• Swell L2 migrates to OP Stack.

• Lido integrates CCIP for direct staking.

• Base offers free smart contract monitoring.

• Rhinestone Protocol goes live.

Swell Network announced that it's transitioning away from Polygon CDK and will instead build its Swell L2 restaked rollup on the OP Stack. As part of this move, Swell L2 will join the Superchain, alongside networks like Base, Ink, and Soneium, aligning with Superchain interoperability, governance standards, and shared upgrades. Earlier this month, Swell introduced details of its native SWELL governance token. Although SWELL was initially going to serve as the gas token, the protocol will now use ETH for gas fees to ensure seamless integration with the Superchain. Swell L2 will bring its unique Proof of Restake mechanism. Swell Network has over $1.3 billion in TVL.

Lido, the largest liquid staking protocol, integrated Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP), enabling Direct Staking from any Layer 2 network. The new feature allows users to stake ETH directly from Arbitrum, Base, or Optimism and receive wstETH in a single transaction, simplifying the staking process. Direct Staking leverages CCIP’s Programmable Token Transfers to streamline cross-chain transactions. The implementation either sends ETH and staking instructions to Ethereum mainnet, where wstETH is minted and bridged back to a user’s L2 wallet, or its deposits ETH on L2 and immediately sends wstETH from local liquidity pools to the user, with the deposited ETH later sent to Ethereum mainnet for staking.

Base is now providing free access to smart contract monitoring and analytics tools for protocols and apps built on its network. Powered by the Web3 security platform Hexagate, the initiative aims to help developers create secure and reliable protocols. With the tools, developers can monitor transactions, detect bugs, receive real-time alerts, and take action to safeguard user assets. The Base team already uses Hexagate’s solutions to enhance security on Base. Builders on Base can now apply for real-time, ML-based threat monitoring for up to 10 smart contracts.

Rhinestone Protocol 1.0, a new interoperability protocol for Modular Smart Accounts, is now live on mainnet. Rhinestone aims to address vendor lock-in, ecosystem fragmentation, and security risks by allowing developers to build Modules that enhance smart accounts. Developers can now use Rhinstone to build, extend, and integrate Modular Smart Accounts across EVM chains.

• Vitalik Buterin: Part 6 The Splurge

• Confidential ERC-20 Framework 

• Privy supports Coinbase Wallet

• Bungee Protocol opens early access

• ZKsync TIP001 goes onchain

• Consensys cuts 20% of staff

• Dydx cuts 35% of staff

• OP FND grants 25m OP to Kraken

• SEC chair should withdraw all frivolous cases

• Talent Protocol launches TALENT

• Base Fault proofs tomorrow

• Rocket Pool activates the Saturn 0 upgrade.

• Vyper outlines security enhancements.

• Astria goes live on mainnet alpha.

• Infinex raises $67.7 million.

Decentralized Ethereum staking protocol Rocket Pool, successfully activated the Saturn 0 upgrade on October 28, 2024, at 0 UTC. The Saturn 0 upgrade removes the RPL stake requirement for new minipools, allowing solo stakers to deploy minipools with just 8 ETH. It also included a Houston Hotfix and RPL Tokenomics Rework. While RPL is no longer mandatory, staking still provides access to additional rewards, boosted APY, and governance participation within the Protocol DAO. ETH-only minipools now earn a 5% base commission, with opportunities to increase yield through the new Dynamic Commission model by joining the Smoothing Pool. Saturn 0 is the first in a series of three planned upgrades. Future upgrades will introduce protocol fee sharing and lower minimum stake requirements. Read more: Saturn Explainer.

Vyper, the second-most popular smart contract programming language, published a blog on the current state of its security. Over the last year, the team has completed 12 audits, launched two bug bounty programs, hosted a security contest, and implemented a contract monitoring system, addressing over 100 security findings. The enhanced security efforts come as Vyper experienced critical zero-day vulnerability last year. In addition to audits, Vyper has expanded its testing infrastructure and developed a runtime semantics interpreter called ivy. To maintain progress, Vyper is seeking community support through public goods funding initiatives.

Astria, a shared sequencing layer, is now live on mainnet alpha, enabling rollups to use the network for decentralized sequencing. Astria uses Celestia for data availability and offers fast confirmations with 2-second block times and single-slot finality. Astria only sequences transactions without executing them, giving rollups the flexibility to choose their preferred execution layer. The mainnet alpha operates on a proof-of-authority (PoA) consensus with an initial set of 11 validators. Developers can now build on Astria mainnet using the Astria Stack and the Astria Execution API.

Infinex raised $67.7 million through its token crowdfund by selling over 40,000 Patron NFTs to community members and angel investors. The platform focuses on competing with centralized exchanges by enhancing the user experience and leveraging smart accounts to reduce friction. Infinex serves as a streamlined interface for trading Synthetix Perpetuals.

• Vitalik: Ethereum’s Future Part 5

• Teku v24.10.3 release

• Gnosis GNO Holder report

• Coinbase files amicus brief

• Hey introduces Lists

• Privacy first RPC endpoint

• Shift introduces USDC support

• Succinct introduces a rebrand

• Gelato raises $11m

• Astria goes live on mainnet

• Robinhood integrates election markets

• Kraken unveils its Ink Layer 2 network.

• Arbitrum Orbit supports fast withdrawals.

• Synthetix Perps V3 goes live on Arbitrum.

• Celestia plans v3 upgrade on testnet.

Kraken introduced Ink, a new Layer 2 built on the OP Stack, designed to streamline access to DeFi and onboard users onchain by connecting Kraken’s centralized services with a decentralized ecosystem. Ink will feature 1-second block times, settle transactions on Ethereum, and is being developed with the Gelato Network RaaS platform. Similar to Coinbase’s Base, Kraken anticipates migrating its infrastructure onchain. As a member of the Superchain, Ink will support interoperability, governance standards, and shared upgrades and contribute a portion of its sequencer revenue to the Optimism Collective. The testnet launch is scheduled for November 2024, with the mainnet launch expected in early 2025. Users can currently mint a commemorative NFT on OP Mainnet.

Arbitrum Orbit, a tech stack for building L2 and L3 chains, now supports fast withdrawals, enabling withdrawals transactions to be finalized in as little as 15 minutes for Orbit L2 chains and 15 seconds for Orbit L3 chains. Optimistic Rollups typically require a seven-day challenge period for fraud proofs, leading to long withdrawal periods. Fast withdrawals are initially available for Arbitrum Orbit chains built using the AnyTrust architecture and rely on a Data Availability Committee (DAC). The implementation is facilitated through a committee-based validation process. Arbitrum Orbit chains that meet the prerequisite criteria can customize their own withdrawal configurations.

Synthetix Perps V3 is now live on Arbitrum One through the Kwenta interface with support for 81 new markets. Synthetix V3 introduces multi-collateral support, cross-margin trading, account-based access controls, and improved liquidation mechanisms, allowing traders to use their entire portfolio as collateral across multiple positions. Supported collateral types include ETH, tBTC, USDx, and USDe. Kwenta features one-click gasless market orders, integrated bridging via Socket, and delegated wallets. According to DefiLlama, Synthetix V3 on Arbitrum currently holds about $8.5 million in TVL.

• Funki unviels OP Stack L2

• Discussions to increase gas limit

• Upcoming Celestia v3 upgrade

• ZachXBT has recovered $500m

• OnchainKit introduces Checkout