Immutable

Immutable is known as the pioneering layer-two scaling solution designed specifically for NFTs on Ethereum. According to Immutable, their blockchain overcomes Ethereum's challenges such as limited scalability, subpar user experience, illiquidity, and sluggish developer experiences. Instead, users gain from immediate trading, vast scalability, and zero gas fees for minting and trading NFTs, all without sacrificing the security of users or assets.

This technology empowers users to create and distribute assets like ERC-20 and ERC-721 tokens on a grand scale. Chris Clay, the game director for Gods Unchained, which is already building on Immutable, mentioned that the platform enables Gods Unchained to implement a novel meta-system that was previously unattainable. In this way, Immutable aims to deliver an exceptional experience for both users and developers.

Immutable was established by James Ferguson, a Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur who formerly led a software development team at a billion-dollar eCommerce company, alongside his brother Robbie Ferguson, a Thiel fellow and also a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree.

The team comprises over 100 individuals with diverse expertise in fields such as blockchain, FAANG, finance, fintech, and management consulting. They secured a seed round in 2018, followed by a $15 million Series A round in September 2019. Their investors included notable names in blockchain investing, including Coinbase, Naspers, Nirvana Capital, Apex Capital Partners, Continue Capital, and Galaxy Digital.

Immutable X stands out as one of the first layer-two solutions to employ zk-rollups with an exclusive focus on NFTs. As zk-rollups become increasingly important for scaling, the project is at the forefront of development within the Ethereum ecosystem. If the projected transaction speed of over 9,000 transactions per second is achieved, Immutable X could solidify its position as the default "NFT blockchain" in the future.

A pivotal element in achieving this is the API abstraction layer. Through REST APIs, every interaction related to NFTs, such as minting, trading, and transferring, is simplified to an API call on Immutable X. The company expects this feature to attract new participants, including established gaming and content companies in the sector.

Additionally, users won't need to change networks when connecting their wallets. The protocol introduces an intermediate layer known as the "Link," providing an NFT-specific wallet experience and enabling Immutable X to support a third-party marketplace ecosystem without security concerns.

With a shared global order book enhancing protocol liquidity, NFT marketplaces can be developed on Immutable X without needing a backend. Consequently, third-party marketplace solutions can coexist with the protocol’s native marketplace. This approach is also anticipated to lower entry barriers for content creators and smaller developers.

IMX is the native ERC-20 utility token of the protocol. It serves three primary functions: fees, staking, and governance. Users must pay 20% of the protocol's fees in IMX, stake IMX to earn a proportional share of network fees, and use IMX to vote on governance proposals. The total supply of IMX is two billion, with the following token distribution:



* Ecosystem development - 51.74%: for user rewards, developer grants, liquidity provision, and marketing.
* Project development - 25%
* Private sale - 14.26%: with a one-year cliff and monthly unlock over two years.
* Public sale - 5%: with a six-month unlock period.
* Foundation - 4%: for ecosystem development-related activities like liquidity provision, with a one-year cliff and monthly unlock over four years.

As a layer-two blockchain with zero gas fees, Immutable lets operators set their own trading fees. Unlike other Ethereum scaling solutions, a 51% attack is not viable on Immutable because it isn’t a centralized side chain; it benefits from the inherent security of the Ethereum blockchain. By using zk-rollups, assets are traded on the second-layer blockchain, while the transaction's validity proof is stored on Ethereum's layer-one blockchain.

Immutable opted to remain on Ethereum as a foundational solution because the team believes Ethereum best embodies the principles of trustless, decentralized asset ownership. Despite occasional spikes in gas fees and network congestion, Ethereum has remained the primary blockchain for NFT projects, as it consistently prioritizes decentralization over immediate scalability improvements.

You can buy IMX on platforms like OKEx, Huobi Global, Bybit, and Bitget.