BNB Chain outlines plans for a high-performance EVM layer-1, with CZ backing BNB as its sole token

The updated documentation, published on October 22, 2026, outlines a set of performance targets that read like a wish list for anyone who has ever watched an order fail during a volatile market.

The headline target is a 200 ms block interval, which means the chain aims to produce a new block five times per second.

Pre-confirmations are targeted at approximately 20 ms, providing a fast early signal that a transaction is in line to be included before it is fully locked in.

Full transaction finality is targeted at sub-second speeds, a crucial point where a transaction can no longer be reversed.

To hit those numbers, BNB Chain plans to use an enhanced version of Parlia, the consensus mechanism its existing chain already relies on.

Overall throughput is aimed to exceed 100,000 transactions per second, a goal attributed to a combination of consensus optimization and parallel execution.

New features and roadmap

Beyond raw speed, the plans include several features expected to improve usability, such as native account abstraction, which allows wallets to behave more like programmable accounts.

A shielded privacy pool is also included, intended to give users more transaction privacy, alongside improved transaction capacity.

NewL1 is not live for the public yet and currently runs as an internal, multi-validator development network, operational as of October 2026.

A public testnet is anticipated by late 2026, with a full mainnet rollout projected for early 2027.

The project first highlighted NewL1 in its H2 2026 technical roadmap, published on July 8, 2026, which argued that on-chain infrastructure needs to compete with centralized exchanges on performance.

BNB remains central

BNB Chain is framing NewL1 as an addition to its ecosystem rather than a replacement, with the stated goal of extending existing infrastructure without disrupting frameworks already in place, including BSC.

For traders, the pitch is simple: if NewL1 hits its targets, on-chain trading could start to feel closer to the responsiveness of a centralized venue, while keeping assets in self-custody.

The AI angle is also significant, as autonomous agents that trade or transact on their own need fast, predictable settlement, and the roadmap explicitly names them as a target user base.

There are risks, as performance targets on an internal devnet do not always survive contact with a public network, adversarial users and unpredictable demand.

The milestones to watch are straightforward: first, whether the public testnet arrives in late 2026 as anticipated, and second, whether measured performance on that testnet comes close to the 200 ms blocks and sub-second finality promised in the docs.

Then comes the early 2027 mainnet window.