Astar Network, a prominent figure within the Polkadot ecosystem, has just made a significant foray into the Ethereum universe through the debut of its Layer 2 zkEVM mainnet, an initiative that promises to strengthen bridges between different blockchain platforms.
Launched on March 6, Astar's zkEVM utilizes Polygon's Chain Development Kit (CDK), an open-source modular solution aimed at facilitating the construction of Layer 2 networks, with a particular focus on zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs. .
Additionally, Astar's zkEVM stands out for being the first external network to integrate with Polygon's AggLayer, a cross-chain interoperability tool that promotes atomic swaps between the mainnet and Ethereum Layer 2, including support from Polygon's own zkEVM rollup.
This collaboration between Astar and Polygon through AggLayer is seen as a milestone on the path to interoperability, innovatively linking the Polygon, Ethereum, and Astar ecosystems. “This begins to unify state and liquidity and initiates cross-chain interoperability between three main ecosystems: Polygon, Ethereum and Astar Network,” commented the Astar team.
Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder of Polygon, highlighted the importance of this advancement: “Today is an important first step towards welcoming communities into a seamless multi-chain ecosystem”, emphasizing the expectation that the integration of more ZK-based networks will enhance scalability and the functionality of the crypto ecosystem.
Huge congratulations to the @AstarNetwork team on their Astar zkEVM mainnet launch!
It's exciting to see Astar zkEVM leading the way by being the 1st to fully integrate @ 0xPolygon's revolutionary AggLayer.
Today marks a giant leap towards a unified blockchain ecosystem! https://t.co/nKjId6c6my
— 🪁 Keom (@KeomProtocol) March 6, 2024
As Astar Network cements its position as a Tier 1 Polkadot Parachain with over $700 million in assets under management, and its ASTR token leads the parachain market with an impressive market cap, the recent expansion into the Ethereum ecosystem via Polygon's AggLayer marks a new chapter in its path of innovation and integration blockchain.
Polygon's commitment to optimizing the AggLayer user experience, with plans to increase transaction speeds by 2025, reinforces the vision of a future in which the barriers between different blockchain networks become increasingly blurred, ushering in an era of more connected and efficient cryptoactives. At the time of publication, the price of Astar was quoted at US$0,1526, up 0,6% in the last 24 hours.