May 28, 08:51 PM

Katana DeFi Chain Launches Private Mainnet With 15% KAT Airdrop, Up to 10M KAT and CryptoPunk Prizes

Katana, a DeFi-focused blockchain incubated by Polygon Labs and GSR, has launched its private mainnet, with public access scheduled for June 23, 2025. The chain is built on Polygon's AggLayer and OP Stack-based CDK framework, powered by Conduit's G2 sequencer and zero-knowledge finality via Succinct's SP1 prover. Katana is designed for decentralized finance, featuring core protocols such as Morpho (lending), Sushi (spot DEX), and Vertex (perpetual DEX) as foundational infrastructure, each serving as the exclusive provider within its category. Yield is generated from protocol emissions, KAT token incentives, bridged asset yield via VaultBridge, sequencer fee redistribution, and native stablecoin income through Agora's AUSD. Pre-deposits are live, allowing users to deposit ETH, USDC, USDT, or WBTC and receive 'krates' containing prizes, including up to 10 million KAT tokens and a CryptoPunk NFT. Yield generated during the pre-launch phase is directed to the Katana Foundation's treasury to incentivize DeFi activity at mainnet launch. KAT token rewards will be non-transferrable for up to nine months after launch. The Katana Foundation plans to airdrop approximately 15% of KAT tokens to POL stakers. The project is targeting L2Beat Stage 1 compliance to enable safe user exits without centralized operators.