Moonriver (MOVR) is an
Ethereum-compatible
smart contract parachain on Kusama, serving as a canary network for Moonbeam on Polkadot, enabling developers to deploy Ethereum
dApps on Kusama with low fees and high throughput. Founded by the PureStake team, it supports Solidity smart contracts,
EVM tooling, and Substrate-based features for cross-chain
interoperability via XCM. The MOVR token powers staking for network security, governance voting, and transaction fees in a testbed environment for new features before Polkadot deployment.
When Did Moonriver Launch?
Moonriver was launched by PureStake in November 2021 as a Kusama parachain with MOVR token distribution through crowdloan rewards. The project served as a testing ground for Moonbeam features, with 2025 updates including expanded EVM compatibility and cross-chain integrations, maintaining active development by December 2025.
What Are the Key Features of Moonriver?
Moonriver features full Ethereum compatibility for Solidity dApps, Kusama parachain security with low fees, staking rewards for
validators and delegators, cross-chain messaging via XCM, governance through on-chain voting, and audited infrastructure for testing new features before Polkadot mainnet deployment.
What Is MOVR Used For?
MOVR is used for
staking validators for rewards and network security, paying transaction fees, voting on governance proposals, providing liquidity for yields, and accessing premium parachain features.
What Is the MOVR Token Utility?
MOVR secures the network through staking and delegation, powers governance votes on upgrades, covers fees with potential burns, incentivizes validators, and funds treasury for development and integration.
What Blockchain Does Moonriver Operate On?
Moonriver is a Kusama parachain with EVM compatibility for Ethereum-style dApps and XCM for cross-chain interoperability.
What Are MOVR Tokenomics?
MOVR has inflationary rewards for staking with circulation from unlocks as of December 2025. Allocation: staking incentives, treasury, team vested; balanced by burns.