What Is Moca Chain?

Moca Chain is a modular, chain-agnostic, EVM-compatible Layer 1 purpose-built for identity and data., where users maintain control over their own digital identity and data.

Key Takeaways

• Moca Chain is backed by Animoca Brands, a Web3 company dedicated to advancing digital property rights , which provides a large network of 540+ partners and portfolio company network from the start.  

• It aims to solve the problem of fragmented personal information that is scattered across different apps and controlled by large tech companies with a single, secure “AIR ID” that the user owns and controls, acting as a universal ID for the internet.  

• The network uses its own token, the MOCA Coin, to pay for transactions and other activities.

This article is brought to you by Moca Chain.

Today, using the internet means creating separate accounts for almost everything you do – one for finance, one for social media, and another for shopping, etc. Each account is a separate silo of information, and if one of these companies is hacked, your data could be at risk.

While convenient login options like Google or Meta exist, identity data is fragmented and forces users to repeat verification processes while limiting interoperability and reusability. These checks often require exposing sensitive personal data to centralized entities, creating serious privacy and security risks. On top of that, users have no control or ability to monetize their data, as it remains locked within siloed systems. According to Yat Siu, Chairman and co-founder of Animoca Brands, this allows companies to “aggressively extract value from users’ digital selves”. Moca Chain was created to change this model by putting users back in control of their digital identity and data.  

Moca Chain is a specialized Layer 1 (L1) blockchain designed to be a universal layer for Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI). SSI is built on the idea that users should have complete ownership and control over their personal data, and with Moca Chain, a user’s personal details and other information are gathered into a single ID under their control. 

The project is supported by a powerful network, including:

1. Animoca Brands: A leader in the Web3 space with investments in over 540 companies and a total addressable market of more than 700 million users. Moca Chain can bring these companies and users together.

2. Moca Foundation: MOCA Foundation is the community-owned foundation that supports the development, adoption, and sustainable growth of Moca Network and Moca Chain. Its mission is to empower unity and collaboration while driving innovation in decentralized governance, culture, and growth. 

3. Moca Network: The identity ecosystem of Animoca Brands, is building the world’s largest chain-agnostic decentralized identity network with infrastructure for reputation, verification for access and rewards, and interoperability across industries and ecosystems. 

This structure is strategic. Animoca Brands has a large but disconnected portfolio of companies. Moca Chain acts as the unifying layer, connecting these companies and their users through a shared identity system. This means Moca Chain starts with a guaranteed network of partners ready to use it, which is a major advantage over other new blockchains.  

How Moca Chain Works

At its core, Moca Chain is based on the idea of Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI). This means that you, the user, are in charge of your own digital information, not a third party.

To make this happen, Moca Chain uses Verifiable Credentials (VCs). Imagine a VC as a digital certificate or a tamper-proof ID card. For example, a university (the “issuer”) could give you a VC that proves you graduated with a specific degree. You would keep this VC in your personal digital wallet. Later, if you apply for a job, you can show this VC to a potential employer (the “verifier”), and they can instantly check that it’s real without needing to contact the university directly. Moca Chain is designed to be the secure place where these VCs are stored and checked for their truthfulness.

Moca Chain’s technology is built on four main parts:

• Decentralized Data Storage: Instead of your personal data being stored on company servers, Moca Chain lets you hold your own data securely. This means you can use your identity across many different apps without having to upload the same sensitive documents over and over again.

• Cross-Chain Identity Oracle: This is like a bridge that helps Moca Chain “talk” to other blockchains. It allows apps on any of the over 25 compatible blockchains to “ask” Moca Chain to verify a credential. It helps Moca Chain work as a “tool for verifying identities” for the whole Web3 world, making other blockchains partners instead of competitors.

• zkTLS for Verifiable Web2 Data: Zero-Knowledge Transport Layer Security (zkTLS) is a cool technology that connects the regular internet (Web2) with the blockchain internet (Web3). It lets you create a secret digital “receipt” that proves something about your private data from a regular website, like your frequent flyer status or how many followers you have on social media. You can then bring this proof onto the blockchain without needing the website’s permission. This helps you “re-own” your data from Web2.

