Layer 2 blockchain · settles to Ethereum
Metis ticker METIS
Summary
Optimistic rollup on Ethereum forked from Optimism's OVM. A pool of sequencers that lock METIS on Ethereum takes turns producing L2 blocks: a Tendermint-based layer picks the active sequencer in proportion to locked METIS and rotates it, and the pool signs each batch with a shared threshold (MPC) key before it goes to Ethereum. Since May 2025 batch data is posted as Ethereum blobs. A whitelisted proposer posts state roots, which become final after a 7-day challenge window. Anyone can request a challenge by bonding METIS, but a permissioned game creator must open the dispute game and a Security Council minority deletes a disproven root. 3457131518
Design
- System
- Layer 2 blockchainThis profile covers Metis Andromeda, the Metis mainnet (chain ID 1088): an optimistic rollup on Ethereum forked from Optimism's older OVM codebase. METIS, not ETH, is the gas asset; bridged ETH is a token there. L2BEAT files it under Others rather than rollups because only permissioned actors can open disputes and delete bad state roots. Metis Hyperion, a second Metis network, is testnet-only and not covered here.
- Settles to
- EthereumBatches signed by the sequencer pool are posted to Ethereum as blobs roughly every 30 to 40 minutes (Metis's transaction-processing page says about 30; L2BEAT observed about 40). State roots become final only after the 7-day challenge window, which is when withdrawals to Ethereum can complete. L2BEAT recorded a pause of about five days in June 2026 when no data or state roots were posted; a query of the state commitment contract's Ethereum event log showed the same gap in state roots.
- Settlement family
- Ethereum / EVM
- Scarce resource
- Stake (proof of stake)
- State model
- Accounts
- Finality
- Other
- Who makes blocks
- Governance-approved sequencer operators who each lock 20,000 to 100,000 METIS on Ethereum. Metis's public registry lists 10 mainnet entries, three of them Metis genesis nodes. L2BEAT notes that on Ethereum a single address submits batches, and Ethereum cannot verify that the address is controlled by the pool.
- Fork choice
- No open weight-based fork choice. Inside the pool, a block counts as final once two-thirds of sequencers agree after a rotation; the canonical history is what the pool posts to Ethereum, and Ethereum's own fork choice and finality then apply to that data.
Qualifications
- Scarce resource · Partial. Locked METIS decides which approved sequencer produces blocks, but joining the pool needs governance approval, and the safety of withdrawals rests on Ethereum, the permissioned challenge process and the Security Council, not on the stake.
- Finality · Partial. Confidence is staged: the active sequencer's block, pool finality once two-thirds of sequencers agree after a rotation, inclusion of the batch on Ethereum, and settlement for withdrawals after the 7-day challenge window. Only the last is enforced by Ethereum contracts.
- Data availability · Contested. Metis's overview and FAQ still say transaction data is stored in Memolabs off-chain storage. Its node guide, its May 2025 node release and L2BEAT say data is posted to Ethereum as blobs; L2BEAT dates the switch to 13 May 2025.
- Rollup category · Contested. Metis describes Andromeda as an optimistic rollup. L2BEAT lists it under Others, not rollups, because creating dispute games and deleting disproven state roots are permissioned, and it does not rate it even Stage 0.
- Sequencer decentralization · Contested. Metis's docs describe a decentralized sequencer pool with stake-weighted rotation. L2BEAT says one address posts batches on Ethereum and that it cannot be trustlessly linked to multiple sequencers.
- Forced inclusion · Contested. L2BEAT's risk summary says there is no general mechanism to force inclusion, while its contract notes say anyone can enqueue a transaction on Ethereum that the sequencer must eventually append. No enforced deadline was found in Metis's docs.
- Evm version · Partial. Metis's FAQ says Andromeda supports Ethereum's Berlin rules plus the PUSH0 opcode, does not support the Cancun upgrade, and supports Solidity up to 0.8.23.
