On April 15, 2026, Litecoin entered uncharted territory. LitVM, a new Layer-2 network built for Litecoin, switched on its LiteForge testnet and opened the door to smart contracts, DeFi, and Web3 apps for the first time. For a blockchain long known mainly for payments, that is a major shift.
First 24 Hours: ~97K Transactions, 10.6K Unique Addresses
LiteForge processed about 96,906 transactions and drew roughly 10,589 unique addresses in its first day. The network posted near 0.4-second block times and gas fees below 0.1 Gwei. More than 1,000 tokens were minted early. In the following days, LitVM reported more than 230,000 transactions and over 41,000 connected wallets. Later updates pushed the total much higher: over 2.5 million transactions and around 260,000 unique addresses. The growth suggests sustained testnet use across multiple apps and user groups, not a one-day spike.
How It Works: EVM-Compatible Rollup with zkLTC as Gas
LitVM is a Layer-2 rollup that adds a smart contract layer on top of Litecoin without changing the basechain. Key features include EVM compatibility — developers can connect wallets, deploy contracts, and test features with the same stack used across crypto — and zkLTC as the gas token for transaction fees. Projects such as OnmiFun, MidasHand, and Lester Labs have started building on LiteForge, covering DEX swaps, prediction markets, token launches, and NFT campaigns. The mix shows the network is aiming for a broad on-chain economy, not a single niche.
Mainnet Timeline: Testnet Results Will Guide the Path
LitVM has outlined a phased mainnet rollout, starting with an EVM-compatible rollup powered by zkLTC and later moving toward Litecoin as the canonical settlement layer. As of April 23, 2026, no exact mainnet launch date has been confirmed; the team says testnet results will determine the pace. For Litecoin, long viewed as a reliable payment chain, LitVM changes the conversation. If the project keeps growing, it could start competing for developers and users who want smart contracts without giving up Litecoin's brand and community. LiteForge has given Litecoin something new: a chance to become more than a payments network. It is still early, but the testnet has brought smart contracts, DeFi, and Web3 experimentation into a chain once seen as limited in scope.