SINGAPORE, December 9 2024 - Zilliqa, the established layer-1 blockchain that pioneered sharding technology, is excited to announce the deployment of the Aventurine proto-mainnet, a significant milestone on the roadmap to the launch of Zilliqa 2.0.

Aventurine serves as a robust test environment, introducing a number of improvements on the previous Jasper release and laying essential groundwork for a seamless transition to Zilliqa 2.0 upon its mainnet launch with the Agate release. 

Aventurine will technically launch two networks - one upgraded version of the existing Jasper proto-testnet that imports its historical state and a new proto-mainnet that will import the historical state from the current Zilliqa mainnet.

The proto-mainnet will import existing dApps operating on the Zilliqa mainnet such as the PlunderSwap DEX and Safe multi-signature wallet, as well as upcoming dApps that will be integrated after they launch.

Aventurine also introduces critical interoperability between Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and the Scilla smart contract language, which enables Zilliqa fungible tokens to function as EVM-compatible tokens.

Tokens used in major Zilliqa dApps such as $FPS, $XCAD, $XSGD, $HRSE, and $SEED will be available on the proto-mainnet, and support will be added to bridge these tokens from the proto-mainnet to BSC after the launch of Aventurine. 

The foundation of this approach to interoperability has already been laid by Zilliqa group’s recent partnership with EMURGO, which will leverage Wanchain to deploy a strategic cross-chain bridge between the Zilliqa 2.0 and Cardano networks upon the mainnet launch of Zilliqa 2.0.

“This bridge is a significant milestone that unlocks exciting growth opportunities for both Zilliqa and Cardano,” said Wanchain CEO Temujin Louie.

“Our decentralised cross-chain technology will ensure secure, scalable transfers between the Zilliqa 2.0 network and Cardano, marking an important step in making Web3 more accessible to everyone.”

The Aventurine proto-mainnet introduces delegated staking contracts, which can be tested by validators and include support for liquid staking. Alongside the launch of Zilliqa 2.0 mainnet in the Agate release, a new staking portal will be launched that will allow anyone to earn rewards for securing the network.

Commenting on the launch of the Aventurine proto-mainnet, Zilliqa Head of Research Zoltan Fazekas, said:

“This release signifies an exciting milestone on the road to Zilliqa 2.0, delivering the final test network ahead of our mainnet launch. The proto-mainnet lays the groundwork for full mainnet migration and offers developers, validators, and stakers a chance to experiment with the Zilliqa 2.0 protocol.”

Many validators have already begun onboarding, as shown by Zilliqa’s recent partnership with LSP, a staking project with major reach in Asia, which will operate a validator node on the network and give its community access to the exciting staking opportunities offered by Zilliqa 2.0.

Developers and stakers are also encouraged to explore Aventurine as they ready themselves to build and stake on the next generation of Zilliqa’s blockchain technology.

Learn more on the Zilliqa roadmap website and read the developer documentation to start building on Zilliqa 2.0.

About Zilliqa

Zilliqa is the industry-recognised layer-1 blockchain founded in Singapore in 2018. The blockchain serves as a versatile foundation that facilitates a broad array of Web3 applications and services across a multitude of sectors including luxury and entertainment, providing a robust platform for emerging startups and established enterprises alike.

The next evolution of the network, Zilliqa 2.0 offers a user-centric and customisable layer 1 infrastructure designed to drive the mass adoption of Web3. Currently rolling out testnet deployments with mainnet launch planned for Q4'2024.

For more information, visit roadmap.zilliqa.com.