.
In conclusion, premine is a controversial practice in the cryptocurrency world, as it can be used to create an unfair distribution of coins and artificially inflate prices. However, if used responsibly, it can be a valuable tool for financing the development and promotion of a project. As an investor, it is important to thoroughly research a project before investing, to understand the distribution of coins and the motivations of the developers.