Ethereum L2 Blast Crosses $123 Million, Important Things To Know Before You Bridge In

Blast, a brand new Ethereum Layer 2 network, has drawn a startling amount of interest and security concerns due to a surge of investors using the network to bridge their assets. 

Blast recently announced its mainnet access on X (formerly Twitter). The L2 network built by Pacman Blur has gained a staggering amount of attention from crypto investors following the declaration.

“Introducing Blast: The only Ethereum L2 with native yield for ETH and stablecoins. We’ve raised $20m from Paradigm and StandardCrypto to build the L2 that helps you earn more,” Blast stated. 

Blast recorded over 23,368 users in just 24 hours of announcing the imminent launch of its mainnet. The influx of investors pushed Blast’s Total Value Locked (TVL) to $81 million in a single day. 

“23,368 users have joined the Blast Community in the past 24 hours. Thanks to them, Blast has reached $81 Million in TVL in one day! We’re excited to share more with community members soon. There’s much more to come,” Blast said. 

Presently, Blast has recorded over $123 million in TVL from assets bridged by investors. This unexpected surge in bridging demands has raised concerns especially due to the unusual conditions attached to the bridging process. 

According to Blast, users can only access the Ethereum L2 network after receiving an invitation code. The network has also stated that users will not be able to withdraw their bridged funds until February 2024. 

While the unconventional bridging conditions have raised some red flags, many investors continue to express their interest by actively bridging their assets 

Blast has outlined several important details of its bridging and staking processes. The Ethereum L2 network highlighted the potential yield benefits of investors when they bridge their ETH tokens and stablecoins. The network has also stated that investors who stake their ETH can gain profits over time as their assets grow in their Blast wallets. 

“Once you have access, you can bridge to earn yield (4% for ETH + 5% for stablecoins) and Blast Points ahead of the Mainnet launch in February (2024). Early access members get more points based on how much they bridge and who they invite,” Blast stated.

The L2 network added:

Specifically, Blast natively participates in ETH staking, and the staking yield is passed back to the L2’s users and dapps. We’ve redesigned the L2 from the ground up so that if you have 1 ETH in your wallet on Blast, over time it grows to 1.04, 1.08, 1.12 ETH automatically.

Additionally, Blast has expanded its bridging capabilities to a diverse range of digital assets. According to the L2 network, investors can bridge beyond ETH and opt for stablecoins such as USDT, DAI, and more. 

“It’s not just ETH on Blast that earns yield. Stablecoins do too. When you bridge stablecoins like USDC, USDT, and DAI to Blast, it’s deposited in on-chain T-Bill protocols like MakerDAO, and the yield is passed back to Blast users via USDB, Blast’s auto-rebasing stablecoin,” Blast stated.