Uniswap’s Layer-2 solution Unichain is finally launched on the mainnet.
By Godfrey Benjamin
Edited by Marco T. Lanz
Updated
3 mins read
Uniswap Labs, the startup behind the popular decentralized exchange (DEX) Uniswap, has officially launched the mainnet of the highly anticipated layer-2 network, Unichain. According to the Web3 startup, this significant move will enhance efficiency by reducing fees, improving transaction speeds, and boosting liquidity across multiple blockchain ecosystems.
Unichain mainnet is live ✨
✸ Fast with low fees
✸ Built for cross-chain liquidity
✸ Prioritizes decentralization from day oneYou can now deploy DeFi apps, launch tokens, swap, provide liquidity, and more pic.twitter.com/MqJQwum4Bf
— Unichain (@unichain) February 11, 2025
Unichain was designed using Optimism’s Layer-2 technology, a popular Ethereum (ETH) scaling solution. Optimism has gained recognition for scaling Ethereum by utilizing optimistic rollups. OP processes transactions faster and cheaper than Ethereum’s base layer.
By leveraging this technology, Uniswap provides users with a seamless trading experience.
Unichain has been in its testing phase since October 2024. This testing helped Uniswap Labs improve its features before the official launch. As a stage-1 rollup, Unichain includes some decentralized elements but has some central controls to keep things safe. This setup helps the network stay secure and functional while it moves towards more decentralization.
Furthermore, Unichain will address the problem of tokens spread across different L2 networks, each needing help communicating effectively with the other. This lack of interoperability leads to inefficiencies, higher costs, and reduced liquidity for traders. By integrating with Optimism, Unichain expects to power a more unified liquidity pool, which should solve these issues.
Uniswap also aims to cement its dominance in the decentralized exchange space. As the protocol becomes fully operational, it is poised to play an essential role in the DeFi space. With its enhanced features, it will provide hosted DApps with a faster and cheaper solutions for users worldwide.
Uniswap Labs introduces Unichain to create a new way to earn money through network fees. These fees will come from the activity on the layer-2 network, giving Uniswap and its validators an extra source of income.
So far, in 2025, the Uniswap protocol has generated over $1.3 billion in trading and settlement fees across five primary chains, including Ethereum, BNB Chain, Optimism, Polygon, and Base.
With this, Unichain’s introduction faces mixed sentiments from some DeFi experts, stating there was no need for another Layer 2. Recall that in September 2024, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin strongly criticized Uniswap’s idea of having a Layer-2.
However, the support of the Unichain protocol claimed that it would offer a smoother user experience, more concentrated liquidity, and reduced fragmentation issues across multiple blockchains.
Unlike the fee switch, Unichain will rely on a distributed network of validators to process transactions. To become a validator, users must stake their UNI tokens and, in return, will receive staking rewards. This approach is seen as a positive shift for the protocol’s future, but some in the community believe it doesn’t completely replace the potential benefits of the fee switch.
Meanwhile, after the Unichain announcement last year, Uniswap’s native cryptocurrency shot up, and its market capitalization increased by 25%. This launch also ushered in a positive price boost. At the time of writing, UNI $6.11 24h volatility: 3.3% Market cap: $3.66 B Vol. 24h: $156.29 M was trading for $9.521, up 2.4% in the past 24 hours.
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Benjamin Godfrey is a blockchain enthusiast and journalist who relishes writing about the real life applications of blockchain technology and innovations to drive general acceptance and worldwide integration of the emerging technology. His desire to educate people about cryptocurrencies inspires his contributions to renowned blockchain media and sites.
