Union Protocol's mainnet launch aims to enhance secure cross-chain interoperability using zero-knowledge proofs.

Union Protocol Mainnet Launch Drives Cross-Chain Interoperability

Union Protocol's mainnet is now live, marking a significant step towards secure and scalable cross-chain interoperability. The launch aims to connect the multichain future into a unified crosschain ecosystem.

The Event in Detail

As of September 4, 2025, Union's public mainnet is officially live. The initial set of mainnet validators are producing blocks on union-1. This launch culminates three years of work by the Union core team and contributors. The Union token (U) has also debuted, functioning as the network's gas token and providing security for the Union L1.

The genesis U Drop is currently claimable for those who pre-claimed, with an additional 8% in incentives to be distributed through future programs, plus Ecosystem Fund, DAO Treasury, and Foundation allocations to accelerate Union's growth. A genesis staking vault has also been created, allowing pre-stakers to earn rewards, and will eventually be open to everyone.

Market Implications

The Union protocol combines consensus verification with zero-knowledge proofs for enhanced security and scalability, exceeding the throughput of existing settlement layers. During its alpha mainnet phase, over $145 million of value in BTC LSTs, BABY, and other assets has already been securely transferred across Union routes. Integrations with BNB Chain, Base, Berachain, Sui, and Sei are progressing toward mainnet, with Solana, Polygon, Aptos, and others in the pipeline.

Expert Commentary

"Union extends the gold standard of the Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol (IBC) to all of web3 with ZK-powered consensus verification, unlocking trustless communication between blockchains."

Broader Context

Union's architecture is already connected to major ecosystems, including Ethereum, Babylon, Sei, Berachain, Arbitrum, and BNB Chain, with Base and Sui slated to join shortly. By combining consensus verification with zero-knowledge proofs, the protocol offers security, speed, and scalability that existing interoperability offerings cannot match. Validators must stake U to participate in consensus and produce blocks, while token holders can stake U to receive token emissions. Union will also be secured by Bitcoin as part of the Bitcoin Supercharged Network. Liquid staking is also available through Escher Finance. U powers compute and message passing for users, while incentivizing relayers and provers to maintain and scale the interop network. The Union L1 is a zk-powered Proof-of-Stake (PoS) blockchain.