Protocol Village: Fuse, Layer-1 Chain Focused on Payments, Introduces 'Charge' for Merchants

Wednesday, Oct. 9

Fuse, Layer-1 Chain Focused on Payments, Introduces 'Charge' for Merchants

Fuse, a layer-2 blockchain platform built on Polygon CDK technology and focused on simplifying Web3 payments, has introduced Charge, described as "the first non-custodial Web3 merchant bank designed to provide a comprehensive range of payment solutions for businesses using both crypto and fiat currencies." According to the team: "Charge offers low transaction fees of 0.5%, making it easier for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to manage payments, invoicing and cross-border transactions while maintaining full control of their assets. With API integration, Charge enables seamless use within existing tech systems."

ZK Proof Specialist Polyhedra Partners With Worldwide Stablecoin Payment Network for Interoperability

Polyhedra Network, building zero-knowledge (ZK) proof infrastructure, has partnered with Worldwide Stablecoin Payment Network (WSPN), "to push the boundaries of digital payments with ZK technology for safer, quicker and more secure transactions," according to the team: "Polyhedra’s Expander, the fastest ZK-proof system to date, will enhance WSPN’s stablecoin, WUSD, with enhanced interoperability, ZK-powered Proof of Reserve and pioneering private transactions."

LatAm Bank Littio Ditches Ethereum for Avalanche as Demand r RWA Vaults Grows

Colombian neobank Littio is switching blockchain networks – from Ethereum (ETH) to Avalanche (AVAX) – for products, called Yield Pots, that allow users to earn interest on their U.S. dollar deposits. Avalanche’s low transaction fees and consistency were cited as reasons for picking the chain.

Rollup Deployment Platform Caldera Adds Support for ZKsync, Elastic Chain

Caldera, a rollup deployment platform, announced its support for ZKsync and the Elastic Chain network. According to the team: "Projects can now utilize Caldera’s rollups-as-a-service to launch their ZK Stack rollups and join the Elastic Chain ecosystem. Notable projects such as ZERO Network, Zerion, Creator, XY Finance, Zayn Network, and many others are already testing their ZK rollups on the testnet." The Caldera project documentation states that Caldera already supports Arbitrum Nitro, Optimism Bedrock and Polygon CDK rollup frameworks.

UK-Based Web3 Gaming Studio Dragonz Lab Raises $9M

Dragonz Lab, a UK-based Web3 gaming studio, has secured a $9 million equity investment from Syndicate Capital LPF to further develop its play-2-earn game, Dragonz Land. According to the team: "The investment will support the expansion of key features such as PvP tournaments, guild collaborations and loyalty programs for its 5.3M+ monthly users. Syndicate Capital, known for its focus on DeFi products, plans to build a payment ecosystem within Dragonz Land, including the introduction of a crypto debit card for the game’s extensive user base."

Sui Foundation Announces Support for Native USDC Through NAVI

Sui Foundation announced support for native USDC through NAVI, a DeFi liquidity platform on Sui. According to the team: "NAVI will integrate Circle’s native USDC, bringing $120 million in liquidity – the third largest USDC pool after Aave and Compound. The integration simplifies transaction processes and enhances liquidity within the ecosystem, giving users direct access to USDC on Sui. NAVI is supporting native USDC with a suite of in-application migration features and a capital-efficient native USDC Liquidity Pool, including native USDC liquidity support, flash loan capabilities, among other functionalities."

Unstoppable Domains Says Hive3, Unstoppable Women of Web3 Partner on Education, Credentialing Networking

The Unstoppable Domains team sent the following update: "Despite AI and blockchain being fast-growing sectors, women and underrepresented groups face significant barriers, with only 22% of AI professionals and less than 5% in blockchain. To address this, Hive3 and Unstoppable Women of Web3/AI (UWOW3/AI) have partnered to offer education, credentialing, and networking opportunities. Their first initiative is a virtual summit with workshops, demos, and onchain credentials. UWOW3/AI, launched by Unstoppable Domains COO Sandy Carter, fosters diverse talent through free masterclasses, Twitter Spaces, and in-person events."

