Discover what Arbitrum (ARB) is, how it works, and why it matters in crypto. Explore its features, use cases, tokenomics, and tutorials with MEXC.Discover what Arbitrum (ARB) is, how it works, and why it matters in crypto. Explore its features, use cases, tokenomics, and tutorials with MEXC.

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What is Arbitrum (ARB)

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Start learning about what is Arbitrum through guides, tokenomics, trading information, and more.

Page last updated: 2026-02-06 13:18:13 (UTC+8)

Arbitrum (ARB) Basic Introduction

Arbitrum is one of the largest layer-2 blockchains operating on top of Ethereum. Offchain Labs, the developer behind the Arbitrum ecosystem, announced on Wednesday it would be airdropping, or releasing for free to select individuals, $ARB, a new token designed to govern the two Arbitrum blockchains.

Arbitrum (ARB) Profile

Token Name
Arbitrum
Ticker Symbol
ARB
Public Blockchain
ARB
Whitepaper
Official Website
Sector
LAYER 1 / LAYER 2
Market Cap
$ 636.28M
All Time Low
$ 0.097312
All Time High
$ 2.3974
Social Media
Block Explorer

What is Arbitrum (ARB) Trading

Arbitrum (ARB) trading refers to buying and selling the token in the cryptocurrency market. On MEXC, users can trade ARB through different markets depending on your investment goals and risk preferences. The two most common methods are spot trading and futures trading.

Arbitrum (ARB) Spot Trading

Crypto spot trading is directly buying or selling ARB at the current market price. Once the trade is completed, you own the actual ARB tokens, which can be held, transferred, or sold later. Spot trading is the most straightforward way to get exposure to ARB without leverage.

Arbitrum Spot Trading

How to Acquire Arbitrum (ARB)

You can easily obtain Arbitrum (ARB) on MEXC using a variety of payment methods such as credit card, debit card, bank transfer, Paypal, and many more! Learn how to buy tokens at MEXC now!

How to Buy Arbitrum Guide

Deeper Insights into Arbitrum (ARB)

Arbitrum (ARB) History and Background

Arbitrum (ARB): History and Background

Arbitrum is a Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum that was developed by Offchain Labs, a company founded in 2018 by Ed Felten, Steven Goldfeder, and Harry Kalodner. The project emerged as a response to Ethereum's scalability challenges, including high transaction fees and network congestion that became increasingly problematic as decentralized finance (DeFi) applications gained popularity.

Development and Launch

The development of Arbitrum began in 2018, with the team focusing on creating an optimistic rollup solution that could process transactions off-chain while maintaining the security guarantees of the Ethereum mainnet. After years of research and development, Arbitrum One launched on the Ethereum mainnet in August 2021, marking a significant milestone in Layer 2 scaling solutions.

The platform quickly gained traction among developers and users seeking faster and cheaper alternatives to transacting directly on Ethereum. Major DeFi protocols, including Uniswap, Aave, and Curve, deployed on Arbitrum, contributing to its rapid growth and adoption within the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

ARB Token Introduction

In March 2023, Offchain Labs introduced the ARB token through one of the largest airdrops in cryptocurrency history, distributing tokens to early users and contributors of the Arbitrum ecosystem. The ARB token serves as a governance token, allowing holders to participate in decision-making processes regarding the future development and management of the Arbitrum network.

The token distribution included allocations for the community, the Arbitrum Foundation, team members, and investors. This move toward decentralization represented a significant step in transferring control of the network from the founding team to the broader community of users and stakeholders.

Technical Innovation

Arbitrum's technical approach utilizes optimistic rollup technology, which assumes transactions are valid by default and only runs computations on-chain when disputes arise. This method significantly reduces costs and increases transaction throughput compared to Ethereum's mainnet while maintaining compatibility with existing Ethereum applications and smart contracts.

Who Created Arbitrum (ARB)?

Arbitrum (ARB) was created by Offchain Labs, a blockchain technology company founded in 2018 by three Princeton University researchers and computer science experts.

The founding team consists of Ed Felten, Steven Goldfeder, and Harry Kalodner. Ed Felten served as the Chief Technology Officer and previously worked as a computer science professor at Princeton University. He also held positions in the Obama administration, including Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer. Steven Goldfeder, the CEO of Offchain Labs, is also a Princeton graduate with extensive experience in blockchain research and cryptography. Harry Kalodner completed the founding trio, bringing additional technical expertise to the project.

