SANDChain is an Ethereum Layer 2 network designed to provide financial infrastructure for the creator economy. Developed by The SANDChain Foundation in partnership with the team behind The Sandbox, it utilizes the SAND token as its native gas and utility currency.

Overview

SANDChain is a zk-powered blockchain built to address financial challenges faced by content creators, such as inconsistent revenue streams, limited access to capital, and dependence on centralized platforms. ^[1] The project's stated vision is to establish a "Creator Nation," a decentralized economy where creators can own their content, monetize their identity, and manage their communities directly. It aims to serve a global creator economy valued at over US$250 billion, with more than 200 million participants. ^[2]

The network is designed to function as an additive value layer on top of existing Web2 and Web3 platforms, allowing creators to integrate on-chain tools without migrating their entire audience. It leverages the established ecosystem of The Sandbox, which includes over eight million user wallets, more than 400 brand partnerships, and 25,000 LAND owners. The core premise is to expand the utility of the SAND token from a gaming-centric asset to a universal currency for creative endeavors. ^{[3] [1]}

SANDChain introduces a suite of financial and engagement tools, including a multi-layered points system and decentralized finance (DeFi) primitives called Creator Vaults and Patron Vaults. These features are intended to provide creators with programmable revenue management, access to funding through tokenized future earnings, and new ways to engage with their fanbases. The project positions itself as the "financial backbone of culture," aiming to transform fan engagement into tangible, on-chain economic value. ^[3]

History

The SANDChain Foundation officially announced the development of SANDChain on September 30, 2025. ^[2] Following the announcement, the project was scheduled for a formal introduction at the TOKEN2049 conference in Singapore on October 1, 2025, which included the launch of its "Creator Manifesto" and the opening of early access signups. The launch of a public testnet was planned for October 14, 2025. ^[4]

The project is presented as an evolution of The Sandbox's mission, which began with mobile game development in 2011 and transitioned to blockchain gaming and NFTs in 2017. While the SAND token was launched several years prior, its role was significantly expanded in 2025 to serve as the foundational currency for the new SANDChain network. ^[3] On the day of the announcement, the price of the SAND token experienced a minor dip of approximately 2%, trading at around $0.26. At the time, the token was down nearly 97% from its all-time high set in 2021. ^[4]

Technology

SANDChain is built as a Layer 2 scaling solution on the Ethereum blockchain, designed to inherit Ethereum's security while offering significantly higher throughput and lower transaction costs. ^[1]

Architecture and Performance

The network's architecture is based on zero-knowledge (ZK) rollup technology, utilizing ZKsync's ZK Stack as its core framework. The infrastructure for the rollup is provided by Caldera, a Rollup-as-a-Service (RaaS) platform. This technology stack enables the network to bundle transactions off-chain and submit a single cryptographic proof to the Ethereum mainnet, reducing fees and increasing speed. The platform claims to support a throughput of over 10,000 transactions per second (TPS) with near-instant transaction finality, making it suitable for the high volume of micro-transactions expected in a creator-fan economy. ^{[3] [2]}

Core Features

SANDChain introduces a set of native primitives designed to facilitate a programmable and transparent creator economy. These features are centered around a multi-layered value system and novel DeFi tools. ^[5]

Three-Layer Value System

The network's engagement model is built on three distinct but interconnected assets that track and reward user participation:

• SANDpoints: A network-wide reputation and loyalty system. Users earn SANDpoints by participating in activities across the entire SANDChain ecosystem, reflecting their overall contribution and loyalty.
• Creator Points: A creator-specific mechanism for tracking fan support. Users earn these points by engaging directly with a particular creator's content, quests, or community, signifying their loyalty to that individual. These points can grant access to exclusive perks and allocations of Creator Tokens.
• Creator Tokens: Tradable, creator-branded digital assets. These tokens represent a direct stake in a creator's brand and community, offering holders access to exclusive content, unique rewards, and a share in the creator's economic success.

