Moonbeam (GLMR) is a Polkadot parachain providing full Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility and a Web3-compatible API — enabling Ethereum dApps, wallets, and developer tools to deploy and operate on Polkadot’s parachain infrastructure with minimal code changes — bridging Ethereum’s developer ecosystem with Polkadot’s cross-chain interoperability.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Ticker | GLMR |
| Price | $0.01 |
| Market Cap | $12.64M |
| 24h Change | +4.0% |
| Circulating Supply | 1.09B GLMR |
| All-Time High | $19.50 |
How It Works
- Full EVM compatibility — Moonbeam implements the complete Ethereum Virtual Machine, allowing Solidity contracts to run without modification.
- Web3 API — Moonbeam’s Web3 RPC API is compatible with MetaMask, Hardhat, Truffle, and other standard Ethereum tooling. Developers interact with Moonbeam exactly as they would Ethereum.
- Polkadot parachain — Moonbeam won one of the first Polkadot parachain auction slots (December 2021), securing network security from Polkadot’s relay chain via Nominated Proof of Stake (NPoS).
- Cross-chain via XCM — Moonbeam uses Polkadot’s XCM (Cross-Consensus Messaging) to communicate with other parachains natively.
- Connected contracts — Moonbeam’s “Connected Contracts” concept allows smart contracts on Moonbeam to call contracts on other blockchains (via cross-chain messaging), enabling multi-chain DApp architectures.
- Collators — Moonbeam uses collators (nominated by GLMR stakers) to produce block candidates for submission to the Polkadot relay chain for finalization.
Tokenomics
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Ticker | GLMR |
| Max Supply | None (inflationary) |
| Initial supply | ~1 billion GLMR at genesis |
| Consensus | Polkadot NPoS relay chain + DPoS collators |
| Launch | January 11, 2022 |
| Gas token | GLMR (for EVM transactions on Moonbeam) |
Use Cases
- EVM-on-Polkadot — Deploy Ethereum dApps on Polkadot without code changes.
- Cross-chain DApps — Build applications leveraging Moonbeam’s connections to multiple Polkadot parachains.
- Staking — Stake GLMR to nominate collators and earn staking rewards.
- Governance — Vote on Moonbeam protocol upgrades and parameter changes.
- DeFi multichain — Several Ethereum DeFi protocols (SushiSwap, Curve) deployed on Moonbeam.
History
- 2019–2020 — PureStake (founded by Derek Yoo) begins developing Moonbeam as a Polkadot EVM parachain.
- 2020-09 — Moonbeam launches on Polkadot’s testnet (Rococco), then on Kusama’s canary network as Moonriver (MOVR).
- 2021-12 — Moonbeam wins a Polkadot parachain auction slot, securing its position as an official parachain.
- 2022-01-11 — Moonbeam launches on Polkadot mainnet. GLMR is distributed. EVM compatibility is live.
- 2022 — Multiple Ethereum-native protocols (SushiSwap, AnySwap, Multichain) deploy on Moonbeam. TVL builds throughout 2022.
- 2023–2025 — Moonbeam focuses on cross-chain messaging and Connected Contracts. IBC integration allows Moonbeam to connect with Cosmos chains as well as Polkadot parachains.
Common Misconceptions
“Moonbeam is just an Ethereum clone.”
Moonbeam is EVM-compatible (not an Ethereum clone). It runs as a Polkadot parachain with shared security from Polkadot’s relay chain validators, and adds native cross-chain features via XCM that Ethereum does not have.
“GLMR and MOVR are the same token.”
GLMR (Moonbeam on Polkadot) and MOVR (Moonriver on Kusama) are distinct tokens on distinct networks. Moonriver is Moonbeam’s canary network on Kusama, used for testing before Polkadot deployment.
Social Media Sentiment
Moonbeam is respected as the most production-ready EVM parachain on Polkadot. Developers who want Polkadot’s security and interoperability without rewriting Solidity code find Moonbeam their primary option. Broader market interest tracks Polkadot’s general cycle, which has been subdued relative to expectations.
Last updated: 2026-04