Written by: GaryMa, WuBlockchain

In February, blockchain technology had the following major updates:

Bitcoin

● Zero-Knowledge Gossip for Lightning Network Channel Announcements: A recent proposal suggests improving channel announcements using “zero-knowledge gossip,” a privacy-preserving technique. This allows other nodes to verify whether a channel is valid (backed by funds) without revealing specific details, preventing malicious attacks while protecting user privacy.

● Erlay Protocol Update: Erlay is a new approach aimed at reducing the bandwidth (data traffic) required for transaction propagation in the Bitcoin network. Research indicates that by adjusting “fanout” (the method of broadcasting transactions) and “set reconciliation” (efficient data synchronization), bandwidth usage can be reduced by 35%-45%, though it may slightly increase transaction propagation delays.

● Simulating the OP_RAND Opcode: Bitcoin currently lacks direct support for random number operations (OP_RAND). However, a method has been proposed allowing two users to sign a contract for a random payment (winner takes all) using special techniques, without compromising privacy. This approach offers flexibility for small-scale or complex transactions.

● Deterministic Transaction Selection from the Mempool: A suggestion has been made to require miners to publicly commit to the transactions in their mempool and select them for inclusion in blocks based on fixed rules. This could reduce the risk of miners arbitrarily prioritizing transactions, especially for large corporate miners or decentralized mining pools.

● Lightning Network QoS Flag Discussion: Proposals include marking high-availability (HA) channels with a 100% forwarding success guarantee, penalizing operators by excluding failed channels. Some worry this could lead software to overly rely on HA channels, with large nodes leveraging trusted liquidity and small nodes facing expensive JIT (just-in-time) adjustments, potentially leading to losses or unpopularity.

Ethereum

● Pectra Upgrade Activated on Holesky Testnet: The Ethereum Pectra upgrade went live on the Holesky testnet on February 24 at 21:55 UTC. However, due to errors in configuring deposit contract addresses by some execution layer (EL) clients — specifically failing to adapt to Holesky’s unique address — most validators attested to an invalid chain (justified but not finalized), disrupting the network’s consensus and preventing finality. This issue is exclusive to Holesky, as its configuration differs from the mainnet, other testnets, or devnets. Developers are advised to update to bug-fixed client versions, resync EL and consensus layer (CL) nodes, and delete slashing databases (used to prevent double-signing) if applicable. The goal is to restore Holesky’s functionality and achieve finality through community and developer collaboration. Further solutions will be discussed at the upcoming ACD (All Core Devs) meeting.

● Sepolia Testnet Upgrade: The Pectra upgrade is scheduled for the Sepolia testnet on March 5. If successful, the mainnet upgrade is planned for April 8.

● Fusaka Upgrade (Post-Pectra): The scope of the Fusaka upgrade will be finalized on April 10.

● Vitalik TAKO AMA: Topics included ETH’s positioning, sequencer centralization challenges, L1 vs. L2 dynamics, the Ethereum Foundation’s governance philosophy, Ethereum’s breakout strategy, and metrics for measuring Ethereum’s success. Link: https://app.tako.so/user/5650

● Ethereum Foundation Unveils Open Intents Framework: A modular, open framework designed to enhance cross-chain interoperability, supported by over 30 teams. It simplifies the process of passing intents to users across any chain, improving the cross-chain experience. The framework addresses key components like solutions and settlement in a modular way, offering flexibility for developers to choose the best parts without relying on a single provider.

● Ethereum BEAM Chain Proposal Update: Due to naming conflicts, BEAM must be renamed. Up to 14 teams are confirmed to be working on Beam client development.

● Unichain Mainnet Launch: Unichain mainnet is now live, with nearly 100 crypto protocols already onboarded.

● Bybit Safe Wallet Theft Follow-Up: A Safe developer’s device was compromised, injecting malicious code into the frontend that intercepted and altered transaction parameters. Investigation confirmed malicious code in Safe’s frontend JS files, with the related address (0xbdd077f651ebe7f7b3ce16fe5f2b025be2969516) linked to a malicious contract that drained $1.5 billion of Bybit’s assets.

Solana

● SIMD-0228 Proposal: Now open and nearing an on-chain validator vote, this proposal, submitted by Tushar Jain of Multicoin Capital, aims to shift SOL issuance to a market-driven model. It sets a target staking rate of 50% to enhance network security and decentralization. If over 50% of SOL is staked, issuance decreases, reducing yields to discourage further staking; if below 50%, issuance increases to boost yields and encourage staking. The minimum inflation rate is 0%, with the maximum based on Solana’s current issuance curve.

● SIMD-0096 Proposal Activated: This proposal, now live on the mainnet, changes the transaction priority fee model from 50% burned and 50% rewarded to validators to 100% rewarded to validators.

