Weekly Blockchain and Crypto Updates: Innovations and Launches

Wednesday, July 31

Radix Unveils ‘RadQuest’: A Mobile-Optimized Web3 Gamified Onboarding Platform

Radix, a pioneering distributed ledger project that revolves around native assets termed as “resources,” has launched RadQuest. This innovative platform is designed to offer a fully mobile-ready gamified onboarding experience for newcomers to Web3 and DeFi on Radix. The development team stated, “RadQuest was crafted in collaboration with ustwo, the acclaimed digital product studio known for the award-winning mobile game Monument Valley. Our goal is to create a repeatable onboarding experience that is engaging, educational, and user-friendly.” Users can embark on a journey through a series of onboarding ‘quests’ which allow them to earn tokenized rewards that can be transformed into collectible ‘RadMorph’ NFTs.

Tuesday, July 30

Eclipse Foundation Opens Mainnet for Builders in Modular Blockchain Project

The Eclipse Foundation has announced that the Eclipse Mainnet is now accessible to builders. The team shared, “In the coming weeks, we welcome builders to deploy on Eclipse Mainnet and participate in our hackathon, the Total Eclipse Challenge. Builders can deploy effortlessly, receive rapid, hands-on technical support from the Eclipse team, and join the Eclipse ecosystem.” Eclipse operates as a layer-2 network built on Ethereum, utilizing the Solana Virtual Machine for transaction execution, Celestia for data availability, and RISC Zero for ZK fraud proofs.

Raiinmaker Launches Decentralized Application for Solana Mobile

In a Protocol Village exclusive, Raiinmaker has developed a federated peer-to-peer network designed to enhance AI systems’ privacy, security, and performance. The network has just launched a decentralized application (dApp) on the Solana Mobile dApp Store. The team explained, “This dApp enables users to interact seamlessly with decentralized AI capabilities via the app’s DePIN mobile node. Solana users can now generate AI content, train models, and operate decentralized compute nodes directly from their mobile devices.”

Irys Transitions to Layer 1 with ‘Programmatic Datachain’

Irys, known for its permanent data storage provenance layer, has announced its transition to a new layer-1 network with the launch of a programmatic datachain that merges data storage with execution capabilities. The team stated, “Irys Layer 1 is designed to address the evolving needs of developers, allowing the creation of future-proof and secure dApps across Ethereum, EVM-compatible chains, Solana, Avalanche, Aptos, and beyond. Through IrysVM, which is fully EVM-compatible, developers can perform efficient, cost-effective real-time data manipulation.” Notable ecosystem partners building on Irys’ Layer 1 include Berachain, Eclipse, Injective Labs, and more.

Polychain and Lightspeed Lead $7M Fundraise for Blockchain-Based AI Platform

Hyperbolic, a new player aiming to integrate blockchain technology with artificial intelligence, has successfully raised $7 million in a seed funding round led by Polychain Capital and Lightspeed Faction. The company is set to launch its first product: an AI inference service that enables developers to utilize state-of-the-art AI models at significantly reduced costs.

Router Protocol Launches Mainnet to Enhance Blockchain Interaction

Router Protocol, developed using Cosmos blockchain technology, announced the launch of its main network, focusing on “chain abstraction.” This initiative aims to enhance user experiences across different blockchains. The Router Chain is designed to minimize development barriers while streamlining the creation of dApps that can interact seamlessly across multiple blockchains and aggregate liquidity from any source.

Movement Labs Joins AggLayer for Enhanced Liquidity

Movement Labs, a blockchain development team working to bring Facebook’s Move Virtual Machine (MoveVM) to Ethereum, has become a part of AggLayer. This collaboration aims to establish unified liquidity across layer-2 blockchains utilizing the Move smart contract language, marking a significant step in bridging the gap between Move and EVM ecosystems.

XProtocol Launches Superchain Testnet Mint for High Throughput

XProtocol, an entertainment-focused layer-3 network on the Ethereum layer-2 network Base, has launched its Superchain Testnet Mint. This modular blockchain is designed for ultra-high throughput and is now open for node operators, developers, and the community to join. Participants can claim KICK Tokens and mint exclusive Xardian Master NFTs, providing valuable feedback in return for rewards.

ExSat Launches Testnet for Scaling Bitcoin

ExSat, a layer designed to scale Bitcoin, has officially launched its testnet with leading validators and mining pools at Bitcoin 2024. The team explained, “ExSat supports advanced smart contracts and business logic applications across various layer-2 solutions, creating a UTXO Index for efficient navigation while facilitating the issuance and trading of assets like Ordinals and Runes.”

