Most Layer 1 marketing has become background noise. Faster blocks, cheaper fees, higher TPS—it all blends together. In 2026, none of that is interesting on its own.
What caught my attention with Fogo isn’t raw speed, but why it’s being optimized. The positioning feels narrower and more intentional: make on-chain trading feel closer to a professional trading venue. Less waiting, fewer interruptions, and less wallet pop-up fatigue during moments that actually matter.
Trading friction today isn’t just about latency. It’s about uncertainty. Constant confirmations break focus, and in volatile markets that friction turns into missed entries and worse execution. Faster infrastructure doesn’t fix that if the interaction model stays fragmented.
Fogo’s design choices suggest it understands this. A vertically integrated stack—curated validators, native price feeds, and an enshrined DEX—points to one goal: reduce randomness in execution. That approach mirrors how real trading systems are built, where predictability matters more than theoretical decentralization metrics.
The SVM-compatible architecture also feels practical. Instead of forcing developers to start from zero, it aligns with an execution environment already proven under high-throughput conditions. For trading-focused infrastructure, familiarity is an advantage, not a compromise.
Looking ahead, I don’t think the next wave of L1s will win by being broadly “better.” They’ll win by being purpose-built. If on-chain trading is going to mature, infrastructure that prioritizes execution quality and user flow won’t be optional. That’s the lens I’m using to watch Fogo—and others like it—going forward.