Cosmos gets native EVM framework as it open-sources Evmos

Cosmos’ Interchain Foundation (ICF) has funded the open-sourcing of Evmos, the native EVM framework for its multichain ecosystem containing over 200 appchains. 

This framework, previously developed under the Evmos project, will now transition to being maintained as “Cosmos EVM” within the official Interchain software stack, including the Cosmos SDK, the foundation said . This means the Cosmos ecosystem now has a standardized Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) version.

This development allows Cosmos blockchains to integrate Cosmos EVM for full EVM compatibility, including support for JSON-RPC and Ethereum wallet compatibility via a lightweight EVM configuration for native ERC-20 tokens.

The integration strengthens cross-chain interoperability between the broader EVM ecosystem and Cosmos, particularly through the Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol .

As part of this shift, Evmos co-founder Federico Kunze Küllmer will step away from his role as a core contributor to Evmos while continuing to advise the ICF on Cosmos EVM’s interoperability and modular architecture, Evmos noted . Kunze Küllmer's firm Altiplanic, the core contributor to the Evmos codebase, will no longer be contributing to the project. 

Evmos was first conceptualized in 2016 as Ethermint and went live on mainnet as a Cosmos-based chain in 2022 to introduce EVM in the Cosmos ecosystem. The same year, Evmos developers raised $27 million in a token sale round led by Polychain Capital.

Since the start of this decade, EVM has become the most widely adopted standard for smart contracts and is now found across a number of blockchains aiming to replicate Ethereum’s traction.