Top 10 Starknet Projects in 2023: Wallets, DeFi, Bridges, Stablecoins, and DID Protocols

Author: ZKX

Translation: TechFlow

Today we'll explore the top ten projects built on Starknet—the most promising Ethereum Layer 2 ecosystem in 2023. These include protocols for trading and liquidity, NFT platforms, and other projects related to the Starknet ecosystem. Let's get started!

What is Starknet?

Starknet is a decentralized Layer 2 protocol based on ZK-Rollup technology—a highly secure mechanism where inputs used by off-chain provers are never exposed on the blockchain.

It leverages STARK, a highly scalable cryptographic proof system, enabling dApps to scale infinitely without compromising Ethereum’s composability or security.

Starknet contracts and the Starknet operating system are written in Cairo, supporting deployment of nearly any business logic. According to DeFiLlama, the chain’s total value locked (TVL) has grown over 4000%, surpassing $11,000.

$STRK Token

On November 16, 2022, Starknet announced the deployment of $STRK, its native token, on the Ethereum mainnet.

$STRK will be used for voting, staking, and fee payments. Tokens held by the Starnet (StarkWare) core team and other contributors will be locked for four years, with gradual distribution starting after one year. The final token allocation remains undecided.

Cairo

Just as Ethereum has Solidity and Solana has Rust, Starknet has its own language called Cairo—it is the native language for writing smart contracts on Starknet.

Account Abstraction

Currently, if you want to open a self-custodied, decentralized wallet like MetaMask, Trust, or Phantom, you must remember your seed phrase and private key. Losing them means losing access to your funds permanently—an issue that hinders mainstream adoption of Web3 and DeFi.

Account abstraction was created to solve this problem by introducing smart contract-based wallets. This advanced innovation has gained popularity within the Starknet ecosystem and is already implemented in projects like Argent X and Braavos.

Now that we've covered the basics of Starknet, let’s dive into the top ten Starknet projects of 2023.

1/ Argent X

Category: Wallet

Status: Mainnet

Overview: Argent is a decentralized wallet featuring multi-signature security and social recovery. All transactions are automatically blocked unless approved by trusted addresses or through multi-factor authentication, protecting all Ethereum assets including NFTs.

With Argent, you never need a seed phrase—eliminating the single point of failure common in traditional self-custody wallets like hardware wallets. At the recent StarkWare Sessions, they announced four new products: seedless wallets, two-factor authentication for Argent X, mobile support for Starknet, and multi-sig for DAOs.

2/ Braavos

Category: Wallet

Status: Mainnet

Overview: Braavos is a smart contract-based self-custodial wallet built on Starknet using account abstraction. Available on iOS, Android, and browsers, it offers a seamless Web2-like user experience. It is developing new features to eliminate seed phrases and simplify account recovery. Beyond wallet functionality, they plan to offer services like staking and lending. Braavos also supports account segmentation, separating long-term (high-value) savings from daily (low-value) spending via withdrawal limits and delays. Recently, they announced that their wallet contract has been open-sourced.

3/ Orbiter Finance

Domain: Cross-chain Bridge

Status: Mainnet

Overview: Orbiter Finance is a decentralized cross-Rollup Layer 2 bridge protocol, with contracts deployed only on the destination network. It enables low-cost, instant transfers between Ethereum mainnet, zkSync, and Arbitrum.

In Orbiter Finance, there are two roles: sender and market maker.

1. When a sender initiates a transfer, the market maker provides corresponding liquidity.

2. Smart contracts ensure the security of this process.

3. If a market maker behaves maliciously causing transfer failure, the sender can file an arbitration request with the contract and receive the maker’s deposit plus additional compensation upon resolution.

4/ Starkgate

Category: Cross-chain Bridge

Status: Pre-Testnet

Overview: Starkgate is an Ethereum ⇄ Starknet token bridge developed by StarkWare. Each supported token is linked to bridging contracts on both L1 and L2, communicating via Starknet’s message-passing mechanism. This allows users to trade ETH and ERC-20 tokens from L1 on Starknet, powered by Starknet Alpha and its STARK-based computational compression.

5/ JediSwap

Category: DeFi

Status: Mainnet

Overview: JediSwap is a permissionless and composable AMM on Starknet. Users can swap tokens with 0 gas fees while retaining full custody of their funds. The only associated cost is a 0.3% swap fee, currently distributed proportionally to liquidity providers.

To test JediSwap on Starknet’s testnet, first obtain test tokens on Goerli, then use the Starkgate bridge to transfer them to Starknet.

6/ Nostra

Category: DeFi

Status: Testnet

Overview: Nostra is building the liquidity layer for Starknet, consisting of three products: Nostra Money Market, UNO (the first native stablecoin on Starknet), and Nostra Swap.

• Nostra Money Market is the core product, continuously providing liquidity across the ecosystem. It also generates yield for Nostra Swap and UNO minter participants.

• Nostra Swap is a next-generation stablecoin exchange designed to support UNO’s peg and growth. Liquidity providers on Nostra Swap earn yield by lending their stablecoins on the Nostra Money Market while also collecting trading fees.

• UNO is the first native stablecoin on Starknet. It is overcollateralized by interest-bearing ETH, allowing minters to earn ETH yield while utilizing UNO within the Starknet ecosystem. UNO will be used across various applications including DeFi, gaming, NFTs, and real-world payments.

7/ Starknet [.] id

Category: NFT

Status: Mainnet

Overview: Starknet.id is Starknet’s version of ENS (Ethereum Name Service). Users can mint their Starknet identity for free, serving as their Starknet passport and on-chain identity. They can attach any data to their identity—from Web2 social media accounts to Web3 ENS domains. The team plans to build an ENS bridge, a Starknet identity dashboard, and more features.

8/ ZKX

Category: DeFi

Status: Testnet launch on March 14

Overview: ZKX is the first perpetual futures exchange on Starknet with self-custody and true community governance. The protocol aims to enhance scalability through a decentralized node network and improved trading experience, offering perpetual swaps and derivatives to any user on Starknet and Ethereum. ZKX’s mission is to democratize global yields by making its services accessible to anyone, anywhere.

9/ zkLend

Category: DeFi

Status: Testnet

zkLend is a Layer 2 money market protocol built on Starknet, combining zk-rollup scalability, faster transaction speeds, cost efficiency, and Ethereum-level security. The protocol offers a dual solution: a permissioned, compliance-focused service for institutional clients, and a permissionless option for DeFi users—without sacrificing decentralization. Currently in testnet phase.

10/ Brine

Category: DeFi

Status: Testnet

Overview: Brine is a cross-chain decentralized exchange. To address slippage issues, it uses an order book model instead of the Automated Market Maker (AMM) model. The platform charges a fixed 0.1% trading fee but no gas fees.

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