Sei launched on mainnet in August 2023 as a Cosmos SDK chain specialized for high-frequency trading applications. Sei v2, shipped in 2024, added a parallel EVM execution environment alongside CosmWasm, making the chain accessible to Ethereum developers without giving up its performance characteristics.
Total value locked (DeFi)
$57.5M
Value locked in DeFi protocols on Sei. Updated Jun 8, 2026. Source: DefiLlama.
Sei uses Tendermint Byzantine Fault Tolerant consensus with delegated proof of stake, achieving block finality in under one second. Sei v2 introduced optimistic parallelization: transactions are executed in parallel and only re-run sequentially if a conflict is detected. This increases throughput without requiring developers to mark transactions as independent.
Consensus: Tendermint BFT with parallel execution
Sei uses Tendermint Byzantine Fault Tolerant consensus with delegated proof of stake, achieving block finality in under one second. Sei v2 introduced optimistic parallelization: transactions are executed in parallel and only re-run sequentially if a conflict is detected. This increases throughput without requiring developers to mark transactions as independent.
Parallel execution
Sei v2 runs transactions simultaneously rather than sequentially, detecting and resolving conflicts automatically. This increases throughput substantially without requiring special transaction annotations from developers.
Twin execution environments
Sei supports both CosmWasm (Cosmos-native smart contracts in Rust) and a full EVM (Solidity contracts via Sei v2). Both environments can interact, and the same underlying state is shared.
Built-in order book
Sei has a native on-chain order book primitive, reducing the overhead for DeFi protocols that need matching logic and enabling lower latency for trade execution compared to custom implementations.
Sub-second finality
Tendermint provides single-slot finality, meaning transactions are final within the same block they are included in. There is no probabilistic waiting period as with longest-chain consensus.
Ecosystem & usage
What Sei is used for.
Sei's ecosystem spans trading-focused DeFi (perps, DEXs, order-book protocols), NFT marketplaces that benefit from fast confirmation, and a growing set of EVM applications drawn in by Sei v2 compatibility.
On-chain perpetual futures and options protocols deploy on Sei to take advantage of sub-second finality and the built-in order book primitive.
High-frequency DEX trading
DEXs on Sei offer faster settlement than chains with longer block times, improving the experience for active traders.
NFT minting and trading
Sub-second block times reduce the waiting experience for NFT mints and marketplace purchases, an improvement over chains where a block takes 10-15 seconds.
EVM migration
Teams with existing Ethereum or EVM contracts can deploy on Sei v2 to give users faster finality and lower fees while reusing their existing code.
Sei v2 is a major upgrade launched in 2024 that added a parallel EVM execution environment to the existing CosmWasm infrastructure. It also introduced optimistic parallelization to increase throughput across both execution environments.
Does Sei have IBC support?
Yes. As a Cosmos SDK chain, Sei supports the Inter-Blockchain Communication protocol, allowing assets to move between Sei and other IBC-enabled chains including Osmosis, Cosmos Hub, and others.
What is the built-in order book?
Sei includes a native on-chain order book as a protocol primitive, which DeFi apps can use rather than implementing their own matching logic. This reduces contract complexity and execution overhead for trading protocols.
How does Sei's parallel execution work?
Sei v2 uses optimistic parallelization: transactions run simultaneously and the system checks for state conflicts afterward. If two transactions touch the same state, the conflict is resolved by re-running one sequentially. Developers do not need to annotate transactions.
Can I hold SEI in Zypto App?
Not yet. SEI isn't in Zypto App at the moment. You can hold it in any self-custodial wallet, and you can ask us to add Sei using the "Request Sei" button above.