• On-Chain Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) Verifications: Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) are a special way to prove that something is true without actually showing any of the private details. For example, you could prove you are old enough to buy something without disclosing your exact birthday. On Moca Chain, ZKPs let you prove things like having passed a background check or having a degree, without revealing your private personal information.

Moca Chain is also built to be:

• EVM-Compatible: If you know how to build apps for Ethereum which uses the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), you can easily build on Moca Chain, too. This helps bring in a lot of skilled developers and applications from other EVM chains.

• Chain-Agnostic: This means Moca Chain is designed to work with any blockchain, not just its own. Its goal is to provide identity services that can be used everywhere, helping the whole digital economy work together.

• Coexisting symbiotically with other chains as the modular identity and data verification layer.

• Modular: Its different parts, especially a tool for businesses or  developers called the AIR Kit, can be used separately. So, a partner can start by using just one piece, like a universal login system, and add more features later. This makes it easier for businesses to start using Moca Chain.

• Privacy-Preserving: Moca Chain is privacy-preserving, utilizing zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) to verify identity data securely without exposing personal information.

• Self-Sovereign: Moca Chain is self-sovereign, giving users full control over their identity and data, allowing them to selectively manage and share their credentials.

• Scalable: Moca Chain is scalable, built to handle high volumes of identity data and verifications, supporting widespread adoption and growth.

Moca Chain’s AIR Kit

The AIR Kit is a special set of tools (Software Development Kit, or SDK) that makes it easy for app creators to use Moca Chain’s powerful identity features. AIR Kit is a modular identity toolkit that enables developers to issue, verify, and use verifiable credentials tied to user proofs. It’s like a “plug-and-play” toolkit. It has three main parts:

• AIR Account: This helps users sign up and log in easily with SSO, even using regular email or passwordless methods that feel familiar.

• AIR ID: This is your main digital identity that lets apps recognize you across different platforms without sharing your private data.

• AIR Credential: This part helps app creators easily issue and check Verifiable Credentials for their users.

What Is the MOCA Coin

The MOCA Coin is the official currency of the Moca Chain ecosystem. It is needed to pay for services, vote on decisions, and earn rewards for helping to run the network.  

MOCA is the native token that powers the entire ecosystem. It is designed to be an “omni-chain” token, meaning it can move across different blockchains using LayerZero v2. The total supply of MOCA is fixed at 8,888,888,888 tokens, which means no more will ever be created.  

Uses of the MOCA Coin

The MOCA Coin has several key uses, which create demand for it based on network activity.  

• Verification & Gas Fees: Every action on Moca Chain, like issuing or verifying a credential, requires a small payment in MOCA.  

• Validator Staking: Validators stake MOCA to secure the network and process identity-related transactions.

• Data Generation, Storage & Relaying: MOCA as the core utility token to facilitate the credential lifecycle.

• Governance: Holding MOCA gives you voting rights in the Moca DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization). This allows token holders to help make decisions about the network’s future.  

• Ecosystem Access: Holding or staking MOCA can grant you exclusive access to benefits like special token sales on the MocaList launchpad or free token distributions (airdrops) from partner projects from MocaDrop. 

Benefits of Moca Chain

Moca Chain’s technology offers practical benefits for both users and businesses, aiming to create a more secure and efficient online experience.

For Users

• A Single, Universal Login: Your AIR ID acts as a single, portable identity that gathers all your achievements and credentials. You no longer need to create a new profile for every app you join. Your digital identity grows with you and becomes more valuable over time.  

• Control Over Your Data: You decide who can access your information. You can grant specific, temporary permission for an app to view one of your credentials. In the future, you could even be rewarded for choosing to share your verified data.  

• Easy Access and Rewards: Your AIR ID can act like a special key to the Animoca Brands world. You can easily join community activities, get into exclusive token sales, and potentially even receive special rewards from partner projects.

For Businesses and Developers

• Simplified Identity Verification (Finance): For financial services, Moca Chain makes it simpler to check who people are (KYC) without repeatedly sharing sensitive documents. A user can get verified once and then use that verification for many different financial services, saving time and money for businesses and protecting user privacy.

• Easy-to-Use Developer Tools (AIR Kit): The AIR Kit is a “plug-and-play” toolkit that makes it easy for developers to add identity features to their applications. They can integrate universal login or credential verification without needing to be blockchain experts.  

