DogeOS opened its public testnet on Sept. 30, giving developers a new EVM-compatible application layer built around Dogecoin. DOGE will be used as the network’s native token for transaction fees.
The launch follows a $6.9 million funding round announced in May 2025 and is designed to bring more smart-contract applications into the Dogecoin ecosystem.
Developers can now use the testnet to build and test different types of applications, including trading platforms, lending protocols, stablecoins, prediction markets and games.
DogeOS is described as a zero-knowledge rollup that supports smart contracts while settling its state to Dogecoin. However, Dogecoin itself does not currently verify the rollup’s ZK proofs directly.
CEO Jordan Jefferson said the current system requires valid proofs for bridge state changes, signatures from a majority of validators and a signer operating inside a trusted execution environment.
The network also currently uses a permissioned sequencer as part of its design.
The public testnet gives developers a chance to test their applications before DogeOS moves to mainnet. Because it is EVM-compatible, developers who already work with Ethereum-based networks can use familiar tools to build applications for Dogecoin.
Several projects are already working on applications for the testnet.
Barkswap is developing a liquidity engine, while Superposition Finance is building a Dogecoin lending protocol. Derps is working on a perpetual exchange, and Split Markets is developing options described as non-liquidatable.
USDoge is working on a stablecoin based on collateralized debt positions.
DogeOS also named Snag as a prediction-market aggregator. Other projects include launchpads from Anoncoin and Starbase, as well as games and consumer applications from Doge Escape, PlaysOut and DogeFundMe.
DogeOS said the availability and features of these applications will depend on each development team. The testnet gives them a place to build and test, but it does not mean all of the listed products will launch at the same time.
Jefferson said the team is currently focused on testing the network and giving developers enough time to build their applications.
He added that DogeOS will announce its mainnet timeline after reaching the next development milestones.
One major planned change would involve Dogecoin itself.
In July 2025, the DogeOS team proposed an upgrade to Dogecoin Core that could allow the network to verify ZK proofs directly. If implemented, Dogecoin miners could check execution proofs from the application layer themselves.
That upgrade has not yet been implemented. So, the current public testnet does not mean Dogecoin miners are already verifying DogeOS ZK proofs directly.
Dogecoin Foundation director Timothy Stebbing also welcomed the development. He said he hopes DogeOS can help bring more startups and new applications into the Dogecoin ecosystem.
DogeOS was created by the team behind the MyDoge wallet. In May 2025, the project raised $6.9 million in a funding round led by Polychain Capital.
The funding was intended to support the platform’s launch, developer tools and partnerships. The project has also pointed to gaming, artificial intelligence and decentralized finance as areas it wants to support.
Jefferson previously said that an application layer could help Dogecoin expand beyond its traditional use and create more ways for developers and users to interact with DOGE.
DogeOS is also part of a wider effort to connect Dogecoin with programmable blockchain applications. A separate project from Psy has been working on a Dogecoin-to-Solana bridge that verifies Dogecoin block headers and proof-of-work data on Solana.
That bridge is designed to give DOGE holders access to DeFi, NFTs and gaming on Solana without selling their DOGE. It is separate from the DogeOS application layer.
Meanwhile, U.S. investors have another Dogecoin-related development to watch.
Bitwise is closing its Dogecoin ETF, BWOW. The fund began trading on Nov. 26, 2025, giving investors exposure to DOGE through a traditional brokerage account.
Bitwise said secondary-market trading and the creation of new shares will stop before the market opens on Oct. 15. Oct. 14 is expected to be the final trading day.
The fund will then convert its Dogecoin holdings into cash. Remaining shareholders are expected to receive cash around Oct. 22 based on the fund’s Oct. 21 net asset value.
The distribution will be treated as a taxable event, according to the SEC filing, so shareholders may need to consider the tax impact.
