July 24: Hemi Labs announced the Hemi Network, "a modular layer-2 blockchain network focused on delivering superior scaling, security, and interoperability between Bitcoin and Ethereum." According to the team: "Hemi Labs was co-founded by early Bitcoin core developer Jeff Garzik and blockchain security pioneer Max Sanchez, who was the principal developer behind Hemi’s unique method for inheriting Bitcoin’s unique security characteristics – the Proof-of-Proof (“PoP”) consensus protocol."

July 24 (PROTOCOL VILLAGE EXCLUSIVE): Saga, a layer-1 chain designed to launch L1s, is "implementing its chainlet technology with PixelRealm, an Omnichain Gaming platform backed by Binance Labs," according to the team: "PixelRealm is transitioning from an L2 rollup to launching its own L1 using Saga's technology. This enables PixelRealm to offer flexible gas fees, high transaction speeds, and scalability crucial for gaming applications. The collaboration showcases Saga's ability to empower gaming platforms with customized L1 solutions, providing developers enhanced control and efficiency, and demonstrates the real-world application of Saga in the gaming sector."

July 24 (PROTOCOL VILLAGE EXCLUSIVE): RACE, describing itself as "the first full-stack modular blockchain infrastructure platform designed specifically for tokenizing and distributing real-world assets (RWAs)," announced the mainnet launch of its Ethereum layer-2 blockchain built on Optimism’s OP Stack. According to the team: "In tandem with the launch, RACE is joining Optimism's Superchain, a network of chains that are built on the OP Stack and contribute revenue back to the Optimism Collective, the third self-hosted chain to do so alongside OP Mainnet and Base."

July 24: OKX Explorer, a blockchain search engine and Web3 analytics platform, announced that it is the "first official blockchain explorer platform to support the AggLayer, a neutral protocol being developed by core contributors at Polygon Labs." According to the team: "This integration will provide developers with streamlined access to on-chain data and developer tools across all AggLayer-integrated chains. In addition to AggLayer support, OKX Explorer will support the majority of AggLayer-integrated chains."

July 24: Caldera, a "rollup-as-a-service" platform that helps developers quickly spin up layer-2 blockchains, has closed a $15 million Series A funding round led by Peter Thiel's Founders Fund. CEO Matt Katz said in an interview with CoinDesk that the new funds will help him expand Caldera's 15-person team so they can build out the Metalayer, an interoperability ecosystem meant to simplify the process of launching applications across multiple blockchains. The fundraise was led by Founders Fund, with participation from Dragonfly, Sequoia Capital, Arkstream Capital, Lattice.

July 24: Dakota, which describes itself as a crypto bank that is attempting to right the wrongs of centralized lenders such as Celsius and BlockFi, emerged from stealth on Wednesday. The company, which was founded by a group of former Airbnb, Anchorage and Coinbase Custody executives, offers treasury management, lending and payment services to businesses that pay a monthly fee and gain access to a platform that allows them to lend out their deposited crypto across a selection of decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols.

July 24: Per a Bitcoin Magazine article: "Proton, the Swiss technology company that creates privacy-preserving online tools like ProtonMail and ProtonVPN, is launching Proton Wallet, a self-custody Bitcoin wallet. This new product will be integrated with ProtonMail and will enable users to send bitcoin as easily as sending an email."

July 24: Minima, a fully decentralised and device-agnostic L1 for DePIN projects, has partnered with Mercury FX, a global currency payment solution, to provide an alternative to SWIFT - the world’s largest payments messaging network. According to the team: "This collaboration and proof-of-concept will demonstrate an innovative alternative to the SWIFT system, leveraging Maxima, Minima’s information transport layer protocol that allows anyone to exchange information by performing a small amount of work from their device, called Transaction Proof of Work (TxPoW)."

July 24: Alkimiya, a protocol built atop the Ethereum blockchain, launched, introducing a tool that allows users to hedge against volatile Bitcoin (BTC) transaction fee rates. The company was founded in 2021 and is backed by investors including Dragonfly, Castle Island Ventures, 1KX, GMR, Coinbase Ventures, Circle Ventures, Tribe Capital and Robot Ventures, according to the statement. The project raised $7.2 million of funding in January 2023, and went live on a test network in April.

July 24: Bitcoin rewards app Fold is planning a public listing on Nasdaq through a merger with special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Emerald Acquisition Corp. (EMLD). New York-based Fold offers a cashback debit card which provides bitcoin rewards instead of traditional rewards one would expect from other related products. Fold's cards have processed over $2 billion in volume and distributed more than $45 million worth of rewards, according to an announcement on Wednesday.

