February 27, 2025 – Monad, a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain, has made headlines with an incredible achievement: its testnet surpassed 100 million transactions in just one week. This milestone has redefined the expectations for blockchain testnet activity and catapulted Monad into the spotlight of the crypto world.
With cross-chain bridge Wormhole integrated from day one, PancakeSwap deployment soon after, and explosive growth in transaction volume, Monad is proving its promise of high performance and Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility. What exactly is Monad, and how did it capture such widespread attention in such a short time? Let’s dive in.
Monad is a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain built by Monad Labs, founded in 2022. The core team consists of experts from high-frequency trading (HFT) and technology sectors, including CEO Keone Hon, CTO James Hunsaker, and COO Eunice Giarta. Through multiple rounds of funding, Monad has raised $244 million, with $225 million from Paradigm in 2024, highlighting significant capital backing and belief in its potential.
Monad’s core mission is to create a blockchain that balances decentralization, security, and high performance. By focusing on extreme scalability, Monad overcomes the performance bottlenecks faced by most public blockchains while maintaining decentralization and security. Unlike many other blockchain platforms, Monad emphasizes transaction throughput and confirmation times, and aims to simplify the developer experience, offering compatibility with Ethereum’s ecosystem to attract more developers and users.
Monad’s unique technical architecture and strong performance let it stand out from other blockchain platforms. Let’s compare Monad with its major competitors and highlight its key advantages.
High Throughput and Low Latency
Monad can process up to 10,000 transactions per second (TPS) with a block time of just 1 second. This puts it ahead of other high-performance chains like Solana, which, despite its high throughput, has faced network downtimes and performance bottlenecks. Aptos and Sui also excel in throughput but rely on the Move language, which creates a barrier for developers to migrate their applications. Monad’s use of optimistic parallel execution and decoupled consensus and execution allows it to handle high throughput while minimizing network delays, making it ideal for real-time transactions, DeFi applications, and on-chain games.
Full EVM Compatibility
A major advantage of Monad is its full compatibility with Ethereum’s virtual machine (EVM). Unlike Solana and Aptos, which use their own programming languages (Rust and Move, respectively), Monad allows Ethereum developers to migrate existing applications seamlessly. With EVM compatibility, Monad supports existing Ethereum tools (like MetaMask and Truffle) and smart contracts, lowering the entry barrier for developers and accelerating adoption.
Low Costs and Decentralization
Monad keeps transaction fees under 1 cent and reduces hardware requirements for nodes (e.g., SSD storage support). This lowers the barrier for participation, allowing more users to maintain the network and strengthening its decentralization. While Solana also has low transaction fees, its reliance on advanced hardware makes it harder for ordinary users to participate in node operation. Aptos and Sui, while high-performing, have faced challenges in achieving long-term decentralization. Monad’s focus on lowering hardware requirements helps ensure greater network participation and decentralization, which enhances security and network health
Single-Slot Finality
Monad uses single-slot finality, which ensures transactions are nearly instantly confirmed after a block is produced. This provides a much faster confirmation process, crucial for DeFi applications and high-speed trading. In contrast, Solana and Aptos offer fast transaction times but lack the efficient finality that Monad provides. Solana’s finality depends on network stability, while Aptos still needs further optimization in this area.
The success of Monad’s testnet is just the beginning. The testnet’s remarkable milestone of 100 million transactions in one week is a testament to the platform’s technical capabilities. From the testnet launch on February 19 to PancakeSwap’s integration on February 24, Monad has demonstrated its potential. It has also attracted the interest of cross-chain protocols like Wormhole and DeFi applications, laying a strong foundation for ecosystem growth.Key Areas to Watch:
Mainnet and Tokenomics
Monad’s mainnet is expected to launch in late 2025, likely introducing a native token and airdrop incentives for early users and developers. The design of Monad’s tokenomics will directly impact its decentralization and community participation, making token distribution a key challenge, especially given the concentration of venture capital backing.
Ecosystem Expansion
During the testnet phase, significant projects like Wormhole and PancakeSwap have already joined the Monad network. By the time of the mainnet launch, Monad expects to have 150-200 projects in its ecosystem. Its high performance and low cost make it well-suited for DeFi, NFTs, and on-chain gaming, while partnerships with projects like LayerZero and Pyth Network will enhance Monad’s cross-chain capabilities, connecting it to a broader blockchain ecosystem.
Monad’s testnet milestone of over 100 million transactions is not only a demonstration of its technical strength but also a preview of the future of blockchain technology. With high performance as its foundation and EVM compatibility as a bridge, Monad aims to carve a new path in the decentralized blockchain world. Although the mainnet is yet to launch, the excitement from the community and industry is already palpable.
Will Monad live up to its promise of being the “next-generation blockchain” and lead us into a more efficient, open Web3 era? The future looks promising, and the industry is eager to see how it unfolds.