Share this article
Three Arrows-Backed 'Lightweight' Blockchain Mina Launches Mainnet
Backed by a cadre of heavy-hitting investors, Mina announced its mainnet launch Tuesday.
By Zack Voell
Updated Sep 14, 2021, 12:30 p.m. Published Mar 23, 2021, 1:30 p.m.
The mainnet for a blockchain that discards its own blocks is now live.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Mina, a proof-of-stake protocol designed by O(1) Labs, announced the launch of its mainnet Tuesday, according to a release shared with CoinDesk.
Self-titled as a “lightweight,” Mina has a fixed blockchain size of 22 kilobytes, which it maintains by discarding blocks as they elapse. Usually blockchains retain every block mined. Its unorthodox design employs a technology called “zk-SNARKS,” most widely known for its use by Zcash, to preserve its transaction record without saving every block.
Through its SNARK-powered applications – or “Snapps” – Mina aims to “bring new possibilities for internet privacy and data security,” said O(1) Labs CEO Evan Shaprio in a statement.
Mina boasts a long list of notable backers, including Three Arrows Capital, for whom the “lightweight” protocol is one of only four base-layer blockchain investments listed on its website, a group that also includes Bitcoin, Ethereum and Polkadot.
Read more: This Blockchain Tosses Blocks: Naval, MetaStable Back Twist on Crypto ‘Cash’
Mina’s backers also include Polychain, Paradigm, Coinbase Ventures, Naval Ravikant and Bixin Ventures.
Concurrent with its mainnet launch, Mina announced its partnership with CoinList for its upcoming token sale.
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
Coinbase Sees Crypto Recovery Ahead as Liquidity Improves and Fed Rate Cut Odds Climb
The crypto exchange also took note of a so-called AI bubble that continues to go strong and a weaker U.S. dollar.
What to know:
- Coinbase Institutional is seeing a potential December recovery in crypto, citing improving liquidity and a shift in macroeconomic conditions that could favor risk assets like bitcoin.
- The firm's optimism is driven by rising odds of Federal Reserve rate cuts, with markets pricing in a 93% chance easing next week, and improving liquidity conditions.
- Several recent institutional developments, including Vanguard's crypto ETF policy reversal and Bank of America's greenlighting of crypto allocations, have contributed to bitcoin's rebound from recent lows.
Top Stories
