Conflux (CFX)

Overview

Conflux is a public blockchain for sending digital assets and running applications. Its native coin, CFX, pays for activity on the network and helps support its security. Like Ethereum, Conflux can run smart contracts: programs that carry out instructions recorded on a blockchain. Developers use those programs to build services for payments, token swaps, digital collectibles, and other purposes. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

Conflux has two connected environments, called Core Space and eSpace. Core Space provides features built specifically for Conflux. eSpace works with many tools used by Ethereum developers. Both operate within the Conflux network, but each has its own account format and applications. Understanding that split helps explain how people build on Conflux and where they can use their CFX. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

History & Team

Conflux grew from blockchain research associated with Andrew Yao’s group at Tsinghua University. Fan Long was an early founder, while Ming Wu joined as a co-founder and chief technology officer. Conflux identifies YuanJie Zhang as part of its founding team. The Conflux Foundation was formed in 2018, and the first recorded mainnet activity dates to October 28, 2020. (medium.com)

The project’s early funding included a private token allocation for investors. Its original economic plan set aside part of the initial CFX supply for those backers, with other portions assigned to the team, foundation, community, and developers. That plan matters because it shows how Conflux intended to fund both its initial work and later application development. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

Major upgrades have changed the network since launch. The Hydra upgrade added eSpace and proof-of-stake finality. Later upgrades refined fees and Ethereum compatibility. Conflux’s v3.1 upgrade, scheduled for mainnet activation in August 2026, introduced further changes to eSpace and cross-space calls. These updates show how the protocol has developed beyond its original design. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

Technology & How It Works

The Tree-Graph approach

Most people picture a blockchain as one long chain of blocks. On Conflux, miners can create blocks at nearly the same time, and the network can keep those concurrent blocks in a structure called a Tree-Graph. A block points to a parent block and can also refer to other earlier blocks. The network then uses a rule called GHAST to select a main path, place the blocks in order, and execute their transactions in a consistent sequence. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

This design aims to make better use of blocks that arrive at the same time. It also gives miners a way to agree on transaction order while allowing blocks to be produced quickly. The Tree-Graph handles how blocks relate to one another; applications still need a clear final order for actions such as transfers and contract calls. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

Mining, finality, and the two spaces

Conflux combines proof of work and proof of stake. Miners use computing power to produce blocks. Proof-of-stake participants lock CFX and vote to finalize blocks on the selected path. Finality gives users and applications a stronger signal that a block’s place in the record has been settled. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

Core Space is the original environment. It supports Solidity smart contracts, storage collateral, and a fee-sponsorship feature that lets an application pay certain costs for its users. eSpace is compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine, or EVM, so developers can use familiar Ethereum tools. The spaces have separate account states, and a built-in cross-space system connects them. A developer may choose Core Space for its native features or eSpace for easier use of existing Ethereum software. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

Tokenomics & Utility

How CFX enters and moves through the network

Conflux began with 5 billion CFX created for its initial allocation. The plan assigned 40% to an ecosystem fund, 36% to the founding team and related contributors, 12% to private investors, 8% to a community fund, and 4% to foundation holdings. Tokens from those groups followed release schedules rather than all becoming available at once. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

The supply can grow after launch. New CFX is issued as rewards for proof-of-work mining and proof-of-stake participation. Conflux also uses token-burning mechanisms, which permanently remove some CFX from circulation. The network’s economic settings can change through governance, so a fixed reward rate does not describe the token for all time. CFX has no maximum supply cap. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

CFX has several jobs. Users spend it on transaction fees and smart-contract activity. In Core Space, using blockchain storage can require storage collateral: CFX set aside while data occupies network space and returned when that storage is released under the protocol’s rules. Miners receive block and fee rewards, while eligible proof-of-stake participants receive rewards tied to staking. Holders can also take part in governance over certain network settings. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

Fee sponsorship changes the experience for some applications. A developer can fund fees or storage costs for a supported contract, allowing a new user to interact with it without first obtaining CFX for those particular costs. The application still uses network resources; the sponsor pays on the user’s behalf. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

Ecosystem & Use Cases

Conflux supports several kinds of blockchain applications. Swappi is a decentralized exchange on eSpace where users can swap tokens through smart contracts. Nucleon provides a liquid-staking service. ConfluxHub brings together tools for moving assets between Core Space and eSpace, staking CFX, and using governance features. These examples show different roles for the network: exchanging assets, helping secure blocks, and connecting its two environments. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

