What Is Monad? The High-Performance EVM Blockchain Built for Speed and Scale

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Monad is a next-generation Layer 1 blockchain designed to deliver high throughput, low latency, and full Ethereum compatibility. After several years of development, the network is now transitioning from testnet to public mainnet on November 24, 2025. Alongside the launch of MON, the native token of the Monad network, developers, users, and applications can begin building and transacting on a high-performance EVM environment.

This guide explains what Monad is, how it works, why it matters, and how to get started using Monad with Backpack.

Key Takeaways

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• Monad Public Mainnet launches on November 24, 2025.
  
  
• Monad is fully compatible with Ethereum, allowing developers to deploy Solidity applications without modification.
  
  
• The network introduces Optimistic Parallel Execution, MonadBFT, and MonadDB to significantly improve performance.
  
  
• MON is the native token used for gas fees, staking, and governance. Distribution occurs through a public sale, early-user airdrop, and ecosystem incentives.
  
  
• Monad’s ecosystem includes applications across gaming, prediction, and consumer use cases.
  
  
• Backpack Wallet and Backpack Exchange will support Monad at launch, including asset management, swapping, staking, and MON trading.
  
  

What Is Monad?

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Monad is a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain built to scale EVM applications without requiring new programming languages or major architectural changes. It maintains compatibility with the Ethereum Virtual Machine while introducing a redesigned execution engine capable of processing many transactions at the same time.

Monad addresses the core limitations of existing EVM chains, such as sequential execution and state bottlenecks, by adopting parallel execution and advanced consensus. This enables faster confirmation times, lower fees, and a more responsive on-chain experience while preserving familiar EVM tooling.

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How does Monad work?

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MonadBFT

MonadBFT is Monad’s consensus mechanism, adapted from HotStuff-based research to provide fast finality with strong safety guarantees. By reducing the number of consensus rounds and optimizing validator communication, MonadBFT supports stable block production in a partially synchronous network.

Deferred Execution

Traditional blockchains execute transactions before validators reach consensus on whether those transactions should be included. Monad reverses this process. Validators first agree on the ordering of transactions, then execute them afterward. This approach allows blocks to be confirmed more quickly and raises overall throughput.

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Parallel Execution

Parallel execution is the foundation of Monad’s performance gains. Instead of running transactions one by one, Monad evaluates multiple independent transactions at the same time. Optimistic execution techniques allow the system to begin processing transactions even if earlier operations have not completed, with conflict resolution when needed.

MonadDB

MonadDB is a custom database designed for high-throughput blockchain execution. It uses asynchronous input/output operations to efficiently handle large volumes of reads and writes, enabling smooth parallel execution without blocking.

Together, these technologies allow Monad to maintain EVM compatibility while achieving significantly higher performance than traditional EVM-based chains.

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Why Monad Matters

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Monad addresses several persistent challenges in the EVM ecosystem:

• Scalable EVM performance: For developers used to Ethereum tooling, Monad offers a more scalable base layer.
  
  
• Lower latency & faster confirmations: This benefits applications requiring responsiveness (gaming, real-time interactions).
  
  
• Lower and more predictable fees: By increasing throughput, average cost per transaction falls, improving UX.
  
  
• Developer experience: Existing Solidity apps can migrate easier.
  
  
• Supports real-world & high-frequency applications: Consumer apps, games, prediction markets, DeFi all benefit.
  
  

As demand grows for applications that rely on fast settlement and higher capacity, Monad provides a pathway forward while remaining within the EVM ecosystem.

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Real-World Use Cases for Monad

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Gaming: Real-time combat, on-chain item interactions, and multiplayer state updates require low latency and high throughput.

Prediction and Sports: Quick settlement and frequent submissions benefit from faster execution.

On-Chain Finance: Exchanges, lending platforms, and structured products can operate with greater efficiency and lower costs.

Consumer Applications: Walk-to-earn systems, social platforms, and virtual worlds need scalable infrastructure and predictable performance.

Enterprise and Financial Use Cases: Low-latency settlement and verifiable computation support institutional and enterprise applications.

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MON Token and Tokenomics

MON is the native token of the Monad network. It is used to pay for transactions, secure the chain through staking, and participate in future governance.

Some users refer to this early phase as the Monad ICO, but the project used a structured public token sale instead of a traditional ICO.

Key Metrics

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• Launch Date: November 24, 2025
• Token Name: Monad
• Symbol: MON
• Max Supply: 100B $MON

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Token Utility

MON supports several core functions:

• Gas fees for executing transactions and contracts
  
  
• Staking to secure the network and earn validator rewards
  
  
• Governance participation as on-chain decision-making is introduced
  
  
• Incentives for ecosystem and developer program

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Distribution and Launch Details

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The Monad public mainnet and MON Token Generation Event (TGE) are scheduled for November 24, 2025. At TGE, MON becomes transferable and is distributed through a combination of public sale, airdrop, and ecosystem incentives.

