Aleph Zero: Contributors’ Update for September 2024

As we wrap up September, it’s time to reflect on Aleph Zero’s continued progress and upcoming plans. In August, we released a roadmap update outlining our goals, and we’re excited to share how far we’ve come.

Not only that—from now on, expect monthly status updates for all the key areas and milestones, along with a heads-up on upcoming developments. We already invite you to the X Space on Monday, September 30th, at 1PM UTC, where we’ll go over the details of the progress outlined in this article.

Below are the key updates on the items from the last progress update post.

1. Governance Vote: Final Voting Nears Completion

Status: Governance introduced, three voting stages concluded, last one nearing completion.

We’ve continued to deliver regular updates on the governance vote, and we’re thrilled to see the community’s voice being actively involved. The final stage is now in progress, bringing us closer to a more decentralized decision-making process. Alongside this, work on implementing the reworked economic model for the network is already underway.

Once the community determines key parameters—such as the maximum supply and first-year emission—we expect implementation to occur by mid-October. This will be preceded by a brief testing period on the Testnet to ensure the new logic functions as intended.

Meanwhile, we’re open to discussion and governance proposals for other matters – if there’s a proposal that gets a major support from the community, and it’s possible to implement it, the core team will put it up for vote on gov.alephzero.org and follow the community’s decision.

2. Marketing Strategy: Time to Go Hard

Status: Ongoing activity, changes are being implemented.

Aleph Zero’s marketing strategy is evolving to better address two distinct sectors: institutional and crypto-native audiences. On the institutional side, we’re witnessing steady growth, positioning Aleph Zero as a trusted partner in enterprise blockchain applications. 

However, we recognize the need for significant improvements on the crypto-native side, and work is underway to bridge that gap. The testnet launch of the zkOS – in which users will be able to see the benefits of it for themselves, live for the first time – is a great opportunity to go hard on promoting both the zkOS and Common as the main interface for using it.

3. Aleph Zero EVM: Launched!

Status: The Aleph Zero EVM has been successfully launched, already onboarding over 28,000 users. New use cases coming in Q4!

We’re expecting the first projects to go live on the EVM Mainnet already in Q4, kicking off the Aleph Zero DeFi ecosystem.

Expect the releases of:

• Camelot DEX with farming rewards;
• Rarible;
• A multichain bridge;
• Upcade.xyz on EVM;
• And more!

We are excited about what the EVM integration unlocked in terms of smart contract capabilities and the speed of development, which already shows its benefits when it comes to the development of Common, zkOS, or external integrations.

4. Sports & Entertainment Use Cases: Expanding Deployments

Status: Delivered with VIB3S, onboarding new use cases.

Sports and entertainment remain a promising avenue for Aleph Zero adoption, with the ability to bring in millions of new users to crypto–especially if all the blockchain complexities are abstracted away from the users.

This is what we pursued for with launching VIB3S–a white-label app with all the features necessary to building unique fan experiences for brands. The first use case is already live, bringing in more than 25,000 new users to the Aleph Zero EVM network during the brand’s real life event. 

More use cases are in the pipeline, and we anticipate even broader deployments soon. This sector represents a dynamic opportunity for Aleph Zero to expand its utility. Also, when it comes to embedding privacy-enhancing features within the app.

5. zkOS: Testnet Launch Around the Corner

Status: Soon to be delivered on Testnet.

zkOS is making headway, with its testnet launch soon to be delivered. We’re committed to ensuring this release meets the high-performance standards expected from Aleph Zero. This project is a cornerstone of our privacy-focused solutions and will further enhance the ecosystem’s offerings.

The initial release will already come with a feature demo that will be integrated into the upcoming Common Wallet. While using zkOS will differ in the wallet, compared to the demo, it will give you an idea of how shielding works, how fast it is on Aleph Zero, and see on the explorer… that you cannot see any transaction details.

6. Community Tokens & Go-to-Market Support: Ongoing Efforts

Status: In progress, upcoming default listings in Common.

Supporting community tokens and guiding their go-to-market strategies remains a top priority. While this is still in progress, we are excited to see how these projects will unfold and contribute to the overall vibrancy of the Aleph Zero ecosystem.

The decisions around showing Community Tokens that were verified on psplist.xyz by default in Common AMM’s UI have been already made. The work on implementing that is scheduled within the next team sprints. The support in securing listings on centralized exchanges is ongoing.

7. Liquidity: Nearing Finalization

Status: Not improved yet, remains the highest priority until resolved.

Liquidity remains a critical aspect of Aleph Zero’s development. We are currently in the final stages of contract reviews with market makers. Once this is complete, we expect to make the markets more attractive for traders through deepening the available liquidity.

8. Common Mobile: Still on Track

Status: Updates to become more regular, development in progress.

Common Mobile is a vital component of our future roadmap. While updates have been somewhat irregular, the project remains on track and relevant to the outlined timeline. We’re committed to delivering a mobile solution that will elevate user experience and enhance privacy features.

Common Wallet and a Sidepanel Extension are the main gateways to interacting with the EVM ecosystem in a privacy-enhanced manner thanks to the zkOS. The design & development work on the initial release for Common Wallet – for the WASM network – keeps progressing, together with a Sidepanel Extension for the EVM.

9. L1 Institutional Tokenization: Stage 1 Is Here

Status: Stage 1 of the project is finalized, announcements in the next few days.

One of the most exciting developments is the upcoming release of Stage 1 of our L1 institutional tokenization use case. Set to be announced within the next few days, this marks a significant step toward providing institutions with advanced tools for asset tokenization on Aleph Zero’s infrastructure.

10. Other Developments: Ongoing Updates

From community discussions to AMA sessions, we’ve been providing updates on various smaller but important developments. The focus remains on transparency and keeping the community informed about the overall progress of the project.

Here are the updates for the other developments mentioned in the previous update:

• Leading chain integration software integration: encountered a technical roadblock that pushed the development back by a month, expected to be finalized in October;
• Major custodian integration: on track to be delivered in December.

Remaining Challenges

While major progress has been made, several areas require attention in the short term:

• Liquidity: This continues to be a major challenge, overshadowing other developments. However, we are confident that the final stages of contract reviews will soon resolve this issue.

• Market Availability: As we grow, expanding our market presence—especially in the U.S.—is increasingly important. As we are already in touch with local partners, we expect tangible progress in the near future.

• External Communication: We recognize that our external communication could still be more frequent and intensive, and we’re actively working to address this. 

Solving the above challenges is the core team’s highest priority and will remain as such until resolved.

Looking Ahead

The Aleph Zero ecosystem continues to evolve. More updates are on the way, and we look forward to sharing them with you soon.

Stay tuned!

Aleph Zero Team