The Arbitrum Bridge has been upgraded with seamless in-app embedding and fiat onramping. Builders can now integrate a customizable bridge widget using a simple <iframe>, enabling users to transfer assets from any chain—or even buy crypto via MoonPay—without leaving the app.

Powered by top-tier routing infra (Li.Fi, LayerZero, Across, and more), the new bridge offers optimized cross-chain transfers with full control over source/destination chains, tokens, and routes. Projects like Camelot and ApeChain are already using it to streamline onboarding and liquidity flows.

Entropy Advisors, backed by the ArbitrumDAO, launched DRIP—a four-season, $40M incentive program targeting real DeFi usage, not vanity metrics. Season One is now live and focuses on leveraged looping on lending platforms.

By borrowing ETH or stablecoins against eligible yield-bearing assets (like syrupUSDC or weETH), users earn ARB based on their time-weighted average borrow. No signup needed—just loop, borrow, and earn over 10 epochs until January 20, 2026.

Rewards are protocol-agnostic, with a phased rollout to optimize incentives based on market performance. Visit arbitrumdrip.com to get started.

Ethereal, the high-throughput perp DEX appchain, is gearing up to launch its Mainnet Alpha on Arbitrum on October 20th. The integration with Arbitrum offers Ethereal the benefits of Arbitrum’s scaling layer - lower latency, reduced gas costs, and secure settlement.

Capx AI recently announced it has processed 100,000,000 transactions across over 450,000 wallets with $450M+ in restaked TVL, signaling strong momentum ahead of its mainnet launch. The project is built using Arbitrum Orbit / Nitro to deliver scalable, low-cost, Ethereum-grade security for AI agent applications.

Following a successful temperature check on Snapshot (Sept 4), the proposed upgrade to ArbOS 50 Dia is now headed toward an onchain vote. This Constitutional AIP aims to upgrade Arbitrum One and Nova ahead of Ethereum’s Fusaka hard fork (expected in November 2025), adding compatibility and unlocking powerful new features.

Key changes include:

• Fusaka EIP support like EIP-2537 (BLS12-381 precompile), EIP-7951 (secp256r1), and EIP-7825 (gas limit caps)
• A new Native Mint/Burn feature for Orbit chains (disabled on One/Nova)
• Support for constraint-based gas metering (for future dynamic pricing)
• RPC enhancements, new opcodes, ModExp security hardening, and more

Most notably, the release also introduces a more flexible block gas model, allowing higher transaction packing efficiency without increasing overall gas throughput.

The on-chain vote is not live yet, but is expected soon. If passed, the upgrade will roll out post-audit and testing - potentially after Ethereum activates Fusaka.

On September 11, ArbitrumDAO approved key improvements to the Security Council election process. However, not all proposed changes received equal community support.

Snapshot Outcome Highlights:

• Approved by the DAO:
  • Extend cohort terms from 1 year to 2 years, reducing election frequency.
  • Allow Security Council members to rotate their keys during their term.
  • Lower the qualification threshold from 0.2% to 0.1% of votable ARB.
• Under Further Review:
  • Less support for allowing key rotation during the election cycle.
  • Less support for letting reapplying members skip the nomination phase.

The Arbitrum Foundation announced plans to host additional governance calls to discuss these debated points before the formal Tally on-chain vote is proposed.

The September 2025 Security Council election is progressing — we’ve now entered the Nominee Selection phase, which will run until September 29 at 12:00 UTC. Following the Contender Submission phase, which closed with 19 candidates applying to serve on the 12-member Security Council, it’s now time for delegates to nominate their preferred contenders on Tally. To progress to the final Member Election phase, each nominee must receive at least 0.2% (~9.4M ARB) of votable tokens. Delegates are encouraged to support as many qualified candidates as they see fit — every nomination counts in shaping the Council that safeguards Arbitrum during emergencies and critical upgrades. Once nominations close, the qualified candidates will undergo a compliance check by the Arbitrum Foundation. After that, the process will move into the Member Election phase — the final round of voting to elect six new members to the Council.