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.

July 23: Inscribing Atlantis, led by Hell Money podcast co-host Erin Redwing, announced that its "Ephemera" auction will be launching for the first time at the Bitcoin Nashville conference, and will run from July 18 through Bitcoin block height 854,784 (approx. Aug. 2). According to the team: "This project ties Bitcoin block time to astronomical time by inscribing planetary ephemeris data on satoshis (the smallest unit of Bitcoin) from the exact moment they were mined. Through Ephemera, participants can select dates they want to memorialize on Bitcoin, creating a unique digital archaeological record. This initiative explores the concept of Deep Time, aiming to leave a lasting legacy by linking our digital age with the cosmos." The planetary data is inscribed using Bitcoin's Ordinals protocol, created by the independent Bitcoin developer Casey Rodarmor, who is Redwing's fellow co-host on Hell Money. "It's basically my gamified way of trying to get people to participate in my community archeological project," Redwing told CoinDesk in an email.

July 23: Lightning Labs announced the release of Taproot Assets on Bitcoin's Lightning Network, claiming to be the "first multi-asset Lightning protocol on mainnet." According to a blog post by Lightning Labs' Ryan Gentry: "With this release, assets can be minted on bitcoin and sent via the Lightning Network instantly for low fees. As such, we now have the ability to make bitcoin and Lightning multi-asset networks in a scalable manner anchored in bitcoin's security and decentralization. This step forward will give users access to the world's currencies on an open, interoperable payments network while routing through bitcoin liquidity, making bitcoin the global routing network for the internet of money."

July 23: Base, the layer-2 network backed by the publicly traded crypto exchange Coinbase, said that fault proofs are now live on the Base Sepolia testnet. According to a blog post: "Today’s launch paves the way for bringing fault proofs securely to mainnet, and completing other milestones to reach Stage 1 decentralization... In Stage 1 decentralization, or 'limited training wheels,' the chain state is verified with fault proofs but there is an override mechanism that can act in the event of a bug. The override mechanism requires consensus from both chain operators and a designated number of external stakeholders, which reduces the dependence on chain operators alone."

July 23 (PROTOCOL VILLAGE EXCLUSIVE): OrdinalsBot, a website that helps users create Ordinals inscriptions, is launching TokenPay, an API that allows developers to create payment systems for Runes or BRC20 tokens. According to the team: "TokenPay from OrdinalsBot enables builders to add utility to tokens, accept payment in tokens for on-chain activities including inscribing or minting Ordinals, and pay for transaction fees on DEXs or other trading platforms. As the first platform to enable fungible Bitcoin-based tokens to be used as payment for on-chain activities, TokenPay opens up the platform to new users and use cases and makes it possible to use Bitcoin native tokens for any form of commerce."

July 23: Avail, a blockchain "data availability" project spun out of Polygon in early 2023 that has raised $75 million of funding, is finally launching. The project's main network was set to go live on Tuesday, along with a native token, AVAIL, according to a press release. "The launch of Avail DA marks the first step in Avail’s mission to give developers the tools they need to boost blockchain scalability, enhance liquidity and provide seamless usability across any blockchain ecosystem," according to a press release.

July 23: Breez, a self-custodial Lightning-as-a-service company, has released a nodeless implementation of its Lightning SDK. According to the team: "The Liquid implementation expands Breez SDK’s tools, offering an end-to-end solution for self-custodial Lightning payments. Key advantages are a simplified experience for developers and end-users by removing the need for channel management, payment channels, and setup fees – while ensuring users retain full custody of their funds. Additional features include interoperability with Bitcoin (on-chain), as well as fiat on-ramps, and multi-device/app support."

July 13: APhone, a decentralized virtual smartphone, and Aethir, a distributed network of enterprise-grade GPU chips, announced a collaboration on a new solution they say "would allow network participants to share cloud resources and effectively scale daily user capacity by 10x via already existing hardware capabilities." According to the team: "Underpinned by enterprise-grade GPUs and Aethir Edge, the new solution will enable APhone to accommodate more than 800,000 daily active users while greatly reducing operational costs."

July 23: Cloud gaming DePIN YOM announced its expansion from Solana to peaq, a layer-1 blockchain optimized for DePIN and Machine RWA. According to the team: "YOM utilizes idle personal gaming rigs instead of Web2 data centers, leveraging users’ powerful hardware to run games and interactive experiences, streaming them to any device via web browsers. Rig owners earn crypto rewards for each game hour streamed. Supporting Unreal Engine 5, a favorite among AAA studios and indie developers, YOM's DePIN offers a sustainable approach to cloud gaming with lower hosting costs and low latency, enabling gamers to monetize their advanced hardware."