Tuesday, Oct. 8

Semantic Layer, 'Programmable MEV Supply Chain,' Raises $3M in Seed Round

Semantic Layer, describing itself as a "programmable MEV supply chain," has announced a $3 million seed round led by Figment Capital, with participation from Hack VC, Robot Ventures, Anagram, Bankless Ventures, Fenbushi Capital and Perridon Ventures. According to the team: "Semantic Layer is cooking a novel solution to bring sequencing sovereignty back to protocols through Application Specific Sequencing (ASS). Semantic Layer can easily be integrated into any EVM compatible protocol. We are empowering dApp developers to manage how transactions are composed, sequenced and aggregated, capturing MEV for their dApps and users, rather than leaving it to external extractors.”

Bitcoin Layer-2 Project Bitlayer Closes $9M Series A Extension

Bitlayer, a Bitcoin layer-2 network based on the BitVM paradigm, closed a $9 million extension to its Series A funding, led by Polychain Capital and co-led by ETF issuer Franklin Templeton. The latest fundraising was led by Polychain Capital and co-led by Franklin Templeton, with participation from SCB Limited, Selini Capital, G-20 Group and other renowned institutional investors, according to a press release: "The newly injected capital will accelerate the development and deployment of Bitlayer, enhancing its scalability, efficiency and user accessibility. This includes preparation for the imminent launch of Bitlayer V2, a Bitcoin-native rollup in which state transitions are protected by Bitlayer’s OpVM technique, a verification gadget that combines both validity proofs and fraud proofs." The extension follows July's $11 million Series A funding, led by ABCDE and Franklin Templeton.

Bluwhale, AI Web3 Startup Relying on Smartphones, Targets $10M in Node Sale

PROTOCOL VILLAGE EXCLUSIVE: Bluwhale, an AI Web3 startup that uses smartphones as nodes, aims to raise as much as $10 million through a node sale, running now through the end of November. According to a press release shared with CoinDesk: "By participating in the node sale, Bluwhale users can generate passive income on their smartphones by keeping the app running behind the scenes as well as contribute data, and potentially storage and compute, in the near future. Anyone with more than 500 BLUAI points can stake them to operate the Master Nodes on mobile while there are three seasons of airdrops allocated for all node owners. Bluwhale will be selling a total of 100,000 network nodes…. Node prices increase over time as tiers sell out, and buyers will have the option to pay lower prices through discount codes or via rebates by making referrals." Bluwhale’s Master Nodes will initially focus only on data verification. [EDITOR'S NOTE: Bluwhale was featured in Protocol Village on Aug. 27, when the project announced the launch of its mobile Web app.]

Hex Trust, Clearpool Launch Ozean, 'Blockchain for RWA Yield,' Supported by Optimism

Hex Trust, a fully-licensed digital asset custodian with more than $5 billion in assets under custody attained, said it has joined forces with Clearpool, a DeFi credit protocol, to launch Ozean, described as "the blockchain for RWA yield," supported by Optimism. According to the team: "The partnership combines Hex Trust’s industry-leading services, 270-plus institutional clients and regulated infrastructure with Clearpool’s RWA lending expertise to position Ozean as the blockchain to unlock the power of DeFi for RWAs, powered by the CPOOL token."

RedStone Claims First in Launching Bitcoin Staking Oracles

RedStone Oracles has launched the industry's first Bitcoin staking oracles explicitly designed for Bitcoin staking, according to the team: "RedStone’s Bitcoin Staking Oracles will debut on Lombard, a Liquid Bitcoin Staking platform. The oracles track the amount of staked BTC, monitor the issuance of LSTs and calculate the Net Asset Value (NAV) of these tokens. This real-time data ensures accurate valuation and enables smooth interaction between Bitcoin and DeFi platforms. They are also slated for integration by pumpBTC and Solv, plus expansion to new chains like Arbitrum, Base and BNB Chain in the coming months."