This tiered system is designed to turn passive consumption into active participation, allowing fans to build on-chain reputation and gain a financial stake in the creators they support. ^[2]

Financial Primitives

To address creators' financial instability, SANDChain incorporates two core DeFi products:

• Creator Vaults: These are smart contracts that allow creators to tokenize their future, predictable revenue streams from Web2 platforms like YouTube, TikTok, or subscription services. By aggregating these off-chain receivables on-chain, creators can use them as collateral to secure upfront capital, effectively transforming future earnings into immediate, usable funds for growth and investment.
• Patron Vaults: These vaults serve as capital reserves funded by fans, investors, and supporters. Funds deposited into Patron Vaults are used to provide loans to creators via their Creator Vaults. In return for providing liquidity, patrons earn a yield and loyalty points, creating a symbiotic financial relationship between creators and their backers.

These financial tools are intended to provide creators with predictable cash flow and access to funding rails that are independent of traditional financial institutions or platform payout schedules. ^[1]

Tokenomics

The SAND token is the central economic component of the SANDChain ecosystem, serving as its universal currency for all on-chain activities. ^[3]

The SAND Token

Originally the utility token for The Sandbox metaverse, SAND's role was expanded to become the native gas and governance token for SANDChain. At the time of the network's announcement, SAND was ranked among the top 100 cryptocurrencies and was listed on over 80 global exchanges, providing it with established liquidity and a wide user base. ^[2]

Utility on SANDChain

The token has four primary functions within the SANDChain ecosystem:

• Gas Token: Every transaction on the network, from asset transfers to smart contract interactions, requires SAND to pay for gas fees.
• Liquidity Anchor: Creator Tokens are designed to be paired with SAND in liquidity pools on decentralized exchanges. This makes SAND the primary asset for establishing the market value and trading liquidity of each creator's individual economy.
• Staking and Vaults: Users can stake SAND or deposit it into Patron Vaults to provide financial support to creators. This action allows them to earn rewards and participate in the economic upside of the creators they back.
• Exclusivity and Access: Holding or using SAND grants users access to exclusive perks, early access to content drops, and other benefits within the ecosystem.

These utilities are designed to create sustained demand for the SAND token and integrate it deeply into every economic interaction on the network. ^[3]

Ecosystem and Use Cases

SANDChain's ecosystem is designed around a cyclical model that aims to convert fan engagement into sustainable growth for creators. This model is described as a five-stage cycle: Engagement, Loyalty, Capital, Liquidity, and Growth. Fans engage with content to earn points, which builds loyalty and unlocks rewards. This loyalty can be converted into capital through participation in vaults or token launches. The capital helps create liquid markets for Creator Tokens, which in turn fuels the creator's growth and attracts more engagement, restarting the cycle. ^[3]

The primary use cases for the network include allowing game creators to launch loyalty programs and in-game tokens with fast validation, enabling artists and influencers to monetize their personal brands through Creator Tokens, and providing a transparent system for automated revenue management. By building on The Sandbox's existing community of over 8 million wallets, 1,500 creator-built games, and 700,000 user-generated experiences, SANDChain aims to onboard a significant user base at launch. ^{[4] [2]}

Team and Partnerships

SANDChain is being developed by The SANDChain Foundation, an entity established to build and grow the network. The project is a strategic initiative emerging from The Sandbox ecosystem. Key individuals associated with the project include Sébastien Borget, co-founder of The Sandbox, who serves as a global ambassador for SANDChain, and Robby Yung, the CEO of The Sandbox. ^[2]

The project launched with a wide array of partners from both the Web3 and traditional media sectors.

• Foundational Partners: The Sandbox, Animoca Brands
• Technology Partners: ZKsync, Caldera, Sequence, EigenCloud, Halborn (security)
• Launch Partners: Mocaverse, Cool Cats, Ready Player Me, Forge, Request Finance, Metalympics, LimeChain, and brands such as the Korean cartoon series Pucca. Creator partners announced at launch included French DJ Agoria and artists like Alex Florez and BabyYors.

This diverse group of partners is intended to ensure a robust ecosystem of applications, tools, and content is available on the network from its inception. ^{[3] [1]}