With a focus on user-first web3 applications and messaging app integration, along with its fiat/crypto hybrid payment capabilities, Kaia aims to simplify web3 adoption, solidifying its foothold in Asia and now worldwide. This article explores what sets Kaia apart, how its Mini DApps on LINE Messenger work, and why it’s gaining traction in the global blockchain ecosystem.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
➤ Kaia is a layer-1 blockchain tied to KakaoTalk and LINE, dominant messaging apps in South Korea and Asia.
➤ The Kaia ecosystem also includes its native USDT-enabled wallet and savings accounts, an on-chain DEX, and staking options.
➤ Kaia aims to lead KRW and JPY stablecoin markets via hybrid payments with KakaoPay, Tether, and LINE NEXT.
What is Kaia chain?
Kaia is a layer-1 (L1) blockchain network developed to support consumer-facing decentralized applications (DApps), particularly through integrations with the LINE and KakaoTalk mobile messaging/superapp platforms.
Launched in 2024, Kaia emerged from the merger of two established Asian blockchain networks, Klaytn and Finschia. Klaytn and Finschia were originally developed by Asian IT giants, Kakao and LINE, respectively, leading to their separate reputations regarding enterprise and consumer blockchain use cases.
At the beginning of 2024, both organizations suggested combining their mainnets to create what they intended to be the biggest web3 network in Asia. After the merger was finalized in August 2024, Kaia was introduced as the new chain. The newly established Kaia DLT Foundation assumed governance responsibility.
What differentiates Kaia in the global L1 landscape?
With a focus on usability and scalability, Kaia aims to bring blockchain-based services to non-technical users and mainstream consumers through a mobile-first approach across Asia and beyond worldwide. The Kaia chain is:
- EVM-compatible
- 1-second block times
- Instant finality
- High throughput
- Advanced account abstraction stacks
Its most distinctive feature is Mini DApps within LINE Messenger. This allows users to engage with crypto services such as token swaps, gaming, and savings without leaving the comfort of their mobile phones. This gives Kaia a unique distribution advantage — LINE’s 196 million users across Japan and Southeast Asia serve as a built-in audience for web3 services.
As a result, Kaia represents a compelling case study in embedding web3 functionality into Asia’s leading superapp platforms that already have strong user bases. Due to its advanced account abstraction stacks, Kaia’s DApps provide a user-friendly interface, which ensures a quick, easy, and flexible user experience at their fingertips.
Kaia is also capable of launching full-fledged stablecoin businesses through its extensive business network and technical readiness. This allows it to cater to global and Asian local markets, such as Korea and Japan, where pro-crypto regulatory frameworks are currently taking shape, following the shifting crypto space in the global market, including the USA.
Kaia now plans to collaborate with fintech platforms, such as KakaoPay, which are payment services natively embedded in superapps. The objective is to integrate fiat-to-crypto hybrid payment solutions into users’ everyday mobile or web applications. Thus, Kaia will be well-positioned to lead the promising local stablecoin segment.
How does Kaia work?
The Kaia network uses a Byzantine Fault Tolerance-based mechanism and features a layered node architecture designed for scalability and security.
Core Cell Network (CCN): Includes Core Cells (CCs) that manage transaction validation, execute smart contracts, and produce new blocks.
Endpoint Node Network (ENN): Made up of Endpoint Nodes (ENs) that handle API requests and relay data between users, service chains, and the main network.
Service Chain Network (SCN): Comprises independent blockchains operated by DApps, connected to Kaia’s mainnet through Endpoint Nodes for interoperability and scalability.
Thanks to EVM compatibility, developers familiar with Ethereum can deploy on Kaia with ease. The network also facilitates cross-chain asset flows through bridges like Orbiter and Stargate, allowing users to transfer their assets between Kaia and other ecosystems.
Mini DApps and ecosystem DApps
Mini DApps are lightweight decentralized applications designed for quick and easy use directly within LINE Messenger. These apps are important to Kaia’s strategy because they provide mobile- and user-centered access to web3 services like gaming, DeFi, digital rewards, and token transactions without downloading additional wallets or interfaces.
Popular titles include games like Elderglade and Bombie, as well as DeFi applications such as CapybaraDEX, DragonSwap, decentralized exchanges, and Lair Finance, a liquid staking protocol.
This success has helped Kaia become the fifth-largest EVM-compatible L1 chain by active wallets as of July. Its top three Mini DApps see an average revenue per paying user (ARPPU) of $2,353 (15,719 $KAIA), demonstrating strong monetization alongside user engagement.
This model reflects a hybrid approach combining web2 usability and web3 functionality. It reduces friction for new users and provides familiar interfaces.
“LINE’s Mini DApps encompass a variety of genres and types of productivity. DApps that mainstream users can access at their fingertips will increasingly meet diverse consumer needs at their fingertips. This is how Kaia offers consumer-focused Web3 services that help users avoid complexity when it comes to signing in for a conventional DApp,” said Dr. Sam Seo, Chairman of Kaia DLT Foundation.
