Noble, a prominent stablecoin appchain, has announced its strategic shift from the Cosmos ecosystem to a standalone Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) Layer 1 blockchain. The mainnet launch is scheduled for March 18, 2025. This move signifies a major architectural evolution aimed at optimizing performance, scalability, and developer accessibility for stablecoin applications and foreign exchange.
Noble has established itself as a leading stablecoin appchain, facilitating real-world asset transfers and issuance across Cosmos-based chains and handling over $22 billion in transactions across 50 chains. The decision to transition to an EVM-compatible Layer 1 marks a departure from its Cosmos SDK framework. The new chain will focus on providing a fast, secure, and stable infrastructure for developers to build upon.
According to Noble founder Jelena Djuric, while Cosmos has been beneficial, the transition to EVM is necessary to build a better product and provide a solid foundation for developers. The goal is to create a stablecoin and foreign exchange infrastructure that others can leverage. The team aims for sub-second finality for real-world stablecoin applications and will utilize the Commonware stack along with a Proof of Authority validator set focused on institutions.
This transition reflects a growing trend among application-specific chains to embrace EVM compatibility, enabling easier integration with existing tools and infrastructure. EVM has become the dominant standard for smart contract development, granting access to a vast pool of Web3 developers globally. By adopting this standard, Noble aims to remove barriers to entry, allowing developers to port existing Ethereum-based tools and decentralized applications (dApps) with minimal friction.
The move has generated mixed reactions within the Cosmos ecosystem. While some view it as a loss of key infrastructure, others see it as a sign of the ecosystem's ongoing evolution. The broader market reaction has been positive, anticipating significant implications for Cosmos-based chains and applications.
Noble's transition to an EVM Layer 1 is a strategic move to capture a larger share of the growing digital money market. The success of this migration will depend on seamless execution, robust security, and the ability to attract a vibrant developer community to its new high-performance foundation. The project aims to position itself as institutional-grade infrastructure, bridging decentralized finance (DeFi) and traditional finance with regulatory-compliant solutions. The combination of low-cost transactions, programmable yield, and cross-chain interoperability creates a compelling value proposition for both developers and institutions. Noble's ability to deliver scalable, institutional-grade infrastructure will be pivotal in shaping the next era of DeFi as the stablecoin market approaches $500 billion by 2026.