ZKsync has officially welcomed the ADI Chain to its Elastic Network, marking a major milestone for real-world adoption in the Middle East and beyond. Developed by leading UAE institutions — including First Abu Dhabi Bank, ADQ, and IHC — the ADI Chain will introduce the first Dirham-backed stablecoin, with regulation set by the UAE Central Bank. The initiative aims to onboard 1 billion people onchain by 2030, targeting underbanked populations across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. ADI’s mission is to bridge the gap between blockchain infrastructure and financial inclusion — empowering citizens with access to programmable money and decentralized services…

SANDchain, a blockchain built with ZKsync’s ZK Stack, has been announced as part of the Elastic Network to bring scalability, low fees, and trustless infrastructure to the global creator economy. Positioned as the financial backbone for creators, fans, and brands, it will use $SAND as its universal currency and introduce loyalty points, creator tokens, and programmable financing vaults. Launch partners include The Sandbox, Animoca Brands, and ZKsync, with its debut at TOKEN2049 Singapore on October 1 and testnet release on October 14.

Grvt has secured $19M in a Series A round co-led by ZKsync, Further Ventures, EigenCloud, and 500 Global. Grvt aims to address fragmentation and vulnerabilities in DeFi with privacy-by-default systems, stablecoin-enabled products, and structured yield strategies, positioning itself as a global blueprint for secure and scalable financial markets.

ZIP-13, the proposal by Matter Labs to add a ZKsync OS–based ChainTypeManager (CTM) into the Bridgehub, is now live and under vote (via Tally). This upgrade is a stepping stone toward enabling full EVM equivalence, cheaper proofs, and modular chain architecture via the new Airbender prover * The CTM will initially operate under a temporary multisig to allow fast fixes during rollout, with plans to hand governance over later. * Existing ZKsync chains won’t be disrupted—there are no breaking changes. * For security isolation, ZKsync OS chains will not connect to the ZKsync Gateway initially. * Mechanisms are in place to ensure that new chains cannot withdraw more than their deposits via the shared bridge. If passed, ZIP‑13 unlocks early mainnet feedback for ZKsync OS, while preserving safety for current chains.

ZIP-12 is live for voting on Tally, proposing the V29 upgrade to the ZKsync protocol — a pivotal step forward in unlocking cross-chain interoperability and fast finality for ZK Chains.

If passed, this upgrade will:

• Enable native Interop Messaging between ZK Chains via the ZK Gateway, using Merkle proofs and shared root structures.
• Introduce Fast Finality, allowing early confirmation of transaction execution on L1 — crucial for exchanges and real-time apps.
• Deliver foundational code refactors to support modular settlement and better upgradeability (via ChainAssetHandler, upgradable ValidatorTimelock, etc.).

Security is tightly controlled: pre-commitments can only be reverted by the Security Council, and all components passed audit by OpenZeppelin (May–June 2025).

TPP-9 is currently under vote on Tally, proposing a strategic incentive mechanism to accelerate the adoption of ZKsync Prividium Chains — privacy-preserving, enterprise-grade blockchains. The proposal, authored by the ZKsync Foundation, introduces a 100M ZK token prize pool to reward the first 10 production-ready Prividium Chains with 10M ZK each. Key features include: * Strict eligibility: KYB verification, mainnet launch by Dec 2026, and real-world traction (e.g. ≥500K KYC users or $100M+ in tokenized TVS). * Controlled disbursement: Each prize is rate-limited (1M ZK/month) via individual capped minters. Unused tokens remain unminted. * Strategic alignment: Incentivizes institutional deployments of privacy-enabled chains with on-chain governance, KYC/AML, and Ethereum finality. * Testbed for future funding: Prividium also serves as a pilot for conditional incentive models like milestone-driven rewards or performance-indexed grants. This is the first program of its kind to embed governance-aligned token incentives into ZKsync’s institutional roadmap.