Cross-Chain Communication Protocol Router, Rooted in Cosmos-Based Interchain Ecosystem, Integrates With Solana

Router Protocol, a decentralized protocol providing cross-chain communication and chain abstraction solutions, announced an integration with Solana, making it "the latest network to connect to the Interchain ecosystem," according to a press release: "This comes just weeks after Router integrated Osmosis, enabling interconnectivity between the IBC and Tron ecosystems. Solana users can now access liquidity, products and services across several EVMs and non-EVMs, such as Ethereum, Avalanche, Polygon, Tron and NEAR." Router is built using Cosmos technology at the heart of the Interchain ecosystem, which has more than 100 blockchains connected through the IBC protocol.

It's Stretch-to-Earn as The Sandbox, With Universal Health Token and GOQii, Tease Yoga Incentives

The Sandbox is launching a health and wellness experience in the metaverse, powered by Universal Health Token (UHT) and in collaboration with GOQii. This platform offers activities like yoga and gym workouts, allowing users to earn UHT tokens through wellness challenges in the GOQii app. The initiative promotes healthier lifestyles through gamification and rewards. According to the team: "We're excited to partner with The Sandbox to revolutionize health and personal development. Users can earn NFTs and tokens by completing quests, merging virtual and real worlds to empower well-being."

Layer3, With Vision of 'Chain-Agnostic Super App,' Expands to Solana

Layer3, describing itself as an "attention layer" or alternatively a "distribution network," announced its expansion to the Solana ecosystem, "marking a significant milestone in its cross-chain strategy," according to the team: "Launching in October, this move introduces a new interface, optional token migration and enhanced UX. Partnering with 25 top Solana protocols like Drift and Magic Eden, Layer3 aims to offer premium experiences while driving Solana adoption. With 300,000 active users and 150 million transactions to date, Layer3’s vision of a chain-agnostic super app is advancing, positioning it as a key player in blockchain engagement."

Botanika, Building Hyper-Scalable, Decentralized Data Storage Solutions, Raises $1.5M

Botanika, which says it's pioneering hyper-scalable, decentralized data storage solutions, announced $1.5 million in funding from 30 angel investors. According to the team: "Botanika leverages the concept of a decentralized ledger of online events, essentially data; its founding team’s expertise helped create a unique decentralized storage network powered by plug-and-play hardware nodes. Botanika's distinguished advisory team includes Jasmine Zhang, general partner at A&T Capital; Aamer Chaudhry, principal at Accenture; Dr. Qurashi, director of data center at Kyndryl; and Dr. Al Sanad, professor at King Saud University."

Haqq Team Releases SuperApp as 'One-Stop Platform for Shariah Compliant Services on the Blockchain'

The team behind HAQQ Network, an Ethereum-compatible proof-of-stake network built using Cosmos SDK, announced that its new SuperApp has gone live in beta on HAQQ – so the "global Muslim community can now tap into a one-stop platform for Shariah-compliant services on the blockchain," according to the team: "SuperApp allows millions of Muslims to connect with like-minded people, search for Halal products and services, and advocate for the Halal way of life in a convenient way. It aims to grow into a global hub for the Muslim community on-chain, acting like a Mini App Store in the Telegram ecosystem."

Agoric's Orchestration API Goes Live on Mainnet, for 'One-Click Operations'

Agoric, a layer 1 blockchain aiming to enable seamless multi-chain experiences, has announced that its Orchestration API is now live on Mainnet, according to the team: "This upgrade makes the Orchestration API publicly available – allowing developers to easily build long-lived contracts capable of managing complex workflows across multiple blockchains. With this launch, Agoric aims to eliminate challenges of cross-chain interactions, turning cumbersome multi-step processes into streamlined, one-click operations. Use cases include automating yield aggregation, managing NFT rentals or launching cross-chain staking solutions."

