Loopring
Loopring is an open-source zkRollup Layer 2 protocol for Ethereum, enabling high-throughput, low-cost decentralized exchange and payments. It serves DEX traders, DeFi participants, and payment users globally via its protocol, web app, and developer APIs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersShanghai, China
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Loopring does
Loopring is an open-source, non-custodial Layer 2 protocol for Ethereum that uses zkRollup technology to enable high-throughput, low-cost decentralized exchange and payment functionality. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Shanghai, China, the project batch-processes thousands of transactions off-chain and verifies them via Zero-Knowledge Proofs, reducing gas costs to a fraction of Ethereum mainnet levels while preserving Ethereum-level security guarantees. The company operates two core products: the Loopring Layer 2 Protocol (the underlying zkRollup infrastructure) and the Loopring Layer 2 App (loopring.io), a user-facing decentralized exchange and payment interface.
Loopring's business model is built on protocol-level transaction fees collected across its Layer 2, with revenue mechanics tied directly to trading and payment settlement volume rather than enterprise SaaS contracts. Distribution is product-led and self-serve: users access loopring.io directly and developers integrate via the Loopring API and SDKs (documented at docs.loopring.io). Customer segments are horizontal and use-case driven, spanning DEX traders and liquidity providers, payment users seeking low-cost transfers, and broader DeFi participants. The project is operated by Loopring Project Ltd with a small team (11–50 employees) and is supported by a token (LRC) that serves as the protocol's native cryptocurrency.
The protocol was bootstrapped through a 2017 Initial Coin Offering that raised $45 million, making it one of the earliest funded Layer 2 scaling efforts on Ethereum. Strategic commercial activity remains early-stage but is gaining traction: a 2024 integration with Ramp Network processed over 20,000 fiat on-ramp transactions within three months and added document-free verification for Brazil and SPEI support for Mexico, signaling real product-market fit for cross-border payment use cases. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, and ownership structure beyond the Loopring Foundation wrapper is opaque.
Loopring firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Loopring
- Legal name
- Loopring Project Ltd
- Website
- https://loopring.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Loopring is an open-source zkRollup Layer 2 protocol for Ethereum, enabling high-throughput, low-cost decentralized exchange and payments. It serves DEX traders, DeFi participants, and payment users globally via its protocol, web app, and developer APIs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Loopring industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Blockchain Layer 2 Scaling Protocol
- NAICS
- Securities and Commodity Exchanges (52321), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)
- SIC
- Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Layer 2 Scaling & Rollups (optimistic/ZK, sequencers, DA usage) (FSAPAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Layer-2 (L2) / Rollup Sequencer & Validator Operations (FSADAKAB), Smart Contract Developer Platforms & Tooling (SDKs, APIs, frameworks, indexing) (FSAPAAAH)
Keywords
Where Loopring is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Shanghai
- HQ country
- China
- HQ region
- Asia
Markets served
Loopring business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Protocol Transaction Fees: Loopring generates revenue through transaction fees collected on its Layer 2 protocol for trading and payment settlement. As a zkRollup protocol, fees are significantly lower than on-chain Ethereum transactions.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Loopring product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Loopring provides an open-sourced, audited, non-custodial zkRollup Layer 2 protocol for Ethereum that enables high-throughput, low-cost trading and payment by batch-processing thousands of transactions off-chain with verifiably correct execution via Zero-Knowledge Proofs. Its primary products are the Loopring Layer 2 Protocol (infrastructure/API for developers) and the Loopring Layer 2 App (consumer-facing decentralized exchange and payment interface at loopring.io).
Product overview
Loopring offers a unified zkRollup Layer 2 platform for Ethereum, consisting of the Loopring Layer 2 Protocol and the Loopring Layer 2 App. The protocol provides the underlying zkRollup infrastructure with open-sourced, audited, non-custodial exchange and payment capabilities, while the Loopring Layer 2 App (loopring.io) serves as the user-facing interface for trading and payments. Together they enable high-throughput, low-cost transactions batch-processed off-chain with Zero-Knowledge Proof verification.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Loopring Layer 2 Protocol Open-sourced, audited, non-custodial zkRollup Layer 2 protocol for Ethereum that batch-processes thousands of transactions off-chain with Zero-Knowledge Proof verification, enabling high-throughput, low-cost trading and payment while maintaining 100% Ethereum-level security. Targeted at developers and projects integrating Layer 2 infrastructure via APIs and SDKs.
