Codex, a brand new blockchain community for stablecoins that secured $16 million earlier this 12 months from Dragonfly Capital, Coinbase, Circle, and different notable traders, has formally launched its mainnet to assist make digital {dollars} extra sensible for on a regular basis finance.
The community went reside right now, June 24, with native help for USDC, which suggests the stablecoin can transfer throughout Codex while not having a cross-chain bridge or wrapper. Per a press launch shared with The Defiant, the purpose of Codex is to supply a smoother manner for companies and establishments to make use of stablecoins simply as their international capitalization has just lately climbed above $250 billion.
Codex co-founder Haonan Li mentioned in an interview with The Defiant that the mission is making an attempt to resolve what he sees as the true problem in stablecoin adoption, not blockchain pace or transaction limits, however the hole between crypto and conventional cash.
“In our view, neither TPS nor latency are actually the bottlenecks for stablecoin adoption right now,” he mentioned. “The actual bottlenecks are all on the fiat crypto boundary. Blockchain groups traditionally haven’t targeted on these boundary issues, they usually should not have the curiosity or experience to resolve these issues.”
Confidentiality at Scale
To deal with this, Codex is engaged on licenses, partnerships with cost ramps, and banking relationships, Li says. The builders plan to roll out options like prompt forex swaps, atomic off-ramps that don’t depart customers’ cash caught as a consequence of compliance points, and extra dependable money supply programs in areas the place present off-ramps are gradual or untrustworthy.
Codex’s swap platform — known as Codex Avenue — already gives trades between stablecoins and fiat, together with giant trades near 1:1 pricing, the group revealed within the press launch. Further options, corresponding to automated compliance checks and risk-free fiat supply utilizing validators held accountable by the community itself, are anticipated by late 2025.
“That is why Codex shall be the place the stablecoin future will occur, and why we’re proud to work with stablecoin issuers corresponding to Circle,” Li mentioned.
When requested about on-chain privateness options, Li mentioned Codex is working with prime groups in crypto to permit some elements of transactions to remain non-public, whereas nonetheless assembly compliance requirements. The chain will use new zero-knowledge and encryption instruments to supply this type of confidentiality at scale. “Extra to share quickly,” he hinted, with out diving into technical particulars.
Whereas Codex launches with USDC, Li confirmed the group is planning to help all main stablecoins, together with Tether’s USDT and Circle’s euro-backed EURC. “Codex works with all issuers. We consider the stablecoin chain of the longer term should present native entry to all stablecoins,” he informed The Defiant, although no timeline for these integrations was specified.
Earlier this month, one other stablecoin-focused blockchain, Plasma, noticed overwhelming demand for participation in its $50 million token sale, whereas Circle’s long-awaited IPO was additionally oversubscribed and, it turned out, undervalued — each indicators of robust demand for publicity to stablecoins. As of yesterday, Circle’s market cap surpassed the present circulating market cap of USDC itself.