Superposition Labs Unveils ‘MovePosition’ on Movement Labs Testnet

Superposition Labs has announced the launch of MovePosition on the Movement Labs public testnet. This innovative DeFi platform, incubated by Superposition Labs, addresses key challenges in DeFi through its unique approach to risk management, utilizing Concordia’s adaptive risk model to enhance stability and reliability.

Lava Network Integrates with Major Ecosystems for Public Mainnet Launch

The Lava Network, a modular network facilitating interactions with any blockchain and rollup, has launched its mainnet in collaboration with Filecoin, Starknet Foundation, and Cosmos Hub. The team stated, “Ecosystems can leverage Lava to create incentive pools, attracting high-quality infrastructure providers rewarded for reliable service delivery.” Google Cloud has been noted as a provider on the Lava testnet.

Blackbird Labs Introduces Crypto Payment System for Restaurants

Blackbird Labs, founded by Resy and Eater co-founder Ben Leventhal, has launched Blackbird Pay, a new platform that enables participating restaurants to accept cryptocurrency as payment. Consumers can now pay for meals using the $FLY cryptocurrency, which can be earned as loyalty points or purchased through the Blackbird app using Coinbase’s USDC stablecoin.

Optimism’s Hackathon ‘Superhack’ Scheduled for Aug. 2-16

Optimism has announced that its flagship hackathon event, Superhack, will occur virtually from August 2-16, 2024. The team stated, “Part of ETHGlobal’s hackathon series, Superhack invites developers to compete for over $200,000 in prizes for building on the Superchain, a network of chains constructed on the OP Stack.” Applications for participation will be open until July 31, 2024.

Protocol Village is a regular feature of The Protocol, our weekly newsletter exploring the technology behind cryptocurrency, one block at a time. Sign up here to receive updates directly in your inbox every Wednesday. Project teams can submit their updates here. For previous editions of Protocol Village, please visit here.

Monday, July 29

Theoriq Developers Publish Whitepaper for ‘AI Agent Base Layer’

The developers behind Theoriq, touted as an “AI agent base layer,” have published their official whitepaper outlining the project’s core aspects and the benefits it provides for developing advanced AI agent collectives. According to the team: “Leveraging a decentralized model, Theoriq will utilize smart contracts to ensure transparency and accountability while maintaining flexibility to adapt as AI evolves. The ultimate goal is to establish a meritocratic environment for AI agents that is completely permissionless, powered by blockchain technology.”

Dash Launches ‘Evolution’ Upgrade with New Sidechain

Dash, a cryptocurrency focused on payments, is rolling out the Evolution upgrade, described as its most significant enhancement to date. The team noted, “Evolution introduces a new sidechain and data contract platform that enables indexed decentralized storage and applications. The initial offerings, Dash Platform Name Service and DashPay, provide a decentralized Venmo-style payment experience. Additionally, Dash plans to implement IBC compatibility and smart contracts to enhance privacy for token data and payments.”

European Gymnastics Introduces AI-Powered Assistant ‘Luigi’

European Gymnastics, which represents 50 national federations and over 8.5 million gymnasts, has launched Luigi, an AI-powered digital assistant that offers decentralized AI and blockchain solutions for the Summer Olympics. The team explained, “Developed in collaboration with OriginTrail, Luigi’s AI twin aids users in finding competition information, historical events, scoring elements, navigating schedules, and tracking results while ensuring data integrity through OriginTrail’s Decentralized Knowledge Graph.”

Kuru Raises $2M to Build On-Chain Central Limit Order Book on Monad

Kuru, which aims to establish the first fully on-chain central limit order book (CLOB) on Monad, has successfully raised $2 million in a seed funding round led by Electric Capital, Brevan Howard Digital, and CMS Holdings, among others. According to the blog post, “Monad targets a throughput of approximately 10,000 transactions per second with one-second block finality, enabling lower transaction costs and faster block times, thereby making a fully functional CLOB on the EVM feasible for market makers.”

PSTAKE Finance Launches Mainnet V1 for Bitcoin Liquid Staking

PSTAKE Finance, supported by Binance Labs, has announced the mainnet launch of version 1 of its Bitcoin liquid-staking solution built on Babylon’s Trustless BTC Staking protocol. The team articulated, “With a deposit cap of 50 BTC for security, our solution enables users to earn meaningful yields on Bitcoin for the first time, participating in app chains’ security and earning rewards once PoS chains start utilizing BTC security from Babylon’s protocol.”

Portal to Bitcoin Integrates with Bitlayer, Sovryn, and Tari

Portal to Bitcoin, a platform dedicated to unlocking Bitcoin liquidity through a truly trustless solution, has announced strategic integrations with Bitlayer, Sovryn, and Tari as core components of its upcoming testnet launch. The team elaborated, “In addition to the Lightning Network, Portal to Bitcoin employs atomic swaps to facilitate direct peer-to-peer exchanges between Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, allowing for seamless transactions without a trusted third party.”

