May 23: Dfinity Foundation, a major contributor to Internet Computer (ICP), announced that its “EVM RPC canister,” described as “a new API that allows ICP smart contracts to read and write data on different chains,” is now live. According to the team: “The EVM RPC is another major milestone in the development of Dfinity’s Chain Fusion framework. It enables Internet Computer smart contracts to interoperate directly with all major blockchains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, other EVMs, and soon, Solana, without having to rely on any intermediary.” Additionally, “ckUSDC, an interoperable stablecoin pegged 1:1 to USDC, is now available for use across ICP.”
May 23: Robinhood Wallet will enable gasless swaps on Arbitrum starting Thursday, according to the team: “Users can swap without needing ETH for gas on Arbitrum, with 0x as the DEX aggregator behind the swaps. Once launched, users will be presented with the best swap rate available – whether gas swap or gasless swap – with no additional fees from Robinhood.”
May 23: HAQQ Network, describing itself as an “ethics-first Web3 DeFi ecosystem with one of the highest daily active user counts on Cosmos,” announced a “key partnership with evmOS, an EVM-compatible tech stack. Integration of evmOS functionality into HAQQ Network enables cross-chain compatibility with the Cosmos and Ethereum networks, providing HAQQ users and developers access to a broader range of DeFi functionalities.”
Horizen Labs
May 23: Horizen Labs, a primary developer behind the Horizen blockchain, is launching “zkVerify, a dedicated zero-knowledge proof verification network designed for settlement optimization, to address the largest expense that zkRollups and zkApps currently face which limit scalability and efficiency,” according to the team: “ZkVerify offloads computationally intensive proof verification, enabling blockchains to focus on core functions. It integrates with multiple SNARK proving schemes and reduces verification costs by up to 91%. Currently, it supports Ethereum and Bitcoin L2s, with plans to expand to other architectures. ZkVerify is now live on testnet.”
May 23: River Protocol, created by HNT Labs, founded by Ben Rubin and Brian Meek, who received $33 million funding from a16z Crypto, Benchmark and Framework, is launching Thursday. Ben Rubin is founder of HouseParty and Meerkat. According to the team: “The River Protocol was designed for decentralized real-time messaging apps. River leverages an EVM-compatible L2 chain, decentralized off-chain nodes, end-to-end encryption and smart contracts on Base. With River, developers can create a wide range of products, including decentralized social networks, community governance platforms, secure messaging apps, and collaborative workspaces.”
May 23: The team behind Aptos blockchain shared that “TruStake Aptos vault will enable users to stake their APT while retaining flexibility and control of their assets – all within a permissioned environment that prioritizes security. Leveraging the scalability and performance of the Aptos blockchain, TruFin’s liquid staking solution will provide holders of APT with the ability to generate staking rewards on their holdings and access additional yield opportunities across DeFi protocols.”
Protocol Village is a regular feature of The Protocol, our weekly newsletter exploring the tech behind crypto, one block at a time. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Wednesday. Project teams can submit updates here. For previous versions of Protocol Village, please go here. Also please check out our weekly The Protocol podcast.
