Astar zkEVM $ASTR was launched in early March 2024, adopting AggLayer technology from Polygon CDK, Astar zkEVM became the first Layer2 on top of $ETH to adopt the latest technology from Polygon $MATIC . At the same time, Astar's launching campaign called "Yoki Origins" began. A large campaign involving well-known NFT projects, DeFi dApps and several large enterprises in Japan.
It is speculated that Yoki Origins will provide rewards to all participants who take part in the campaign. How to play isn't difficult at all, just open the Yoki page on the Astar Network ( yoki . astar . network ) then mint Yoki capsule, open the capsule, collect and fuse as many Yokis as possible. Participants with the most Yokis will later get a score that can be seen on the global leaderboard. In order to play, there's a specific NFT called OMA tokens that users can claim daily, also OMAs will be dropped for them who completed tasks on Yo-Port (Yoki capsule machine from various projects joining this campaign).
The Dencun upgrade on the Ethereum network which occurred on March 13 did not bring significant changes to Astar zkEVM. Because Astar was built directly on the Validium type, it does not include transactions data on-chain to Ethereum L1, but instead uses a Data Availability manager which will then forward the proof to the Ethereum validator. Using this technology causes transactions on Astar to be very secure with already relatively cheap prices and near-instant transaction speeds.
Astar zkEVM ecosystem is also starting to appear, in the first week there were immediately Rarible, Dew, and Bluez as NFT marketplaces. Following this were several bridges from other L2 such as Stargate Finance, Relay Link, LayerSwap and OwlTo Finance. Names that are commonly heard among the Ethereum community, especially those who play in many L2s. ASTR holders on Astar L1 (both Astar Native/EVM) can bridge using Stargate Finance, the result of Astar's collaboration with LayerZero.
Because the Astar zkEVM gas fee is ETH, ASTR token still plays a role in Astar zkEVM. Bifrost opens opportunities for those who want to stake on the Astar Network but don't want to bridge to the Astar Portal (Astar L1 / Native), Bifrost provides vASTR (ASTR vouchers), a liquidity staking tokens whose value will always increase similar to the user's experience of staking directly on Astar Portal.
DeFi dApps that were immediately available on the day Astar zkEVM launched last week were Quickswap, a well-known DEX from Polygon that immediately expanded on the Astar Network from day one. Followed by VeryLongSwap, this native dApps build by the same team from VeryLongAnimals, an NFT project from Japan.
Yoki Origins lasted for 2 full months, from early March to late April. Bridge your ETH and interact with Yo-Port. Don't forget to follow the official campaign which is also present on Intract.
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