TPP-10 proposes allocating 25M ZK (~$1.25M) to fund the Prividium Roadshow, a targeted outreach campaign designed to strengthen Prividium’s category leadership among institutional players. The initiative focuses on two main tracks: * Tier-1 Conference Sponsorships (15M ZK): Sponsoring and securing speaking slots at top Ethereum and institutional finance events to raise visibility. * Institutional Network Activations (10M ZK): Hosting curated, invite-only briefings, workshops, and regulator engagements to build high-quality deployment leads. Led by the ZKsync Foundation, the program aims to convert institutional awareness into adoption by positioning ZKsync Prividium as the go-to blockchain solution for privacy, compliance, and interoperability. Speakers include Alex Gluchowski and senior Matter Labs leaders. Funds will be disbursed from the Token Governor Timelock to a Foundation-controlled multisig, with public reporting and oversight by the Token Assembly. Confirmed events include Blockchain Rio, Ethereum NYC, SmartCon, and Devconnect Argentina.

A new draft proposal introduces a 6-month ZK token staking pilot distributing up to 37.5M ZK (~$1.9M USD) in rewards across two seasons. Built on Tally’s Staker contract and aligned with the ZKnomics vision, the initiative incentivizes governance participation while laying the groundwork for future decentralized sequencing.

Key elements include:

• Two capped minters: 10M ZK for Season 1, 25M ZK for Season 2
• Up to 10% annualized reward rate, based on staking caps
• Eligibility: ZK holders delegating to active delegates who voted in 2 of the last 5 proposals
• Non-custodial staking, no lock-up, voting power remains delegated
• Governance-aligned incentives to grow active voting power from ~1B to ~2B ZK

This staking pilot also serves as infrastructure groundwork for ZKsync’s upcoming decentralized sequencer, contributing to long-term protocol sustainability and governance participation.

The ZKsync Community Activation Pilot Program (2025-2026) has been officially approved with 99.96% support and is now pending execution. The proposal will allocate 20 million ZK tokens (~$1.06M USD) over a 12-month period, managed by the ZKsync Foundation. The goal is to fund existing community initiatives and launch a competitive RFP (Request for Proposals) program to boost ZKsync’s global visibility, developer adoption, and education efforts. 6.4M ZK will support three active community programs: ZKsync LATAM (ZK Amigos), ZKnomist content team, and the Online Educators group. The remaining 13.6M ZK will fund new initiatives through an open RFP process focused on marketing, adoption enablement, data transparency, and tooling. First RFPs are expected to go live in October. All recipients will report publicly and may have token streams paused based on performance, ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the program.

Maintenance Upgrade 16a has been optimistically approved, serving as a minor patch to replace Upgrade 16. It temporarily removes the unactivated interop withdrawal-proving code, following partner feedback, while keeping the broader interop infrastructure intact for future use. It also introduces new system-level feature toggles via the SystemConfig contract, enabling more flexible upgrades across OP Chains.

Optimism has integrated Flashblocks, developed by Flashbots, into OP Mainnet to cut effective block times from 2 seconds to 250ms. Flashblocks stream sub-blocks every 250ms, giving apps and users near-instant preconfirmations while maintaining Ethereum-level finality. This upgrade delivers a smoother UX across DeFi, gaming, and social apps, with measured improvements including a 94% reduction in pending transaction backlog and complete elimination of user-visible reorgs. The system has been hardened with leader-aware forwarding, reorg filtering, and NVMe-backed infrastructure, and will soon be expanded across the Superchain.

Ronin has voted to adopt Optimism’s OP Stack, marking its return to Ethereum and entry into the Superchain ecosystem. This integration will deliver 15x faster transactions, Ethereum-level security, and expanded treasury support with $5–$7M in milestone-based grants from the Optimism Foundation, Eigen Labs, and Boundless Foundation. Builders on Ronin will gain access to the 850M $OP Retro Fund and Superchain collaboration opportunities, while users and creators remain seamlessly connected with $RON continuing as the native gas token.