Consumer DeFi on Kaia
Kaia’s consumer DeFi strategy centers on delivering financial products through familiar mobile interfaces. These services are embedded within messaging apps and aim to simplify crypto-related interactions. Key offerings include:
- Digital wallets and savings accounts supporting the native Kaia USDT
- On-chain decentralized exchanges and DeFi protocols
- Staking solutions that let users earn yield on their KAIA holdings or other supported assets
Users can interact with these services using Kaia’s Mini DApps or Kaia-powered Mini DApp Wallet system, accessible within LINE Messenger. For example, a user can earn crypto by playing a game and deposit it into a yield-bearing savings account without exiting the app.
Additional layers of financial infrastructure include an AI-driven strategy manager and a fiat on-ramp for local currencies.
High potential in stablecoin businesses
In May 2025, Tether introduced native USDT on the Kaia Chain. As a result, Kaia users can now conduct payments and will soon be able to make cross-border transfers with stablecoins right from their chat interfaces, or on/offramps such as Slash Payment (https://vpc.slash.fi/).
“Starting from the partnership with Tether, we are collaborating with our valuable partners to ensure extensive stablecoin projects, such as KRW- or JPY-backed stablecoins and crypto-powered hybrid payment solutions, on the Kaia chain, after regulatory frameworks become clear in these countries,” Dr. Sam Seo added.
Kaia’s goal is to provide hybrid payment options, yield-bearing opportunities in a familiar format, and cross-border remittance services, catering to users who face low domestic interest rates, limited access to U.S.-dollar-denominated savings products, and costly currency exchange transactions.
Through these stablecoin offerings, Kaia attempts to meet the growing demand for accessible and transparent financial instruments in multiple regions around the world.
Kaia ecosystem
Kaia prioritizes accessibility and mobile usability. Its core services are available through the Kaia Wallet, which is integrated into LINE Messenger and serves as the gateway to all Mini DApps. Your existing OKX and Bitget Wallets get you through to DApp Portal within half a minute of the registration process, while there is also the web version of DApp Portal that supports instant login with Google accounts. The wallet allows users to:
- Store
- Send
- Receive
- Interact with DApps and earn rewards
DApp Portal within LINE Messenger is the main directory for discovering more than 87 Mini DApps built on Kaia. These include games, savings tools, and other services that can be accessed with just a few taps. Unlike most blockchain platforms, Kaia eliminates the need for browser extensions or separate wallet apps.
For trading and liquidity, $KAIA is listed on most major exchanges, including Binance, Bybit, Bitget, Gate.io, Bitfinex, and Bithumb. USDT issued on Kaia is also supported across various platforms, including CEXs, on-chain wallets and DeFi protocols.
Developers can use SDKs, smart contract libraries, and tools like the Kaia Agent Kit to build applications tailored to mobile-first environments. This integrated approach helps position Kaia as a solution for mobile web3 participation.
Partnerships and ecosystem
Kaia’s expansion strategy includes forming partnerships across infrastructure, custody, exchange, and application layers.
Among its most prominent partnerships is its work with Tether. Custody provider Fireblocks supports secure asset management for institutions building on Kaia, while exchanges like KuCoin and MEXC provide listing support for ecosystem tokens, including those from Mini DApp TGEs.
Business incubator Republic assists with tokenomics and project acceleration, offering advisory services to developers.
Beyond partnerships, Kaia has introduced programs like Kaia Wave and Kaito Yapper Leaderboard to encourage user content and incentivize developer activity. The foundation has also run developer bootcamps and launched analytic tools to improve ecosystem visibility.
| Developer and builder support is structured across four programs: ➤ Ignite on Kaia (IOK): supports early-stage builders with onboarding and GTM help ➤ Kaia Wave: facilitates builder’s Mini DApp onboarding and boosts consumer adoption through ecosystem awareness activities in cooperation with LINE NEXT |
These efforts have been backed by a recent funding round led by 1kx and Blockchain Capital, with participation from Galaxy Digital and others.
Is Kaia leading web3 adoption in Asia?
Kaia presents a unique model for web3 growth in Asia and beyond by leveraging existing digital infrastructure and mobile platforms to deliver blockchain services. Its focus on superapp Web3 integration like Mini DApps, stablecoin-powered fiat/crypto hybrid finance and payment solutions, and in-app user experiences represents a significant departure from traditional crypto onboarding paths.
The platform also offers one of the most developed examples of mainstream web3 integration. Its approach could serve as a blueprint for other regions seeking to drive adoption through embedded, user-friendly blockchain applications.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kaia Blockchain?
What are Mini DApps on Kaia?
How is Kaia different from other blockchains?
Where can I buy or use KAIA?
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