EchoTerminal
Network

X Layer

8 pools·$111.8M TVL·1 protocol
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About X Layer

OKX's ZK Ethereum L2, built with Polygon CDK and now a permissionless trading infrastructure hub.

X Layer is an Ethereum L2 developed by OKX using Polygon CDK, mainnet since April 2024, running a zkEVM validium architecture where transaction data is stored off-chain while validity is proven via ZK proofs. The August 2025 PP (Pessimistic Proof) upgrade lifted throughput to ~5,000 TPS with near-zero gas, and in 2026 OKX launched Exchange OS on top, letting anyone stake OKB to deploy their own trading venues on shared X Layer infrastructure.

  • TVL around $91.85M in late Q2 2026 after 230% 30-day growth on the Exchange OS announcement per OurCryptoTalk.
  • zkEVM validium built with Polygon CDK; ~5,000 TPS after Aug 2025 PP upgrade, near-zero gas fees.
  • OKB is the native and gas token, following the Aug 2025 OKB tokenomics upgrade that phased out OKT.
  • Connected to Polygon AggLayer for cross-chain liquidity within the CDK ecosystem.
  • Exchange OS (announced 2026) lets anyone stake OKB and deploy spot, perpetual, or prediction markets on shared X Layer rails, with a claimed TradeZone matching engine of up to 300,000 TPS.

Frequently asked questions

What is a zkEVM validium?

A validium proves transaction validity using ZK proofs (like a ZK rollup) but stores transaction data off-chain rather than posting it to Ethereum. That makes it much cheaper than a full rollup, at the cost of a weaker data-availability guarantee: if the off-chain DA provider withholds data, users may be unable to reconstruct their state.

Is X Layer decentralized?

X Layer's sequencer and prover are operated by OKX, and DA is off-chain, so users trust OKX for both liveness and data availability. It is closer to an operator-run chain than a fully trust-minimized rollup. Users should size positions with that in mind rather than treating it as Ethereum-secured.

Why deposit on X Layer?

The main draws are near-zero fees, high throughput, and direct integration with OKX's exchange and 50M+ user base. It's a reasonable venue for high-frequency strategies and consumer flows, but the DeFi TVL depth is small compared to Arbitrum, Base, or Linea, so lending yields tend to depend on incentive programs.