Tradeoffs
- Emphasizes
- Scalability and Decentralization
- Gives up
- Security guarantees a user can check alone. L2BEAT reports that a 6-of-8 Security Council can upgrade the core contracts with no delay, that only permissioned actors can open disputes and delete bad state roots, and that there is no general way to force the sequencers to include a transaction; it does not rate Metis even Stage 0. Withdrawals to Ethereum also wait out a 7-day challenge window.The decentralization emphasis refers to the rotating sequencer pool, which is small, approved through Metis governance and signs batches off Ethereum; L2BEAT does not credit it because Ethereum cannot verify it. The scalability emphasis is Metis's own framing and was not measured here.
- Full node at home
- Demanding 71213Metis's replica-node guide recommends an AWS c5.2xlarge-class machine (8 vCPU, 16 GiB) with a 750 GB SSD volume, plus an Ethereum node and a beacon node with full history. Beacon nodes drop blob data after about two weeks, so a new node relies on Metis's published snapshots, which are AWS EBS volume snapshots, or on a beacon node kept with longer retention. Running a sequencer needs similar hardware plus a 20,000 METIS lock and governance approval.
- Throughput claims
- No classified figure recorded
Scaling layers
No scaling layer recorded in this profile.
Capabilities
| Capability | How it is provided | Notes and sources |
|---|---|---|
| Account abstraction | Structured assessment pending | Not yet assessed for any chain. |
| Atomic swaps | Unknown | A protocol-level trust-minimized swap mechanism on Metis was not reviewed; EVM contracts could implement hash-locked swaps, but none was verified. |
| Authenticated data publication | Unknown | Not yet assessed under this row's current definition. |
| Light clients | Unknown | No Metis light client was reviewed. State roots on Ethereum are only optimistic claims until the 7-day challenge window passes. |
| Native staking or delegation | Structured assessment pending | Not yet assessed for any chain. |
| On-chain governance | Structured assessment pending | Not yet assessed for any chain. |
| Parallel execution | Structured assessment pending | Not yet assessed for any chain. |
| Payment or state channels | Unknown | No payment or state channel layer anchored to Metis was reviewed. |
| Programmable spending | Native (protocol or core-team software) Earlier definition | Metis runs EVM smart contracts, so spend conditions are contracts; its FAQ lists Berlin-era rules plus PUSH0 and no Cancun support. METIS balances also behave as an ERC-20 token without wrapping. 2 |
| Protocol-verified messaging | Structured assessment pending | Not yet assessed for any chain. |
| Reversible transfers or recovery | Unknown | Not yet assessed under this row's current definition. |
| Rollups | Unknown | No chain verified as settling to Metis Andromeda was found. Metis's Q1 2026 roundup calls Andromeda the settlement layer beside Hyperion, but Hyperion's docs describe settlement to Ethereum and it is testnet-only. 1116 |
| Shielded transfers | Structured assessment pending | Not yet assessed for any chain. |
| Signed partial offers | Unknown | Not yet assessed under this row's current definition. |
Reading these values
- How this feature is provided
- Built into the protocol, core-team software or independent software says where a feature lives and who can change it. These are implementation layers, not quality: core-team software is not closer to the protocol than independent software.
- Structured assessment pending
- The shared review has not assessed this feature for any chain yet (Account abstraction, Native staking or delegation, On-chain governance, Parallel execution, Protocol-verified messaging and Shielded transfers). That does not mean it is absent, and a chain’s profile may already describe it.
- Unknown
- The review has not established this for this chain under the current definition; the note beside it says why. Unknown is not absent and not a low score. A feature reads “Not present” only when a source shows it is absent.
- Earlier definition
- Payment or state channels, Programmable spending and Rollups keep the earlier definition until the next fact-check. There, “Native” does not separate the protocol from core-team software, “Ecosystem software” does not say who publishes it, and “Partial” does not say which layer.
- Reading across rows
- The list of capabilities is incomplete. Do not read these rows as a chain leading or lagging overall.