Connections to other blockchains are another part of the ecosystem. Meson supports cross-chain stablecoin transfers, while other bridge services connect Conflux to outside networks. A cross-chain transfer is useful when an asset or application is on one network but a user wants to operate on another. It adds a step beyond an ordinary transfer within Core Space or eSpace. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

The network has also been used for payment-focused projects. Conflux reported the integration of the USDT0 and CNHT0 stablecoins in 2025, along with services intended to move assets across chains. Earlier, Conflux worked with China Telecom on a blockchain-enabled SIM card project. These efforts illustrate the range of uses being explored, from financial applications to tools that connect a mobile device with blockchain services. (medium.com)

Advantages & Challenges

Conflux’s main technical advantage is its combination of the Tree-Graph ledger, proof-of-work block production, and proof-of-stake finality. Its dual-space design gives developers a choice: use Conflux’s native features or build with familiar Ethereum tools. Fee sponsorship can also make an application easier to try, since the application can cover selected network costs for its users. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

That flexibility adds complexity. A Core Space address and an eSpace address use different formats, and a wallet that supports one space may not support the other. Developers must decide where to deploy a contract and how users will move assets between environments. Conflux also competes for developers and users with other smart-contract networks. Its long-term role depends on applications people continue to use, not only on the capacity of its underlying technology. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

Where to Buy & Wallets

CFX is available on Kraken, Binance, and OKX, subject to each platform’s regional availability. Conflux can also be used in applications within its own ecosystem. Exchange purchases and transfers into a personal wallet are separate steps: a withdrawal must use a network and destination address supported by the receiving wallet. (kraken.com)

Fluent supports both Core Space and eSpace. Supported Ledger devices can be used with both spaces, while MetaMask supports eSpace. Core Space uses a Conflux-specific address format; eSpace uses an Ethereum-style address format. Choosing the correct space matters when receiving CFX or connecting a wallet to an application. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

Regulatory & Compliance

Rules for CFX-related services differ by jurisdiction. In mainland China, authorities prohibit virtual-currency exchange and other listed virtual-currency business activities. China’s February 2026 notice also restated limits on mining and on services offered to mainland users. Conflux’s work on blockchain technology and its partnerships sit alongside those rules; they do not give CFX trading a general exemption. (csrc.gov.cn)

In the European Union, a CFX white paper was notified under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, known as MiCA, for admission to trading. It describes CFX as a crypto-asset outside MiCA’s e-money-token and asset-referenced-token categories. In the United States, the legal treatment of a crypto-asset transaction depends on its facts and the applicable federal securities laws. These frameworks address different activities, including disclosures, trading services, and particular transactions. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

Shariah assessment is a separate question from legal status. Malaysia’s Securities Commission sets out criteria for assessing digital tokens, including how issuance proceeds are used and what rights or benefits a token provides. Its published table identifies the status of individual assets traded on regulated Malaysian exchanges; CFX has no entry in that table. An assessment of CFX would need to consider its network uses and rewards, while lending or other financial applications built on Conflux would be assessed for their own terms. (sc.com.my)

Future Outlook

Conflux’s recent upgrades point toward continued work on Ethereum compatibility and the experience of building across its two spaces. The v3.1 changes include support for a signature method used in passkeys and improvements to calls between Core Space and eSpace. Those are practical changes for developers creating wallets and applications, rather than a change to CFX’s basic role as the network coin. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

Further growth will depend on how well applications turn the network’s features into services people use regularly. Payments, stablecoins, cross-chain transfers, and sponsored transactions are areas already represented in the ecosystem. Each offers a different test of Conflux’s design: whether users can move value simply, whether developers can build with familiar tools, and whether the two spaces work well together in everyday use. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)

Summary

Conflux is a smart-contract blockchain built around a Tree-Graph ledger and a combination of mining and staking. CFX pays for network activity, supports staking and governance, and plays a part in Core Space’s storage system. With a native environment and an EVM-compatible one, Conflux offers developers two ways to build within the same network. Its place in the wider crypto ecosystem will be shaped by the applications that make use of that design. (doc.confluxnetwork.org)