Vyper is a statically-typed smart contract language designed for the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). It compiles to bytecode and runs on Ethereum, Polygon, Arbitrum, and other EVM-compatible chains. Unlike Solidity, Vyper prioritizes security, readability, and auditability by removing certain features (like fallback functions, inline assembly, and operator overloading) that create attack vectors. Vyper was created in 2018 by Ethereum researchers to address common security pitfalls in Solidity contracts. It's backed by the Ethereum Foundation and has become the go-to language for teams building critical financial infrastructure where security margins are non-negotiable.