Web3 notifications protocol Push to launch its own Layer 1 chain

Blockchain-based notifications project Push Protocol is developing Push Chain, a Layer 1 blockchain focused on chain abstraction and building web3 applications accessible across different networks.

Push Chain aims to address fragmented user experiences and scalability issues. It marks a strategic shift for the project that has, until now, operated as a communication protocol enabling cross-chain notifications and messaging for decentralized applications.

“We worked on building notification nodes for years and completed their implementation in January 2024. It was during this journey that we realized our efforts to scale, unify web3, and enable seamless onboarding for an exceptional consumer experience could evolve into something far more impactful,” a Push spokesperson told The Block.

The team stated that its upcoming proof-of-stake chain could serve as a common settlement layer for all the Layer 1s and Layer 2s. In that setting, “universal smart contracts” will enable developers or users to access the state of a wallet on another chain.

The team notes that, once live, the chain will include features like wallet and gas fee abstraction, sharding, and sub-one-second transaction finality.

An initial testnet for Push Chain will be released in phases — the first testnet will be in mid-January 2025, and the mainnet later in the year.

In 2022, Push — then known as Ethereum Push Notification Service — raised $10.1 million in a Series A funding round led by Jump Crypto. In late 2020, the project raised $1.41 million in seed funding with backing from former Coinbase CTO Balaji Srinivasan and Gitcoin co-founder Scott Moore.