About Superchain

Inkonchain, launched by Kraken and based on the OP Stack, is an Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain. As part of the Superchain ecosystem, Inkonchain inherits Ethereum’s robust security while offering faster transaction speeds and lower gas fees. With strong liquidity support, seamless cross-chain interactions, and innovative DeFi solutions, Inkonchain delivers a more efficient and user-friendly DeFi experience for developers and users.

Why Was the Superchain Created?

Layer 2 solutions were designed to address Ethereum’s issues with low throughput, high gas fees, and scalability. Mainstream Layer 2 platforms like Arbitrum, Polygon, zkSync, and Optimism offer different solutions but are not interoperable. Most Layer 2 chains operate in isolation, forcing developers and users to choose based on user base, transaction fees, and liquidity. The Superchain was created to address these challenges by offering a unified ecosystem and seamless cross-chain interaction.

What is Superchain?

Optimism has introduced the OP Stack, a blockchain development framework offering a modular toolkit for building blockchains. Superchain is a blockchain network built on the OP Stack, forming a multi-chain ecosystem. The main idea behind Superchain is to enable different blockchains to share infrastructure and interact seamlessly. Its goal is to unify multiple OP Stack-based chains into a single network, where these chains can share functions such as bridging, decentralized governance, upgrades, and communication layers. All of them are built on OP Stack, creating an ecosystem that shares security, governance, and communication layers.

About Inkonchain

Launched in 2024, Inkonchain is an Ethereum Layer 2 scaling solution developed by Kraken, built on the Optimism Superchain technology. Inkonchain uses Ink Protocol as its core technology, offering users secure, efficient, and low-cost on-chain transaction services. Its mission is to bridge the gap between DeFi users and developers while leveraging Kraken’s strengths in compliance and trading to provide high-performance blockchain solutions to users worldwide.

The core team behind Inkonchain includes nightelf and Cruz Molina. nightelf, one of Inkonchain’s founders and the technical lead, brings extensive technical experience working on various blockchain projects. Cruz Molina, an executive at Kraken Digital Asset Exchange, plays a key role in Inkonchain’s development, offering valuable industry knowledge and market insights from his experience with major digital asset platforms like Kraken.

Inkonchain officially launched in December 2024 and became part of the Optimism Superchain. Its community has grown to over 100,000 members less than three months after launch. According to official Twitter data, Inkonchain’s testnet had already processed millions of transactions from hundreds of thousands of wallets before the mainnet launch. Optimism also tweeted that Inkonchain’s launch was ahead of schedule due to high demand, with its developer community growing exponentially. Kraken reportedly raised $42.5 million from Optimism to bring Inkonchain to life.

Ink Testnet Data（Source: x）

Inkonchain Features

Inkonchain is a Layer 2 blockchain built on OP Stack, aimed at becoming the DeFi hub of the Superchain and providing a strong foundational layer for deploying innovative DeFi protocols. What sets Inkonchain apart are its features:

1. Abstraction: Ink integrates Kraken’s infrastructure, offering users a unified experience from fiat conversion to cutting-edge DeFi.
2. DeFi First: Ink is committed to expanding the DeFi user base and improving the quality and scope of DeFi products. It provides everything users need to experience the DeFi ecosystem and easily navigate on-chain operations.
3. User Experience (UX): By integrating, automating, and abstracting, Ink provides a seamless on-chain experience.
4. Developer Support: Open-source and Ethereum-scalable, Ink offers developers rich documentation, expert guidance, workshops, custom onboarding support, exclusive community channels, and financial backing to turn their ideas into reality.
5. EVM Compatibility: It seamlessly supports the deployment of any Solidity contract written for Ethereum mainnet or other Layer 2 networks without modifications, running directly on Ink.