Ecosystem & custody
| Product type | Status | Notes and sources |
|---|---|---|
| Automated market makers | ThinNetswap | Netswap's docs describe a Uniswap V2-derived AMM exchange on Metis Andromeda, and DefiLlama's protocol data lists it as the largest exchange venue on Metis, with small deposited liquidity. The site of another exchange on Metis's ecosystem page, Hercules, did not load at review time. Depth was not measured. 171920 |
| Issuer-native stablecoins | None found | No issuer-native stablecoin was found: Circle's USDC list and Tether's supported-protocol list do not include Metis. USDC and USDT on Metis are m.USDC and m.USDT, tokens minted by the canonical bridge against coins locked on Ethereum. 212223 |
| Algorithmic stablecoins | Unknown | Algorithmic or hybrid stablecoins on Metis were not reviewed. Metis's ecosystem page lists collateral-backed stablecoin and borrowing protocols, but their designs and usage were not checked. |
| Bridges | Native to the protocolMetis canonical bridge (standard bridge contracts), Chainlink CCIP | METIS, ETH and ERC-20 tokens move between Ethereum and Metis through protocol bridge contracts; Metis's older docs say withdrawing to Ethereum costs 2 METIS and takes up to 7 days. Metis's docs also cover Chainlink CCIP, a separate cross-chain messaging network run by Chainlink rather than part of Metis's own bridge, and its ecosystem page lists third-party bridges that were not reviewed. Risk: For the canonical bridge, L2BEAT reports that a 6-of-8 Security Council can upgrade the bridge and core contracts with no delay, an older 4-of-9 multisig can pause or censor, only whitelisted actors post state roots and open disputes, and there is no guaranteed exit if the sequencers stop. Posting to Ethereum paused for about five days in June 2026. Chainlink CCIP and other third-party bridges rely on their own operators and are not protected by Metis's challenge process; their risks were not reviewed. 10141718 |
| Block explorers | First-partyMetis Andromeda Blockscout (andromeda-explorer.metis.io) | Metis's docs list a Blockscout explorer on a Metis domain and a Routescan explorer at explorer.metis.io, but that address now redirects to the Blockscout instance, so only one mainnet explorer was verified. Explorer indexes are not canonical consensus. 924 |
| Hardware wallets | ThinTrezor Safe 3, 5 and 7 (through MetaMask or Rabby), Ledger (Metis behind a default-off switch) | See custody rows: Trezor lists the Metis Andromeda network, but Trezor Suite's own network list does not include it, so use goes through MetaMask or Rabby; Ledger Wallet code includes Metis behind a feature switch that is off by default. 25272831 |
Hardware-wallet custody
| Device maker | Status | What users can and cannot do |
|---|---|---|
| Ledger | PartialSame as native: Unknown | Cannot: Rely on Metis appearing in Ledger Wallet: its code gates the Metis network behind a feature switch that is off by default, and no Ledger page confirms the switch is on for usersLedger Wallet's source code includes a Metis network behind a feature switch that is off by default; the remote setting that could switch it on for users could not be read, and Ledger's Metis coin pages returned 404. First-party support that sits behind a switch that is off by default counts only as partial support. 27282930 |
| Trezor | Through an intermediaryMetaMask or Rabby (third-party wallet apps named by Trezor)Same as native: Unknown | Can: Use METIS and other assets on Metis Andromeda with a Trezor Safe 3, Safe 5 or Safe 7 through MetaMask or Rabby; Trezor's Metis page lists Ethereum and Metis Andromeda as supported networks Can: Hold METIS on Ethereum in Trezor Suite Cannot: Manage Metis Andromeda accounts in Trezor Suite itself: Suite's current network list does not include MetisTrezor's Metis page names Trezor Suite, MetaMask and Rabby without tying them to networks. Because Trezor Suite's network code has no Metis entry, the Metis network goes through a third-party wallet. Older Trezor models and contract interactions were not reviewed. 2531 |
Public data
iKnow Blockchain has no public-data lookups for Metis yet. This is a limit of the service, not a statement about the network.
| Lookup | Status | What it covers and its limits |
|---|---|---|
| Address or account | Not available yet | Public-data lookups for this chain are not built yet. |
| Tokens and assets | Not available yet | Public-data lookups for this chain are not built yet. |
| NFTs | Not available yet | Public-data lookups for this chain are not built yet. |
| Transactions | Not available yet | Public-data lookups for this chain are not built yet. |
Sourced developments
Developments: Review overdue Reviewed Sep 27, 2026; next review was due Oct 7, 2026, 12:00 UTC.