July 23: Bitcoin layer-2 blockchain Bitlayer Labs said it raised $11 million in a Series A funding round at a valuation of $300 million. The investment was led by ABCDE and Franklin Templeton, one of the issuers of a spot bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund in the U.S. Bitlayer's layer 2 is based on the BitVM paradigm, which was unveiled last October, laying out a path for Ethereum-style smart contracts on the original blockchain. “We believe that Bitlayer's unique approach and technology has the potential to unlock new use cases and opportunities for Bitcoin," Kevin Farrelly, managing principal at Franklin Templeton Digital Assets, said in an emailed announcement on Tuesday.

July 22 (PROTOCOL VILLAGE EXCLUSIVE): Lumio is launching its layer-2 solution on Solana's public devnet, "marking a significant milestone for Lumio's vision of a blockchain future free from vendor lock-in," according to the team: "Lumio's layer-2 implementation on Solana addresses scalability challenges by enabling faster transactions and lower latency, particularly during periods of network congestion. Developers can deploy their existing code on Lumio's Solana L2 with minimal to no changes, thanks to Lumio's support for various VMs, including the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM), Move VM, and soon, parallelized Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)."

July 22: The SLAM Foundation, incorporated in the Cayman Islands, announced that key contributors from across the crypto industry are coming together to launch SlamNet, describing the project as "the information economy of Web3." CryptoSlam, a multi-chain NFT data aggregator led by CEO Randy Wasinger, is a contributor, along with Animoca Brands. The public is invited to explore the SlamNet litepaper at www.slamnet.xyz. According to a press release: "the SlamNet ecosystem will include the following components:

July 22: Theta Labs, creators of Theta Network, a blockchain-powered decentralized cloud for AI, media and entertainment, has partnered with KAIST AI, an AI research institution, to use Theta EdgeCloud, a hybrid cloud-edge computing platform, for AI model training and inference. According to the team: "This system combines 30,000+ distributed edge nodes with cloud partners like Google Cloud and AWS, delivering over 80 PetaFLOPS of GPU power. The platform optimizes AI jobs for cost and performance by routing to either high-end cloud GPUs (A100s/H100s) or distributed edge network GPUs (NVIDIA 3090s/4090s). KAIST will initially use the platform to train AI models for virtual clothing try-ons."

July 22: NPC Labs, a developer looking to build a GameFi ecosystem on the Base protocol, has closed an $18 million funding round led by Pantera Capital. In an interview with CoinDesk, NPC Labs' co-founder Daryl Xu, explained that the company's mission is to scale gaming on Base by acting as a core contributor to B3.fun, a Base gaming ecosystem, and building GameFi products that are accessible to non-crypto native users.

July 22 (PROTOCOL VILLAGE EXCLUSIVE): ZKEX.com, describing itself as the first "Super DEX," announced it has raised $2.5 million in a seed round from investors including RockTree Capital and KXVC. According to the team: "Offering CEX-equivalent features like Convert, Spot, Derivatives and Token Bridging, users maintain self-custody and trade from their wallets. We use zero-knowledge proofs to secure all transactions, effectively eliminating the risk of cross-chain hacks. This allows traders to access liquidity and trade across 10 chains and rollups without worrying about asset security."

(PROTOCOL VILLAGE EXCLUSIVE) July 19: Osmosis, a blockchain project built with Cosmos tech and describing itself as the "only full-service, cross-chain exchange and DeFi hub," said that one-click trading is now live for all users on Osmosis, powered by the newly implemented "Smart Accounts." According to the team: "Following the passing of prop 796, Smart Account functionality was rolled out to all Osmosis users. 1-Click Trading lets you trade securely without the hassle of tedious wallet approvals. 1-Click Trading is just the first of many upcoming features that will be enabled by Smart Accounts, like support for Passkeys and Face ID authentication, all intended to streamline user onboarding, and improve UX and account management in DeFi." (OSMO)

(FIRST ON COINDESK) July 19: Galaxy Digital, the publicly traded crypto firm led by Michael Novogratz, has acquired substantially all the assets of blockchain node operator CryptoManufaktur LLC, in a deal that will grow the company's Ethereum staking capabilities. The agreement with CryptoManufaktur, known as CMF, was announced in a press release provided exclusively to CoinDesk. Terms weren't disclosed. According to a spokesperson, Galaxy is acquiring the operations and engineering teams and the assets that come with those, increasing the company's serviced assets under stake by about 43%. CMF founder Thorsten Behrens, as part of a three-person engineering team, will join Galaxy's blockchain infrastructure team, which provides staking and blockchain validator services to qualified investors, protocols and digital-asset platforms, according to the press release. $GLXY

