Here we report on the progress of the leading builders in the zkL1 ecosystem, documenting recent significant releases, technical breakthroughs and general updates
@VitalikButerin outlined @ethereum’s scaling strategy for 2025 and beyond, emphasizing L2 rollups as the key to increasing transaction capacity and reducing fees. He highlighted the need for better security, interoperability, and ETH’s long-term value capture. The roadmap includes expanding blob space for scaling, improving proof systems, and enhancing L2 connectivity to ensure Ethereum remains decentralized and efficient. Buterin urged developers, wallets, and the community to contribute actively, reinforcing Ethereum as a global, censorship-resistant blockchain for decentralized apps: https://vitalik.eth.limo/general/2025/01/23/l1l2future.html
Additionally, researchers from @ethereumfndn proposed the concept of native rollups, a new approach to EVM-equivalent rollups that eliminates security councils and enhances Ethereum L1 security. The EXECUTE precompile enables rollups to verify state transitions directly through Ethereum validators, reducing reliance on fraud proofs and SNARK circuits. This innovation simplifies development, enhances security, and ensures seamless compatibility with future EVM upgrades. By integrating trustless execution, native rollups promise real-time settlement, lower costs, and improved composability, setting the stage for scalable, decentralized applications with minimal infrastructure overhead: https://ethresear.ch/t/native-rollups-superpowers-from-l1-execution/21517
@MinaFoundation outlined its Q1 2025 priorities, focusing on Web3 infrastructure, developer support, and user growth. Key initiatives include finalizing the Ethereum Token Bridge, advancing Mina Attestations, and expanding mobile proving. Despite some delays, the team is scaling engineering efforts and partnerships: https://minaprotocol.com/blog/mina-foundation-product-priorities-q1-2025
They also shared updates on the @MinaProtocol bridge ecosystem. Aligned State Bridge by @alignedlayer will soon enable Mina’s Kimchi proofs verification on Ethereum, leveraging work by @class_lambda. The verifier is complete, and Mina Foundation has started a security audit with @hackenclub. The Ethereum/Mina Token Bridge will bring ETH liquidity to Mina. A security audit by @zellic_io began in December, and the bridge will launch after fixes. The devnet version is already available for testing: https://x.com/MinaProtocol/status/1884278440792318162…
@o1_labs have shared a guide in which they explain how to build zkApps on Mina through the Mastermind zkApp Example Series. This five-level tutorial demonstrates zkApp development, covering architectural patterns, off-chain storage, and recursion. Each level introduces new SDK features, helping developers optimize on-chain storage, manage off-chain data, and integrate proof recursion: https://o1labs.org/blog/mastermind-zkapp-example-series
@untitled_ZK raised funding through its early Echo round, which was successfully completed. Echo, a community-driven fundraising platform, has facilitated over $70 million in total investments. The project aims to advance decentralized systems and explore new approaches to mutable state in Web3 apps: https://x.com/untitled_ZK/status/1885007206703132709
@ProvableHQ has released snarkOS v3.3.0, bringing performance updates to SnarkVM and validator infrastructure for @AleoHQ. The validator count increases to 25, boosting Aleo’s throughput to 50 TPS. Faster syncing fixes have been implemented, along with performance and documentation improvements. Validators must upgrade before the Feb 18, 2025 mainnet launch to avoid disruptions: https://provable.com/blog/announcing-snarkOS-v3.3.0…
In addition, Aleo co-founder @1HowardWu participated in the @a16zcrypto podcast where, with @SuccinctJT and @rhhackett, they discussed why privacy is crucial for blockchain apps. They explored privacy-enabling technologies like ZKPs and TEEs, highlighting how private onchain apps can unlock new use cases beyond payments. The talk emphasized the growing need for secure, private transactions in Web3: https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/podcast/blockchain-privacy-aleo/
Co-founder of @horizenglobal, @robviglione, appeared on the Web3 podcast discussing the overall impact of ZK tech with @samkamani. They explored ZKPs, their role in AI and DeFi, real-world apps like fraud prevention and gaming, and Rob’s journey from Bitcoin to building ZK tools for Web3’s future: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4zOXXxkkG3o81q4raJuAlu?si=PvaE_ch8Qh-EW8npAbp0Cw&nd=1&dlsi=fe0d1b4310aa4e35…
In addition, @JackG91 from @HorizenLabs spoke at @polimi’s Blockchain & Web3 Observatory final conference. He discussed Horizen Labs’ collaboration with @ZKVProtocol and key Web3 trends. The event concluded a series of workshops showcasing innovation in blockchain technology: https://x.com/HorizenLabs/status/1882839952066548162
@Aleph__Zero's Mainnet 14.0 Uqbar upgrade is live. Community validators have successfully upgraded, and all remaining validators must update to version 14.0 by Feb 12, 2025, to complete the network transition: https://github.com/Cardinal-Cryptography/aleph-node/releases/tag/r-14.0.0…
Additionally, Aleph Zero’s AZERO is now integrated with @FireblocksHQ, giving 2,000+ institutions seamless access to secure custody and blockchain innovation. This integration enhances DeFi, gaming, and enterprise solutions while improving compliance and security, boosting Aleph Zero’s ecosystem and expanding real-world Web3 apps: https://alephzero.org/blog/fireblocks-integrates-azero/…
And last but not least, the Aleph Zero team shared their 2025 roadmap, in which they focus on full decentralization and privacy-first blockchain solutions. Key releases include zkOS, the Shielder SDK, and @Common__App, bringing private transactions, ERC20 shielding, and interchain privacy. Community validators will fully control L1, and permissionless relayers will enhance security: https://alephzero.org/blog/2025-roadmap/
@hyle_org introduced Hyleoof, a trustless, non-custodial zkAMM demo designed to improve DeFi swaps with single-transaction execution. Built on Hylé’s ZK-based blockchain, it reduces gas fees, enhances efficiency, and ensures privacy. Users retain full control over transactions, while developers benefit from simplified and secure settlements: https://blog.hyle.eu/introducing-hyleoof/…
Hylé also hosted a 10-day hackathon with @OnlyDust_com, offering eight challenges for developers, including identity contracts, AMM front-end improvements, and faucet app creation. The event provided an opportunity for contributors to showcase their skills and enhance Hylé’s ecosystem with innovative solutions: https://x.com/hyle_org/status/1882065757133250597…
They also partnered with @zerobasezk to enhance proof generation through pipelined proving. Developers can now submit verifiable transactions to Hylé, with @zerobasezk handling proofs efficiently. This collaboration ensures faster proving, simplified development, and cost-effective scaling, improving app performance without delays: https://x.com/hyle_org/status/1881688262865301630
@N1Chain introduced NTS, a TypeScript-based smart contract development environment, enabling 8 million TypeScript developers to build blockchain applications with unlimited scalability and millisecond latency. This expands Web3 accessibility beyond Solidity, with early developer access now available: https://x.com/N1Chain/status/1885334781627687398…
Additionally, N1 announced a partnership with @jito_sol to bootstrap security for its novel L1 blockchain. By leveraging Jito’s MEV-enabled liquid staking expertise, N1 aims to establish a strong validator network, ensuring scalability, secure native bridges, and decentralized execution for next-generation crypto apps: https://x.com/N1Chain/status/1876992283742241104
@zcash presented a host of recent updates, including key takeaways from the ECC Summit, approval of Zcash Shielded Assets in NU7, and the FROST v2.1.0 release. Discussions focused on privacy, governance, and scaling adoption. Updates on Zashi Vault, cross-chain integrations, and ecosystem improvements were also shared: https://zechub.substack.com/p/zcash-shielded-news-vol15
