A little bit of chit-chat
The recent deployment of the IBC minter has expanded minting capabilities, allowing assets like ATOM, OSMO, and USDC beyond just STARS. A higher fee will also be applied to non-STARS mints to boost liquidity in certain pools and stabilise the STARS token. This strategy primarily targets the STARS NFT Launchpad, with plans to adopt a similar approach for the Marketplace.
Neutrality
The Neutron network is poised to introduce the "Neutrality" update. Characterized as the most significant improvement since its inception, Neutrality moves beyond Neutron's traditional cross-chain interoperability.
The essence of this upgrade revolves around integrating Duality's hybrid orderbook appchain into Neutron. Such integration is designed to address challenges associated with fragmented liquidity. By facilitating Automated Market Makers (AMM) to pool liquidity and order flow, the ecosystem aims to counteract these liquidity discrepancies. This not only eases the bootstrapping of new AMM-based protocols but also offers more granularity in order types for traders and increased flexibility in AMM curves for liquidity providers.
In tandem with this, the Neutrality update introduces the Block SDK, developed by the Skip Protocol. This framework is tailored to allow application developers to define block construction and validation mechanisms on-chain transparently. As a result, developers and the Neutron DAO can sculpt the network's blockspace more proficiently. The Block SDK aims to offer more transparency in managing Maximal Extractable Value (MEV), safeguarding users from potential value extractions.
Furthermore, the Neutrality update signifies a broad overhaul of the Neutron baselayer, encompassing shifts from the Cosmos SDK versions, integration of various modules, and enhancements catering to smart-contract developers. Once rigorously tested on the Pion-1 testnet and upon successful review, the Neutrality upgrade proposal is projected for presentation to the Neutron DAO come November
DAS!
Celestia Labs has introduced Blobstream, a tool designed to stream Celestia's modular data availability layer directly to Ethereum. Previously known under the moniker Quantum Gravity Bridge (QGB), Blobstream leverages an on-chain light client to relay Celestia's data root commitments. This allows Ethereum developers to develop high-throughput Layer 2 solutions like how they develop smart contracts.
The essence of this integration rests on Data Availability Sampling (DAS), a concept that has been part of Ethereum research discussions since 2017. DAS permits users to contribute to data availability for rollups via Celestia by operating a sampling light node. These light nodes have the capability to detect any discrepancies if a significant portion of Celestia validators either withhold data or generate invalid blocks, subsequently holding them accountable.
To refine the efficiency of Celestia as a data availability layer, Succinct Labs has introduced Blobstream X, a zero-knowledge (ZK) version. This ZK rendition utilizes a ZK light client to authenticate Celestia validator signatures on-chain using a single ZK proof. The advantages of this methodology include a reduction in overhead for validators, a more streamlined Celestia protocol, and a faster transmission of data root commitments for Ethereum Layer 2 solutions.
Blobstream and its ZK variant by Succinct Labs are in the testnet phase, paving the way for integration by Layer 2 solutions and rollup frameworks on Ethereum. Once these have been scrutinized through code audits and Celestia is officially launched in the coming weeks, the community will have the capability to deploy Blobstream on Ethereum Mainnet and Ethereum L2s for more streamlined data availability streaming.
The State of ZK Report for Q3 is out!
We just published our latest State of ZK Report.
It contains the latest research on ZK, trends across the space, initiatives, launches, investment rounds, and much more.
Wrap Up
If you like our newsletter, share it with your friends, so they can also be on top of the latest and the greatest (and sometimes not so great) of the Cosmos ecosystem.
In the meantime, feel free to follow us on Twitter @zkvalidator and visit our website to stake with us.