Month At A Glance — May 2024
A quick rundown of the latest happenings and significant milestones within the Tezos ecosystem for May 2024.
Welcome to our latest issue, Month At A Glance, where we give a quick rundown of the latest happenings and significant milestones in the Tezos ecosystem on a monthly cadence.
May 2024 was a big month for product releases and new developments introduced to the Tezos ecosystem. These releases and updates include the Kukai iOS beta, tzBTC 2.0, Etherlink mainnet beta, Paris B protocol updates, and more.
Let's break it all down.
Ecosystem Insights
Kukai iOS Beta Release 
The most exciting thing for me that was rolled out this month was the Kukai iOS beta. If you've been involved in the Tezos ecosystem, then more than likely you’ve used Kukai web wallet. The unique Direct-Auth feature makes logging into your wallet via a social handle/email a breeze.
Imagine bringing the same seamless experience of the Kukai wallet to the palm of your hand via mobile phone. Thanks to the impressive work done by Kukai mobile dev Simon McLoughlin, that possibility is now! Users can now participate in the Kukai iOS beta via Testflight.
Some of the new features brought by the mobile iOS version include the following:
Automatic token discovery via TzKT, with the ability to hide, favorite, and reorder tokens.
You can view your collectibles in grouped or ungrouped modes. Items inside each group are ordered by the latest received, allowing you to view what's been obtained quickly.
Collection viewing mode.
A media player that supports images, GIFs, videos, and audio. It also includes attributes, floor price, and last sale price pulled from OBJKT.
A brand new discover section to see a curated list of dApps in the Tezos ecosystem and key partner projects such as Manchester United.
Native integration of Wallet Connect v2.
Easier access to all your accounts via switching paired wallet addresses.
Social login support and the introduction of the ability to sign in with your Apple ID.
Tez onramps within the app.
Ghostnet integration, allowing teams an easier means to test their apps.
Token pricing charts and a brand-new delegation rewards view are available.
The most noteworthy change, in my opinion, is the introduction of Apple ID as a sign-in option.
The “Discover” section is also neat, showing NFTs, DeFi, Games, Art, Collectibles, and more tabs. The very top of the page also features a feed of ecosystem partners and major platforms. That said, many other new features are still to be announced. If you use an Iphone, visit Testflight and give Kukai mobile via iOS a try, and be sure to provide feedback as well!
tzBTC 2.0 Is Here!
If you've been following Roman Schnider on Twitter/X, then you’ve probably seen that he has been posting updates on tzBTC 2.0. Fast forward to the present; we've been greeted with the mainnet beta release of tzBTC 2.0!
tzBTC is a tokenized version of bitcoin on the Tezos blockchain, allowing bitcoin to be used within the Tezos DeFi ecosystem. Keyholders manage tzBTC by minting and burning tokens, while gatekeepers handle the conversion between bitcoin and tzBTC, requiring KYC and AML checks.
The bridge mechanism utilizes technology from Acurast, which involves multi-signature wallets and decentralized verification processes. You can learn more about Acurast or read one of our publications featuring them.
What's New?
tzBTC 2.0 introduces several key improvements over the original version:
Gatekeeper optimization: Automated, self-service minting and burning with no fees except gas fees. This makes the process faster and more accessible.
Keyholder automation: Leverages the Acurast execution environment to automate tzBTC's previous time-consuming process. It effectively automates minting and burning so that tzBTC will be instantly available to gatekeepers.
Cost-effectiveness: Subsidized by the Tezos Foundation, eliminating minting and burning fees.
Multi-chain capability: Future support is intended for minting tzBTC on other blockchains, enhancing accessibility and usage.
If you’re a fan of bitcoin and Tezos, then make sure to check out the new updates of tzBTC via the website.
Paris B Protocol Update
With the Paris B upgrade a few days away from activation (at the time of writing), Inference AG discovered a few critical issues after a security audit.
