As we close out 2024, I’m thrilled to reflect on the incredible progress we’ve made this year. This month, we marked a major milestone with the launch of Aventurine, the proto-testnet and proto-mainnet that will serve as a critical foundation for our journey toward Zilliqa 2.0.

Aventurine is all about ensuring a smooth and successful transition to Agate, allowing developers to test their dApps and prepare for the mainnet launch of the new Zilliqa 2.0 blockchain. 

As we prepare for this next leap, I want to thank our community for their continued support, vision, and trust. We can’t wait to share what’s next for Zilliqa in 2025.- Matt DyerZilliqa CEO

Check out all the highlights from the Zilliqa ecosystem for December 2024:

Aventurine release for Zilliqa 2.0 launched

We’ve successfully deployed the Aventurine proto-testnet and proto-mainnet, marking the final major milestone before Zilliqa 2.0 mainnet launch. Aventurine serves as a powerful testbed for developers to explore new features before the full mainnet release.

To learn more about what’s new in this release and how it enables extensive testing prior to mainnet release of the new Zilliqa 2.0 network, read our post on the Zilliqa blog. The foundation of Zilliqa 2.0’s approach to interoperability has already been laid by a partnership with Wanchain to bridge the Zilliqa 2.0 mainnet with Cardano. 

Catch our Ecosystem Talks session with House of Chimera for more discussion around Aventurine, or read the recap.

Preparing for Zilliqa 2.0 Mainnet

Now that Aventurine is live, this testing phase is critical ahead of the mainnet launch of the new Zilliqa 2.0 protocol. The full mainnet release—Agate—is scheduled for the first quarter of 2025 as we have extended the Aventurine phase to allow for the critical testing required to facilitate this transition. 

This gives development teams the time they need to test their applications and ensure they run smoothly on the new protocol before they are switched over to Zilliqa 2.0 mainnet.

Many validators have already begun onboarding, as shown by Zilliqa’s recent partnership with LSP, a staking project with major reach in Asia.

Read more about the road to Zilliqa 2.0 mainnet.

Empowering gZIL holders to grow the Zilliqa ecosystem

gZIL holders successfully passed a vote to form the gZIL Collective Committee, whose members are elected by gZIL holders and facilitate the allocation of community funds to Zilliqa ecosystem projects.

The gZIL Collective Committee will let $gZIL holders decide how to use surplus $ZIL from the recent mining reward halving. These funds will go toward innovative projects, community initiatives, and ecosystem growth. 

Read the full proposal here.

For more information on the allocation of surplus rewards to be managed by gZIL holders, read our previous blog post.If you’ve got a great idea for a project to build on Zilliqa, get your proposal ready to apply for community-driven funding!

Partnering with Brillion on unlocking Web3 for all

Zilliqa has partnered with Brillion to bridge real-world assets (RWAs) and DeFi with Zilliqa’s powerful new Zilliqa 2.0 Layer-1 blockchain. 

This partnership will enable cross-chain innovation and drive Web3 mass adoption, scaling innovation, enabling cross-chain connectivity, and bringing real-world assets closer to blockchain utility.

Listen to our joint X Spaces with Brillion for more info.

Looking ahead to 2025

The Zilliqa team attended ETH Riyadh from December 1-3, where Anton spoke about the exciting opportunities unlocked by Zilliqa 2.0 and its ability to plug into the EVM ecosystem. 

This event closed out the busy 2024 calendar for Zilliqa, with the team’s attention now squarely aimed at delivering Agate, the mainnet release of the Zilliqa 2.0 blockchain in the first quarter of next year.

We wish our community a happy festive season and look forward to building a better blockchain future together in 2025!

Stay connected with us on Twitter and the Zilliqa Blog for all the latest updates.