23-6-2025 – Ink, a Layer 2 network nurtured by Kraken and woven into Optimism’s Superchain, is capturing attention with a surge in activity as it gears up for a pivotal token launch. The Ink Foundation recently unveiled plans for the INK token, capped at a finite 1 billion units, promising a community airdrop facilitated through a liquidity pool on Aave. This announcement arrives on the heels of a remarkable uptick in network engagement, with daily transactions soaring past 500,000 and active contracts nearly doubling since May, reaching a zenith of 6,000 on June 18, as revealed by a Dune Analytics dashboard.
Despite this flurry of activity, Ink’s total value locked lingers below $8 million, a figure that hints at vast untapped potential for capital inflow. Launched ahead of schedule in December 2024—originally slated for early 2025—Ink’s mainnet is fully attuned to Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) applications. This compatibility empowers developers to transplant Ethereum-based projects onto Ink, reaping the benefits of swifter transactions and reduced costs. As a cog in Optimism’s Superchain ecosystem, alongside networks like Base and those backed by Sony, Uniswap, and World, Ink boasts seamless interoperability, enabling assets to glide effortlessly across fellow Layer 2s.
The forthcoming INK token, intriguingly, will steer clear of governance roles within the Layer 2 framework, according to the foundation. Instead, its purpose is to galvanise liquidity aggregation and spur engagement with the network’s applications, offering incentives to users and developers alike. This strategic move positions Ink, incubated by Kraken, to square up against Base, the Layer 2 brainchild of rival US exchange Coinbase, in a bid to carve out a larger slice of the blockchain landscape.
