KSM is a cryptocurrency that powers Kusama, a protocol that enables cross-blockchain transfers of any type of data or asset. By uniting multiple blockchains, Kusama aims to achieve high degrees of security and scalability. KSM serves as the protocol’s governance token and can be used for staking to secure the network or to connect (“bond”) new chains. Kusama acts as a "canary" or experimental network for Polkadot (a separate protocol that shares the same codebase) in which developers can more quickly test new programs that can be deployed on both.