"Exclusive Interview with Espresso Founder Ben Fisch: Innovations in Cross-Chain Communication and Fast Finality Technology" Ben Fisch stated that Espresso is a Layer 1 blockchain designed specifically for Layer 2 services. It does not run smart contracts but functions as a high-performance database, providing second-level or even sub-second finality across multiple chains, thereby enabling more efficient cross-chain communication and liquidity collaboration. Its technical core includes consensus improvements based on HotStuff, erasure coding to enhance efficiency, and the use of zero-knowledge proofs or TEE to achieve trusted cross-chain message passing. Espresso has integrated over 20 rollups, with its main value lying in cross-chain composability enabled by fast finality. At the token level, Ben emphasized that the core value of tokens comes from cash flow and network usage fees, rather than "currency attributes," and believes that if Espresso becomes a key infrastructure across multiple chains, it will capture long-term value through network effects. Read more: