Zilliqa Monthly Newsletter - Mar 2024

As we step into March, I am delighted to share the latest advancements shaping the trajectory of the Zilliqa ecosystem. The past month was marked by significant milestones that underscore our commitment to growing the core pillars of our network and community.

One of the most notable developments was the launch of the $SEED token, a groundbreaking digital reserve asset that opens up new multi-chain DeFi opportunities for the Zilliqa community. Built on EVM for ease of use and interoperability, this innovative addition to our ecosystem promises to redefine the landscape of decentralised finance on Zilliqa, offering users unprecedented flexibility and accessibility in managing their digital assets across various blockchain networks.

In addition to the excitement surrounding $SEED, there is a palpable buzz building around The Winners Circle as it gears up for its token launch. This revolutionary loyalty program continues to garner widespread attention and anticipation within the community, reaffirming our commitment to rewarding and empowering supporters with a new, Skill2Earn-based approach to fan loyalty.

I am inspired to see the growing momentum and enthusiasm within the Zilliqa community as these new projects roll out within the ecosystem. I encourage both our longstanding community members and newcomers to explore these exciting opportunities and help to shape the future of decentralised finance on Zilliqa.

The technical team continues to work hard to ensure the reliability of applications in the ecosystem while delivering the transformative enhancements that underpin our shift to Zilliqa 2.0, and we look forward to sharing much more of our plans around this network overhaul soon.

March was just the beginning of what promises to be a productive journey ahead. Keep a close eye on our progress, as we continue to push the boundaries of innovation and pave the way for a more decentralised and interconnected future.

- Matt Dyer
Zilliqa CEO

Check out the full highlights from March 2024 below:

New DeFi opportunities with $SEED

One of the biggest moments in March was the launch of $SEED, the new digital reserve asset created by Kalijo.

Kalijo is the team behind PlunderSwap, the first EVM DEX deployed on the Zilliqa network, and they have continued to expand the ecosystem’s DeFi opportunities with the launch of $SEED, a token powering a multi-chain DeFi experience.

$SEED is an ERC-20 token deployed on the ZIliqa network, which means it can be purchased through popular EVM-compatible wallets like MetaMask. The token is designed to generate sustainable value for holders, allowing them to earn returns based on DeFi yields accrued across other major blockchains.

This was a milestone for the growth of DeFi on Zilliqa, with those who purchased the $SEED token in the presale now able to claim 20% of their overall balance each month.

Read more about $SEED on the Kalijo website.

ZilBridge restored and Scilla plugin updated

The technical team was hard at work over the past month, releasing new updates and resolving issues as work continues to progress on the network overhaul for Zilliqa 2.0.

The extended disruption to ZilBridge was resolved in March, with all transactions that were stuck being processed and full functionality being restored. The Zilliqa team worked closely with the Switcheo and PolyNetwork teams to fix the issue and we are grateful for the community’s patience and understanding during the downtime.

A full root cause analysis of the ZilBridge disruption was published, which breaks down how this issue occurred and the steps taken to resolve the issue.

The team also found the time to roll out new features for developers in March, with the latest version of the Scilla plugin for Hardhat being released.Version 3.8.0 of the Scilla plugin for Hardhat adds customisable deployment options, giving developers greater control over smart contract deployment by allowing them to override preset deployment parameters such as the gas price and gas limit.

A new deployment builder has also been added to the plugin, which delivers cleaner and more readable smart contract deployment code.

Redefining fan loyalty with The Winners Circle

The official announcement of The Winners Circle, an exclusive loyalty platform powered by the Zilliqa blockchain, continued to pick up steam in the last month. 

The announcement was featured in CoinTelegraph in March, bringing this revolutionary new approach to a growing audience ahead of the upcoming launch of its native fan token. $HRSE.

The project also made a splash last month by launching a collaborative airdrop with major players in the Zilliqa ecosystem, giving the community exciting rewards.

Partners in the collaborative airdrop hosted by The Winners Circle included PlunderSwap, Zilliqa, LunarCrush, IgniteDAO, Shibui Universe, and TokenTraxx.

Learn more about The Winners Circle on the official website.

Ecosystem News and AMAs

Highlights from the Zilliqa ecosystem last month include an AMA with the Kalijo team and Zilliqa CEO Matt Dyer on the launch of the $SEED token.

The AMA session explored how $SEED token holders can benefit from multi-chain DeFi yields and the growing ecosystem of financial tools on Zilliqa.

Listen to the full AMA with Kalijo and Zilliqa CEO Matt Dyer.

Matt also joined the FANZON3 podcast last month, where he spoke with Zilliqa Head of Business Development Tom Fleetham, and Web3 Media Labs Founder Joe Farren about Skill2Earn and how it can drive adoption for Web3 projects.

In other news, the Zilliqa network was integrated into Carbon, with ZIL now listed on the Carbon dApp store and Wallet and set to launch on LDX.FI.

The Torch smart wallet was also updated, with a number of new enhancements being added to the application along with general fixes and UI improvements.

The Roll1ng Thund3rz team continued to see impressive adoption for Web3War, the free-to-play multiplayer shooter built around a game-changing Skill2Earn model. 

Two new limited-edition cosmetic skin NFT collections were launched in March in partnership with PlunderSwap and Soulless Citadel, respectively, with each selling out on the Fus1on MARK3T in record time.

Stay tuned to our socials and subscribe to the Zilliqa blog to stay up to date with the latest news!