• Real-World Applications:

  • Healthcare: A patient could hold their medical history as VCs in a digital wallet and grant secure, temporary access to a new doctor, improving care while maintaining privacy.  

  • Hiring: Universities can issue fraud-proof digital diplomas, enabling recruiters to instantly verify a job candidate’s qualifications, speeding up the hiring process.  

  • Privacy-Friendly Ads: An advertiser could check if you fit their target audience (e.g., “over 30”) using a Zero-Knowledge Proof from your Moca ID, getting a “yes” or “no” answer without seeing your specific personal details.  

Moca Chain’s strategy is to embed its solutions into popular applications that millions of people already use. This means people can benefit from Moca Chain’s secure identity features without even knowing they are using blockchain technology. It focuses on solving real-world problems for a large audience, helping to connect the old internet (Web2) with the new blockchain internet (Web3).

Unlike earlier decentralized identity projects that struggled to gain traction, Moca Chain starts with a total addressable market of over 700 million users, as protocols and applications built on Moca Chain will be able to access user networks and data of AIR Kit adopters. This gives it a big advantage, as it already has a built-in market of partners and users from day one.

Challenges Facing Moca Chain

While Moca Chain has a strong strategy, it faces several challenges on its path to adoption.

Competition and the “Cold Start” Problem

Every new network struggles with the “cold start” or “chicken-and-egg” problem: it’s hard to attract users when there are no apps, and it’s hard to attract developers to build apps when there are no users. 

Moca Chain addresses this critical challenge with a two-part strategy that combines its ecosystem advantage with a powerful economic design. First, its connection to the Animoca Brands network provides a massive head start, giving it access to over 700 million users and hundreds of partner companies from day one. This creates a built-in market that most new blockchains lack.   

Second, the economic design of the MOCA Coin directly tackles the issue. By allocating 31% of its total supply to “Network Incentives,” Moca Chain rewards AIR ID and credentials users. This strategy is designed to quickly build a large and valuable pool of verified users, which in turn makes the network highly attractive to businesses and developers, creating a self-sustaining economic cycle. Additionally, Moca Chain is already partnering with chain partners every week to onboard millions of users, further accelerating its growth and adoption.

The User Experience Challenge

A major hurdle for all Web3 technologies is their complexity. Managing crypto wallets and understanding gas fees can be intimidating for new users. Moca Chain aims to solve this with its AIR Kit, which allows developers to abstract away the complex blockchain elements. For example, an app can pay the transaction fees on behalf of its users.

Regulatory Uncertainty

The laws and regulations for cryptocurrencies are still developing and differ around the world. This creates an uncertain environment, especially for projects dealing with sensitive areas like identity and finance. 

Final Thoughts

Moca Chain is a well-planned attempt to fix a core problem with the internet: the lack of user-owned verifiable identity. It aims to shift control away from large corporations and back to individuals.

The project combines advanced privacy technology with a smart economic model and a powerful go-to-market strategy, with its mainnet launch planned for late 2025. By leveraging the massive Animoca Brands network, Moca Chain is in a strong position to bring millions of users into its ecosystem. 

Disclaimer: This article is only for informational purposes and should not be taken as financial advice. Always do your own research before investing in any cryptocurrency or protocol.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

When can I use Moca Chain?

The full main network (mainnet) for Moca Chain is scheduled to launch in the fourth quarter of 2025. A public test network is expected in the third quarter of 2025. You can join the Mocaverse ecosystem now to get involved: https://mocachain.org/

Is Moca Chain an L1 or L2?

Moca Chain is a modular, chain-agnostic, EVM-compatible Layer 1 purpose-built for identity and data. it coexists symbiotically with other chains as the modular identity and data verification layer. 

Do I need to be a crypto expert to use it?

No, you don’t need to be a crypto expert to use Moca Chain. It simplifies identity verification and data sharing through the AIR Kit, enabling secure, cross-chain verifications with zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), all while keeping the process user-friendly and privacy-preserving.

Is my data safe on Moca Chain?

Moca Chain is built with security and privacy as a top priority. The system is designed so that you control your own data, and it uses technologies like Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) and zkTLS to protect your sensitive personal information.