Kadena is a scalable Layer 1 blockchain that solves the "Blockchain Trilemma" by scaling Proof-of-Work (PoW). Instead of a single chain, it uses Chainweb, a protocol that braids together multiple parallel chains (currently 40). As network demand increases, the number of chains can scale horizontally , increasing throughput without degrading security or decentralization.

The ecosystem has focused on bridging the gap between its secure PoW architecture and the broader EVM developer community:

Chainweb EVM (April 2025): Kadena executed a major network expansion by adding 20 EVM-compatible chains to its existing 20 Pact chains. This "Chainweb EVM" upgrade allows developers to copy-paste Solidity code from Ethereum and deploy it on Kadena, inheriting the security of its braided PoW consensus without rewriting code in Pact.

SpireKey Launch: The network introduced SpireKey, a user experience protocol based on WebAuthn. This feature allows users to sign transactions using standard biometric passkeys (like FaceID or TouchID) on their devices, removing the need for complex browser extensions or seed phrase management for everyday users.

Pact 5.0 Upgrade: The core smart contract language was upgraded to Pact 5.0, introducing significant performance improvements and new "capabilities" features that allow for more granular permission controls in smart contracts.

The KDA token serves as the digital fuel for the network:

Gas Payments: KDA is used to pay for computing power on the network.

Mining Rewards: Miners provide hash rate to secure the network and are compensated in KDA.

Gas Stations: Developers can load KDA into "Gas Station" accounts to subsidize fees for their users, effectively making dApps free to use for the end customer.

Consensus: Proof-of-Work (Chainweb)

Architecture: Braided Multi-Chain (40 Chains)

Smart Contract Language: Pact & Solidity (via Chainweb EVM)

Key Feature: Gas Stations (Fee Abstraction)

Total Supply: Fixed cap of 1 Billion KDA (120-year emission)