Fuse Launches ‘Flash’ Testnet Featuring ZK Rollup Deployment

Fuse, an ecosystem designed for Web3 payments, has announced the launch of its new Fuse Flash testnet, which includes significant tokenomics changes. The team stated, “This transition signifies key updates along the path to our new mainnet, expedited to Q4, enhancing capabilities, stability, and decentralization with the deployment of a Polygon-based ZK layer-2 network.”

Clearpool to Launch on Arbitrum for DeFi Credit Protocol

Clearpool, a DeFi credit protocol focused on real-world asset lending, is set to launch on Arbitrum, the leading Ethereum layer-2 network. The team noted, “This integration marks the debut of Clearpool Prime on Arbitrum, offering an institutional-grade credit marketplace that allows institutions to transact via non-custodial smart contracts in a fully compliant, KYC-verified environment.”

Friday, July 26

StakeWise V3 Now Live on Gnosis Chain

Stakewise, a crypto staking protocol, has launched its V3 protocol on Gnosis Chain, the Ethereum sidechain. Gnosis stated, “This launch creates a new staking marketplace and provides permissionless access to the liquid staking token osGNO.” Prior to this, StakeWise’s V2 platform had amassed over 73,000 GNO in deposits, accounting for roughly 40% of Gnosis Chain’s staked assets.

BitcoinOS Achieves First-Ever ZK Proof on Bitcoin Mainnet

BitcoinOS, a network of Bitcoin-based rollup chains, has verified the first-ever zero-knowledge (ZK) proof on Bitcoin’s mainchain. This development is significant as ZK cryptography is viewed as crucial for enhancing blockchain scalability and usability. The BitcoinOS team stated, “This event marks the first permissionless upgrade of the Bitcoin system and the first instance of Bitcoin being upgraded without a soft fork, allowing for infinite upgrades without changes to the consensus code.”

Roxom Secures $4.3M for Bitcoin-Based Financial Exchange

Roxom has raised $4.3 million in pre-seed funding to launch a groundbreaking stock, commodities, and futures exchange denominated in Bitcoin. Founded by CEO Borja Martel and CTO Nick Damico, the funding round was led by prominent investors including Kingsway, Draper, and David Marcus. “Creating Bitcoin-native financial markets is a critical step for holders to access diverse financial services,” said Marcus.

P2P Validator Service Integrates with Avail Network

P2P.org is integrating the newly launched Avail Network into its non-custodial staking platform. The team remarked, “This integration will facilitate smoother cross-chain transactions, thereby improving overall blockchain interactions. Key highlights include a 0% fee incentive for the first three months of staking AVAIL, successful testnet phases managing over 300 million requests, and innovative solutions like a proxy balancer for enhanced network capacity.”

Elastos Introduces Native Bitcoin Staking for the First Time

Elastos has announced the introduction of native Bitcoin staking for the first time ever. The team stated, “Using the Elastos BeL2 SDK, partners can create Native Bitcoin dApps aimed at encouraging the staking of over 1 trillion dormant Bitcoins.” The SDK was unveiled at Bitcoin Nashville 2024, featuring the StarBTC demo loan app.

Unchained Launches ‘Connections’ Service for Bitcoin Investment

Unchained, a Bitcoin financial services firm, is launching “Connections,” a service designed to assist friends and family in securely investing in Bitcoin. The service aims to build on Unchained’s custody offerings, providing a user-friendly interface to guide loved ones through the investment and security process, thereby enhancing Bitcoin’s accessibility.

Core Blockchain Introduces Dual Staking Model

The Core blockchain, which leverages Bitcoin’s security mechanism alongside the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), has adopted a Dual Staking model termed “Bitcoin x CORE.” According to the Core Foundation, “This new model builds upon Core’s pioneering implementation of Non-Custodial Bitcoin Staking, establishing a Bitcoin Risk-Free Rate.” The initiative has garnered 55% of Bitcoin mining hash power actively delegated to Core, securing over 100 dApps with a total value locked (TVL) of $135 million and more than 50,000 daily active users.

Crypto Startup Launched by Silk Road 2.0 Operator

Blake Benthall, the programmer behind the notorious Silk Road 2.0 black market, has announced the launch of his new company, Fathom(x). The platform aims to provide individuals and businesses with precise insights into the location of their cryptocurrency, ensuring proof of accessibility. Fathom(x) also streamlines the legal requirements for screening customer assets for sanctions, transforming complex blockchain data into a clear ledger that finance professionals can easily interpret.