- Katana mainnet launch is across the nook after over $200 million in productive DeFi deposits.
- Katana’s VaultBridge and CoL mechanisms will energy yield and liquidity effectivity.
- Katana helps cross-chain belongings like SOL, XRP, and SUI on-chain.
Katana, a brand new DeFi-centric layer-2 blockchain constructed on Ethereum, has individuals on tentacles amid its extremely anticipated mainnet launch after drawing greater than $200 million in lively deposits and setting a brand new benchmark for liquidity-focused networks this 12 months.
The launch, which comes simply weeks after Katana’s public reveal, is inflicting pleasure throughout the crypto neighborhood as a result of its spectacular capital influx and distinctive design, positioning it as some of the vital L2 rollouts of 2025.
Based on the Katana Basis, the community is engineered to ship scalable, high-yield decentralised finance functions whereas tackling long-standing liquidity inefficiencies within the Ethereum ecosystem.
A launch powered by liquidity
Katana has gathered over $200 million in productive whole worth locked, a time period the protocol makes use of to explain capital actively deployed in yield-generating methods.
This method marks a major departure from conventional DeFi metrics, which regularly embody idle capital when reporting TVL, thereby overestimating actual utilization.
The protocol’s development was accelerated by robust pre-deposit exercise, which climbed from $75 million in early June to over $232 million by launch day, highlighting a surge in consumer curiosity and institutional curiosity.
At its core, Katana guarantees to rework how capital flows throughout DeFi by integrating quite a lot of yield sources instantly into its structure slightly than relying solely on token incentives.
DeFi instruments constructed for effectivity
Katana’s infrastructure consists of two standout mechanisms: VaultBridge and Chain-owned Liquidity (COL), each of that are designed to transform idle belongings into revenue-generating positions.
VaultBridge permits bridged belongings like ETH, USDC, USDT, and wBTC to be deployed into off-chain yield-bearing methods on Ethereum, earlier than routing the returns again into Katana’s native DeFi swimming pools.
This setup ensures that consumer belongings do not stay static however are continually cycled via revenue-generating avenues, thereby rising capital effectivity throughout the platform.
In the meantime, Katana’s Chain-owned Liquidity mannequin recycles 100% of its sequencer charges into its personal liquidity reserves, making a self-sustaining liquidity loop.
These improvements purpose to cut back dependence on unsustainable token emissions whereas guaranteeing customers profit from deeper liquidity and higher pricing execution.
Partnerships and cross-chain entry
Along with its Ethereum-native options, Katana’s cross-chain capabilities enable customers to work together with belongings outdoors of the EVM universe, together with SOL, XRP, and SUI, that are tradable on-chain via its launch associate, Common.
Common has additionally built-in with Coinbase Prime to supply institutional-grade custody and minting providers, eliminating the necessity for pre-seeded liquidity on decentralised exchanges.
This transfer indicators Katana’s ambition to change into a cross-chain liquidity hub whereas nonetheless leveraging Ethereum’s strong safety and composability.
The platform additionally integrates with main DeFi gamers like decentralised alternate Sushi and lending protocol Morpho, extending its utility throughout the broader DeFi ecosystem.
Incentives aligned with development
To draw early adopters, Katana has launched a collection of incentives, together with randomised NFT loot containers often called “Krates” and a distribution of 70 million KAT tokens to early liquidity suppliers.
Moreover, roughly 15% of Katana’s whole KAT token provide has been put aside for an airdrop to Polygon token stakers, together with holders of liquid staking derivatives.
These incentives purpose to reward early engagement whereas tying Katana’s success to the broader modular Ethereum panorama, significantly via its relationship with Polygon’s Agglayer ecosystem.
Chatting with Cointelegraph, Polygon Labs CEO Marc Boiron famous that Katana’s design prioritises lively capital deployment, sustainable payment seize, and long-term DeFi development.
He emphasised that Katana doesn’t simply combination liquidity—it places that liquidity to work in ways in which improve utilization, deepen swimming pools, and maintain consumer incentives.
With its emphasis on “productive TVL” and built-in yield mechanics, Katana presents a distinct blueprint for DeFi infrastructure—one which strikes past hype and embraces sustainable economics.
As merchants and establishments search deeper liquidity, greater yields, and safer on-chain experiences, Katana’s mainnet debut could function a turning level in how DeFi platforms are designed, evaluated, and adopted.