- Loopring Layer 2 App User-facing decentralized exchange and payment web application built on the Loopring zkRollup protocol, allowing individuals to trade and transfer crypto assets with approximately 100x lower fees than Ethereum mainnet in a non-custodial manner. Targeted at individual crypto traders, DeFi users, and payment users.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100x lower fees compared to on-chain Ethereum transactions
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Loopring
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Loopring technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature4 records
Loopring partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Ramp NetworkcoreRamp Network integrated with Loopring as a fiat on-ramp partner, enabling users to purchase crypto directly on Loopring Layer 2. The integration was highly successful, processing over 20,000 transactions within the first three months. Ramp Network provides document-free verification for Brazil and SPEI integration for Mexico, expanding Loopring's accessibility in key markets.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Loopring competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Optimism: Optimism is a leading optimistic-rollup Layer-2 for Ethereum and steward of the OP Stack superchain vision. It addresses the same scalability and cost pain points as Loopring for DEX and DeFi applications.
- Arbitrum: Arbitrum (Offchain Labs) is the largest optimistic-rollup Layer-2 for Ethereum by TVL. It competes with Loopring for the same DEX, DeFi, and payment workloads, though using a different (optimistic) trust assumption.
Direct peers
- StarkNet: StarkNet is a ZK-rollup Layer-2 for Ethereum using STARK proofs. It is the most direct technical competitor to Loopring's zkRollup, targeting similar high-throughput, low-cost DeFi and trading use cases on Ethereum.
- zkSync: zkSync (Matter Labs) is a ZK-rollup Layer-2 for Ethereum offering low-cost payments and smart-contract-compatible execution. It competes head-to-head with Loopring in the ZK-rollup DEX and payments category.
- Linea: Linea is a Consensys-developed ZK-rollup Layer-2 for Ethereum. It is a direct competitor in the ZK-L2 space, pursuing similar low-cost DeFi and payment use cases with the backing of MetaMask/Infura distribution.
- Scroll: Scroll is a ZK-rollup Layer-2 focused on EVM-equivalence with native ZK proofs. It targets the same Ethereum-native developer and DEX use cases as Loopring's zkRollup.
- Polygon zkEVM: Polygon zkEVM is a ZK-rollup EVM-equivalent Layer-2 from Polygon Labs. It directly competes with Loopring by combining ZK proofs with EVM compatibility, appealing to similar DEX and DeFi developers.
Emerging players
- Uniswap: Uniswap is the largest decentralized exchange protocol on Ethereum, now deployed across multiple L2s. It is comparable to Loopring's user-facing DEX product (loopring.io) and serves the same core DEX trader and liquidity provider segments.
- Immutable: Immutable is a ZK-rollup Layer-2 specialized for NFTs and gaming. While its primary use case is gaming rather than general DEX trading, it shares Loopring's ZK-rollup technical foundation and competes for the same Ethereum L2 developer mindshare.
- dYdX: dYdX operates a Layer-2-based decentralized derivatives exchange. It overlaps with Loopring in the L2-powered DEX category, although its current v4 deployment runs on its own appchain rather than a general-purpose Ethereum L2.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Loopring social profiles
Digital presenceLoopring financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Loopring leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Loopring funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Loopring M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Loopring
What does Loopring do?
Loopring provides an open-sourced, audited, non-custodial zkRollup Layer 2 protocol for Ethereum that enables high-throughput, low-cost trading and payment by batch-processing thousands of transactions off-chain with verifiably correct execution via Zero-Knowledge Proofs. Its primary products are the Loopring Layer 2 Protocol (infrastructure/API for developers) and the Loopring Layer 2 App (consumer-facing decentralized exchange and payment interface at loopring.io).
Is Loopring a public or private company?
Loopring is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Loopring founded?
Loopring was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Loopring based?
Loopring is headquartered in Shanghai, China, in the Asia region.
How does Loopring make money?
One revenue line is on record: protocol Transaction Fees.
Who are Loopring's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Optimism and Arbitrum. Direct peers are StarkNet, zkSync, Linea, Scroll and Polygon zkEVM. Emerging players are Uniswap, Immutable and dYdX.
Does Loopring have an API?
Yes. Loopring offers an API for developers to integrate with Loopring Layer 2, enabling programmatic access to the zkRollup protocol for building trading and payment applications. Developer documentation is at docs.loopring.io.
What industry is Loopring in?
Loopring's product category is Blockchain Layer 2 Scaling Protocol. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPAAAB, Layer 2 Scaling & Rollups (optimistic/ZK, sequencers, DA usage), with a secondary code of FSADAKAB, Layer-2 (L2) / Rollup Sequencer & Validator Operations. Its NAICS code is 52321 and its SIC code is 6200.