(PROTOCOL VILLAGE EXCLUSIVE) July 18: Shape, a creator-focused layer-2 network atop Ethereum and part of the Optimism Superchain, announced the availability of its testnet, with GA going live in Q3. According to the team: "The network is an open space where everyone is free to create whatever they want – from high art to weird experiments. Shape ensures creators that thrive on the network share in its success through 'Gasback.' This mechanic rewards cultural impact directly by giving 80% of sequencer fees back to smart contract owners. Shape is powered by Optimism and, as part of the Superchain, contributes 15% of sequencer fees to the Optimism Collective to fund public goods."

July 18: Chainlink, the blockchain oracle project, announced the launch of the Chainlink Digital Assets Sandbox (DAS), "designed to accelerate digital asset innovation within financial institutions." According to the team: "The Chainlink DAS is the ideal solution for financial institutions that want to quickly innovate and experience the potential of generating new revenue opportunities, increasing efficiencies, improving time-to-market, and more. With the DAS, institutions can seamlessly access ready-to-use business workflows for digital assets." CoinDesk 20 asset: (LINK)

July 18: Bitrue Ventures, the research and investment section of crypto exchange Bitrue, has launched a $40 million investment fund and "is putting out the call to aspiring developers," according to the team. A blog post reads: "Individual recipients of funding can receive up to $200,000 of investment funds that can be allocated however they feel is most appropriate. In addition, Bitrue will make available their various avenues of expertise to provide further support to these projects. While Bitrue Ventures will consider investing into any niche within the crypto space, we believe that the most successful projects right now are likely to be building in the sectors of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Real World Asset tokenization (RWA), GameFi, Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN), and Decentralized Finance (DeFi). As such, projects building within these industries will stand a better chance of receiving funding."

July 18: InfStones, a blockchain infrastructure provider, "launched its node-as-a-service (NaaS) product, empowering emerging protocols to jumpstart their DePIN projects while making sophisticated blockchain node operations accessible to mainstream users," according to the team: "Since 2018, InfStones has provided enterprise-grade node management services to industry-leading groups such as Binance, CoinList and BitGo. In the recent node sale for cloud computing platform Aethir, InfStones’ NaaS product helped to successfully convert over 26,000 of its Checker Node license holders into long-term node operators."

July 18: Raise, a payments provider and with a white-label gift card infrastructure, has partnered with Parity Technologies "to provide the payment rails for the Polkadot mobile app, enabling DOT payments at over 1 million stores and websites across the U.S." According to the team: "Users can make purchases and earn up to 20% cash back in DOT. This integration, previewed at Polkadot Decoded, bridges the gap between crypto and retail, making it easier and more rewarding to use crypto for everyday transactions. The app is set to launch in Q3, with plans to expand internationally by the end of the year." (DOT)

July 18: Zivoe, a real-world asset credit protocol atop Ethereum, raised $8.35 million in their last round, aiming to broaden credit access by connecting blockchain liquidity with real-world borrowers, according to the team: "The round comes in tandem with Zivoe launching its RWA credit protocol on mainnet on July 31 and their Initial Tranche Offering (ITO), a unique liquidity bootstrapping mechanism."

July 18: Nuklai, a layer-1 blockchain built for artificial intelligence, announced the launch of the Nuklai DAO, "a decentralized autonomous organization designed to empower its community and ecosystem," according to the team: "With this development, the company moves towards greater community-driven governance and collaboration. This initiative allows community to have a direct say in the allocation of these funds through proposals and votes on Commonwealth and Snapshot. The launch of the Nuklai DAO will manage the 400,000,000 NAI Community token allocation."

July 18: Polygon Labs, in collaboration with Google Cloud and Accenture, jointly released a white paper that highlights how Web3 solutions can build high-margin loyalty programs. According to the team: "The paper highlights how users can enjoy rewards such as tokenized privileges, gamification, collectibles and community-generated content. This not only improves the user experience but also generates new revenue streams for brands while empowering users to actively participate in loyalty programs." (MATIC)

July 18: Omnichain data network Chainbase has raised $15 million in Series A funding with Tencent Investment Group, Matrix Partners and Hash Global among the investors. Chainbase is an interoperability layer that is building the "first crypto world model," to deliver data from across the cryptocurrency spectrum, according to an emailed announcement on Thursday.

