BNB Chain is planning to launch a high-performance layer-1 blockchain called NewL1, designed to rival the speeds of centralized exchanges. The project aims to achieve a 200 ms block interval, allowing for five blocks per second, with pre-confirmations as fast as 20 ms and full transaction finality in under a second. These targets are intended to support latency-sensitive activities like high-frequency trading and AI-driven transactions.
The updated documentation, released on October 22, 2026, outlines these ambitious performance goals. BNB Chain plans to use an enhanced version of its existing consensus mechanism, Parlia, to achieve throughput exceeding 100,000 transactions per second. Additional features include native account abstraction for more programmable wallets and a shielded privacy pool for enhanced transaction privacy.
NewL1 is currently in an internal development phase, with a public testnet expected by late 2026 and a mainnet launch projected for early 2027. Founder CZ has reassured existing holders that BNB will remain the sole token for gas fees, staking, and governance across both BSC and the new layer-1 network.
The project is positioned as an addition to the BNB Chain ecosystem, aiming to extend infrastructure without disrupting existing frameworks. For traders, the potential benefits include on-chain trading speeds comparable to centralized venues, while maintaining self-custody of assets. However, the success of these targets will depend on the performance observed in the upcoming testnet and mainnet phases.