- Sui processed 40,614,180 transactions per second in a live, CertiK-verified test at its Basecamp conference in Singapore on October 7, beating its own 6,086,766 record from July.
- The throughput ran through more than 10,000 programmable offchain tunnels that settle to Sui’s mainnet, not directly onchain, a distinction that matters for developers and the payments industry eyeing AI-agent commerce.
- It is a technical milestone, but on its own it does not prove lower costs, faster real-world settlement, or commercial adoption.
During a live stress test on Wednesday in Singapore, Sui achieved 40,614,180 transactions per second (TPS), breaking its own record from July of 6.09 million TPS by more than six times.
However, the record was set because of the incredible involvement of over 10,000 off-chain tunnels rather than the actual transactions taking place on the Sui mainnet itself, which is an important distinction as the system plans to focus on AI-driven payments.
Why the 40 million number is not native throughput
Sui’s programmable tunnels function similarly to Lightning Network payment channels. Transactions take place off-chain, but the opening and closing states are settled on-chain.
The tunnels are capable of processing payments, messaging, games, and other activities. Each closed tunnel is co-signed and verified on-chain.
However, the provided number of 40.6 million does not represent the actual capacity of the native blockchain, which is covered independently by Chainspect.
CertiK confirmed the results of the presented event independently and the relevant proof is expected to be provided later. Yuannan Yang, the security engineering director of the company, stated the following in Sui’s announcement:
“Transparent and independently verifiable performance measurements will become increasingly important.”
As reported earlier by Cryptopolitan, CertiK will check the records of how the execution took place, the proof of the operation being successful, and the supporting documents.
The payments prize Sui is chasing
Adeniyi Abiodun, Mysten Labs’ co-founder and chief product officer, believes autonomous AI agents could make use of that capacity.
He explained in the Sui Foundation’s statement:
“No market in the world needs 6 million transactions per second, let alone 40 million: people just don’t move that fast. Agents do.”
Cost plays a crucial role in his argument. Every tunnel uses no more than two on-chain transactions. This means that thousands of intermediate exchanges can take place at a very low cost.
The potential is enormous. According to McKinsey, the payment industry earns about $2.6 trillion every year, while agentic AI can put at risk approximately $75 billion in revenues by 2030.
Where it meets the real-world settlement gap
Processing millions of transactions in a test is different from moving money across borders.
The Financial Stability Board’s targets call for 75% of cross-border retail payments to arrive within an hour, with average costs falling to 1% or less by 2027.
Yet its 2025 progress report found little improvement globally and warned that the targets are unlikely to be met.
Banks are also exploring faster settlement. Lloyds and Visa tested round-the-clock stablecoin settlement, while Swift is developing blockchain-based payment infrastructure.
At the same time, the Bank for International Settlements highlights the significance of trust and settlement finality during transactions, especially when speed is concerned.
A technical milestone that still has to prove itself
Sui has illustrated the level of traffic its offchain tunnels can accommodate. Now it’s time to see whether this speed can lower payment costs, speed up cross-border transfers, and ultimately drive consistent business adoption.
At present, the 40.6 million TPS mark represents a technical achievement. Time will tell whether it can impact everyday payments.
The smartest crypto minds already read our newsletter. Want in? Join them.
FAQs
What record did Sui break and by how much?
Sui recorded 40,614,180 transactions per second during its October 7 Basecamp test in Singapore, more than six times the 6,086,766 TPS it set on July 4, 2026, according to the Sui Foundation.
Did the 40 million transactions run directly on Sui's blockchain?
No. They flowed through more than 10,000 programmable off-chain channels called tunnels, which settle to Sui mainnet only when they open and close, similar to Lightning Network payment channels but able to host more than payments.
Who verified the test?
CertiK, which describes itself as the largest Web3 security services provider, acted as an independent auditor and verified the run in real time, with a fuller report reviewing proofs, execution logs, and journals expected in the coming days.
Disclaimer. The information provided is not trading advice. Cryptopolitan.com holds no liability for any investments made based on the information provided on this page. We strongly recommend independent research and/or consultation with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions.
Ibiam Wayas
Ibiam Wayas has covered the crypto news beat since 2019. He studied Computer Science at National Open University of Nigeria. His work has appeared on various crypto news platforms, including Coinfomania, Crypto News Australia, and AltcoinBuzz. Drawing on his background in Computer Science, he now focuses on crypto, robotics, and longevity news.
