What is MegaETH?

MegaETH is an Ethereum layer 2 network designed to confirm transactions in milliseconds rather than seconds. It markets itself as the first real-time blockchain. Apps run the same smart contract code as on Ethereum, while MegaETH settles its results back to Ethereum for security.

What does MegaETH do?

MegaETH is built for apps that need near-instant responses, such as trading. Its documentation says the network seals mini-blocks about every 10 ms and bundles them into standard EVM blocks about every second. Mini-blocks stream to RPC nodes in several regions, so results can be queried within milliseconds.

Throughput claims vary by source. The Block reported targets of 50,000 transactions per second at launch, and MegaETH's website now claims more than 100,000. These are the project's own figures, not independent measurements. For context on how chains compare, see how many transactions per second can a blockchain handle.

How does the MegaETH blockchain work?

According to the architecture docs, a user's transaction goes to an RPC endpoint and then to the sequencer, the single block producer that orders and executes transactions. A standby sequencer can take over within tens of milliseconds if the main one fails. Our guide to what is a sequencer in crypto explains the role.

Other nodes have narrower jobs. Replica nodes apply the sequencer's results without re-running them. Full nodes re-execute every block to check it. Provers generate proofs used in disputes.

Block data goes to EigenDA, a separate data availability network, and the certificate is posted to Ethereum. Blocks can be challenged during a dispute window. MegaETH uses Kailua, a fraud proof system that settles a dispute with one zero-knowledge proof. Its specification says standard EVM behavior is inherited from Optimism's Isthmus upgrade, so ordinary transactions behave as they do on OP Stack chains.

The trade-off is concentration. One sequencer gives speed, but it also means one operator orders all transactions at any moment.

What is the MegaETH token?

MEGA is the network's native token. MegaETH separated its launch from mainnet and tied it to usage targets, such as its USDm stablecoin reaching a set supply or a number of apps going live, The Block reported. The website says MEGA went live on April 30, 2026.

The Block listed two planned uses. Holders can lock MEGA for sequencer access with lower latency, and all yield from the USDm stablecoin is meant to fund buybacks of MEGA. The project raised a $20 million seed round in June 2024 led by Dragonfly, with Vitalik Buterin among the participants, and an October 2025 public token sale drew $1.39 billion in commitments.