Litecoin.

Litecoin was created by Charlie Lee, a former Google engineer, with the goal of being a "lite" version of Bitcoin. It shares much of Bitcoin's core code but differentiates itself with a few key parameters. Notably, Litecoin uses the Scrypt hashing algorithm instead of Bitcoin's SHA-256, which was initially designed to be more ASIC-resistant, allowing for more decentralized mining via GPUs and CPUs (though ASICs for Scrypt now exist). It boasts a faster block time of 2.5 minutes (compared to Bitcoin's 10 minutes), enabling quicker transaction confirmations, and a larger total supply of 84 million coins (four times Bitcoin's 21 million). Litecoin primarily functions as a medium for fast, low-cost, and secure peer-to-peer payments. Its faster transaction speeds and lower fees have positioned it as a viable alternative for everyday transactions, earning it the moniker "digital silver" to Bitcoin's "digital gold." Furthermore, Litecoin has often served as a testbed for new technologies and improvements that might eventually be adopted by Bitcoin, such as Segregated Witness (SegWit), which was activated on Litecoin before Bitcoin. The implementation of MimbleWimble Extension Blocks (MWEB) introduced optional privacy and fungibility features, enhancing its utility for users seeking more confidential transactions without altering the main chain's ledger.