The NEAR Protocol has officially launched Chain Signatures on mainnet—a groundbreaking leap in blockchain interoperability and user experience. This innovative solution ushers in true full-chain abstraction, enabling seamless interactions across blockchains without the friction traditionally associated with multi-chain ecosystems.
Chain Signatures leverages a decentralized Multi-Party Computation (MPC) network to allow NEAR-based accounts to sign transactions on any blockchain protocol. Unlike existing cross-chain bridges or message passing systems, Chain Signatures doesn’t rely on native integrations per chain. Instead, it abstracts away the complexity entirely—supporting Ethereum, Bitcoin, Cosmos, and upcoming support for Solana—all from a single smart contract layer on NEAR.
This is made possible by NEAR’s unique account model, where every account is inherently a smart contract. As a result, Chain Signatures becomes the only MPC solution that empowers smart contracts to sign transactions across chains for any number of user accounts.
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Revolutionizing Multi-Chain Development
With Chain Signatures, developers can now build multi-chain dApps using just one layer: the NEAR smart contract. This single layer communicates with all other blockchains, eliminating the need for complex bridge integrations, redundant contracts, or fragmented user flows.
The implications are transformative:
- No more managing multiple wallets or gas tokens.
- Users interact with dApps natively from their NEAR account.
- Developers deploy once and reach every chain.
This opens up a new design frontier for Web3 applications—where DeFi, wallets, NFT platforms, and trading tools operate seamlessly across ecosystems.
Existing cross-chain solutions struggle with scalability and coverage. Most only support a handful of chains and require extensive per-chain development. Chain Signatures bypasses these limitations entirely. By abstracting signing logic off-chain via MPC, it supports every ECDSA-based blockchain today—including Ethereum, Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and NEAR—with EDDSA support (for Solana, TON, etc.) rolling out by Q4 2025.
Real-World Adoption Already Underway
At launch, over 6 million users across five live dApps are already leveraging Chain Signatures on mainnet—with more than 15 additional projects in active development.
Here’s a look at some of the pioneering applications:
- Sweat Wallet: With 2.5 million active users, Sweat Wallet now enables seamless asset bridging between chains like BNB and Base—all while paying gas fees in $SWEAT. This is full-chain UX in action.
- Allstake: Live in Phase 0, Allstake supports top Liquid Staking Tokens (LSTs) and Liquid Restaking Tokens (LRTs) across NEAR, Solana, and Ethereum—including LiNEAR, Marinade, Jito, Renzo, and EtherFi.
- HERE Wallet: A mobile, web, and Telegram-integrated wallet that supports transactions across any chain. Experience the demo here.
- Bitte Wallet: A keyless wallet supporting even Bitcoin. Connect via WalletConnect to access all Ethereum-based dApps. Watch the demo here.
- Defuse: A true multi-chain spot DEX that allows instant trades between assets on any chain—completed in seconds. See it in action here.
These early successes demonstrate the immediate value of Chain Signatures: unified access, simplified UX, and expanded functionality—all without compromising security or decentralization.
The Role of Multi-Chain Gas Abstraction
A critical component of this ecosystem is the multi-chain gas relay. Traditionally, users must acquire native gas tokens (like ETH or BNB) to transact on new chains—an unnecessary barrier.
Chain Signatures solves this by allowing users to pay gas in assets they already hold—such as NEAR, USDC, or USDT. The system automatically calculates the equivalent value and relays the payment on the target chain.
This gas abstraction layer works hand-in-hand with Chain Signatures to deliver a frictionless experience. For example, a user holding only $SWEAT can bridge to Base or swap tokens on Solana without ever needing to buy ETH or SOL.
👉 See how next-generation wallets eliminate gas complexity across chains.
Expert Insights: Why Chain Signatures Matter
Kendall Cole from Proximity Labs, a key contributor to Chain Signatures, emphasizes its transformative potential:
“Chain Signatures are essential for replacing today’s fragmented Web3 landscape with a single user and developer layer. This innovation simplifies UX, unlocks DeFi capabilities on non-smart contract chains like Bitcoin, and allows developers to support all blockchains seamlessly. By removing the need for bridges, Chain Signatures dramatically expand liquidity and utility across ecosystems.”
Illia Polosukhin, Co-Founder of NEAR Protocol and CEO of the NEAR Foundation, adds:
“Chain Signatures bring chain abstraction from theory to reality. Now, instead of scattered liquidity and dozens of wallets, there’s one unified DeFi layer across all chains. Any financial application can be accessed from wherever the user is—because smart contracts can now sign transactions on any blockchain, even Bitcoin. This unlocks a new design space in Web3 finance.”
Security and Network Decentralization
At mainnet launch, the Chain Signatures MPC network is secured by eight reputable validator nodes:
- Pagoda
- Luganodes
- The Lifted Initiative
- InfStones
- Staking4All
- Node.Monster
- Black Sand Technologies
- Aurora
The roadmap includes scaling to 40+ independent nodes, with each signature requiring at least 27 nodes for consensus—ensuring high decentralization and resilience over time.
Security audits were conducted by Kudelski Security, with the final report soon to be published on the Chain Signatures GitHub repository.
What’s Next? Roadmap to Full Interoperability
The Chain Signatures development team has outlined key milestones for 2025:
- EDDSA Support: Enable transaction signing on Solana, TON, and other EDDSA-based chains by Q4 2025.
- Throughput Scaling: Increase transaction capacity to 300 TPS, aligning with NEAR’s sharding capabilities.
- Node Expansion: Grow the validator set to over 40 highly independent participants.
- Developer Tooling: Roll out SDKs and APIs to streamline integration for dApp builders.
By the end of 2025, Chain Signatures aims to support every known blockchain, making it the most universally compatible signing solution in Web3.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What is chain abstraction?
A: Chain abstraction removes the complexity of interacting with multiple blockchains. Users and developers interact with one unified layer (like NEAR), while transactions are executed across any supported chain—without manual bridging or gas management.
Q: Can Chain Signatures work with Bitcoin?
A: Yes. Chain Signatures currently supports ECDSA-based chains including Bitcoin. This allows smart contracts on NEAR to initiate and sign Bitcoin transactions—unlocking DeFi use cases on traditionally non-programmable blockchains.
Q: Do users need to trust a centralized party?
A: No. Chain Signatures uses a decentralized MPC network with threshold cryptography. No single node ever holds full signing power, ensuring security and trustlessness.
Q: How does gas abstraction work?
A: Users pay gas in any supported asset (e.g., USDC). The system converts it into the required native gas token (e.g., ETH) and relays the payment—so users never need to manually acquire new tokens.
Q: Is Chain Signatures secure?
A: Yes. It has undergone rigorous auditing by Kudelski Security and relies on battle-tested MPC cryptography. The network’s threshold design ensures resilience against node failures or attacks.
Q: Can I build with Chain Signatures today?
A: Absolutely. Developers can access documentation, SDKs, and guides at near.org/chain-abstraction to start building full-chain dApps immediately.
👉 Start building cross-chain dApps with powerful developer tools today.
Final Thoughts
Chain Signatures mark a pivotal moment in Web3 evolution. By unifying access across chains through secure, decentralized signing and gas abstraction, NEAR is redefining what’s possible in decentralized finance and application design.
For developers focused on seamless UX and universal reach, Chain Signatures offer the ideal foundation. For users tired of juggling wallets and gas tokens, this is the future they’ve been waiting for.
Welcome to full-chain abstraction—now live on mainnet.
Core Keywords: Chain Signatures, full-chain abstraction, multi-chain dApp, MPC network, gas abstraction, NEAR Protocol, blockchain interoperability, decentralized finance