Publication date · newest first
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L2BEAT recorded a five-day pause in Metis posting data and state roots to Ethereum
L2BEAT's liveness record shows no transaction-data submissions and no state-root updates from Metis to Ethereum from 13 June 2026 (about 03:30 UTC) until 18 June 2026 (about 11:05 UTC), against a usual interval of roughly 40 minutes. The event log of Metis's state commitment contract on Ethereum shows no state-root posts between 13 June 03:34 UTC and 18 June 11:05 UTC, matching L2BEAT. No Metis announcement explaining the pause was found in this review.
- Implementation:incident; cause not published in the sources reviewed
- Release:no related Metis node release found
- Activation:posting resumed on 18 June 2026 per L2BEAT and the Ethereum event log
Sources: L2BEAT — Metis Andromeda (external site) · Blockscout (Ethereum) — Event logs of the Metis state commitment contract on Ethereum, June 2026 (external site)
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Metis reported that average Andromeda block time slowed from about 12 to about 17 to 18 seconds
A Metis post on its governance forum says average L2 block time rose from around 12 seconds to roughly 17 to 18 seconds over the previous year, describing it as an adjustment in block production speed. Because sequencer rewards are fixed per block, Metis recalculated its expected sequencer reward rate and said block-time performance remains a focus.
- Implementation:observed change in block production reported by Metis
- Release:no associated software release named
- Activation:in effect at the time of the post
Source: Metis CEG forum — Metis Expected Sequencer Mining Rewards Rate (MRR) Update (external site)
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Metis governance marked approved a proposal for Nansen to run a sequencer in the Metis pool
A forum proposal from Nansen, now titled as approved, asks to lock 20,000 METIS and launch a sequencer in Metis's decentralized sequencer pool in Q2 2026. Metis's sequencer registry added Nansen as a Sepolia testnet sequencer on 12 March 2026, but this review did not find Nansen in the mainnet list.
- Proposal:marked approved on the Metis governance forum
- Implementation:testnet sequencer entry added 12 March 2026
- Release:no software release involved
- Activation:launch targeted for Q2 2026; not found in the mainnet registry on 27 September 2026
Sources: Metis CEG forum — Sequencer Proposal: Nansen (Deployment) (external site) · Metis (GitHub) — metis-sequencer-resources commit history (external site) · Metis (GitHub) — Mainnet sequencer list (sequencers/1088/all.json) (external site)
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Metis added a proposer registry that controls who may post state roots to Ethereum
L2BEAT's contract-change log records that Metis upgraded its state commitment contract on Ethereum to read the allowed state-root proposer from a new proposer registry, with one address holding the proposer role. L2BEAT says the Security Council minority controls the registry and so decides the active proposer.
- Implementation:deployed on Ethereum
- Release:contract upgrade recorded by L2BEAT
- Activation:active per L2BEAT
Sources: L2BEAT — Metis Andromeda (external site) · Etherscan — MVM_ProposerRegistry contract on Ethereum (external site)
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Metis released the Andromeda node upgrade that posts batch data as Ethereum blobs and adds fraud-proof support
Metis published node release v0.3.7, titled Andromeda Blob & Fraud prove, for the blob and fraud-proof upgrade on the Andromeda mainnet. It ships new l2geth and data transport layer (dtl) images and adds two settings: a fraud-proof start block of 22,482,000 and an Ethereum beacon-chain endpoint that each operator supplies so the node can read blob data. The dtl update is required for nodes that sync batches from Ethereum. The same upgrade went to the Metis Sepolia testnet first, as pre-release v0.3.6 in February 2025. L2BEAT dates Metis's switch to posting data as Ethereum blobs to 13 May 2025. It remains the latest Metis node release that changes how the network runs; the later v0.3.9 fixes network and tracing bugs, and its notes let operators update at their convenience.
- Implementation:tested first on the Metis Sepolia testnet through pre-release v0.3.6, published 12 February 2025
- Release:mainnet node release v0.3.7 published 13 May 2025; not marked pre-release
- Activation:release sets fraud-proof start block 22,482,000 without naming a date; L2BEAT dates the mainnet switch to blobs to 13 May 2025
Sources: Metis (GitHub) — v0.3.7 - Andromeda Blob & Fraud prove (external site) · Metis (GitHub) — v0.3.6 (external site) · Metis (GitHub) — mvm releases (external site) · L2BEAT — Metis Andromeda (external site) · Metis (GitHub) — metis-ansible: Deploy RPC with Ansible (external site)
Topics your AI can explain
Your AI can explain these topics for Metis through the connection, with sources.
