# Monad > Monad is a high-performance, Ethereum-compatible Layer 1 blockchain optimizing decentralization and scalability. It supports 10,000 transactions per second and ... - Canonical URL: https://iq.wiki/wiki/monad - Categories: Projects & Protocols - Tags: Ethereum - Created: 2024-05-30T16:54:30.764Z - Last updated: 2026-07-09T23:05:23.833Z - Source: IQ.wiki — the world's largest blockchain and crypto encyclopedia (https://iq.wiki) --- **Monad** is a high-performance, [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum)-compatible Layer 1 [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain). It significantly enhances the balance between decentralization and scalability. [Keone Hon (CEO)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/keone-hon), [James Hunsaker (CTO)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/james-hunsaker), and [Eunice Giarta (COO)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/eunice-giarta) are the co-founders of Monad. [\[1\]](#cite-id-0i5qnilh4n3) ## Overview Monad is a high-performance, [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum)-compatible Layer 1 [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) providing portability and performance. It supports full bytecode compatibility for the [Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-virtual-machine-evm), allowing applications built for [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) to be ported without code changes. Monad also offers full [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) RPC compatibility for seamless use with tools like [MetaMask](https://iq.wiki/wiki/metamask) and [Etherscan](https://iq.wiki/wiki/etherscan). [\[2\]](#cite-id-l88z7dczyc)[\[3\]](#cite-id-reuyh3hunal) In terms of performance, Monad delivers 10,000 transactions per second (tps), equivalent to 1 billion transactions per day, with 1-second [block](https://iq.wiki/wiki/block) times and finality. This enables it to support more users and interactive experiences at lower transaction costs. Its implementation of the [Ethereum Virtual Machine](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-virtual-machine-evm) complies with the Shanghai [fork](https://iq.wiki/wiki/fork), ensuring identical outcomes when simulating historical [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) transactions. [\[2\]](#cite-id-l88z7dczyc)[\[3\]](#cite-id-reuyh3hunal) Monad's performance improvements are driven by several innovations: MonadBFT (pipelined HotStuff [consensus](https://iq.wiki/wiki/consensus-mechanism) with additional research improvements), Deferred Execution (pipelining between [consensus](https://iq.wiki/wiki/consensus-mechanism) and execution to increase the execution budget), [Parallel](https://iq.wiki/wiki/parallel) Execution, and MonadDb (high-performance state backend). Despite featuring [parallel](https://iq.wiki/wiki/parallel) execution and pipelining, blocks in Monad are linear, with transactions ordered linearly within each [block](https://iq.wiki/wiki/block). [\[2\]](#cite-id-l88z7dczyc)[\[3\]](#cite-id-reuyh3hunal) #### Pipelining Pipelining is a method for achieving parallelism by breaking down tasks into smaller units that can be processed concurrently. In computer processors, pipelining enhances throughput by executing a sequence of instructions in [parallel](https://iq.wiki/wiki/parallel), all within a single clock cycle. [\[4\]](#cite-id-od1uoce31vg) ![pipelining.png](https://ipfs.everipedia.org/ipfs/QmRqLmWy5T2p2c3kAhf6kxyBuE8MhoFy6EGhmupWWbuW5D) #### Asynchronous I/O Asynchronous I/O is an input/output processing method that enables the CPU to proceed with other tasks while data communication is ongoing. Given the significant speed difference between the CPU and disk/network operations, asynchronous I/O allows the CPU to initiate an I/O operation and carry on with other instructions independent of the I/O result rather than waiting for the operation to complete before proceeding. [\[5\]](#cite-id-95i730ew0zc) ## Technology ### MonadBFT MonadBFT is a high-performance [consensus mechanism](https://iq.wiki/wiki/consensus-mechanism) designed to achieve transaction ordering under partially synchronous conditions with [Byzantine](https://iq.wiki/wiki/byzantine-fault-tolerance) actors. It is derived from HotStuff, incorporating Jolteon/DiemBFT/Fast-HotStuff improvements. It is a pipelined, two-phase [Byzantine Fault-Tolerant (BFT)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/byzantine-fault-tolerance) algorithm with [optimistic](https://iq.wiki/wiki/optimistic-rollup) responsiveness. It has linear communication overhead in normal conditions and quadratic communication during timeouts. Communication in MonadBFT occurs in phases. The leader sends a signed message to voters, who then send signed responses to the subsequent leader. MonadBFT reduces the process from three rounds to two by utilizing quadratic communication complexity during leader timeouts. [\[6\]](#cite-id-89poaahw34l) ### Deferred Execution A novel aspect of the Monad [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) is the decoupling of execution from [consensus](https://iq.wiki/wiki/consensus-mechanism). [Consensus](https://iq.wiki/wiki/consensus-mechanism) involves Monad [nodes](https://iq.wiki/wiki/node) agreeing on the official ordering of transactions while execution carries out those transactions and updates the state. [\[7\]](#cite-id-h45yne2aicd) In Monad's consensus, [nodes](https://iq.wiki/wiki/node) agree on the transaction order without the leader or validating [nodes](https://iq.wiki/wiki/node) executing those transactions first. The leader proposes an ordering without knowing the resultant state root and validating [nodes](https://iq.wiki/wiki/node) vote on [block](https://iq.wiki/wiki/block) validity without verifying if all transactions execute without reverting. [\[7\]](#cite-id-h45yne2aicd) This approach allows Monad to achieve significant speedups, enabling a single-shard [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) to scale to millions of users. Unlike [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum), where execution is a prerequisite to [consensus](https://iq.wiki/wiki/consensus-mechanism), Monad separates these processes. In [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum), [nodes](https://iq.wiki/wiki/node) must agree on both the transaction list and the state root after execution, requiring the leader to execute all transactions in the proposed [block](https://iq.wiki/wiki/block) before sharing it and validating [nodes](https://iq.wiki/wiki/node) to execute those transactions before voting. This [paradigm](https://iq.wiki/wiki/paradigm) in [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) limits the time for execution, necessitating a conservative [gas](https://iq.wiki/wiki/gas) limit to ensure computation completes on all [nodes](https://iq.wiki/wiki/node) within the budget, even in the worst-case scenario. [\[7\]](#cite-id-h45yne2aicd) ### Parallel Execution Monad executes transactions in [parallel](https://iq.wiki/wiki/parallel) while maintaining [Ethereum's](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) execution semantics. Despite this parallelism, Monad blocks are structured similarly to [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) blocks, with transactions ordered linearly. The outcomes of [block](https://iq.wiki/wiki/block) executions are consistent between Monad and [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum). [\[8\]](#cite-id-hqn8vae0ioa)[\[9\]](#cite-id-d02oq0mfsyu) Monad facilitates [parallel](https://iq.wiki/wiki/parallel) execution for [EVM](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-virtual-machine-evm) transactions without shared dependencies. Transactions and blocks remain linearly ordered, with Monad identifying parallelizable transactions within this order. This enhances transaction processing efficiency without disrupting existing applications. Apps developed for [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) and deployed on Monad will function as intended. [\[8\]](#cite-id-hqn8vae0ioa)[\[9\]](#cite-id-d02oq0mfsyu) Transactions without shared dependencies are executed concurrently on separate cores, while those with dependencies are executed sequentially. This consecutive scheduling reduces I/O overhead, significantly contributing to latency in the current [EVM](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-virtual-machine-evm) setup. [\[8\]](#cite-id-hqn8vae0ioa)[\[9\]](#cite-id-d02oq0mfsyu) ### MonadDb MonadDb is a specialized database designed for storing [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) state. While most [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) clients use key-value databases like B-Tree or