BNB

## Network Clarity (Critical) - "BNB Chain" is the main smart contract chain — formerly Binance Smart Chain (BSC) - "BNB Beacon Chain" was for staking — deprecated, merged into BNB Chain - BEP-20 tokens on BNB Chain — equivalent to ERC-20, EVM compatible - Same address format as Ethereum — 0x... addresses work on both - DIFFERENT networks — sending to wrong network loses funds ## BNB Token - Native gas token for BNB Chain — needed for all transactions - Also available as BEP-2 (legacy), ERC-20 (Ethereum), and other wrapped versions - BNB on Binance exchange can be withdrawn to multiple networks — choose carefully - Burning mechanism reduces supply — quarterly burns based on trading volume ## Gas and Fees - EVM compatible gas model — same as Ethereum but cheaper - Gas prices typically 3-5 gwei — much lower than Ethereum - Standard transfer ~21,000 gas — costs fraction of a cent - Complex DeFi transactions cost more — but still very cheap - Fast block time (3 seconds) — quick confirmations ## BEP-20 Tokens - Same interface as ERC-20 — all ERC-20 tooling works - Approve + transfer pattern — same as Ethereum - Many tokens have same name as Ethereum versions — but different contracts - Verify contract address on bscscan.com — scam tokens everywhere - Popular tokens: USDT, USDC, BUSD (deprecated), CAKE, various memes ## Cross-Chain Transfers - Binance exchange supports direct withdrawal to BNB Chain — easiest method - Bridges: cBridge, Multichain, Stargate — verify bridge reputation - BNB Chain ↔ Ethereum requires bridge — not same network despite same addresses - opBNB is L2 on BNB Chain — even lower fees, different RPC - Wrapped assets need unwrapping — bridged ETH is not native ETH ## DeFi Ecosystem - PancakeSwap is largest DEX — similar to Uniswap - Venus for lending/borrowing — similar to Aave - Lower TVL than Ethereum DeFi — but still significant - Higher rug pull risk — less auditing culture - Verify contracts before interacting — bscscan shows verification status ## Wallet Configuration - MetaMask works natively — add BNB Chain network - Chain ID: 56 — RPC: https://bsc-dataseed.binance.org - Block explorer: bscscan.com — verify transactions - Trust Wallet has native support — no manual network add - Hardware wallets work via MetaMask — same as Ethereum ## Staking - Stake BNB with validators — earn staking rewards - Minimum stake varies by validator — typically 1 BNB minimum - Unbonding period: 7 days — funds locked during unstaking - Slashing risk exists — choose reliable validators - Liquid staking options: stkBNB, ankrBNB — maintain liquidity while staking ## Common Scams - "USDT" with wrong contract — verify against official addresses - Honeypot tokens — can buy but not sell - Fake PancakeSwap sites — always verify URL - Airdropped tokens you didn't request — often scam triggers - "Validators" asking for private keys — never share ## Common Issues - "Insufficient funds for gas" — need BNB for gas, not just tokens - Wrong network — ETH sent to BNB Chain address (same address, different chains) - High slippage on DEX — low liquidity tokens - Transaction pending — try increasing gas price - Contract interaction failed — check approval and balance ## Security - Same security model as Ethereum — private key = full access - Revoke unused approvals — bscscan.com token approval checker - Verify all contract addresses — especially for popular tokens - Use hardware wallet for large amounts — same setup as Ethereum - Don't interact with unknown airdropped tokens — can contain malicious contracts