July 18: The Fantom Foundation and Sonic Labs announced a partnership with Alchemy "in which the leading Web3 infrastructure provider immediately contributes RPC support (mainnet and testnet) and key development tools to developers on Fantom’s Opera chain." According to the team: "Alchemy will also support the new Sonic network in the same capacity, enhancing its performance and scalability when it launches later this year."

July 18: Global Web3 accelerator Outlier Ventures has announced a new strategic partnership with Morgan Creek Digital, to launch their first-ever accelerator program in the Latin American region. According to the team: "The program seeks to identify startups developing solutions to drive technological and financial innovation across Latin America. The virtual program starts in September and lasts for 12 weeks, offering selected startups support from Outlier Ventures’ in-house team of experts, tailored mentorship from industry experts, networking opportunities with investors, and up to 200K investment."

July 18: Data platform Allium Labs, which provides enterprise-grade blockchain data to companies like Visa, Stripe and Uniswap Foundation, has raised $16.5 million in a Series A funding round, it announced Thursday. The funding round was led by venture capital firm Theory Ventures whose founder Tomasz Tunguz will join the board as part of the investment. Tunguz said “The demand for cryptocurrencies and tokens has just started" and that Allium will provide the data to "foster broader adoption."

July 18: Pundi X, a blockchain developer, has launched a crypto payment solution, Pundi X Pay for merchants, according to the team: "This innovative solution is set to transform the landscape of physical store crypto transactions with the omni QR code payment layer, making it easier for merchants and customers to embrace cryptocurrency payments. Pundi X Pay InStore QR Code features include extensive wallet integrations (over 500+ direct wallet apps), flexible payment options, instant digital receipts, and AI-powered multi-chain transactions and security: powered by Pundi X AI."

July 18: BitGo has integrated Stacks, "enabling delegate and solo stacking for its clients," according to the team: "This grants them the ability to earn BTC directly within their wallets via a secure and risk-controlled process. Additionally, BitGo now supports the Stacks token standard and acts as a network Signer, contributing to consensus and block production. This Signer role will be crucial for the future launch of sBTC, a decentralized Bitcoin-backed asset."

July 18: Zeebit, describing itself as "Solana's first on-chain casino," is "launching the first fully decentralized risk-on gaming platform on Solana using SonicSVM infrastructure," according to the team: "This on-chain platform features casino classics, PVP games, and novel Web3 experiences with provable fairness and non-custodial settlement. Leveraging Sonic’s scalable L2, Zeebit will migrate its current Solana-based platform, including player histories. Supported by major Web3 VCs and incubated by Solana Labs, Zeebit’s testnet launch will offer various games, followed by a mainnet launch with incentivized campaigns."

July 18: Aethir, a DePIN project specializing in GPUs for AI and pixel streaming, and Beamable, a creator-centric platform for building live games, announced a "strategic end-to-end solution that will empower game studios to develop, build, scale and distribute live games entirely in the cloud," according to the team: "With the launch of this end-to-end solution, developers will be able to store, manage, and process data all on one platform to create more engaging and scalable gaming experiences."

July 17: TON Teleport BTC, a trustless bridge facilitating secure bitcoin (BTC) transfers to and from The Open Network (TON) blockchain, has launched. According to a message from the TON Foundation team: "This development enables BTC holders to securely engage in DeFi on TON and participate in decentralized exchanges (DEXs), lending platforms, and other applications. The TON Teleport BTC process is entirely trustless and transparent, operating without a centralized issuer. Each BTC on TON is 100% backed by actual BTC, pegged through the teleport process, ensuring secure and reliable transactions." (TON)

July 17: IoTeX, an Ethereum compatible blockchain platform optimized for decentralized physical infrastructure projects (DePIN), is launching its 2.0 platform to democratize access to DePIN by partnering with NEAR, Filecoin, RISC Zero, Espresso and more, "to enhance data availability, storage, computation and sequencing," according to the team: "IoTeX 2.0 features DePIN Infrastructure Modules (DIMs) and Modularity Security Pool (MSP) to cut development costs and support sustainable growth for DePIN projects, positioning itself as the largest decentralized hub for devices and data that will be deployed by both humans and AI agents." According to a press release: "The introduction of Modularity Security Pool (MSP) enables DePIN layer-1s to restake their Proof-of-Stake security to DIMs, fueling growth and fostering sustainability within the ecosystem."