Arbitrum was designed as a Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum, utilizing optimistic rollup technology to increase transaction throughput while reducing costs. The team recognized the scalability limitations of the Ethereum mainnet and developed Arbitrum to process transactions off-chain while maintaining the security guarantees of the Ethereum blockchain.

The development of Arbitrum began in 2018, with the mainnet launching in August 2021. The ARB token was introduced in March 2023 as part of the protocol's decentralization efforts, giving governance rights to the community and token holders.

Offchain Labs has received significant funding from prominent venture capital firms, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Ribbit Capital, and Coinbase Ventures. This financial backing enabled the team to develop and deploy one of the most successful Layer 2 solutions in the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

Arbitrum has become one of the leading Ethereum scaling solutions, processing millions of transactions and hosting hundreds of decentralized applications. The success of Arbitrum demonstrates the technical expertise and vision of its creators in addressing blockchain scalability challenges.

How Does Arbitrum (ARB) Work?

Arbitrum (ARB) Operating Mechanism

Arbitrum operates as a Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum, utilizing optimistic rollup technology to enhance transaction throughput while maintaining security. The system works by processing transactions off-chain and periodically submitting batched results to the Ethereum mainnet.

Optimistic Rollup Technology

The core mechanism assumes all transactions are valid by default, hence "optimistic." Validators process transactions quickly without immediate verification. However, there's a challenge period where anyone can dispute potentially fraudulent transactions by providing fraud proofs. If a dispute is proven valid, the incorrect state is rolled back and the dishonest validator loses their stake.

Transaction Processing

When users submit transactions to Arbitrum, they're processed by sequencers who order and execute them. These sequencers batch multiple transactions together and submit compressed data to Ethereum's mainnet. This batching significantly reduces gas costs while maintaining the security guarantees of the underlying blockchain.

ARB Token Functionality

The ARB token serves as Arbitrum's governance token, allowing holders to participate in protocol decisions through the Arbitrum DAO. Token holders can vote on proposals regarding network upgrades, parameter changes, and treasury management. The token doesn't directly pay for transaction fees, which are still paid in ETH.

Security Model

Arbitrum inherits Ethereum's security through its rollup design. All transaction data is available on Ethereum, ensuring transparency and enabling anyone to reconstruct the state. The fraud-proof mechanism ensures that even a single honest validator can protect the network from malicious actors.

Cross-Chain Communication

The system enables seamless asset transfers between Ethereum and Arbitrum through native bridges. Users can deposit ETH and ERC-20 tokens from Ethereum to Arbitrum almost instantly, while withdrawals require a waiting period due to the optimistic nature of the system.

Arbitrum (ARB) Key Features

Arbitrum (ARB) Core Features

Arbitrum is a Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum that offers several distinctive characteristics making it one of the leading blockchain scaling technologies in the cryptocurrency ecosystem.

Optimistic Rollup Technology

Arbitrum utilizes optimistic rollup technology, which assumes transactions are valid by default and only verifies them when challenged. This approach significantly reduces computational overhead and gas costs while maintaining security through fraud proofs. The system processes transactions off-chain and periodically submits compressed transaction data to the Ethereum mainnet.

EVM Compatibility

One of Arbitrum's most significant advantages is its full Ethereum Virtual Machine compatibility. Developers can deploy existing Ethereum smart contracts without modifications, using familiar tools like Solidity, MetaMask, and Web3.js. This seamless compatibility reduces development barriers and accelerates ecosystem adoption.

Enhanced Scalability and Speed

Arbitrum dramatically improves transaction throughput compared to Ethereum mainnet, processing thousands of transactions per second. Users experience faster confirmation times, typically within seconds rather than minutes, making decentralized applications more responsive and user-friendly.

Reduced Transaction Costs

Gas fees on Arbitrum are significantly lower than Ethereum mainnet, often 90-95% cheaper. This cost reduction makes DeFi protocols, NFT trading, and other blockchain applications more accessible to regular users, removing economic barriers to participation.

Decentralized Governance

The ARB token enables decentralized governance, allowing token holders to vote on protocol upgrades, parameter changes, and ecosystem development decisions. This democratic approach ensures community involvement in Arbitrum's evolution and maintains decentralization principles.

Security Inheritance

Arbitrum inherits Ethereum's robust security model while adding additional fraud protection mechanisms. The challenge period allows validators to dispute incorrect state transitions, ensuring transaction integrity and preventing malicious activities.

Arbitrum (ARB) Distribution and Allocation

Arbitrum Token Distribution Overview

Arbitrum's native token ARB was launched in March 2023 with a total supply of 10 billion tokens. The distribution was designed to ensure broad participation across the ecosystem while maintaining long-term sustainability and decentralization.

