Welcome to our December newsletter!

Last Month was action-packed, and we’re excited to fill you in on the highlights. On a side note, our team is growing rapidly - don’t miss your chance to be part of it. Head over to our careers page to apply now!

Latest Events

InfStones Attends Staking Summit

InfStones proudly participated in Staking Summit 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand, engaging with over 1,000 global attendees from the Proof of Stake (PoS) ecosystem. Led by our Director of Product, Rudy Lu, we connected with validators, protocols, and industry leaders while exploring key topics like Bitcoin staking, restaking, LSTfi, and governance challenges. With 80+ distinguished speakers.  We also attended side events, deepening discussions on blockchain infrastructure and validator performance to refine our staking solutions. Inspired by the event, we’re eager to drive innovation and partnerships to enhance the PoS ecosystem. You can read the full recap here.

InfStones Attends DevCon!

We were honored to participate in Devcon 2024, the Ethereum community’s flagship conference, held from November 12–15, 2024, in Bangkok, Thailand. With over 12,000 attendees—double the previous year’s turnout—the event featured keynotes from industry leaders. InfStones co-hosted a side event titled "Scaling the Validator Ecosystem" with bloXroute, led by our Director of Product, Rudy Lu, discussing innovations like preconfirmations, the balance between centralized and decentralized models, and the future of validator networks. Throughout Devcon, we engaged with developers, thought leaders, and blockchain enthusiasts to strengthen our shared commitment to decentralization. The event underscored the rapid evolution of blockchain technology, and we’re proud to contribute to building a more scalable, secure, and decentralized future. You can read the full recap here.

Scaling the Validator Ecosystem: Opportunities and Challenges at DevCon Recap

On November 12, 2024, InfStones co-sponsored the Validator & Node Operator Summit with bloXroute at DevCon in Bangkok, where our Director of Product, Rudy, joined a panel discussing "Scaling the Validator Ecosystem: Opportunities and Challenges." Key topics included preconfirmations, which reduce transaction latency from 12 seconds to 0.1 seconds, benefiting both users and validators, and the debate between centralized and decentralized models in validator networks. The panel also highlighted scaling challenges like Ethereum’s 32 ETH staking requirement and how validators are increasingly relied on for tasks beyond transaction validation, such as price reporting and decentralized workloads. Innovations like preconfirmations, sidecars, and re-staking were discussed as transformative technologies for validator infrastructure. InfStones reaffirmed its commitment to providing scalable, future-proof solutions to support the evolving validator ecosystem. You can read more of it here.

Now Trending

Project Research Report: 0G, Fastest Modular AI chain

0G (Zero Gravity) is the first decentralized AI operating system, designed to support AI applications and chains with scalable storage, data availability, and inference-serving frameworks. Its AI Alignment Nodes ensure network integrity by monitoring validator, storage, and security nodes, with future utility to detect AI model drift and maintain proper AI behavior. The project raised $35M in funding from major investors like Animoca Brands and Delphi Digital and will launch its node sale in two rounds starting November 11, 2024. Node licenses are available in 32 tiers (0.05–0.97 ETH), with rewards including up to 15% of the 0G token supply distributed over three years. 0G’s innovative design addresses blockchain scalability challenges, making it a key player in decentralized AI infrastructure. You can read more about it here.

Simplifying Babylon’s Shared Security Protocol

Restaking evolves blockchain security by enabling networks to share the cryptoeconomic security of established blockchains like Ethereum and Solana, reducing the need for new chains to offer high staking rewards to attract validators. For new Proof of Stake (PoS) blockchains, restaking provides sustainable security using stable assets like BTC or ETH instead of volatile new tokens. Babylon's Bitcoin Staking Protocol innovates by allowing Bitcoin holders to stake and restake BTC in a self-custodial, trustless manner, securing PoS chains without leaving the Bitcoin network. Babylon achieves this through a staking script, the Babylon Chain (a Cosmos SDK hub), and consumer PoS chains, creating shared security while maintaining Bitcoin's sovereignty. This approach strengthens ecosystem security, offers stakers additional rewards, and reduces reliance on inflationary token rewards, expanding Bitcoin’s role in decentralized finance. You can read more about it here.

Jito (Re)staking Cap Increase

Jito, a leading Solana-native validator node client and liquid staking platform with over $3.6B USD in TVL, has doubled its restaking protocol deposit cap to $50M following overwhelming demand. The increase, effective November 18, 2024, comes after the protocol's initial $25M cap was filled within hours of its October 30 launch, demonstrating strong market interest in Solana-based restaking solutions. Jito's innovative approach will allow users to eventually stake any SPL token to receive Vault Receipt Tokens (VRTs), enabling participation in DeFi while maintaining staked positions for additional rewards. Deposit collateral options are currently limited to JitoSOL, wrapped SOL, and other Solana Liquid Staking Derivatives. InfStones is proud to be a partner node operator for Jito, supporting several leading Node Consensus Networks (NCNs) in the ecosystem including Sonic and Switchboard, while also serving as an exclusive Node Operator for Fragmetric's fragSOL VRT vault. Notably, Fragmetric's VRT leverages Solana's transfer hook feature to precisely track balances over time, ensuring accurate distribution of NCN rewards based on holding periods relative to other VRTs. Please see our recent feature piece on Jito’s (Re)staking protocol to learn more about our ongoing collaboration.

CoreDAO Fusion UpgradeCore

CoreDAO, the leading Bitcoin DeFi (BTCfi) blockchain, has launched its highly anticipated Fusion upgrade on November 20, 2024, introducing Dual Staking capabilities that enable higher Bitcoin staking yields for users who stake both Bitcoin and CORE tokens. The upgrade marks a significant milestone for the protocol, which has already secured 75% of Bitcoin hash power and attracted over 6,600 Bitcoin in staking deposits, with close to $1B USD in total value locked (TVL). Core's innovative Dual Staking system introduces tiered rewards, with the highest "Satoshi Tier" available to users who maintain specific CORE:BTC staking ratios, while preserving the base staking option for Bitcoin-only stakers. The protocol is also preparing to launch Liquid Bitcoin Staking (LstBTC) in the near future, which will allow users to earn yield while maintaining liquidity within Core's BTCfi ecosystem. InfStones, a validator partner for Core since February 2023, is excited to continue to provide crucial infrastructure support and validation services to the network, contributing to its robust security and operational efficiency as Core expands its position as Bitcoin's premier yield-generating and DeFi platform.

Expert Insights

Unlock Maximum Rewards with InfStones: Your Path to Success in CARV

Launched on October 11, 2024, the CARV mainnet is building the largest modular Identity and Data Layer (IDL) for Gaming, AI, and beyond. InfStones has quickly become the leading Node-as-a-Service (NaaS) provider on CARV, operating 112 verifier nodes and attracting nearly 10,000 delegations within just one month. Central to this success is CARV Perk, a program sharing 20% of node operation revenue with delegators, creating unmatched rewards for participants. Delegators can earn staking rewards effortlessly, while adventurous users can run their own CARV nodes with InfStones' support. With a controlled token economy and sustainable rewards, InfStones offers a win-win ecosystem for anyone in the CARV network. You can read more about it here.