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How it began. What it does. Why people believe. Explore the histories and evidence behind crypto assets and networks.
From privacy applications to modular execution, with a consequential retreat from staking and Atlantic.
Manta Pacific uses ETH gas, Celestia data availability and privileged validation controls. MANTA has a separate history as Atlantic’s native token. Atlantic has stopped producing blocks, and Pacific’s staking rewards ended in May 2026.
An experiment in real-time execution, with distinct settlement and ownership risks.
MegaETH is an Ethereum settlement network built around specialized execution and rapid sequencer confirmations. ETH pays gas; MEGA is its separate project token, with KPI rewards and further economic functions described in a partly prospective roadmap. Its appeal to interactive applications must be considered alongside external data availability, bridge controls and the difference between quick feedback and final settlement.
A sequencer experiment whose evolving token economy and governance remain matters of active community debate.
Metis Andromeda is network 1088 and uses METIS for gas. It belongs to a wider ecosystem that also develops Hyperion and LazAI; those names do not identify the same network. Its evolving economic program links participation and incentives to METIS, while an April 2026 update reduced expected sequencer rewards because blocks were taking longer than earlier assumptions.
Bitcoin ownership becomes a question of borrowing, voting and getting collateral back.
Mezo is a Bitcoin-focused smart-contract network whose native transaction fees are paid in BTC. Its lending products, bridge and validator set introduce their own rules and trust assumptions. MEZO coordinates incentives while MUSD represents collateralized borrowing; neither should be confused with Bitcoin itself.
A DeFi network whose incentive experiments evolved toward automated trading.
Mode is an OP Stack network with ETH gas, a separate MODE token and an AI-finance strategy. September 2026 records identify Conduit’s administrative ownership, superseding older descriptions of shared Optimism control. Its proof and upgrade permissions remain important dependencies.
A Polkadot interoperability project whose 2026 move to Base changed both the network and the token thesis.
Moonbeam launched as an Ethereum-compatible Polkadot parachain. In July 2026, its team announced GLMR's migration to Base and the parachain's wind-down. The successor Moonbeam Protocol now describes an AI-agent settlement and assurance business; its assurance service remained explicitly pre-launch in the sources reviewed here.
A real-money canary network on Kusama, followed by a 2026 token migration that did not preserve the old chain's role.
Moonriver was Moonbeam's independently usable Kusama deployment, with MOVR as its native asset. The team announced MOVR's one-for-one migration to Base in July 2026. A September forum response reports the original network shut down. Its canary-network history should be distinguished from the later ERC-20 token and any successor business.
Consumer applications, payment infrastructure and a changing sequencing model.
Morph is an Ethereum execution network with chain ID 2818 and BGB as its ecosystem token. Its 2026 design combines one active sequencer, standby infrastructure and alternative fee assets, while retaining permissioned challenges and privileged upgrade controls.
Sharded execution, eGold and an argument over how growth should be funded
MultiversX is the network formerly called Elrond, with EGLD as its native asset. Its history runs from state sharding and the eGold scarcity pitch to the MultiversX rebrand, revised token economics and Supernova. Public technical records and governance debates reveal both substantial protocol changes and disagreement about how those changes create lasting demand.
A programmable smart economy with separate governance and resource tokens
Neo N3 combines smart contracts with a dual-token economy: NEO participates in governance, while GAS pays for network resources. Its elected council and consensus nodes have distinct duties. The ecosystem continues to publish software updates, while questions about foundation accountability remain separate from the protocol's voting machinery.
An interchain application network through independence, retrenchment and recovery
Neutron began as a Cosmos Hub consumer chain and later adopted its own validator set. Its NTRN economics and governance changed again in 2026. A September governance attack and subsequent recovery make deployment dates, contract authority and the difference between restored blocks and restored user access central to its current history.
An appchain's lending rules now reach into Solana markets.
Nolus is a Cosmos SDK and CosmWasm chain supporting asset-backed margin positions. NLS is its native staking and governance token. By the September 30, 2026 review, official documentation described Solray's production deployment on Solana and the September closure of Nolus's Osmosis money market. The chain, the remote trading product and the token therefore need separate explanations.
Identity infrastructure, two native assets and a continuing argument about turning credentials into demand.