Theoriq, Decentralized Protocol for Governing Multi-Agent Systems, Launches Testnet

Theoriq, developers of a decentralized protocol for governing multi-agent systems, today announced the official launch of the Theoriq testnet. According to the team: "The launch of the testnet will coincide with multiple collaborations to bring specialized AI agents and Collectives to the Theoriq network, providing advanced problem-solving capabilities and enabling new combinations of agent collectives." A press release stated: "In Theoriq, AI Agents are autonomous software systems that leverage modern generative AI models to plan, access data, use tools, make decisions and interact with the real world to perform specific functions. Each agent can then be structured into Collectives, groups of AI agents designed to perform more complex tasks. These tasks could include chat completion, code generation and image creation. An Agent can handle multiple tasks at once, making it dynamic."

Layer-2 Scroll Shares Plans for SCR Token Airdrop

Scroll, the team behind the layer-2 network, shared Tuesday that it plans to launch a SCR token to support the blockchain. In a blog post, the team said that the SCR token would be the first step in its roadmap to decentralization. “SCR will be used as a primary governance mechanism of the protocol and progress to being a protocol utility token as Scroll becomes more decentralized,” the team wrote. After the governance has made progress in decentralization, the token will also be used to support decentralization of Scroll’s prover and sequencer.

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.

Monday, Oct. 7

Babylon Plans 'Duration-Based' Cap for Next Round of Bitcoin Staking, After 1K BTC Hard Limit in Initial Run

Babylon, a Bitcoin-focused staking protocol, announced last week that it will open for additional bitcoin staking this week. The first staking round, in late August, was capped at 1,000 BTC (about $64 million worth), but this next round, known as "Cap-2," will be "duration-based," meaning that users can stake as much as 500 bitcoins per transaction over 10 Bitcoin blocks. The window is scheduled to be open as the Bitcoin blockchain runs from block 864,790 through 864,799, expected on Oct. 8. Points awarded per Bitcoin block are tripling to 10,000 from the current 3,125, according to the announcement.

Layer, Maker of Developer Tools for Ethereum Supporting Web Assembly DApps, Raises $6M

Layer, a startup that aims to extend the functionality of Ethereum by making the first developer tools that support full-stack decentralized applications with Web Assembly, disclosed that it has raised a $6 million seed round led by 1kx, with participation from Fabric Ventures, Arrington Capital, Stake Capital Group, and IOBC. Notable angels include Sreeram Kannan of EigenLayer, Rok Kopp and Mike Silagadze of Ether.fi, and Paul Taylor, formerly of BlackRock.

Bitcoin Miner Marathon's Anduro Unveils Tokenization Platform, Starts With Whiskey

Multichain layer-2 network Anduro, incubated by mining firm Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA), has developed a platform for issuing and investing in real-world assets (RWAs) on Bitcoin. The platform Avant, developed alongside tokenization specialist Vertalo, is planning a pilot project to tokenize whiskey barrels, according to an announcement shared exclusively with CoinDesk.

Kain Warwick's Infinex Selects Wormhole as Primary Interoperability Provider

Infinex, a next-generation platform that provides access to onchain protocols, services and apps founded by Kain Warwick, creator of Synthetix, announced the selection of Wormhole as its primary interoperability provider. According to the team: "This collaboration will allow Infinex users to seamlessly transact and take actions across multiple blockchains, delivering a seamless, multichain experience that abstracts away the complexities of using multiple networks and tokens." (W)

Smart-Contract Auditor Hacken Launches DualDefense Flash Pools for 'Community-Driven Security'

Hacken, a smart-contract auditing firm, announced the launch of DualDefense Flash Pools, a platform that "combines real yield with community-driven security enhancements in decentralized finance (DeFi)," according to the team: "In the DualDefense model, Hacken contributes USDC into a Flash Pool, and invites the broader community to stake $HAI to earn up to 180% APY. In turn, security researchers are encouraged to review an already audited code and earn Flash Pool rewards in exchange for uncovering critical vulnerabilities. Implementing a secondary feedback loop puts Hacken’s reputation on the line for the sake of greater security of the Web3 space."

