The Largest Blockchains in Crypto by TVL

Karolina

10 Oct 2023
The Largest Blockchains in Crypto by TVL

Total Value Locked not only showcases the liquidity and trust in a platform but also provides insights into its potential growth trajectory and user adoption. As more investors, both institutional and individual, venture into the blockchain realm, understanding the significance of TVL becomes crucial. In this article, we'll delve into the top blockchains that are leading the charge, underpinned by their impressive TVL figures.

Understanding TVL: A Brief Explanation

At its core, TVL represents the combined worth of all assets—be it cryptocurrency, tokens, or other forms of digital assets—locked within a blockchain's protocols or smart contracts. 

Total Amount of Assets Locked: TVL is the cumulative value of assets that users have deposited or locked in a particular blockchain platform. This could be in the form of staking, liquidity provision, or as collateral for loans.

Why TVL is Important

  • Gauging the Security of the Blockchain: In many DeFi protocols, especially those that revolve around lending and borrowing, a higher TVL can bolster the platform's security. This is because the more assets it holds, the more robust its collateralization becomes, reducing the risk of insolvency.
  • Indicator of User Adoption and Trust: A rising TVL typically signifies growing user engagement and trust in a platform. When users are willing to lock significant amounts of value, it often indicates their belief in the platform's longevity and potential returns.
  • Reflecting the Overall Health of the DeFi Space: TVL acts as a pulse check for the DeFi ecosystem. Monitoring its fluctuations can give stakeholders insights into market trends, potential risks, and the overall vibrancy of the decentralized finance movement.

The Largest Blockchains

Let's dive in and unveil the top blockchains that are dominating the DeFi realm, courtesy of their formidable Total Value Locked. Each of these platforms offers unique features and innovations, and understanding their contributions will provide a comprehensive view of the current blockchain ecosystem.

Ethereum

Ethereum, often referred to as the pioneer of smart contract platforms, has played an instrumental role in birthing the DeFi movement, boasting an expansive ecosystem of dApps and tokens. Its innovative capabilities, combined with its first-mover advantage, have solidified its position as the leading blockchain by TVL.

BNB Smart Chain

Binance Smart Chain (BSC) has quickly risen to prominence, offering an alternative to Ethereum with its faster transactions and lower fees, making it an attractive platform for DeFi projects. 

Arbitrum One

Arbitrum One enhances Ethereum's scalability through its Layer 2 rollup technology, offering faster and cheaper transactions without compromising security. Its innovative approach has attracted numerous projects, bolstering its TVL and positioning it as a formidable Layer 2 solution.

Read WHAT IS ARBITRUM

Polygon POS

Polygon, formerly known as Matic, offers a scalable and interoperable framework, making it easier for projects to overcome Ethereum's constraints. 

Optimism

Optimism employs Optimistic Rollups, another Layer 2 scaling solution, to amplify Ethereum's throughput and reduce gas costs, paving the way for a more seamless DeFi experience.

Avalanche

Avalanche sets itself apart with its unique consensus mechanisms and a multi-chain framework, offering a decentralized platform with high throughput.

READ: Avalanche’s Investment in Real-World Assets Tokenization

Base

Base is an easy way for decentralized apps to leverage Coinbase's products and distribution.

Solana

Solana is renowned for its high-performance capabilities, offering lightning-fast transaction speeds at a fraction of the usual cost, making it a magnet for DeFi projects looking for scalability. 

zkSync

zkSync utilizes zkRollups, a Layer 2 scaling technique, to enhance Ethereum's capacity, ensuring security and scalability go hand in hand. Its focus on privacy and efficiency has attracted numerous DeFi projects.

Gnosis Chain

Gnosis Chain, stemming from the Gnosis ecosystem, offers a platform emphasizing decentralized prediction markets and governance tools. 

Data from: https://www.coingecko.com/en/chains

Conclusion - The Largest Blockchains

Ethereum set the foundation, but new players like Solana and Avalanche are making waves. Chains like Arbitrum One and Optimism introduce innovative solutions, while others like zkSync prioritize privacy. In this blockchain revolution, metrics like TVL are essential. It helps both seasoned investors and new enthusiasts navigate the vast DeFi ecosystem. As we've seen, the future of decentralized finance isn't just on the horizon—it's already shaping our present.

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Blockchain for Creators: Secure and Sustainable Infrastructure

Miłosz Mach

07 Nov 2025
Blockchain for Creators: Secure and Sustainable Infrastructure

In today’s digital creative space, where the lines between art and technology are constantly blurring, projects like MARMALADE mark the beginning of a new era - one where creators can protect their work and maintain ownership through blockchain technology.

For Nextrope, being part of MARMALADE goes far beyond implementing features like screenshot blocking or digital watermarking. It’s about building trust infrastructure - systems that empower creators to thrive in the digital world safely and sustainably.

A new kind of blockchain challenge

Cultural and educational projects come with a completely different set of challenges than typical DeFi systems. Here, the focus isn’t on returns or complex smart contracts - it’s on people: artists, illustrators, educators.

