Canto, a Cosmos-native layer-1 blockchain, has chosen to migrate to Ethereum’s layer 2 zero-knowledge rollup solution, following a similar move by Astar, another layer-1 blockchain that is transitioning from the Polkadot ecosystem to Ethereum. Canto, known for its permissionless general-purpose blockchain that is Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible, aims to facilitate the adoption of traditional financial sectors into decentralized finance (DeFi) applications.
In collaboration with Canto Commons, a framework for coordinating protocol solutions, the core developers have agreed to construct a ZK-rollup on Ethereum’s second layer. This move, Polygon Labs explained on September 18, will enable Canto to access the liquidity of the unified Polygon ecosystem through Ethereum, enhancing its decentralization and trustless asset bridging.
Polygon Labs emphasized that Canto’s user security will be bolstered by Ethereum’s robust security features, ensuring a high level of decentralization and trust when transferring assets over the network. The security will rely on a proven and in-production zero-knowledge (ZK) prover, reinforcing community security with cryptographic measures inherited from Ethereum rather than depending solely on social-economic incentives related to fraud proofs. Notably, there will be no changes to Canto’s validators or staking system.
Canto joins the ranks of Astar, Gnosis Pay, Palm, and IDEX in recent months in announcing plans to create ZK layer 2 solutions using Polygon’s Chain Development Kit, as stated by Polygon Labs co-founder Sandeep Nailwal.
Astar, on the other hand, intends to build its Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution named Astar ZK-Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), utilizing Polygon’s CDK. Their goal is to establish a trustless bridge to Ethereum with high EVM compatibility, allowing dApp developers to leverage existing tools across the entire ecosystem.
Polygon Labs anticipates that the ZK-powered chain will empower businesses in Japan, where Astar is based, and worldwide to implement Web3 solutions with enhanced speed, scalability, and security. Ryan Sean Adams, co-host of the Ethereum-focused podcast Bankless, suggests that these recent migrations to Ethereum could signal the beginning of a trend toward rollup solutions.
Conversely, some protocols have chosen to move away from Ethereum. In September, decentralized exchange dYdX revealed plans to create a “purely decentralized” order book exchange on Cosmos, signaling its intention to migrate away from Ethereum. Additionally, the Ethereum-native protocol Maker expressed plans to sever ties with Ethereum, opting to build a more “efficient” chain using Solana’s codebase, citing Solana as the “most promising” ecosystem with a resilient track record.
Lastly, the non-fungible token collection OnChainMonkey is migrating its entire collection from Ethereum to Bitcoin, citing Bitcoin’s secure base layer and thriving ecosystem as key factors behind the move.