Base

1. Gas Target Increased to 27 Mgas/s: Last September, Base set a scalability goal of 1 Ggas/s (1000 Mgas/s), planning weekly increases of 1 Mgas/s. Raising the Gas Target allows the network to process more transactions in the same timeframe, mitigating fee spikes during high demand. The Gas Target differs from the maximum Gas Limit — blocks can temporarily exceed the Target (raising fees) but cannot surpass the Limit, which imposes a hard cap on block size.

BNB Chain

● 2025 Technical Roadmap Released: BNB Chain aims to reduce transaction latency by shortening block times from three seconds to sub-second levels while maintaining high throughput, targeting 100 million daily transactions. In 2025, BNB Chain will collaborate with its community, leveraging BSC and Greenfield to accelerate AI advancements, and continue optimizing developer tools, including:

● Streamlined SDKs and APIs: Categorizing and improving access to core blockchain development resources.

● BNB Chain AI Code Copilot: Introducing AI-driven tools to assist builders with efficient coding and debugging.

SUI

● Sui Foundation Launches Sui NS Program: This initiative aims to foster impactful development by directly funding projects aligned with Sui’s ecosystem needs and Sui NS growth, strengthening community collaboration. The SuiNS RFP application channel is now open, allowing developers to submit proposals. Selected developers must sign a funding agreement outlining milestones, deliverables, and timelines, and undergo identity verification for transparency and accountability. The RFP program accelerates Sui ecosystem innovation by defining specific focus areas and encouraging developers to propose and build solutions with funding support.

● Mysten Labs Founder Adeniyi Announces On-Chain Privacy Communication: Via Walrus and SuiNS, users can privately connect with anyone using video, audio, or text.

Near

● 400ms Block Time Coming Soon: Near’s official tweet highlights that this will make AI operations faster than ever.

● OmniBridge Introduced: A next-gen cross-chain infrastructure connecting NEAR to other blockchains, enabling token launches as NEAR LP pairs on any chain and standardizing token flow paths.

● Shade Agents Launched: Multi-chain, AI-driven smart contracts fully verified on-chain, designed to eliminate single points of failure.

● FROST Unveiled: A multi-party computation protocol enabling non-EVM chains (e.g., Solana, TON, Stellar) to integrate with NEAR’s Chain Abstraction stack.

● Proof of Response (PoR): A new primitive from NEAR AI ensuring liveness and responsiveness in decentralized systems (e.g., blockchain and AI agent networks). PoR uses an encrypted transport layer (like TCP/IP) to confirm node responses and incentivizes high-quality service via payment channels. Use cases include AI agents, AI inference, decentralized storage retrieval, ZK proof networks, and VPNs.

● AITP (Agent Interaction and Transaction Protocol): Released by NEAR AI, this standardized protocol enables AI agents to securely communicate, exchange data, and transact across trust boundaries (fiat and crypto). AITP supports multi-agent collaboration (e.g., user assistants interacting with third-party agents) and fosters a transparent ecosystem via blockchain payments (e.g., NEAR’s payment system).

Avalanche

● Avalanche Visa Card Launched: In partnership with blockchain-based card issuer Rain, this card allows users to spend AVAX, wrapped AVAX, and stablecoins USDT/USDC at any Visa-accepting merchant. The Avalanche Foundation previously noted a focus on targeting users in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Sonic

● SonicLabs Co-Founder Andre Cronje Shares 2025 Vision: Key focuses include: 90% of Gas fees allocated to apps, reducing validator and MEV profits; subsidized Gas fees to lower user entry barriers; customizable Gas rates for apps; and native account abstraction to eliminate wallet and Gas dependencies. The core goal is to reduce user experience friction while boosting app developer revenue.

● One-Click Validator Deployment: Launched with Google Cloud and BCW, this feature offers code-free setup, reward earning, and Sonic network security.

Hyperliquid

● HyperEVM Goes Live: The initial mainnet release includes HyperEVM blocks built as part of L1 execution, inheriting HyperBFT consensus security; instant transfers between native spot HYPE and HyperEVM HYPE (the native Gas token); and a canonical WHYPE system contract deployed at 0x555…5 for DeFi apps. Future upgrades will enable generic ERC20 native transfers and precompiles. Though tested on testnets, the mainnet rollout is phased to minimize impact on existing L1 users, maintaining low-latency trading while integrating with L1 state.

Berachain

● Mainnet Launched on February 6: Berachain’s mainnet is now live.

● Governance Phase 1 Announced: Teams can submit RFRVs (Request for Reward Votes) per guidelines, supporting BEX or non-BEX/general smart contract pools, with feedback encouraged on the designated forum.

● PolarisOnBera Launched: The first fully autonomous Star in the Sky Agent framework, it leverages Sky ecosystem’s $7.5 billion USDS to inject capital into Berachain, combined with the PoL mechanism.

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