Polychain user deal and Scroll TVL growth

Scaling competition shifts

Polychain Capital’s 30 million user onboarding deal changed the competition between Ethereum scaling solutions after it overtook Linea’s DeFi adoption rate. This development provides momentum for Scroll as its September zkEVM mainnet TVL reaches $180 million. While Linea maintains a $3.4 billion TVL as of April 2026, Scroll’s expansion relies on this massive user influx to bridge the gap in ecosystem value. The startup plans to use the $30 million Series A funding to grow its 20-person staff and launch a testnet. This funding round included participation from Bain Capital Crypto, Robot Ventures, Geometry DAO, and angel investors such as Ying Tong and Carlos Aria. Co-founder Sandy Peng expects the testnet to launch in the second half of the year. This brings Scroll’s total funding to approximately $33 million after its initial $3 million from angel investors. Founders Ye Zhang and Haichen Shen aim to scale Ethereum using zk-rollups to bundle transactions off the main chain. Polychain Capital, which manages approximately $5 billion in assets, leads these scaling efforts. The project aims to make interacting with Layer 2 as easy as interacting with Layer 1 Ethereum for both developers and end-users by ensuring that the experience remains identical through full bytecode compatibility. This strategy positions Scroll as a competitor to Matter Labs and StarkWare. You should look closely at how these user numbers translate into actual on-chain activity.

Technical performance metrics

Scroll differentiates itself through bytecode-level compatibility with Ethereum, which allows developers to copy smart contract code without modifications. This EVM equivalence ensures that all EVM opcodes behave the same as on the base layer. Linea also uses zkEVM technology but employs lattice-based cryptography to provide resistance against quantum attacks. Because Scroll offers bytecode-level compatibility, developers expect their code to behave the same on Scroll and ordinary Ethereum, which permits direct migration. The following table compares the technical performance and proof systems of the leading ZK-rollups.

Technical differences determine how users experience transaction speeds and costs. Linea processes transactions with a 2-second block time and provides a median DEX swap cost of $0.18. Scroll operates with a 3-second block time and sees a median DEX swap of $0.27. zkSync Era maintains a 1-second block time and a median DEX swap of $0.21. The network also aims to build an outsourcing mechanism to allow anyone to participate in an open proving network.

Governance and liquidity stability

The network recently faced turbulence when its top fee-generating dapp, Ether.fi, moved to Optimism’s OP mainnet, which carries a $1.65 billion valuation. This defection, occurring two months ago, resulted in the loss of 300,000 user accounts and more than $160 million in total value locked. Scroll’s core contributors also proposed dissolving the Security Council to reduce expenses after evaluating its cost relative to actual usage. A recent surge in network fees also appeared to be artificially manufactured rather than a sign of organic demand. The project will transfer control of the network to an account managed by an internal team following the handover. This decision follows the departure of several contributors within the DAO; the handover targets completion within 10 days. Will the influx of 30 million users offset the loss of such significant liquidity? Scroll’s growth relies on whether the new user base provides enough demand to replace the departed liquidity from major dapps. The core team manages these transitions internally.