Hi Everyone 👋. We’re hiring for a number of positions right now so if Blockchain excites you, if you think that Ethereum will change the future, or if you want to be a part of a passionate team on a mission, come work with us at Blox!
We are seeing Eth2 adoption accelerating, and our SSV testnet is about to launch 🚀 We’re scaling fast to create the future of ETH staking and are welcoming devs from all over the world to participate. Check out our careers page for more. Looking forward to working with you!
BLOX STATS
Mainnet Validators
Total: 298
Active: 296
Pending: 2
Staked: 9536 ETH
Rate: 99.988%
Effectiveness: 99.914%
BLOX STAKING UPDATES
Following the mid-audit update back in November, Least Authority has completed the full audit report of our staking wallet implementation.
Security is our main concern and staking by definition is a very sensitive undertaking. It was a challenge to think of a configuration that is easy to use, but which is also non-custodial and thereby minimizes the associated risks.
We’re happy to see that our initiatives are doing what we set out to do, and we are working on the final necessary updates 💪.
ETH2 PROGRESS REPORT
The Merge
Development efforts for the merge are still center stage as Vitalik’s ‘quick merge’ proposal was accepted into the eth2 spec!
Merge designs continue to be polished and tesnets are to be expected in the near future. The exact date still remains to be seen, but it’s looking like the merge will take place sometime around Q4 2021 or Q1 2022 🥳
First Beacon Chain Hardfork
Introducing Altair! Due out this summer, the pre-release of the Eth2 upgrade is currently being reviewed by the client teams with a testnet soon to follow.
The upgrade introduces a number of simplifications to the protocol, but will also act as a practice run for the merge, giving teams the chance to further prepare by first running through a live upgrade.
New Eth2 Testnet
Last week, the latest testnet, Prater successfully launched. Given that the amount of mainnet validators will soon exceed the load of Pyrmont, Prater boasted 210,000 validators at genesis to help identify any challenges associated with an increasing number of validators.
Over the coming weeks, all are encouraged to start moving over from Pyrmont to Prater, we will update you when actions need to be taken for your testnet validators!
ETHEREUM FOUNDATION GRANT
Secret Shared Validators
Mostly quiet on the SSV front as the team gears up for the Phase I testnet set for April 14.
If you are interested in running and maintaining an SSV node as part of the testnet, you can still reach out on Discord! Make sure to send your message in the SSV channel :).
You can also expect some big announcements from the team over the next few weeks on future plans for a comprehensive SSV ETH staking network, so stay tuned!
BINANCE TRADING COMPETITION
Next week, Binance will be holding a couple of competitions for CDT holders and new users to their platform.
To thank the community users for their support, Binance has committed $10,000 in CDT as prizes 🥳. Make sure to follow us on Twitter for more info 💪
FEATURED ARTICLE
Ethereum’s Transition to Energy Efficient Consensus
Stephanie Dunbar
Since network inception, scaling while accounting for energy-related challenges has always been a part of Ethereum’s vision. With Eth2, Ethereum is set to reduce energy consumption by up to 99% — a significant improvement for the blockchain — and larger global energy reduction efforts alike.
To get the complete picture, read the full article.
MORE FRESH READS
Ben Edgington – What’s New in Eth2 – 28 March 2021
Bankless – ETH is Ultra Sound Money
Vitalik Buterin – The Most Important Scarce Resource is Legitimacy
Blox Staking – Import Mainnet Eth2 Validators into Blox Staking
The Daily Gwei – The State of Layer 2