Friday, Oct. 4

Synnax, Decentralized Credit Intelligence Platform, Secures Strategic Investment From Wintermute Ventures

Synnax, a decentralized credit intelligence platform, has secured strategic investment from Wintermute Ventures and TON Ventures, bringing their total funding to $1.55M, according to the team: "The capital will fuel the development of Synnax’s Credit Intelligence protocol and its Telegram mini-app – SynQuest, which has attracted 250,000 users in two weeks. Wintermute and TON Ventures’ expertise in decentralized ecosystems aligns with Synnax’s vision. By sourcing predictive credit analytics from decentralized sources, we allow investors to see credit metrics in real-time, eliminating bias from the rating process.”

Locked.Money, Project for 'Trustless Digital-Asset Vaults, Raises $1.1M

Locked.Money has raised $1.1 million in seed and private rounds to develop its trustless digital-asset vaults, "giving crypto investors full control over their assets with both custodial and noncustodial benefits," according to the team: "The platform combines robust legal frameworks and tax advantages for a secure, user-friendly solution."

Thursday, Oct. 3

Axelar Says New Mobius Development Stack to Support Thousands of Heterogeneous Blockchains

Axelar, a blockchain interoperability project, has launched Mobius Development Stack, described as "a reimagined Web3 design space," according to the team: "Axelar Mobius Development Stack (MDS), an open interoperability platform for decentralized applications, is live on mainnet. Upcoming L1 launches include Flow, Hedera, Solana, Sui, XRP Ledger. MDS is a new interoperability standard: Advanced token utility, infinite security and scalability." Sergey Gorbunov, CEO, Interop Labs, said in a statement that "MDS is the first architecture that scales to support thousands of heterogeneous blockchains."

Polyhedra's ZK Prover, Expander, Tops Speed Rankings in First Results From 'Proof Arena'

Polyhedra Network, a blockchain project specializing in zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs, released the first set of data from its new Proof Arena, a benchmarking platform designed to evaluate and compare different ZK provers. According to the team, "The data includes comparisons of provers from Polyhedra, Polygon, Linea and StarkWare – Expander, Plonky3, GNARK, Halo2 respectively. Results: the Expander prover is significantly faster in terms of proof generation time and peak memory; Plonky3 achieves stellar performance in terms of setup and verification time, and GNARK has the smallest proof size." [EDITOR'S NOTE: Please see our exclusive feature story on Proof Arena, published in July.)

Aptos Labs to Acquire Developer of Palette, Blockchain Whose PLT Token Trades at $23M FDV

Aptos Labs, a blockchain developer, has agreed to acquire HashPalette Inc., a subsidiary of HashPort Inc. and developer of the Palette blockchain. According to the team: "As part of the agreement, HashPort will migrate the Palette Chain and HashPalette’s applications into the Aptos Network, including EXPO2025 DIGITAL WALLET for Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan. This acquisition is a key component of Aptos Labs' strategy to expand its footprint in Asia and bring the high-performing Aptos blockchain to one of the world's most innovative digital economies." According to CoinGecko, Palette's PLT token has a fully diluted valuation of $23 million. (APT)

BOB Integrates '1-Click Bitcoin Staking Solution' Into Everstake Platform

BOB, describing itself as a hybrid layer-2 project powered by Bitcoin and Ethereum, announced the integration of its one-click Bitcoin staking solution, BOB Stake, into the Everstake platform. According to the team: "This collaboration will provide up to 900,000 users – both retail and institutional – easy access to secure Bitcoin staking. Everstake, known for its reliable staking services, aims to enhance user interactions with Bitcoin. The integration simplifies the staking process and opens up DeFi opportunities, making it particularly beneficial for institutional investors." BOB stands for "Build on Bitcoin."

