Icon's goal is to build a decentralised network of networks powered by cryptocurrencies. Icon sees its mission as establishing a "digital nation" in which diverse economic players can issue and govern their own types of value under the rule systems of their choosing.
The design was inspired by the structure of real-world economies, in which corporations, charities, and governmental institutions all use a shared medium of value while remaining independent yet interoperable economic players.
To put it another way, computer programs may use the Icon software as infrastructure to create their own currencies and economies. Computers running the software can then choose whether or not to support economies in the Icon ecosystem based on their own preferences.
The Icon Republic is the Icon blockchain's administrative core, dictating how new ICX cryptocurrency is created in each block.

While the project's scope is broad, the Icon team has provided a few revisions to the concept, following up a 2017 white paper with a yellow paper in 2019 that delved deeper into detailing its technologies. As of 2020, the Icon team is still publishing revised roadmaps on Medium on a regular basis.
https://icon.community