Blockchain project Zilliqa today announced it had enabled Ethereum Virtual Machine compatibility on its mainnet with the recent version 9 upgrade. According to the Layer 1 project, the latest upgrade would open the network to EVM-decentralized applications and enable greater accessibility and functionality to the Zilliqa ecosystem.
“EVM compatibility is rolling out to the Zilliqa mainnet today. The latest mainnet update is currently being deployed and adds support for EVM wallets and dApps, opening the Zilliqa ecosystem to greater adoption,” Ziliqua tweeted.
Zilliqa announced yesterday that the network would have downtime to enable the EVM compatibility upgrade, stating that it would last at least 24 hours. The Layer 1 project also noted that it would not allow deposits and withdrawal transactions during the upgrade and called on users to exercise patience.
More Usability for Zilliqa
Zilliqa noted that the upgrade would add support for dApps written in Solidity and EVM-compatible languages. The upgrade would also enable users to transfer the network’s native coin, ZIL, using EVM-supported crypto wallets like MetaMask, which according to Zilliqa, would make it superior to most Layer 2 protocol implementations.
The upgrade would also allow developers to deploy EVM-supported smart contracts to Zilliqa’s mainnet, applying tools like Hardhat and Truffle seamlessly. The network launched the EVM compatibility update on its testnet in December last year. Zilliqa stated that the upgrade was successful, and it made several changes to it before heading for the mainnet release.
EVM on the Rise
The adoption of Ethereum Virtual Machine has been on the rise recently as Ethereum continues gaining acceptance from different chains. Ethereum’s move from proof of work to proof of stake, which drastically reduced its transaction fees, has made the network more attractive to other blockchains.
Layer 2 blockchain, Polygon launched its zkEVM Mainnet beta in March, having implemented it on its testnet since October. EOS network also invested $20 million in the EVM business, pledging it would have the fastest machine out there.
