Plasma | $XPL architecture treats stablecoin settlement as a first class citizen, not an afterthought. What stands out to me is the concrete mechanism, gasless transfers for USDT and a system where transaction fees are prioritized in stablecoins. This is not just theoretical, their documentation details a "stablecoin-first gas" model, which directly tackles the volatility friction users face on other chains when their gas asset diverges from the payment asset. The chain achieves this while maintaining full EVM compatibility through Reth, meaning existing dApps and developer tooling can port over, but with sub-second finality via their PlasmaBFT consensus. The other pillar is security anchored to Bitcoin, aiming for a more neutral and censorship resistant foundation than purely validator based systems. This combination, specialized features for a specific use case, familiar developer environment, and novel security, targets both retail payment corridors and institutional finance infrastructure simultaneously. It is a focused bet on stablecoins becoming the dominant settlement layer.
