Quick answer: BNB Chain New L1 is a planned EVM chain that will run beside BNB Smart Chain with 200 ms blocks, about 20 ms preconfirmations and sub-second finality, per BNB Chain’s docs updated in October 2026. BNB pays gas, no new token is issued, and a public testnet is targeted for late 2026 with mainnet in early 2027.
The BNB Chain New L1 is moving from roadmap slide to real documentation. BNB Chain has published a full developer manual for a second, latency-first Layer 1 that will run next to BNB Smart Chain (BSC), and the topic took off on X on Oct. 25, 2026, after Changpeng Zhao (CZ) pointed followers to it.
The short version: faster blocks, no public mempool, built-in privacy and account abstraction, and no new token. BNB stays at the center. But there is no public network yet, so every speed number is a design target, not a measured result.
What is BNB Chain New L1?
According to the official New L1 overview, New L1 is “an EVM-compatible Layer 1 and the next generation chain in the BNB Chain family.” It is aimed at high-frequency trading, real-time payments, confidential finance and AI-agent activity.
BSC is not being replaced. The docs describe BSC as “the broad-base chain for the existing ecosystem,” while New L1 is “a clean-slate design for the workloads that outgrow it.” The chain is still labeled with a placeholder name, and Blockchain.News reports that BNB Chain updated the documentation on Oct. 22, 2026.
How fast will it be?
The published network parameters list:
| Parameter | New L1 target |
|---|---|
| Block interval | 200 ms |
| Preconfirmation | ~20 ms (sub-blocks) |
| Finality | Sub-second (BLS fast finality) |
| Throughput goal | 100,000+ TPS |
| Gas asset | BNB, bridged from BSC |
For comparison, BNB Chain’s H2 2026 tech roadmap, dated July 8, 2026, says BSC itself cut block times from 750 ms to 450 ms in the first half of the year and reached about 5,200 TPS in benchmarks. As TokenPost notes, those BSC figures are measured, while New L1’s are untested goals.
Will BNB Chain New L1 have its own token?
No. The docs state that “BNB is the native asset of New L1, and no new token is issued.” BNB moves over through a native BSC-to-New L1 bridge that is “still in development” and pays all gas.
Staking BNB through the StakeHub contract mints govBNB one-for-one. That is a non-transferable voting ledger, not a tradable coin, used for on-chain votes on protocol settings. Anyone promising an “airdrop” or “presale” for a New L1 token is most likely running a scam.
What changes for traders and developers?
Existing Solidity contracts should run unchanged, because execution builds on the reth and revm clients. Four things work differently, per the docs:
- No public mempool. Transactions go straight to the current and next block producer. BNB Chain calls this TxStream and says it blocks front-running by design.
- Gas is charged on the declared limit, not on gas used, and the base fee is pinned to zero.
- Reserved lanes. A Multi-Lane system keeps block space for urgent traffic such as oracles, liquidations and bridges.
- Native extras. Gas sponsorship, passkey signing, batched calls and an opt-in shielded pool that hides sender, recipient and amount.
Some Ethereum features are missing: eth_getProof, EIP-4844 blob transactions and EIP-7702 transactions are not supported.
When is the testnet and mainnet launch?
The network information page lists no RPC endpoint, chain ID, faucet or explorer yet. Today New L1 runs only as a multi-validator devnet. The July roadmap targets a public testnet by the end of 2026 and mainnet in early 2027.
What does it mean for the BNB price?
BNB traded near $738 on Oct. 26, 2026, at 00:50 UTC, roughly flat over 24 hours with a market cap around $97 billion, per CoinGecko. The announcement has not moved the price yet.
The longer-term case is about demand. A second chain that uses BNB for gas and governance adds another source of BNB use, on top of the quarterly burns we covered in the 37th BNB burn. The risks are delivery and competition: fast trading chains already exist, and launch dates in crypto often slip, as Ethereum’s Glamsterdam test delay showed this month.
Watch for three signals: a public testnet date, the first bridge audits and which big perpetual DEXs commit to deploy.
BNB Chain New L1 FAQ
Does BNB Chain New L1 replace BNB Smart Chain?
No. BNB Chain’s docs say BSC remains the broad-base chain for the existing ecosystem, while New L1 runs in parallel for latency-sensitive apps. A native bridge will connect the two.
Is there a BNB Chain New L1 token or airdrop?
No. BNB Chain says no new token will be issued and BNB pays gas. Staked BNB mints non-transferable govBNB for voting, which cannot be traded.
When will BNB Chain New L1 launch?
The July 8, 2026 roadmap targets a public testnet by the end of 2026 and mainnet in early 2027. As of Oct. 26, 2026, it runs only as a private devnet.
How fast is BNB Chain New L1?
Design targets are 200 ms blocks, about 20 ms preconfirmations, sub-second finality and 100,000+ TPS. These are goals, not measured results on a public network.
Not financial advice. Crypto assets are volatile; always do your own research (DYOR).