Sui Claims First Among L1 Chains to Run Scion Architecture, Enhancing Defense Against Internet Routing Attacks

Sui, a blockchain built around the Move smart-contracts programming language, has become the first layer-1 project to drop the outdated Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), and is now running Scion’s cutting-edge network architecture. According to the team: "The upgrade provides validators with a comprehensive defense against internet routing attacks that have caused significant downtime on other networks, making Sui even more secure. Implementing Scion enables fallback between networks, giving Sui resilience to network hijacking and DDoS attacks. Validators maintain consensus during attacks, improving epoch rewards. Full nodes benefit from better state sync, avoiding bottlenecks and retry delays." (SUI)

Polish Bank Pekao Partners With Aleph Zero to Launch 'Archiv3,' for Tokenizing Works by Nation's Artists

Poland's second-largest bank, Bank Pekao S.A., has partnered with Aleph Zero to launch Archiv3, "a project to tokenize and preserve renowned Polish artworks," according to the team: "Using Aleph Zero's eco-friendly blockchain, digital reproductions of masterpieces by artists like Jan Matejko and Stanisław Wyspiański have been minted as NFTs and stored in the Arctic World Archive for long-term preservation. This marks the first use of blockchain to safeguard historical art in the AWA, combining technological innovation with cultural preservation."

Digital-Asset Platform Taurus Collaborating With Chainlink Labs to Accelerate Tokenized Asset Adoption

Taurus, a digital asset-platform to custody, issue and manage cryptocurrencies, and Chainlink Labs, a blockchain oracle developer, announced a collaboration to accelerate tokenized asset adoption by financial institutions. According to the team: "Taurus will use Chainlink to enrich tokenized assets with offchain data and enable cross-chain interoperability. This includes integrating Chainlink Data Feeds, Proof of Reserve and CCIP. The collaboration aims to accelerate time-to-market for tokenized assets, increase liquidity and enhance cross-chain security."

Holonym Foundation Partners With Renzo to Support Secure Creation of Human Keys on Mishti Network

Holonym Foundation, a project for decentralized digital identity solutions, announced a partnership with Renzo Protocol, a liquid restaking protocol. According to the team: "The Renzo Protocol platform leverages Ethereum and EigenLayer's robust infrastructure and node operators to support the secure creation of Human Keys on Holonym’s Mishti Network. This enables users to generate keys using anything from biometrics to social accounts, ensuring both flexibility and security."

VC Firm Key Difference Labs Partners With Ethereum L2 Lisk to Launch 'Pioneer' Incubator Program

Key Difference Labs, a venture capital firm, is partnering with Lisk, an Ethereum layer-2 project, to launch the Lisk Pioneer Program, an incubator program for projects looking to build on the Lisk blockchain. According to the team: "Benefits Include Funding: $100,000 per project (total of 20 projects); Mentorship: Guidance from industry leaders with a proven track record; and Exposure: Access to events, marketing support, and networking opportunities. This program is a four-month go-to-market process. Startups will receive expert guidance on tokenomics, raising capital, partnerships, community growth, and assistance with exchange listings."

Cookbook.dev Partners With 30 Blockchains to Integrate Web3 Developer System, Smart Contract Library

Cookbook.dev announced it has partnered with 30 blockchain networks and projects, including Monad, Berachain, Polygon, Sui, Superfluid, Linea, Camp, Celo, Fuel, Web3.js, Pyth Network and Tangle Network, who have fully integrated the Cookbook.dev suite into their documentation. According to the team: "Cookbook.dev’s Web3 developer system includes a comprehensive smart contract library, AI-powered ChefGPT assistant, coding playground, analytics dashboard and more. Cookbook.dev aims to help onboard more devs, deploy more projects more quickly and accelerate their growth."