LSM-Tree, [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) employs the [Merkle Patricia Trie (MPT)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/merkle-tree) data structure for state storage. This leads to a suboptimal solution where one data structure is nested within another of a different type. MonadDb addresses this by natively implementing the [Patricia Trie](https://iq.wiki/wiki/merkle-tree) data structure on disk and in memory. [\[10\]](#cite-id-mtpgpgbz0q) Monad executes multiple transactions in [parallel](https://iq.wiki/wiki/parallel), necessitating non-blocking I/O operations for database reads. MonadDb leverages asynchronous I/O (async I/O), utilizing the latest kernel support, such as io\_uring on Linux, to handle I/O operations efficiently without relying on many kernel threads. In addition to async I/O, MonadDb implements optimizations related to I/O, bypassing the filesystem to reduce overhead. [\[10\]](#cite-id-mtpgpgbz0q) ## Partnerships ### Investors On February 14th, 2023, Monad Labs announced that it had raised $19 million in seed funding led by [Dragonfly](https://iq.wiki/wiki/dragonfly) Capital. The round had 70 participants, including Placeholder Capital, Lemniscap, Shima Capital, and Finality Capital. Angel investor Naval Ravikant, co-founder of AngleList, also participated. [\[16\]](#cite-id-aBjhopnL8g) On April 9th, 2024, Monad Labs announced a $225M fundraising, with [Paradigm](https://iq.wiki/wiki/paradigm) leading the investment. This funding milestone provided ample resources to scale the team and bring Monad to production. Institutional investors included [Electric Capital](https://iq.wiki/wiki/electric-capital), Castle Island Ventures, Greenoaks, eGirl Capital, Rebirth Ventures, Amber Group, [Animoca Ventures](https://iq.wiki/wiki/animoca), Archetype, [Bankless Ventures](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bankless-dao), Big Brain Holdings, [Bodhi Ventures](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bodhi), Breed, Caladan, CMS Holdings, [Coinbase Ventures](https://iq.wiki/wiki/coinbase), CoinFund, DBA, Edessa Capital, [Figment](https://iq.wiki/wiki/figment) Capital, [Flow](https://iq.wiki/wiki/flow) Traders, [Galaxy](https://iq.wiki/wiki/galaxy-digital), GSR Ventures, [Hailstone Labs](https://iq.wiki/wiki/hailstone-labs), Hermeneutic Investments, [HTX](https://iq.wiki/wiki/huobi) Ventures, IOSG Ventures, Lightspeed Faction, Makers Fund, Manifold Trading, [Merit Circle](https://iq.wiki/wiki/merit-circle), Mirana Ventures, Nascent, Presto Labs, [Robot Ventures](https://iq.wiki/wiki/robot-ventures), SevenX Ventures, Shoe on Ventures, Superscrypt, Tess Ventures, Wintermute Ventures, among others. Angel investors included Inversebrah, Ansem, Hsaka, punk6529, Saquon Barkley, Eric Wall, [Rune Christensen](https://iq.wiki/wiki/rune-christensen), [Bryan Pellegrino](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bryan-pellegrino), Robinson Burkey, [Luca Netz](https://iq.wiki/wiki/luca-netz), [Mert Mumtaz](https://iq.wiki/wiki/mert-mumtaz), Shoku, and others. [\[11\]](#cite-id-o4mrq77nnyj) ### Integrations * [Wombat Exchange](https://iq.wiki/wiki/wombat-exchange) * ACryptoS * [Wormhole](https://iq.wiki/wiki/wormhole) * [LayerZero](https://iq.wiki/wiki/layerzero) * [Balancer](https://iq.wiki/wiki/balancer) * [PancakeSwap](https://iq.wiki/wiki/pancakeswap) [\[12\]](#cite-id-kti21dr14o)[\[13\]](#cite-id-baz2cbpibuc)[\[14\]](#cite-id-kk14qktgot)[\[15\]](#cite-id-rkgl5woen2e) ## MON Airdrop On October 14, 2025, the Monad [Foundation](https://iq.wiki/wiki/foundation) announced the MON [Airdrop](https://iq.wiki/wiki/airdrop) to distribute its native token, MON, to key contributors and community members ahead of the Monad Public [Mainnet](https://iq.wiki/wiki/mainnet) launch. The [airdrop](https://iq.wiki/wiki/airdrop) allocates tokens to 5,500 members of the Monad community and nearly 225,000 members of the wider crypto community, including participants from the [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) and [Solana](https://iq.wiki/wiki/solana) ecosystems. Eligibility extends to various groups, including active Monad community members, significant DeFi users, and owners of notable NFT collections like [Pudgy Penguins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/pudgy-penguins) and Mad Lads. The official claim portal, where users can check their eligibility, is live at claim.monad.xyz. [\[17\]](#cite-id-ImI0lc4LAm)