Ontology is a public smart-contract network associated with decentralized identity and user-controlled data. ONT supports staking and governance; ONG pays for execution. Its 2026 strategy brings identity and reputation into ONTO Wallet. The mainnet resumed on September 2 after a security pause, so older claims of uninterrupted operation require that qualification.
AI claims meet the realities of validators, interfaces and evidence
Oraichain is a Cosmos-based network for smart contracts and data services, using native ORAI for fees, staking and governance. Its ecosystem includes oracle tooling, randomness services and OraiDEX, whose separate ORAIX token should not be confused with ORAI. The project presents an ambitious AI vision, while its current history also requires attention to software changes, administrative controls and a September 2026 security upgrade.
A continuing ledger through liquid staking, Bitcoin interoperability and an AI business pivot
Persistence Core-1 is a proof of stake network whose native XPRT supports fees, staking and governance. Its history spans liquid staking, the Dexter exchange and Bitcoin interoperability products. In June 2026 the team announced an AI business pivot and chain maintenance mode. The current site still lists network services and the DEX as available; a live node also returned a September 30 block. None of that creates a claim on the new business's revenue.
Dollar payment ambitions, XPL economics and the gap between moving tokens and usable money.
Plasma is an independent EVM network built around stablecoin payments and the XPL asset. Its September 2025 mainnet beta connected token incentives, lending markets and a consumer payments strategy. Current documentation still separates public observer nodes from future open consensus participation and distinguishes XPL gas from sponsored payment routes.
Financial records, programmable permissions and an argument over who benefits.
Provenance is a public proof-of-stake blockchain built with the Cosmos SDK for financial applications and asset records. HASH supports fees, staking and governance. Its history includes a migration from private infrastructure, governance-imposed vesting and Figure's 2026 Foundation stewardship. Tokenized assets, Figure shares and HASH carry different roles and rights.
An Ethereum state fork whose freedom narrative meets practical questions about clients, bridges and useful applications.
PulseChain is a separate proof-of-stake network that inherited Ethereum execution history and uses PLS as its native currency. Its copied balances and bridged assets have different meanings. Current client releases preserve that independent identity rather than automatically activating every newer Ethereum fork.
An asset-oriented ledger facing the practical work of community stewardship
Radix is an independent smart-contract network built around native resources, Scrypto and the Radix Engine. Its Babylon ledger and XRD economy must be distinguished from proposed Hyperscale development. In 2026, the Foundation reduced its operations while community members worked on a successor governance structure.
An Axie homeland, a gaming economy, and a changing Ethereum relationship
Ronin began as Axie Infinity's Ethereum sidechain and completed an OP Stack migration in May 2026 while retaining RON for gas. Its history includes bridge failures, expanded access for builders, and a move from staking rewards to application incentives. Later contract changes require care when describing its proof system and security.
Bitcoin-linked money in a separate programmable ledger.
Rootstock is a Bitcoin sidechain with Ethereum-compatible execution and RBTC as its native fee asset. Merged mining and the Powpeg perform different jobs. Its history includes a changing bridge design, an ecosystem DAO using staked RIF, and public disputes about how to fund useful applications.
Programmable privacy, hardware trust and a contested community continuation.
Secret Network is a Cosmos-based chain for confidential smart contracts, with public SCRT used for fees, staking and governance. Its 2026 story includes a bridge exploit and the departure of Secret Labs. Foundation replies confirm a dilution mint, while leaving important questions about spending and victim remediation open.
A community-branded PoS network whose bridge crisis changed the meaning of loyalty.
Shibarium is a separate EVM network with BONE gas and a validator system anchored to Ethereum. Its community links useful applications with SHIB burning. A September 2025 bridge exploit and the subsequent recovery dispute make validator authority, withdrawal rules, and the difference between a recorded claim and actual repayment central to its history.
Fantom's successor network, builder fees and a disputed route from speed to lasting value.
Sonic is an EVM-compatible layer 1 launched with a one-for-one upgrade path from Fantom's FTM to S. It combines rapid execution, a native Ethereum gateway and fees directed toward builders. Its story also includes incentive disputes, evolving issuance plans and a 2026 leadership reset aimed at more durable economic activity.
Need a definition first? Explore the encyclopedia, then return to the project stories with the fundamentals in place.
