Aeternity is a cryptocurrency that was recently released in 2017. It utilizes a strong benefit that is highly valuable in the cryptocurrency world, privacy. AE aims to eliminate inefficiencies in the market by increasing the scalability of smart contracts, and moving contract execution off of the blockchain. By using state channels, it creates a process that allows for the execution of smart contracts off of the blockchain, and on utilizes the blockchain when a disagreement develops between the two contracting parties. Businesses place high value on the high privacy that AE provides, specifically because of smart contracts not being recorded to the public, which can jeopardize certain businesses, based on the industry they operate in.