Monad

Monad is a Layer 1 blockchain that processes 10,000 transactions per second while staying fully compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine. Its public mainnet launched on November 24, 2025. Think of it as a rebuilt engine inside a familiar car: your existing Ethereum code runs on Monad without modification, but the speed is orders of magnitude faster.

Monad Labs was founded in 2022 by Keone Hon, James Hunsaker, and Eunice Giarta, all former Jump Trading alumni. Jump Trading is one of the most respected high-frequency trading firms in the world, and that background is not incidental. The founders designed Monad the same way a trading firm designs a low-latency execution system: strip out bottlenecks, parallelize everything, and build custom infrastructure instead of inheriting legacy constraints.

The central problem Monad solves is Ethereum’s sequential execution model. On Ethereum, every transaction in a block runs one after another, the same way a single cashier processes a long checkout line. Monad uses optimistic parallel execution, processing many transactions simultaneously, and only re-runs a transaction sequentially if a conflict is detected. The final blockchain state is identical to what Ethereum would produce. You get the same correctness, at a fraction of the time.

Monad introduces five major architectural improvements: MonadBFT for consensus, deferred execution, parallel execution, a custom pipeline for block propagation, and MonadDb for efficient state storage. MonadBFT pipelines the consensus process so different stages overlap across blocks, which is what allows the network to achieve sub-second finality. MonadDb is a database built specifically for how the EVM reads and writes data, replacing the generic storage systems that slow down most chains.

Testnet data shows average gas fees of $0.004 to $0.007, with the network maintaining near-zero costs even during peak activity periods. For developers building DeFi applications, on-chain order books, or prediction markets, this changes the economics entirely. Products that are cost-prohibitive on Ethereum become viable on Monad.

The use cases cluster around anything that requires high transaction volume and real-time responsiveness. Since mainnet launch in November 2025, Monad has enabled developers to build complex DeFi protocols, on-chain trading platforms, and automated yield strategies with significantly higher transaction capacity. Gaming, prediction markets, and decentralized exchanges are all natural fits. Any application where users expect near-instant feedback and low fees benefits directly from what Monad delivers.

Monad Labs has raised over $244 million across two funding rounds: a $19 million seed round in February 2023 led by Dragonfly Capital, and a $225 million Series A in April 2024 led by Paradigm. The Series A also included Coinbase Ventures, Electric Capital, Greenoaks Capital, and Castle Island Ventures. Monad’s valuation reached $3 billion following that round.

Paradigm’s lead role matters. The firm has backed Ethereum infrastructure, Uniswap, and other foundational Web3 protocols, so its decision to lead a $225 million round signals that sophisticated infrastructure investors view Monad as serious competition to existing Layer 1 blockchains, not just another EVM fork.

The native token $MON serves three core functions within the Monad ecosystem: paying for network gas, staking for validator roles in the MonadBFT protocol, and governance over protocol-level decisions. Validators stake $MON to participate in consensus, which ties the security of the network directly to the token. Gas fees paid in $MON are partially burned, creating a deflationary pressure that offsets the network’s annual inflation rate.

$MON trades on centralized cryptocurrency exchanges for standard amounts. If you want to buy Monad tokens OTC in larger quantities, or if you are looking to acquire locked tokens or SAFT notes, Acquire.Fi’s OTC and Secondaries Marketplace is designed for exactly that purpose.

Acquire.Fi lets you buy Monad tokens OTC by engaging with existing sell listings in the marketplace, or you can submit a new Buy listing with your preferred valuation and token amount. If no existing listing matches what you need, your listing stays active until a counterparty is found.

You can also sell Monad tokens OTC if you hold a position and want to exit. Sellers can either match with an existing Buy listing or submit a new Sell listing with their target price and the amount they want to move.

Once your listing is submitted, Acquire.Fi handles the coordination. The team runs background checks, sends non-disclosure agreements, and then connects buyer and seller directly. From that point, both parties are responsible for their own due diligence and payment settlement. Acquire.Fi is not a broker-dealer, but our team actively supports both sides to successfully close the transaction.