ENS Labs, the development team behind the Ethereum Name Service (ENS), is building its own Layer 2 rollup network Namechain, which it plans to launch by the end of 2025.
ENS Labs Unveils ‘L2-Agnostic’ Rollup Network Namechain, Targets Release in 2025
The move is designed to scale ENS, a decentralized naming system on Ethereum that ties human-readable names to crypto addresses, while making the service more affordable and accessible across multiple Layer 2 networks.
ENS co-founder Jeff Lau introduced Namechain at the “frENSday” event in Bangkok on Monday, emphasizing that ENS’ primary focus is not on total value locked (TVL), a metric commonly used in other mergers, because ENS already has an established user base.
Instead, ENS Labs will focus on usability, interoperability and cost reduction.
Built on zero-knowledge proof (zk-proof) technology, Namechain aims to process transactions outside of Ethereum's mainnet and achieve Ethereum-level security at a fraction of the cost.
It will also support L2-to-L2 bridging, allowing users to seamlessly interact with different Layer 2 networks.
“You can commit and bridge while paying from your preferred L2,” Lau said, adding that Namechain’s design will allow users to start using ENS from any L2 network, further lowering the barrier to entry.
ENS Labs predicts that the new rollup will reduce name registration and management costs by up to 99% compared to current Tier 1 fees. The chain will leverage zkEVM for fast transaction finality and maintain ENS’s decentralized foundation while focusing on open-source development.
*This is not investment advice.