Core Features

These features are under active research and development and subject to change in implementation design.

Plasma is focused on enhancing the stablecoin user experience with features that traditional blockchains often overlook. Designed from first principles for stablecoin payments, these core features directly address the shortcomings of general-purpose blockchains when handling stablecoins. While not live in the initial mainnet beta, they will be rolled out in future upgrades to meet the unique needs of stablecoin users.

Custom Gas Tokens

To simplify the user experience, Plasma allows transaction fees to be paid in whitelisted assets—such as USDT or BTC—instead of requiring a dedicated fee token. When a non-native token is used, an automatic swap mechanism powered by embedded oracle data converts it at the current market rate into the native fee token. This seamless integration prevents situations where users are blocked from transferring stablecoins due to the absence of a separate native token, ensuring smoother and more intuitive transactions.

Zero-Fee USDT Transfers

High or unpredictable fees can significantly burden price-sensitive users in volatile economies. Plasma addresses this by offering zero-fee USDT transfers exclusively for simple, metadata-free transactions. These transfers leverage a split block architecture: one block layer processes fee-paying transactions, while another parallel layer isolates zero-fee transfers to prevent them from congesting the main network. An adaptive, delay-based prioritization mechanism further balances network load, allowing users to opt for fee-free transfers with longer acceptable delays. Additionally, protective measures—such as rate limiting, aggressive transaction replacement policies, and minimum balance requirements—are in place to mitigate spam and abuse, ensuring that zero-fee transfers remain a public good without compromising network security or performance.

Confidential Transactions

Recognizing the need for privacy, Plasma is actively researching confidential transaction techniques. Through the deployment of shielded transactions, Plasma aims to protect users’ financial histories by concealing transaction details, thereby enhancing privacy while maintaining security and compliance.

Together, these core features underscore Plasma’s commitment to a stablecoin-first experience, delivering solutions that enhance usability, affordability, and privacy for a global user base.