Known gaps
What this profile's review did not establish:
- Upgrade authority, the permissioned proposer, game creator and state-deleter roles, and the forced-inclusion position come mainly from L2BEAT; Metis's own docs list the Security Council members but do not describe their powers or thresholds.
- Metis's docs disagree with L2BEAT and its own node guide on where transaction data lives (Memolabs storage versus Ethereum blobs), and still describe an explorer address that now redirects elsewhere.
- The 7-day challenge window appears in Metis's older bridge docs (up to 7 days), in L2BEAT's review and in a direct read of the state commitment contract on Ethereum; no current Metis documentation page states it.
- How long Metis's own sequencer-pool finality takes in practice was not established. A single read-only check on 27 September 2026 found the finalized block about ten hours behind the newest block, so the lag may be long; this was not investigated further.
- The cause of the roughly five-day pause in posting to Ethereum in June 2026 was not found in any Metis announcement.
- How many sequencers are active on-chain right now, and whether slashing is live, were not verified; the registry lists 10 entries and the rotation page says no penalty for downtime was implemented.
- Ledger support is partial: Ledger Wallet code includes a Metis network behind a feature switch that is off by default, and Ledger's Metis coin pages returned 404. The Trezor rating rests on Trezor Suite's network code, which has no Metis entry; Trezor coverage of older models and contract interactions was not reviewed.
- Third-party bridges listed by Metis (Stargate, Synapse, Wanchain and others) were not reviewed; Metis's older bridge list also names services that have since shut down.
- The fee formula (execution fee plus Ethereum data fee) is not documented in the current Metis docs reviewed.
- DEX liquidity depth, lending and liquid-staking products, and algorithmic stablecoins on Metis were not measured.
- Atomic-swap, reversible-transfer and recovery, light-client and channel surfaces on Metis were not reviewed.
- Hyperion's settlement target is described inconsistently by Metis, and it has no verified mainnet.
Sources
Oldest dated source check: Source checked Sep 27, 2026 Next check due Oct 27, 2026.
- Welcome (Andromeda) (external site)
- FAQ (external site)
- Sequencer Architecture (external site)
- Selection and Rotation (external site)
- Finality (external site)
- Transaction Processing (external site)
- Requirements (Sequencer Operation) (external site)
- Security Council (external site)
- RPCs (external site)
- CCIP (external site)
- Hyperion Overview (external site)
- metis-ansible: Deploy RPC with Ansible (external site)
- v0.3.7 - Andromeda Blob & Fraud prove (external site)
- Third-Party Bridges (legacy documentation) (external site)
- Mainnet sequencer list (sequencers/1088/all.json) (external site)
- Metis Q1 Roundup: Advancing the Stack for the Agent Economy (external site)
- Metis Ecosystem (external site)
- Metis Andromeda (external site)
- Netswap documentation (external site)
- Protocols API (chain breakdown) (external site)
- USDC Contract Addresses (external site)
- Supported Protocols (external site)
- m.USDC token (USDC Token) (external site)
- Metis Andromeda blockchain explorer (external site)
- Safe & secure Metis wallet (external site)
- Event logs of the Metis state commitment contract on Ethereum, blocks 25,280,000 to 25,360,000 (June 2026) (external site)
- ledger-live: coin-module loaders (list of networks Ledger Wallet can add) (external site)
- ledger-live: currencyMetis feature switch (external site)
- ledger-live: feature-flag defaults (a switch declared with no value is off) (external site)
- ledger-live: useCurrenciesUnderFeatureFlag (hides networks whose feature switch is off) (external site)
- trezor-suite: Ethereum-style network configuration (develop branch) (external site)
Report an error
Found something wrong or out of date? Reporting is free, and every chain goes through the same process. Published corrections appear in the public log.
Funding disclosure
Funding disclosures appear here when an upkeep arrangement exists, in the form “Upkeep funded by [name]; verdicts unaffected.” The funder ledger has not been published yet. Neutrality & funding