Community Allocation

The largest portion, 56% of total supply, was allocated to the Arbitrum community. This includes 11.62% distributed through an initial airdrop to early users, developers, and DAOs that actively participated in the Arbitrum ecosystem before the snapshot date. The remaining community allocation is reserved for future community initiatives, grants, and ecosystem development programs managed by the Arbitrum DAO.

Team and Advisor Distribution

Offchain Labs, the company behind Arbitrum, received 26.94% of the total token supply. This allocation includes tokens for team members, advisors, and early investors. These tokens are subject to a four-year vesting schedule with a one-year cliff to ensure long-term commitment and prevent immediate market dumping.

Investor Allocation

Strategic investors and venture capital firms received 17.53% of the token supply. Similar to team allocations, investor tokens follow a structured vesting schedule to maintain price stability and demonstrate confidence in the project's long-term vision.

Airdrop Mechanics

The initial airdrop distributed over 1.16 billion ARB tokens to eligible users. Eligibility criteria included bridging funds to Arbitrum, conducting transactions, and engaging with the ecosystem over specific time periods. The airdrop successfully reached over 625,000 unique addresses, making it one of the largest token distributions in DeFi history.

Governance Integration

ARB tokens serve as governance tokens for the Arbitrum DAO, allowing holders to vote on protocol upgrades, treasury management, and ecosystem development proposals. The distribution strategy emphasizes community ownership and decentralized decision-making processes.

Arbitrum (ARB) Utility and Use Cases

Arbitrum (ARB) Use Cases and Applications

Arbitrum (ARB) serves as the native governance token of the Arbitrum ecosystem, which is one of the leading Layer 2 scaling solutions for Ethereum. The token has multiple utilities and applications within the decentralized finance landscape.

Governance and Protocol Management

The primary function of ARB tokens is to enable decentralized governance of the Arbitrum network. Token holders can participate in voting on protocol upgrades, parameter changes, and strategic decisions affecting the network's future development. This includes proposals for fee structures, network improvements, and ecosystem fund allocations.

Transaction Fee Payments

ARB tokens can be used to pay for transaction fees on the Arbitrum network, providing users with an alternative to ETH for gas payments. This utility helps create demand for the token while offering users flexibility in fee payment methods.

DeFi Applications

Within the Arbitrum ecosystem, ARB tokens are widely used across various decentralized finance protocols. Users can stake ARB tokens in liquidity pools, participate in yield farming opportunities, and use them as collateral in lending protocols. The token is also integrated into numerous decentralized exchanges operating on Arbitrum.

Ecosystem Incentives

ARB tokens serve as incentives for developers and users to build and participate in the Arbitrum ecosystem. The Arbitrum Foundation uses ARB tokens to reward developers creating innovative applications, provide liquidity mining rewards, and encourage user adoption through various incentive programs.

Cross-Chain Integration

As the Arbitrum network expands, ARB tokens facilitate cross-chain interactions and serve as a bridge asset for moving value between different blockchain networks and Layer 2 solutions.

Arbitrum (ARB) Tokenomics

Tokenomics describes the economic model of Arbitrum (ARB), including its supply, distribution, and utility within the ecosystem. Factors such as total supply, circulating supply, and token allocation to the team, investors, or community play a major role in shaping its market behavior.

Arbitrum Tokenomics

Pro Tip: Understanding ARB's tokenomics, price trends, and market sentiment can help you better assess its potential future price movements.

Arbitrum (ARB) Price History

Price history provides valuable context for ARB, showing how the token has reacted to different market conditions since its launch. By studying historical highs, lows, and overall trends, traders can spot patterns or gain perspective on the token's volatility. Explore the ARB historical price movement now!

Arbitrum (ARB) Price History

Arbitrum (ARB) Price Prediction

Building on tokenomics and past performance, price predictions for ARB aim to estimate where the token might be headed. Analysts and traders often look at supply dynamics, adoption trends, market sentiment, and broader crypto movements to form expectations. Did you know, MEXC has a price prediction tool that can assist you in measuring the future price of ARB? Check it out now!

Arbitrum Price Prediction

Disclaimer

The information on this page regarding Arbitrum (ARB) is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or trading advice. MEXC makes no guarantees as to the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the content provided. Cryptocurrency trading carries significant risks, including market volatility and potential loss of capital. You should conduct independent research, assess your financial situation, and consult a licensed advisor before making any investment decisions. MEXC is not liable for any losses or damages arising from reliance on this information.

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