A little bit of chit-chat
Adi Seredinschi from Informal Systems brought a branding suggestion to the table. In a post on X, he suggested switching “Cosmos” for “Interchain” when referring to any part of the stack. For example, according to Adi, instead of saying “Cosmos SDK”, it would be better to say “Interchain SDK”. The reasoning behind the request, as pointed out by Adi, is that current jargon is too complex for newcomers, as they have to learn wording like cosmos/atom/hub/interchain/gaia/comet/wasm.
Bitcoin restaking in Cosmos
After completing the ecosystem onboarding process with Informal Systems, Lorenzo Protocol, a Bitcoin staking layer, announced its integration with the Cosmos Hub via Interchain Security. This integration aims to leverage the Cosmos network's capabilities to enhance Bitcoin staking processes.
The plan includes launching an appchain testnet and a Bitcoin liquid restaking pool in early April 2024. This appchain will be Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible and include an ATOM staking mechanism and a Cosmos validator set for testing purposes. The mainnet launch is targeted for late April 2024. This will also incorporate Babylon BTC shared security into the Cosmos appchain.
Lorenzo Liquid Restaking (LLR) is designed to offer liquid staking solutions for Bitcoin. It allows users to stake Bitcoin through a smart contract without locking up assets and, in return, receive stBTC tokens representing their staked Bitcoin plus any accrued rewards.
We’re Hiring!
We are seeking an experienced Research Analyst to join our team and contribute to our mission of advancing the state of distributed systems and cryptography.
As a Full-Time Research Analyst, you will be pivotal in researching and understanding advancements in ZK cryptography, Proof-of-Stake networks and distributed / peer-to-peer systems, such as sequencers, provers, consensus mechanisms, and zero-knowledge (ZK) technology.
You will then leverage your expertise to create comprehensive and informative technical reports, market analyses and papers that will help us contribute to empowering the next generation of critical distributed infrastructure.
Permissioned CosmWasm
Proposal 895, currently live for voting within the Cosmos community, outlines a transition to a permissioned CosmWasm implementation on the Cosmos Hub. This shift aims to adopt a model where smart contract deployment is subject to governance approval. This approach seeks to mitigate risks associated with potential exploits and minimise spam or low-value contracts.
One of the proposer's arguments is that Proposal 895 will improve the Cosmos Hub's governance framework, especially in managing consumer chain relations and treasury management. This involves introducing more structured decision-making processes and potentially leveraging platforms like DaoDao to increase accountability to stakeholders. According to the proposal text, the permissioned framework is designed not to restrict innovation but to ensure that every addition to the platform is secure and adds value.
Currently, the vote is split with 28.4% Ayes, 23.5 Nays and 47.9% abstaining.
Wrap Up
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