Silent Data, a Layer 2 network developed by Applied Blockchain, has officially joined the Superchain—marking a pivotal moment as the first privacy-focused chain built on the OP Stack.

Designed for enterprise use, Silent Data introduces “programmable privacy,” enabling organizations to run blockchain applications without exposing sensitive information—all while maintaining scalability and composability. Already, major firms like Shell, Tokeny, Archax, and CRYOPDP (DHL Health Logistics) are testing real-world use cases across energy, finance, and healthcare.

South Korea’s largest exchange, Upbit, has officially entered the Superchain arena with the launch of Giwa, a new Ethereum Layer 2 chain built using the OP Stack. Unveiled at the Upbit D Conference 2025, Giwa is now live on testnet and already processing over 4 million blocks, signaling heavy early testing.

Aiming for 1-second block times and Ethereum settlement, Giwa is designed to bring real-time transaction speed while preserving mainnet security. Its name—Giwa—is inspired by traditional Korean roof tiles, symbolizing strong, accessible infrastructure for global Web3 adoption.

The Optimism Grants Council has shared results from Cycle 41, the first review cycle under Season 8. It was a period of adjustment and experimentation, both for applicants and reviewers, with several backend and process upgrades deployed to improve the grants system. Out of 19 growth applications, only one was approved: 40acres.finance, which received 200,000 OP. One proposal was declined (Intraverse), and 17 others remain in review, awaiting applicant responses. Despite nearly 3M OP requested, just a fraction was allocated, leaving ~6.09M OP available from the original 6.29M OP budget. The Council took a cautious approach to approvals, aiming to attract more enterprise-aligned projects. Highlights include: * AI filtering to score applications based on Superchain alignment, OP distribution, and governance intents. * A continuous review system where all submissions were considered regardless of timing. * Migration to the Karma GAP platform, powering opgrants.io and upcoming milestone tracking tools. As Season 8 continues, the groundwork is set for smarter incentives and broader participation. Applicants are encouraged to refine and resubmit—more OP is still up for grabs.

Cycle 41 marked the launch of the first audit-focused round under Optimism’s Season 8 Grant Program. Of the 12 submitted applications, only two were approved:

• FinDEX (90,300 OP)
• SuperDCA (33,000 OP)

Two others — Arcadia Finance and Swaps.io — were put on hold for later consideration, while the remaining eight were declined due to misalignment, high cost, or insufficient co-funding.

Despite nearly 657K OP requested, only 123.3K OP was approved, leaving over 458K OP in the audit budget. The cautious start reflects the Council’s focus on cost realism, impact potential, and Superchain alignment.

The Optimism Collective is funding the development of an open-source SDK for onchain monitoring and alerting, with up to 114,000 OP in grants. The tool will let users set custom protocol checks and receive alerts via Slack, Telegram, or PagerDuty. It will ship with Uniswap and Aave rulesets, plus a dashboard UI for setup and history tracking. Applications close October 10, and the final results will be posted on October 17.

Optimism is offering up to 42,000 OP to fund a Safe module that enables cross-chain key management across the Superchain. The goal is to reduce the operational burden of updating signers on multisigs deployed across multiple chains. The module would sync updates from a root owner to all connected chains, streamlining signer changes with security and efficiency in mind. Applications close October 10, and the final results will be posted on October 17.

Polygon Labs has partnered with Dubai-based Cypher Capital to expand institutional access to POL, Polygon’s ecosystem token. Cypher recently acquired a strategic POL position and will help channel capital into POL-based strategies to improve liquidity and access for asset managers in the Middle East.