Key Components of Inkonchain

On the official website, Inkonchain has six main sections: Bridge, DeFi, Explorers, Infrastructure, Social, and Wallet. In the Bridge section, you’ll find various cross-chain bridge protocols, such as Gelato, Brid.gg, Owlto, and others, along with links to related Twitter communities for further information. The team is actively developing the DeFi section, which includes popular projects like Curve, Dinero, Frax, and Velodrome. Notably, iETH, a liquid staking token, is being introduced on Inkonchain by Dinero, allowing users to stake ETH directly on the Ink network.

Ink Official Website (Source: inkonchain)

The Explorers section supports Blockscout. If you have an account, you can log in and see detailed statistics such as the total number of blocks, average transaction times, total transactions, and transaction fees, offering a comprehensive information dashboard. When you create a wallet and paste your address into the tool, you can view your wallet’s holdings and detailed data. This functions similarly to Etherscan and BscScan but updates faster and serves as a Gas tracker.

The Infrastructure section provides community links and supports tools like Dune, EAS, and Goldsky. In the Social section, Inkonchain offers an on-chain domain registration project called 3DNS, which supports more than 420 top-level domains (TLDs) like .com, .xyz, .box, and others, much like ENS. The Wallet section integrates Kraken Wallet, providing a secure place to store and manage cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and various wallets. In gratitude for early support, Ink collaborated with Optimism to release a limited-edition NFT, which users can store and view in their wallets.

Competitor Comparison

Inkonchain, a Layer2 network launched by Kraken Exchange, shares many similarities with Base, the Layer2 network launched by Coinbase. Both are application chains within the Optimism Superchain ecosystem, supported by top-tier exchanges with substantial user bases. They both use OP Stack technology and are part of the Superchain ecosystem, making them fully interoperable, eventually sharing liquidity across networks. However, there are still notable differences in terms of technology, user experience, and ecosystem integration.

Technical Architecture

Base: Built on Optimism’s OP Stack, Base focuses more on being a developer-friendly ecosystem, emphasizing creating an independent ecosystem.

Inkonchain: Built on OP Stack, Inkonchain plays an active role in the governance and development of the Superchain, allowing seamless interoperability with other OP chains. This gives users and developers greater flexibility and makes moving assets and data between multiple chains easier.

User Experience

Base: While Base offers low Gas fees, its user experience is lacking compared to Inkonchain. The platform is more focused on broad Web3 application coverage.

Inkonchain: Inkonchain prioritizes user experience, especially in transaction fees and network latency. Alongside offering low Gas fees, it works hard to create the best possible user experience by simplifying processes with abstraction and automation, such as through the Ink Kit toolkit. This ensures that Kraken’s offerings are effectively brought onto the blockchain, attracting a wider DeFi developer and user base.

Ecosystem Integration

Base: Base benefits from deep integration with Coinbase’s exchange resources, collaborating directly with its wallet and applications.

Inkonchain: Similarly, Inkonchain leverages Kraken’s exchange resources, with Kraken’s OTC trading, NFTs, and staking services providing valuable support. This expands Inkonchain’s practical use cases. Additionally, Kraken’s large user base boosts liquidity and participation in the Ink ecosystem.

Outlook and Conclusion

The Superchain initiative plans to bring numerous chains online by 2025, actively working to build a cohesive ecosystem. This will not happen overnight; it requires collaborative efforts across the industry from all chains that benefit from the shared standards of Superchain. Velodrome’s official Twitter account has announced that its Superchain expansion is expected to launch on Ink in early 2025. Ink has already purchased and locked 2.5 million veVELO, and Velodrome will serve as a one-stop liquidity hub to support the Ink ecosystem. Additionally, $1.4 million in incentive funds will be allocated over the next 12 months to boost liquidity for Velodrome on Ink.

The primary goal of Superchain is to improve the interoperability and scalability of Layer2 solutions, enabling developers to access liquidity and users without being forced to choose a single blockchain. Although Superchain is still in its early phases, it is evident that the Layer2 ecosystem has already made notable progress in enhancing scalability, efficiency, and usability across the industry. As more compliant exchanges launch their own networks, thousands of companies are expected to soon have their own Layer2 solutions integrated into Superchain.