#37 / L1 networksaelfPartially verified
aelf
A multi-sidechain platform repositioned around AI-driven applications.
Token
ELF
Sector
Modular AI-oriented chain
Category
L1 networks
Organizations
0
Coverage
9/11
Live market data
ELF market
CoinGecko data; may be delayed.
Tokenomics
Circulating vs diluted1.20x
- Circulating supply
- 828.94M
- Total supply
- 1000.00M
- Max supply
- 1.00B
82.9% of the achievable supply is already circulating.
All-time high (ATH)
$2.6 -97.72% · Jan 8, 2018
Source: CoinGecko, snapshot of Oct 27, 2026. Figures may be delayed.
On-chain fundamentals
This asset is not mapped to a DefiLlama-tracked protocol or chain, or the provider reports no data for it. When a verified mapping exists, the table appears here.
Why it matters
aelf is a long-running smart contract platform built on a main chain plus dedicated sidechains, so heavy applications can run in isolated execution environments rather than competing for shared blockspace. More recently it has repositioned toward AI-integrated infrastructure, a common pivot in the sector that should be judged on shipped products rather than announcements.
General research guidance, not analysis specific to this asset. Detail is pending.
Track the real organization or foundation behind the token, not just the ticker.
Separate token utility from price action before building a position.
Compare network usage, liquidity, incentives, and governance quality against nearby competitors.
How it works
aelf is a layer 1 organized as a main chain plus sidechains: the main chain runs consensus and shared services while application-specific dAppChains execute in parallel, isolating load so one hot dApp does not congest the rest. Nodes use delegated proof of stake, contracts are authored in C#/.NET with SDKs for other languages, and the recent roadmap added AI-oriented tooling — positioning aelf as an AI-enhanced multi-chain platform with an account-abstraction wallet (Portkey) and an EVM bridge (eBridge) in its ecosystem.
Token utility
Gas and resource payment across main chain and sidechains
Staking and validator participation
Governance over protocol parameters
Value capture
ELF pays for chain resources: users stake or spend ELF for transactions and sidechain resources, node operators earn it, and ecosystem allocations — like repeated 2 million ELF grants to the eBridge — circulate it into liquidity. Value capture is utility-first through fees and resource pricing, with no burn program; scarcity rests on demand growth outpacing emissions.
Supply and issuance
aelf launched with a one billion ELF genesis allocation, and node rewards add ongoing inflation. There is no fixed maximum; the check on dilution is the emission schedule and how much of the allocated ecosystem treasury is actually deployed versus held in reserve.
Governance
Protocol and treasury decisions run through aelf's governance model with staked-holder voting, but core development is driven by the aelf team and foundation. The chain's history concentrates risk honestly on the record: in August 2026 the network disclosed a security incident and executed a temporary network pause for a proactive upgrade — a centralized emergency lever that defenders call pragmatism and critics call a decentralization red flag.
Key risks
Small ecosystem relative to major smart contract platforms
AI repositioning must be backed by real usage
Limited liquidity and developer activity
Frequently asked questions
What does the 2026 network pause mean for ELF holders?
It shows both faces of aelf's design: the team can coordinate a fast, complete response to a security incident — but the same power to halt the network is a single point of failure that permissionless chains deliberately avoid. Weigh the operational responsiveness against the trust assumption before treating ELF as decentralized infrastructure.
Why sidechains instead of one big chain?
Parallel dAppChains isolate load: each application gets dedicated execution, so congestion in one does not raise fees for the rest, and chains can upgrade independently. The costs are added complexity, cross-chain dependencies inside the ecosystem, and a weaker shared-liquidity story than single-chain rollup ecosystems offer.
References
Last verified:
- aelf: Layer 1 AI Blockchain
aelf · aelf.com · primary source
The project's official site, retrieved on the date shown, supporting how it describes itself. It does not establish supply, governance or issuance mechanics.
Accessed
Linked organizations
MapPending linkage to a concrete organization on the map.
Relationships
Competes with
Ethereum
Serves a comparable role, so the two are worth reading side by side.
Directory suggestion, pending verification.
Related to
Fetch.ai
Adjacent asset in the same research context.
Directory suggestion, pending verification.
Competes with
Sei
Serves a comparable role, so the two are worth reading side by side.
Directory suggestion, pending verification.
