EigenLayer, a security abstraction and application layer, offers Ethereum validators the ability to earn additional revenue by lending out staked capital for various uses. By utilizing staked capital that's already serving as security collateral, modules established on EigenLayer can leverage the existing Ethereum validator pool and introduce additional slashing conditions. This process, known as "restaking," has the potential to reduce the financial strain associated with security for users of decentralized applications, lowering the bar for innovation and reshaping the landscape of protocol financing.

This plugin makes it so that a special key is needed to move designated NFTs. That storage key and the smart account's private key are then required to transfer the locked NFTs to a different wallet, keeping them protected & accessible.

Enterprise blockchain company Ripple is creating a stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar. It will be native to the XRP Ledger and backed by short-term government treasuries, dollar deposits, and cash equivalents. The company hopes these “rock solid” assets and transparency will differentiate it from other stablecoin issuers. The stablecoin will be released later this year.

Dune Analytics reports a high failure rate (~75%) for Solana transactions. This post contrasts Solana’s performance with Cardano’s, suggesting that Cardano's focus on security, decentralization, and scaling may soon establish it as a leader in blockchain solutions.

Transporter is a new cross-chain bridge developed in collaboration with the Chainlink Foundation. It is designed to securely transfer tokens across multiple blockchains, addressing the industry's need for better security in the wake of $2.83 billion lost to bridge hacks. Transporter prioritizes security, utilizing Chainlink's CCIP for protection and offering a user-friendly interface with 24/7 support and a visual tracker.

EIP-3074 is an approved upgrade to Ethereum that will allow externally owned accounts to act like smart contract wallets without deploying a contract. This enables single transaction approvals, batch transactions, wallet asset recovery, sponsored transactions, and more.

Pectra is Ethereum's next hardfork, expected to go live in Q4 2024/Q1 2025. The name combines ‘Prague,' the execution layer upgrade, and ‘Electra,' the consensus layer upgrade. It will include EIP-7251, which allows validators to stake more than 32 ETH, and EIP-3074, which upgrades account abstraction, among other improvements.

Messaging app Telegram made several announcements at Token2049 about new blockchain-based features. For creators and channel owners, it will introduce creator tips, tokenized stickers, and in-app digital product sales. A user-friendly in-app wallet will be introduced to interact with the TON blockchain, which will now feature native USDT for free transfers to Telegram contacts.

The EigenLayer team created a new model for analyzing the cryptoeconomic safety of PoS chains by comparing the cost of corrupting a blockchain with the profit that can be extracted from corrupting it. StakeSure is an on-chain insurance mechanism that guarantees no honest user can lose funds. Its many complex characteristics include provably safe bridging, automatically adjusting economic security, and a Karma system for loss compensation and hacker penalization.

Heroglyphs is a new token protocol on Ethereum that only allows validators to mint tokens. This not only incentivizes decentralization, but also creates an aura of prestige around each token due to the commitment required to create one. Like Runes or Ordinals, Heroglyphs are created by inscribing data into a block, with minting rewards shared equally between all validators. Rights to mint and manage tokens can only be leased using a Herberger tax model, meaning anyone can pay more and take the ticker.

As part of its Endgame plan, Maker will rebrand, launch its own chain, and create SubDAO protocols to further innovation and capture market share.

Solana has captured innovation and memecoins, Bitcoin is entering an NFT and DeFi run like Ethereum in 2021, and Base is the main innovation hub for Ethereum.

Fantom has announced it will create the Sonic Foundation and Sonic Labs to support "Sonic", a new blockchain that will connect to the Ethereum ecosystem via a layer-2 bridge. The Fantom Foundation has successfully raised $10 million to bolster Sonic's ecosystem growth. It expects Fantom users to completely migrate from the Fantom chain to the Sonic chain (due to higher security and speed).

Ethereum's next hard fork, Pectra, consists of updates to the Prague execution layer and Electra consensus layer. It will be released in Q1 2025 and feature PeerDAS data availability sampling to improve rollup scaling and upgrades to the EVM Object Format (EOF) to support a better UX. It should help to alleviate pressure on the networking layer and support increased blob demand.

Thus far, ZK is used for efficient signature verification, storage proofs, proving transactions, and bridging – all parts of the modern modular stack. Going forward, ZK could solve open problems around avoiding redundant compute and preserving privacy.