That’s why our biggest task was to design secure yet intuitive infrastructure - lightweight, energy-efficient, and accessible for non-technical users exploring Web3 for the first time.

“Our mission wasn’t to build another financial protocol. It was to create a layer of trust for digital creators.”
— Nextrope Team

Security that stays invisible

The best security is the kind you don’t notice.
Within MARMALADE, we focused on making creators' protection seamless:

  • Screenshot blocking safeguards artworks viewed in browsers.
  • Dynamic watermarking helps identify unauthorized copies.
  • Blockchain registry ensures every proof of ownership remains transparent and immutable

“Creators shouldn’t have to think about encryption or private keys - our job is to make security invisible.”

Sustainability by design

MARMALADE also answers a bigger question - how to innovate responsibly.
Nextrope’s infrastructure relies on low-emission blockchain networks and modular architecture that can easily be adapted for other creative or cultural initiatives.

This means the technology built here can support not only artists but also institutions, universities, and educators seeking to integrate blockchain in meaningful ways.

Beyond technology

For Nextrope, MARMALADE is more than a project — it’s proof that blockchain can empower culture and creators, not just finance. By building tools for digital artists, we’re helping them protect their creativity and discover how technology can amplify human expression.

Plasma blockchain. Architecture, Key Features & Why It Matters

Miłosz Mach

21 Oct 2025
Plasma blockchain. Architecture, Key Features & Why It Matters

What is Plasma?

Plasma is a Layer-1 blockchain built specifically for stablecoin infrastructure combining Bitcoin-level security with EVM compatibility and ultra-low fees for stablecoin transfers.

Why Plasma Blockchain Was Created?

Existing blockchains (Ethereum, L2s, etc.) weren’t originally designed around stablecoin payments at scale. As stablecoins grow, issues like congestion, gas cost, latency, and interoperability become constraints. Plasma addresses these by being purpose-built for stablecoin transfers, offering features not found elsewhere.

  • Zero-fee transfers (especially for USDT)
  • Custom gas tokens (separate from XPL, to reduce friction)
  • Trust-minimized Bitcoin bridge (to allow BTC collateral use)
  • Full EVM compatibility smart contracts can work with minimal modifications

Plasma’s Architecture & Core Mechanisms

EVM Compatibility + Smart Contracts

Developers familiar with Ethereum tooling (Solidity, Hardhat, etc.) can deploy contracts on Plasma with limited changes making it easy to port existing dApps or DeFi, similar to other EVM-compatible infrastructures discussed in the article „The Ultimate Web3 Backend Guide: Supercharge dApps with APIs".

Gas Model & Token Mechanism

Instead of forcing users always to hold XPL for gas, Plasma supports custom gas tokens. For stablecoin-native flows (e.g. USDT transfers), there is often zero fee usage, lowering UX friction.

Bitcoin Bridge & Collateral

Plasma supports a Bitcoin bridge that lets BTC become collateral inside smart contracts (like pBTC). This bridges the security of Bitcoin with DeFi use cases within Plasma.
This makes Plasma a “Bitcoin-secured blockchain for stablecoins".

Security & Finality

Plasma emphasizes finality and security, tuned to payment workloads. Its consensus and architecture aim for strong protection against reorgs and double spends while maintaining high throughput.
The network launched mainnet beta holding over $2B in stablecoin liquidity shortly after opening.

Plasma Blockchain vs Alternatives: What Makes It Stand Out?

FeaturePlasma (XPL)Other L1 / L2
Stablecoin native designusually second-class
Zero fees for stablecoin transfersrare, or subsidized
BTC bridge (collateral)only some chains
EVM compatibilityyes in many, but with trade-offs
High liquidity early✅ (>$2B TVL)many chains struggle to bootstrap

These distinctions make Plasma especially compelling for institutions, stablecoin issuers, and DeFi innovators looking for scalable, low-cost, secure payments infrastructure.

Use Cases: What You Can Build with Plasma Blockchain

  • Stablecoin native vaults / money markets
  • Payment rails & cross-border settlement
  • Treasury and cash management flows
  • Bridged BTC-backed stablecoin services
  • DeFi primitives (DEX, staking, yield aggregation) optimized for stablecoins

If you’re building any product reliant on stablecoin transfers or needing strong collateral backing from BTC, Plasma offers a compelling infrastructure foundation.

Get Started with Plasma Blockchain: Key Steps & Considerations

  1. Smart contract migration: assess if existing contracts can port with minimal changes.
  2. Gas token planning: decide whether to use USDT, separate gas tokens, or hybrid models.
  3. Security & audit: focus on bridge logic, reentrancy, oracle risks.
  4. Liquidity onboarding & market making: bootstrap stablecoin liquidity, incentives.
  5. Regulation & compliance: stablecoin issuance may attract legal scrutiny.
  6. Deploy MVP & scale: iterate fast, measure gas, slippage, UX, security.