Class rule for protocols on unapproved chains

Ketju does not approve this kind of structure, whatever the protocol’s quality, and makes no finding against the protocol itself. A class rule never chooses a client position or amount.

Scope

Protocols whose live yield venues settle only on a chain that Ketju does not approve, either because the chain has not passed Ketju’s chain review or because the review found against it.

The rule

Ketju does not approve a protocol while its only reachable deployment settles on a chain that Ketju does not approve. The rule concerns where the protocol settles and makes no claim that the protocol itself is defective.

When the rule applies

• Every current deployment in the yield survey that a client can use is on a chain that Ketju does not approve or has not reviewed.
• No venue on an approved chain offers the same client asset and strategy without depending on the unapproved chain.

Research

How it works

Every state change, oracle update, liquidation and withdrawal in a protocol depends on its settlement chain. Validator or sequencer operation, finality, bridges, data availability and emergency controls all sit beneath the protocol’s contracts. A failure in any of them can stop a correct application from settling.

Who controls it

Ketju reviews who can halt or reorder the chain, upgrade its system contracts, control its main bridges and restore service after a failure. A protocol team cannot remove those powers by deploying audited contracts.

Losses and incidents

Ketju assesses chain halts, reorgs, bridge compromises and governance interventions at the chain level, because each one affects every application on the chain at once. A protocol with no incident of its own may still depend on a chain that Ketju does not approve.

Withdrawals

A client cannot withdraw from an application in the normal way if the chain cannot finalize, the bridge route fails or a central operator denies access. Protocol TVL and exchange depth can still appear on dashboards while withdrawals are unavailable.

Comparison

Ketju may review the same protocol on its own if it runs on an approved chain. Established chains with documented validator sets, finality, operating history and bridge assumptions give an advisor a clearer base on which to judge a position.

Review triggers

• Ketju approves the chain in a dated chain review, and no chain review trigger remains open.
• The protocol launches a material deployment on an approved chain that anyone can verify.

Sources

Each source shows its type, the date Ketju accessed it, and the claims it supports. “Primary” means first-hand or governing material; it does not mean that Ketju verified the source independently.

• Ethereum.org: Proof-of-stake consensus · primary · accessed 2026-08-14
  Supports: settlement, finality, validators
• Solana whitepaper · primary · accessed 2026-08-14
  Supports: settlement, consensus, validators
• L2BEAT: Risk framework · secondary · accessed 2026-08-14
  Supports: bridges, upgradeability, data availability

Memos under this rule

Each memo listed applies this version of the rule. The depth of research on each protocol varies by memo; where a memo has named sources and fuller research, the memo shows them.