Polkadot activated native smart contracts on January 27 on its Hub developer platform to let developers build directly on the network and attract projects from rival chains. The upgrade aims to support Ethereum tooling and ease deployment of DeFi protocols.
Data shows developers deployed 19 contracts in the first week on Polkadot (Subscan dashboard). By comparison, Ethereum added over 160,000 new contracts last week (Token Terminal data shows), while Solana added 545 (Token Terminal data shows). (Ed. note: first-week deployment totals are low.)
A Parity spokesperson said the team prioritised stability during rollout and testing (stated). “Our focus is on a battle-tested foundation,” the spokesperson added.
Polkadot was created in 2016 by Gavin Wood to serve as a “blockchain of blockchains.” The project has pursued several strategic pivots and struggled to gain the expected developer adoption.
Critics have highlighted budget and hiring concerns at Parity Technologies, and the network’s token, DOT, has fallen roughly 97% from its all-time high, hitting an all-time low near $1.44 on February 3.
The upgrade enables Solidity development with common tools such as Hardhat and Foundry, and Parity noted the experience will feel familiar for Ethereum developers (stated).
Some former contributors warned the shift toward Ethereum compatibility risks sidelining Ink, the Rust contract language; its discontinuation was reported. Wei Tang criticised the approach on X (said), arguing “Even if they implement everything to the very end of their roadmap, it wouldn’t be faster than Ethereum layer 2s.”
