According to recent Routescan research, there are 4,080 blockchains right now. Of them, 1,973 are unique.

Why the hell are there so many of them?

We found three types of reasons:

🔧 The tech is ready
New chains aren’t just vanity projects, they’re technologically superior. Monad offers parallel execution at 10,000+ TPS with full EVM compatibility. Berachain introduces a novel “proof-of-liquidity” model. These aren’t small tweaks, but foundational shifts.

Modular frameworks like Celestia and the OP Stack are removing the technical barriers to entry. Today, launching a custom L2 is more like assembling Lego than rewriting core consensus from scratch.

💰 Economic incentives are clear
Crypto startups raised $13.7B in 2024, and a disproportionate chunk went to chain infrastructure. Why? Because owning a chain means owning value flow - fees, MEV, governance, and upside.

It’s no coincidence that projects with significant volume (like Uniswap) are moving to capture the fees they currently surrender to host chains. Base received 118M OP tokens for adopting the OP Stack. Other exchanges and apps are lining up for similar deals.

🖖 Control, brand, and sovereignty
Custom chains allow projects to shape their execution environment, governance, and regulatory posture. Game studios can optimize for asset standards. DAOs can embed their values directly into chain rules. Sovereignty matters.

In a multi-chain future, each chain can express its own vision, priorities, and community values. That’s deeply aligned with the ethos of decentralization.