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Public Sale

A total of 7.5 percent of the total supply was sold through the Coinbase Token Sales platform from November 17 to 22 at a fixed price of 0.025 USD per MON.

Airdrop Distribution

3.3% of the supply is allocated to eligible early users and contributors and is distributed at TGE.

Allocation Breakdown

• Ecosystem Development: 38.5%
  
  
• Team: 27%t
  
  
• Investors: 19.7%
  
  
• Treasury and Foundation: approximately 4%
  
  
• Public Sale: 7.5%
  
  
• Community Airdrop: 3.3%
  
  

Initial Circulating Supply

At mainnet launch, about 10.8 billion MON, equal to 10.8 percent of total supply, will be unlocked and circulating. Locked allocations, such as team, investor, and treasury tokens, will not be eligible for staking at launch to support decentralization.

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Team and Backers

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Monad is developed by a team with deep experience in distributed systems, high-performance trading infrastructure, and large-scale engineering. The project is led by three founders who previously held technical and product roles in both traditional finance and crypto.

Founding Team

Keone Hon, Chief Executive Officer

Leads overall strategy and protocol development. His background includes building latency-sensitive systems in the trading industry.

James Hunsaker, Chief Technology Officer

Oversees engineering and execution architecture. He previously worked on high-performance research and production systems.

Eunice Giarta, Chief Operating Officer

Manages operations, product alignment, and ecosystem programs. Her experience spans product leadership in traditional tech and crypto.

The team has grown significantly since Monad’s inception, with engineers, researchers, and product specialists focusing on performance engineering, consensus design, and developer experience.

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Investors and Funding

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Monad is backed by a broad group of institutional investors aligned with its mission to build a high-performance, EVM-compatible blockchain.

Funding milestones include:

• Seed Round (2023): 19 million USD
  Introduced Monad to the public and supported early protocol development.
  
  
• Series A (2024): 225 million USD
  Enabled the build-out of the core engineering team, execution engine, and infrastructure required for mainnet.
  
  

More than 70 investors participated across both rounds, representing firms focused on infrastructure, technical innovation, and long-term ecosystem development. These backers support Monad’s goal of delivering a scalable and censorship-resistant base layer for global applications.

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Monad Ecosystem

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Monad launches with a growing ecosystem of applications built to take advantage of its low latency, parallel execution, and EVM compatibility. Early projects span gaming, prediction markets, social platforms, and consumer applications.

Gaming

Lumiterra: A multiplayer game where exploration, combat, and on-chain item ownership are central. An AI companion system assists players and enhances in-game efficiency.

Prediction and Sports

RareBetSports: A player-focused prediction platform that settles multi-pick tickets on-chain using fast, transparent execution.

Movement and Exploration

LootGo: A mobile experience that rewards users for walking and visiting real-world locations with collectible digital items.

On-Chain Games

Bro.fun: A skill-based game with verifiable on-chain outcomes and a progression system tied to player activity.

Sports Markets

Levr.Bet: A sports platform introducing leveraged betting and liquidity vaults that allow users to support the betting pool.

Social Play

TeleMafia: A Telegram-native RPG where players battle, progress, and build group treasuries using simple chat commands.

In addition to consumer applications, Monad is supported by infrastructure partners providing explorers, RPC endpoints, and developer tooling to onboard new builders.

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How to Get Started with Monad on Backpack

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1. Install Backpack Wallet

Download the Backpack Wallet extension or mobile app. Create or import a wallet and store your recovery information securely.

2. Add the Monad Network

When mainnet is live, Backpack will support the Monad network directly. Users will be able to manage MON and interact with smart contracts and applications.

3. Participate in Reward Campaigns

Backpack is running the Monad Mayhem rewards campaign during the launch period. Users can earn MON, CHOG, and NFTs by performing supported actions such as staking through Backpack Validator or swapping within the wallet.

4. Explore Applications

Users can connect Backpack to applications in the Monad ecosystem and begin interacting with games, prediction platforms, and other on-chain experiences.

5. Trade MON on Backpack Exchange

Backpack Exchange will support MON trading after launch. Users can deposit MON, access liquidity, and manage their assets across both the wallet and exchange.

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Conclusion

Monad introduces a high-performance infrastructure layer for the EVM ecosystem, offering speed, scalability, and compatibility within a single blockchain environment. With the launch of MON, an expanding application ecosystem, and full support from Backpack, users and developers have a smooth path to begin exploring Monad from day one.

As the network evolves, Monad aims to enable real-time, consumer-grade applications and support a new generation of on-chain experiences.

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To get started, download Backpack Wallet, join the Monad Mayhem campaign, and begin exploring the Monad ecosystem today.

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