Fantom was established in 2018 by Dr. Ahn Byung Ik, a South Korean computer scientist, under the guidance of the Fantom Foundation. The network's mainnet, Opera, launched in December 2019, marking a significant step in the platform's development. The team behind Fantom has extensive experience in full-stack blockchain development and aimed to create a smart contract platform that prioritizes scalability, security, and decentralization. Fantom funded its development through token sales in 2018, with a total supply of 3.175 billion FTM tokens. A significant portion of these tokens is in circulation, while the rest were released according to a pre-set schedule.