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Although Layer-2 solutions have dominated the headlines over the last 18 months, Layer-1s remain the foundational pillars of the entire web3 ecosystem. It is there, afterall, where the real action happens: where transactions that move the needle of the market are executed and recorded.
With institutional adoption continuing to grow and scalability improving, Layer-1 platforms will surely retain their blue-riband status in 2025. Naturally, Bitcoin will occupy the spotlight; but these five chains are also worth keeping tabs on in the year to come.
Built by Mysten Labs, a team of former Meta engineers who worked on Facebook’s Diem stablecoin project, this delegated proof-of-stake (DPoS) chain has demonstrated tremendous growth since launching in May 2023. Not only has it attracted nearly 20 million active accounts but it’s processed over 4.5 billion transactions to date, a perfect advertisement for its parallel transaction processing.
Designed for global adoption, Sui’s DeFi ecosystem has been flourishing, particularly with the addition of stablecoins like USDC and FDUSD and the support of popular wallets like Phantom. The successful launch of the Sui bridge has also enabled seamless asset transfers between Sui and Ethereum, further expanding the smart contract platform’s utility. Among this year’s notable milestones, the chain’s various DeFi protocols have collectively achieved $1 billion in Total Value Locked (TVL), cementing its position as a rising star.
In recent years, EOS has undergone quite a transformation under the stewardship of the EOS Network Foundation (ENF) and its big-brained (and bearded) CEO Yves La Rose aka @BigBeardSamurai. Among the many significant strides it has made is the integration of exSat, a Bitcoin Docking Later that enhances the platform’s cross-chain interoperability bonafides and empowers users to participate in staking. Incredibly, 1400 BTC has already been staked so far – equivalent to $142 million.
The network’s comprehensive tokenomics overhaul has also made waves this year, with a 250M EOS staking rewards program unveiled to incentivize ecosystem participation and growth. An additional allocation of 315M EOS for market making and 35M EOS for the RAM Ecosystem Fund also highlighted its renewed focus on enhancing liquidity and bolstering its position in the DeFi landscape.
A recent partnership with Binance’s custody partner Ceffu, meanwhile, brought institutional-grade custodian services to EOS for the first time.
CrossFi Chain favors a unique modular approach that combines both Cosmos and EVM components: while the former handles consensus, block production, and verification, the latter is utilized for smart contract execution. Thanks to this architecture, CrossFi is said to be capable of processing up to 1 million operations per second.
It’s more than just a chain, however; CrossFi is an entire ecosystem of blockchain-powered tools, with the network being the central pillar. The app, for instance, boasts swap, bridge, and staking features, and users can tap into the VISA Network with CrossFi’s very own banking card. This year, the project has secured several important strategic partnerships, including with API provider Covalent and cross-chain oracle DIA, as it continues to build out its ecosystem.
CrossFi’s Chief Growth Officer Phillip Alexeev aptly describes the platform as “the Apple Pay for crypto,” highlighting its mission to simplify complex blockchain interactions and bridge the gap between TradFi and DeFi.
Set for mainnet launch in early 2025, Berachain is notable for its innovative proof-of-liquidity (PoL) consensus mechanism, which prioritizes value creation over extraction. An EVM-identical Layer-1, it has secured over $180 million in funding from prominent VC firms like Polychain Capital and Framework Ventures, underlining strong institutional confidence in its vision.
Built on the BeaconKit framework, the platform offers fast finality and low transaction fees, and being EVM-identical, it’s tailor-made for seamless deployment of any and all Ethereum-based apps. While users wait with anticipation for the arrival of mainnet, Berachain’s growing ecosystem already features a native decentralized exchange (BEX) and perpetual trading platform (BERPS).
Launched in October 2024, Mantra positions itself at the intersection of real-world asset (RWA) tokenization and regulatory compliance. Built on the Cosmos SDK, the permissionless chain has turned plenty of heads this year, particularly when it secured Google Cloud as a primary validator!
With a fierce commitment to robust infrastructure and institutional-grade security, Mantra aims to shake up the fast-growing RWA market, a market that some believe could surpass $30 trillion by 2030. It enables users to bridge its native $OM tokens between ERC-20 and the Mantra mainnet to gain access to future RWA drops and staking opportunities. As well as its partnership with Google Cloud, Mantra sealed strategic partnerships with UAE real estate giant MAG and Zand Bank this year, setting the stage for potentially even greater achievements in 2025.
With a New Year dawning, these enterprising Layer-1 platforms offer fresh approaches to blockchain’s core challenges of scalability, security, and decentralization. From Sui’s high-throughput capabilities to Mantra’s RWA focus, such new perspectives to the old blockchain trilemma merit greater attention.
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