Monad is an EVM-compatible Layer-1 blockchain focused on high performance without compromising security or decentralization. Monad targets around 10,000 transactions per second (TPS), with ~0.4 second block times and ~800ms finality, all while keeping transaction fees near zero. The project positions itself as a solution to the blockchain trilemma (“speed without sacrifice”), aiming to achieve exceptional performance, decentralization, and security simultaneously.

Project Function

• Full EVM Compatibility: Monad is 100% EVM bytecode-compatible, meaning developers can deploy existing Ethereum smart contracts on Monad without any code changes.
• High Throughput & Low Fees: The network supports on the order of 10,000 TPS with very fast block intervals (~0.4s) and single-slot finality (~0.8s).
• Low Node Requirements (Decentralization): Running a Monad node does not require specialized or prohibitively expensive hardware. Consumer-grade machines (e.g. with SSD storage instead of large RAM) can fully participate as nodes.
• Optimized Architecture: Under the hood, Monad introduces a novel execution and consensus design to achieve its performance: it uses optimistic parallel execution of transactions, asynchronous execution (pipelining transaction execution concurrently with consensus), a custom high-performance BFT consensus (MonadBFT) derived from HotStuff, and a specialized state database called MonadDB.

Token Utility 

• Transaction/Gas Fees: MON will be used to pay transaction fees on Monad. Because of Monad’s efficiency, these gas fees are designed to be near-zero per transaction.
• Proof-of-Stake Staking: Monad employs a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism, which implies that the MON token is used for staking by validators. Validators will need to stake (lock up) MON tokens to participate in block production and consensus, with their stake weight influencing the network (e.g. in validator selection and voting power).
• Rewards: MON is used to reward validator nodes for securing and assuring network operations run correctly.

About The Founders

Keone Hon — Co-Founder & CEO: Formerly worked in high-frequency trading and low-latency systems (including at firms such as Jump Trading) building ultra-fast infrastructure. In 2022 founded Monad Labs to build a high-performance, EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain with parallel execution and improved throughput.

James Hunsaker — Co-Founder & CTO: Formerly held Vice President roles at major banks (e.g., Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan) in finance and joined Jump Trading (senior software engineer) where he built ultra-low latency trading systems.

Risks of MON

Like an investment in other crypto assets, there are some general risks to investing in MON. These include:  (i) volatility risk and liquidity risk, (ii) short history risk, (iii) demand risk, (iv) forking risk, (v) code defects, (vi) regulatory risk, (vii) electronic trading risk, and (viii) cyber security risk. For additional information of these and other general risks associated with crypto assets and Uphold’s platform, please refer to the Risks Specific to Holding Digital Assets statement.

In addition to these general risks, an investment in MON is subject to the following specific risks:

• MON operates using smart contracts, which have an association with vulnerabilities and security breaches. Despite undergoing successful audits by well-regarded third-party entities, it is essential to acknowledge the existence of inherent risks. 

We emphasize that this Crypto Asset Statement is not an exhaustive description or summary of all risks associated with MON. Investors should conduct their own research and perform their own assessment before trading any crypto asset to determine the appropriate level of risk for their personal circumstances.

The MON community and Monad founding team are not under any legal or regulatory obligation to disclose material information to the public regarding its activities. Holders of MON have no recourse to the MON community, Monad founding team, or Uphold if MON declines in value for any reason.

Changes to applicable law may adversely affect the use, transfer, exchange, or value of any of your crypto assets, and such changes may be sudden and without notice.

Uphold’s Evaluation Process

Prior to listing MON on the Uphold Platform, Uphold performed due diligence on MON and determined that MON is unlikely to be a security or derivative under relevant securities legislation. Uphold’s analysis including reviewing publicly available information on the following: 

• The creation, governance, usage, and design of MON, including ensuring the source code is open-source, audited and peer reviewed, security, and roadmap for growth in the developer community. 
• The supply, demand, maturity, utility, and liquidity of MON.
• Any marketing materials put forward by the MON social team including on, Twitter, Medium blog, LinkedIn posts, Discord and Telegram channels.
• Material technical risks associated with MON, including any code defects, security breaches and other threats concerning MON and its supporting blockchain (such as the susceptibility to hacking and impact of forking), or the practices and protocols that apply to them.
• Legal and regulatory risks associated with MON, including any pending, potential, or prior civil, regulatory, criminal, or enforcement action relating to the issuance, distribution, or use of MON.