Vitalik Buterin proposed the first block in preparation of Taiko's mainnet and expressed his excitement around Ethereum L2s taking different rollup approaches.

About half a million tokens were launched on Solana in May, driven by the increasing popularity of memecoins and facilitated by intuitive, user-friendly platforms like Pump.fun. This surge is a reflection of Solana's high throughput and low transaction costs, thus positioning it as a leading blockchain for new token initiatives.

California Congressman Ro Khanna is hosting a blockchain roundtable for policymakers and innovators in early July. It will include members of the Biden Administration, Congress, and businessman Mark Cuban. This comes after the Biden Administration was reportedly discussing accepting crypto donations through Coinbase Commerce.

Cardano is preparing for the Chang hard fork in June to enter the Voltaire era after a multiyear effort towards decentralization. It will introduce decentralized governance and give token holders control of the $681.9 million treasury. The upgrade will commence once 70% of validators install the new node.

This paper discusses the concept of ticketing for managing slot allocation in blockchain consensus mechanisms. It proposes a Hybrid Ticketing Regime (HTR) that combines managed and unmanaged ticketing approaches to optimize performance and resilience in various network conditions. The detailed overview describes desired characteristics for ticketing schemes, explains the HTR's implementation, and presents a comparative analysis demonstrating superior adaptability and fault tolerance.

ArbitrumDAO faces crucial decisions with proposals for ARB staking, a new transaction ordering policy, and increasing the base gas fee. While staking could align incentives and boost voter participation, it might be less effective due to reduced surplus fees. The new ordering policy needs careful consideration regarding ETH collection versus ARB burning. Raising the gas fee could impact network competitiveness and user activity.

The Pokémon Company is set to launch official Pokémon NFTs that enable "users" to trade digital cards on blockchains. The company allegedly filed a patent application, "WO2024090317A1", which uses smart contracts to manage transactions and rewards, thereby improving player engagement and service integration.

Marginfi has launched The Arena, enabling users to long or short any token on the Solana blockchain with leverage.

Leveraging the introduction of Umbrella, Aave has proposed significant upgrades to enhance $AAVE's role in the ecosystem. Key updates include automating secondary liquidity management, transitioning the safety module to a slashing-free staking module, and introducing the "Anti-GHO" ERC20 token. These changes aim to increase efficiency, generate new revenue sources, and improve protocol coverage at controlled costs.

Gasless transactions are now possible on the TON blockchain because of the W5 smart wallet standard recently developed and launched by Tonkeeper. This allows users to pay transaction fees using USDT instead of toncoin. The TON teams hopes to simplify the user experience and encourage wider adoption by eliminating the need to hold native blockchain currency for transactions.

Toyota Blockchain Lab is exploring the concept of Mobility-Oriented Accounts, which would represent vehicles as smart accounts on Ethereum using the ERC-4337 account abstraction standard. Their design addresses critical management challenges and enables multiple stakeholders to be involved in vehicle-related transactions. Toyota deployed the MOA and KeyToken contracts on Ethereum, allowing for the digital representation of basic vehicle operations and granting flexible permissions.

Scroll has surpassed Linea to become the ZK Rollup with the highest TVL at $770 million.

Ethena Labs has introduced reward-bearing asset proposals, inviting issuers to pitch for an allocation from its $45 million Reserve Fund and $250 million in USDe's liquid cash backing. Early applicants include Securitize, distributors of BlackRock's BUIDL, and SteakhouseFi's USDC. Governance will be managed by a newly launched Risk Committee of industry professionals to oversee and approve these allocations.

The Jito Foundation has launched Jito Restaking, a hybrid infrastructure platform with two main components: the Vault Program, which manages Liquid Restaking Tokens (LRTs) and enforces slashing conditions, and the Restaking Program, which coordinates AVSs and operators, handling rewards and penalties. This platform enhances token utility, supports various staking strategies, and aims to secure networks with flexible, multi-asset solutions.

California is building a DMV-run blockchain for storing and transferring vehicle titles built using Avalanche L1 technology. Vehicle owners will be able to claim their digital titles in the DMV's mobile wallet app, reducing unnecessary trips to the Post Office and DMV and reducing transfer times from two weeks to a few minutes. It is one of the first projects in California's vision of incorporating blockchain into government operations.