Animoca Brands-backed Moca Chain launch for decentralized digital identity

Animoca Brands-backed Moca Foundation has announced the launch of Moca Chain, a new Layer 1 blockchain network focused on decentralized digital identity and user data. The testnet rollout is expected in the third quarter of 2025, with a full mainnet launch planned for the fourth quarter, the foundation confirmed on Wednesday.

According to a press statement from the company, Moca Chain will help individuals, AI agents, and devices take control of their personal data and credentials. It will reduce the reliance on centralized data storage systems and identity management services. 

JUST IN: Animoca’s Moca launches Moca Chain, a Layer-1 blockchain for private, decentralized digital identity, with testnet in Q3 and mainnet in Q4 2025, powered by $MOCA. pic.twitter.com/hdUfC3FKFP

— Cryptopolitan (@CPOfficialtx) June 25, 2025

The new blockchain is built to support several identity protocols in finance, education, and healthcare, and could unify and verify user credentials securely and privately through a decentralized infrastructure.

New decentralized network mulls identity use cases

Moca Chain will use zero-knowledge transport layer security (ZK-TLS), decentralized storage, and a cross-chain identity oracle to enable privacy-preserving digital identity solutions at scale. 

The blockchain is also Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible, meaning it is interoperable with Ethereum-based platforms and applications.

According to the Moca Foundation, Moca Chain will be suitable for building thousands of protocols focused on reusable and verifiable identity. 

The infrastructure allows developers and applications to issue and validate user credentials without the need for centralized verification layers. These reusable credentials can be verified on-chain or off-chain and are protected using zero-knowledge proofs, upholding privacy even when identity data is shared or monetized.

Protocols and applications built on Moca Chain can access identity and reputation data directly from end users, rather than relying on platform-level application programming interfaces (APIs). 

SSO as a point of failure

In the statement, Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, spoke about the adoption of single sign-on (SSO) systems, which allow access to multiple services through a single set of credentials. 

In Web3, SSO solutions like Web3Auth and Magic simplify onboarding by linking decentralized wallets to familiar login methods like Google or Apple ID. Yet, if the provider is compromised or unavailable, users may lose access to all connected services. 

Moreover, such systems often retain back-end control over authentication, which entirely contradicts the basis and promise of decentralization.

“SSO represents a centralized point of failure that compromises security,” Siu said. “Moca Chain seeks to solve this problem by giving users decentralized true ownership of their data, ensuring the sovereignty of users’ digital identity without a single point of failure.”

He added that Moca Chain, when combined with Moca Network’s AIR Kit, is a decentralized digital ecosystem where users can own and control their data, reputation, and digital contributions. 

Siu said this vision supports Animoca Brands’ mission to expand digital property rights and create fairer digital economies.

AIR Kit to expand Moca Chain reach

AIR Kit is an identity module already in use by several companies within Animoca Brands’ portfolio. According to the foundation, AIR Kit could extend the reach of Moca Chain to over 700 million addressable users globally.

Platforms that have enabled the module so far include South Korea’s OK Cashbag, a loyalty rewards program with more than 28 million identity-verified users, and One Football, a German digital media firm that serves 200 million monthly active users. Data from these platforms will be accessible to applications and protocols built on Moca Chain.

Kenneth Shek, project lead of Moca Network, said Moca Chain and AIR Kit are developing “a new kind of digital infrastructure.” 

“By adopting Moca Chain and MOCA Coin, we believe we can disrupt current models of data ownership and break down the dominance of walled garden ecosystems,” Shek stated.

He reiterated that the goal is to return value to users and promote a more scalable model for ecosystem growth.