The Paris B protocol had three critical issues. These include incorrect reward computation for overstaked bakers, faulty unstake requests after staking operations, and a mismatch in ticks limits for Smart Rollups' WASM PVM affecting refutation game performance.
These issues do not threaten network security but required immediate fixes. Paris B2, included in Octez v20.0, addresses these issues and will be activated on June 4th. Nodes running Octez v20.0 will automatically implement these fixes.
If you're a baker, install the latest version of Octez to enable a smooth transition towards the new protocol!
News From The Tezos Ecosystem: Quick Bits
OBJKT launches a Microsoft paint-themed competition
The Objkt Paint '98 competition invites artists and digital enthusiasts to create pixel art using Objkt's MS Paint-inspired tool. With a prize pool of 500 tez and a top prize of 250 tez, participants showcased their creativity while competing for unique rewards. Check out our article covering the news.
TezDev is only a month away!
The first batch of TezDev tickets has been released. If you're a community member and you have yet to hear of TezDev, what are you doing? Get your tickets and have a chance to win some exclusive swag for the event on July 11th here.
freeCodeCamp.org releases Tezos blockchain development course
Thanks to a grant by the Tezos Foundation, freeCodeCamp.org has released a 12-hour-long comprehensive Tezos blockchain development course. The course covers introductory concepts to developing Tezos dApps and interacting with smart contracts.
3Route secures grant from Tezos Foundation
Developed by Baking Bad, 3Route is a cross-DEX on-chain aggregator for Tezos. The Tezos Foundation's announcement explains more about 3Route and the grant.
OBJKT presents Matter & Data
OBJKT announces the Matter & Data exhibition at Digital Art Mile during Art Basel, featuring 17 artists exploring digital and physical art forms. The exhibition includes interactive installations, code-based works, 3D animations, AI-assisted photography, plotter drawings, 3D printed sculptures, holographic 3D portraits, and digital and physical paintings.
Events
Tezos Gaming Megaspace on X — May 2nd
Artz Friday w/ Yoeshi — May 3rd
Tuesday TezDay w/ MetaPals — May 7th
Artz Friday w/ Marc Fendel — May 10th
TezTalks Live #88: Claude Barde
Singapore Tezos Gaming Showcase — May 11–12th
Tuesday TezDay Community Call — May 14th
Artz Friday w/ DarkestDollX — May 17th
Tuesday TezDay Community Call — May 21st
TezTalks Radio #79: MetaPals
VivaTech 2024 Conference — May 22–25th
Artz Friday w/ PapaBeardedNFTs — May 24th
Tuesday TezDay w/ Beets — May 28th
Consensus 2024 — May 28–31st
WAC Lab Demo Day — May 30th
TezTalks Radio #80: Beets
Community Rewards Program
The Community Rewards Program (CRP) is a Tezos Commons Foundation initiative to foster adoption and support the Tezos ecosystem. Every month, up to 5,000 tez are rewarded to those who stand out in merit and act in the interest of the Tezos ecosystem as a whole.
The nomination form has been drastically streamlined to make it easier for community members to nominate their favorite contributors to the ecosystem. Now containing only three questions, submitting a nomination takes less than 30 seconds.
Don't have 30 seconds? Tag any Discord message or tweet with #TezosCRP, and we will collect the messages!
The categories and nomination standards have remained the same. For more information, visit the refreshed landing page here. We've also announced the April 2024 winners, so be sure to check out the recap here.
About Tezos Commons Foundation
Tezos Commons is a non-profit organization that emphasizes building communities on Tezos and supporting the Tezos ecosystem and its members. By organizing several community-focused events, hosting infrastructure, and funding small projects, Tezos Commons has actively contributed to building communities on Tezos.
Learn more about Tezos Commons. Are you interested in becoming a Tezos SuperFan and hosting events? Click here and begin your journey.
Stay in the Conversation, Stay in the Know
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Month At A Glance — May 2024 was originally published in Tezos Commons on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
