Key Takeaways
- So far, eight centralized crypto exchanges have their own affiliated Layer 2 networks.
- The latest exchange to join the L2 party is Gate.
- Gate Layer, an optimistic rollup built with OP Stack, was launched on Thursday, Sept. 25.
In a bid to reduce blockchain fees, retain users, and foster new decentralized financial ecosystems, a growing number of crypto exchanges are building their own Layer 2 (L2) networks.
The latest exchange to hop on the L2 train is Gate, which launched Gate Layer on Thursday, Sept. 25, joining the likes of Coinbase, OKX, Kraken, and others.
Gate Launches Gate Layer
Gate Layer is an optimistic rollup built with OP Stack. Its goal is “to deliver faster, more secure, and cost-efficient Web3 services to users worldwide,” Gate said in an announcement.
The new L2 uses GT as its native gas token and boasts a maximum throughput of over 5,700 transactions per second. According to Gate, it can process a million transfers for just $30.
As it looks to build out its ecosystem, Gate is launching three flagship products on the new L2: Perp, a decentralized perpetual futures exchange; Gate Fun, a Pump.Fun-style memecoin launchpad; and Meme Go, a trading and monitoring platform for meme tokens.
Why Crypto Exchanges Build L2s
Centralized crypto exchanges function as crucial ramps into DeFi, where most users swap their fiat for crypto, and vice versa.
But if exchanges are nothing more than fiat on- and off-ramps, all the lending, staking, and trading that exists under the DeFi umbrella is a lost opportunity.
By owning the infrastructure, however, exchanges maximize their role in the DeFi value chain.
Extracting DeFi Value
Most L2 DeFi platforms borrow heavily from existing solutions, and because they all exist within the broader EVM ecosystem, spinning up a new DeX or lending protocol is relatively easy.
Because they own the sequencers, exchanges collect gas fees, benefiting from the total transaction volume on their L2. In most cases, they also have a significant stake in the gas token itself, demand for which increases in line with L2 adoption.
Meanwhile, exchange customers are incentivized to use the new infrastructure by seamless integrations and lower fees.
Various exchange L2s operate different economic and governance models. The following list excludes platforms like Mantle, which, although it was incubated by BitDAO, a Bybit affiliate, is removed enough from the exchange to warrant an independent designation.
L2s that are included in the list either have a centralized sequencer controlled by an exchange, deploy an exchange token for gas, or both.
Full List of Exchange-Affiliated L2s
| Exchange |
Layer 2 |
Design |
TVL* |
| Coinbase |
Base |
Optimistic rollup (OP Stack) |
$4.88 billion |
| Crypto.com |
Cronos |
zk rollup (Polygon CDK) |
$592.71 million |
| OKX |
X Layer |
zk rollup (Polygon CDK) |
$25.74 million |
| Binance |
opBNB |
Optimistic rollup on BNB |
$17.75 million |
| HashKey |
HashKey Chain |
Optimistic rollup (OP Stack) |
$2.63 million |
| Bitget |
Morph |
Modular zk rollup |
$8.23 million |
| Gate |
Gate Layer |
Optimistic rollup (OP Stack) |
n/a |
| Kraken |
Ink |
Optimistic rollup (OP Stack) |
Still in development |
*TVL according to DeFiLlama as of Sept. 25, 2025.
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James Morales is CCN’s blockchain and crypto policy reporter. He has been working in the news media since 2020, writing about topics such as payments, banking and financial technology. These days, he likes to explore the latest blockchain innovations and the evolving landscape of global crypto regulation.
With an educational background in social anthropology and media studies, James uses his platform as a journalist to explore how new technologies work, why they matter and how they might shape our future.
