Monad mainnet is live, and the ecosystem is already big enough that it can feel hard to know where to start. This post pulls together the essentials from DAIC Capital’s Monad series and the latest mainnet updates so you can quickly get oriented, with links out to deeper dives along the way.
Key Takeaways
- Monad is a high‑throughput, EVM‑compatible Layer 1 with MON as its native token at the center of the network.
- MON tokenomics highlights long‑term growth, with a major community airdrop completed and over half the supply locked for at least a year.
- Users can already stake MON, bridge assets, and access a growing set of DeFi, gaming, and consumer apps on mainnet.
- Dozens of well‑known protocols are integrating, while a wave of native projects is building experiences that lean on Monad’s speed and low fees.
Why Monad exists
Monad’s mission is to power a new, global on‑chain economy by combining high performance, strong decentralization, and a great developer experience in a single EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain. It targets around 10,000+ transactions per second with sub‑second finality and low fees, while keeping a decentralized validator set and full Ethereum compatibility so existing Solidity apps and tooling work out of the box.
After three years of development and over $240 million raised across two funding rounds, Monad's public mainnet went live on November 24, 2025, alongside the launch of its native MON token. The team describes this as "the culmination of several years of technological innovation and engineering," bringing together months of public testnet stress-testing with real economic activity.
The Tech Foundations (for builders)
From a builder’s point of view, Monad is interesting because it rethinks how an EVM chain executes and finalizes transactions, not just how quickly it produces blocks. The protocol separates consensus from execution, uses strong parallelization, and pipelines execution stages, so the network can keep hardware busy instead of letting it sit idle between blocks.
Our article Monad: A Parallelized EVM Layer 1 at Hyper Speed explains how Monad runs many independent transactions in parallel where possible, then reconciles shared state efficiently, giving you more “headroom” for complex dApps without blowing up gas prices. Monad Technical Architecture dives into topics like the execution pipeline, state storage, and how the software client is engineered to squeeze more performance out of modern hardware. The consensus side is handled by MonadBFT, a Byzantine Fault Tolerant protocol optimized for sub-second finality. Learn more about MonadBFT with our post MonadBFT: Next-Generation BFT Consensus. Put simply, if you are comfortable with Ethereum tooling but have hit throughput ceilings on other chains, Monad is designed to be a drop‑in upgrade rather than a complete mental reset.
MON Token, Airdrop, and Staking
MON is Monad's native token. You use it to pay gas fees, secure the network through staking, and participate in governance. The total supply is 100 billion MON, with roughly 10.8% circulating at launch from the airdrop and Coinbase public sale. Another 38.5% is earmarked for ecosystem development and grants. The remaining 50.6%, held by team members, early investors, and the treasury, is locked for at least one year to keep everyone aligned long-term. For tokenomics details, see MON Tokenomics Overview.
Monad distributed 3.33 billion MON across 76,000 wallets through an airdrop that ran from October 14 to November 3, 2025. Recipients included longtime community members, active DeFi users, builders working on Monad, and security researchers. Unclaimed tokens feed back into ecosystem initiatives. For the full breakdown by track, see The MON Airdrop and MON Airdrop Results.
If you already hold MON, you can help secure the network and earn rewards by staking. Our Monad Staking Guide: How to Stake MON Tokens walks you through:
- Picking a compatible wallet and connecting to Monad mainnet
- Delegating or staking MON through supported interfaces
- Understanding rewards, risks, and basic security hygiene
The Monad Foundation also runs a Validator Delegation Program, staking billions from the ecosystem pool to support independent validators at launch.
What's Live on Mainnet: Apps, Bridge, and Ecosystem
The best place to start exploring is app.monad.xyz, the hub that brings together staking, DeFi, gaming, and tools. From day one, Monad mainnet had over 300 projects launched or announced, spanning trading, lending, gaming, AI, and infrastructure. You'll find both major protocols that deployed directly onto Monad and well-known cross-chain projects that integrated immediately.
Native Bridge and Cross-Chain Access
Monad's official bridge is powered by Wormhole, giving you a straightforward way to move assets between any EVM-based network and Monad. You can bridge ETH, MON, and other tokens through monadbridge.com.
LayerZero went live on day one, securing partnerships to move billions in value across chains seamlessly.
Since Monad is fully EVM-compatible, you can also use alternative bridges like Axelar and Hyperlane, which launched support immediately.
Token Listings and Trading Access
MON token landed on 30+ major exchanges at launch, including Coinbase, Bybit, Bitget, Upbit, Gate.io, MEXC, Crypto.com, and many others, with additional listings coming regularly. This broad exchange access means you can trade MON easily and move it to your wallet to start using Monad.
Monad Momentum: Apps Running Rewards Campaigns
Monad's Momentum program kicked off with Wave 1 teams across DeFi launching reward campaigns to encourage early usage. These projects encompass trading platforms, games, AI tools, and social apps, with incentives ranging from trading rewards to quest bonuses.
The goal is straightforward: bootstrap real activity on the network while users experience Monad's speed and low fees firsthand.
Getting Started: DeFi, Trading, and Consumer Apps
Monad's ecosystem team published detailed Day 1 Guides to help users navigate trading, DeFi, and consumer apps at mainnet launch. These guides walk through the basics: how to get started on the Monad blockchain and accessing key protocols.
For DeFi users, the guide covers how to access lending platforms, provide liquidity, earn yield, and understand the mechanics of different protocols - all operating at Monad's speed. Familiar interfaces from Ethereum work the same way here, just with faster transactions and lower costs.
For traders, a step-by-step walkthrough shows how to swap tokens on DEXs, navigate order books, and access aggregators that route you to the best prices across multiple liquidity sources.
For consumer app users, the guide explains how to navigate gaming, social, and prediction apps, showing you where to start and how to manage your assets safely.
The key point: if you've used Ethereum apps before, Monad feels natural and the tools are familiar. Start with small amounts to get a feel for the network, then scale up as you grow comfortable.
For a deeper look at the ecosystem's future and how these pieces fit together, see our Analyzing the Monad Ecosystem and the Future of the Project article.
What's Coming
Monad’s next phase is less about adding isolated apps and more about deepening the whole stack. Over the coming months, more blue‑chip protocols and native teams are set to go live, bringing thicker liquidity, more stablecoin options, and additional cross‑chain routes. Many of these projects are already integrated at the infrastructure level and are simply waiting for audits, governance approvals, or final testing before switching to mainnet.
Just as important, a growing slice of the development pool consists of builders who chose Monad first, not as a later deployment target. These native teams are experimenting with things like high‑frequency trading strategies, real‑time games, and always‑on consumer apps that actually need the throughput Monad offers. As these projects go live, expect the ecosystem to feel less "like Ethereum, but faster" and more like its own distinct environment, with use cases that only make sense on a high‑performance, EVM‑compatible chain.
The information provided by DAIC, including but not limited to research, analysis, data, or other content, is offered solely for informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice, financial advice, trading advice, or any other type of advice. DAIC does not recommend the purchase, sale, or holding of any cryptocurrency or other investment.