The move supports Polygon’s broader push toward becoming the leading payments chain, with recent milestones including:

• $3.4B stablecoin supply
• 284M transactions (Q2)
• $385B in Q2 stablecoin volume
• 9.4M monthly active users

This partnership reinforces Polygon’s role in powering institutional-grade infrastructure for high-frequency, cross-border value transfer.

Polygon’s Rio upgrade is now live on the Amoy testnet, with a mainnet rollout planned for October. This major upgrade pushes forward the GigaGas roadmap, redesigning the validator set for efficiency and enabling stateless block verification—cutting costs, removing reorgs, and paving the way to 5,000 TPS.

Key upgrades include:

• Validator-Elected Block Producers (PIP-64)
• New economic model for fair fee distribution (PIP-65)
• Stateless verification to lower node costs (PIP-72)

Rio strengthens decentralization while making the network faster, fairer, and more scalable—preparing Polygon to become the universal rails for payments and RWAs.

Forknet, a new L2 built with the CDK OP Stack and connected to Polygon’s Agglayer, is now live—introducing the first native crosschain orderbook for spot and perps.

• Unified Liquidity: Forknet aggregates liquidity from all Agglayer-connected chains, enabling tighter spreads and deeper books.
• Seamless UX: Crosschain trades feel like single-chain swaps—no bridges or manual hops needed.
• Vault Bridge Integration: User deposits in ETH, USDC, USDT, and USDS earn native protocol yield.
• Built for Builders: Full EVM compatibility, OP Stack familiarity, and easy API integrations.

Forknet is powered by NeurochainAI and backed by a 500K+ user ecosystem, delivering a fast, low-cost DeFi experience with serious interop. With Reactor Trade as the frontend, Forknet is positioned to become a core trading venue across the Agglayer ecosystem.

Polygon Labs is collaborating with BayaniChain and the Philippine Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to explore how the country can bring its national budget on-chain.

In a recent discussion, Polygon’s Marc Boiron sat down with BayaniChain to highlight how blockchain can enhance transparency and accountability in government systems. By leveraging Polygon’s infrastructure, the initiative could modernize how public funds are managed—making the Philippines a pioneer in institutional blockchain adoption.

EigenDA V2 is now live, delivering 100 MB/s throughput and 10x faster confirmations, making it the most performant decentralized data availability layer to date. It separates control and data planes for better scalability and uses erasure coding to ensure data redundancy with minimal storage requirements. Blobs are confirmed in ~10 seconds without relying on L1 posts, dramatically reducing latency while maintaining security. With a design built for horizontal scale, EigenDA is laying the foundation for gigabyte-scale DA — ideal for high-performance rollups and verifiable applications.

OpenRank, powered by EigenCloud, introduces verifiable reputation infrastructure — making scores transparent, challengeable, and cryptoeconomically enforced.

• OpenRank runs reputation algorithms (e.g., for airdrops, social feeds, token discovery) with cryptographic proofs.
• EigenCloud ensures honest computing with restaked security, slashing dishonest operators.
• Use cases already live include Farcaster feeds, wallet token recs, and apps like Cura, a Reddit-style app with auditable contributor rewards.

From Sybil-resistant airdrops to explainable social feeds, OpenRank and EigenCloud bring transparency and trust to crypto reputation.

EigenLabs released a Devkit Quickstart Guide to help developers rapidly deploy Actively Validated Services (AVSs) on Sepolia and Base Sepolia testnets.

Devkit streamlines the entire AVS lifecycle—from local devnet testing to live testnet deployment—cutting setup time from weeks to hours. The guide walks through the essential steps: creating a project, writing operator logic, deploying to testnet, registering operators, and verifying tasks on Base.

Whether you’re building oracles, co-processors, or other AVSs, this guide is your entry point into the EigenLayer ecosystem.

EigenCloud has partnered with Google to bring cryptographic trust to the emerging world of AI-to-AI (A2A) payments. As billions of autonomous agents begin transacting on our behalf, programmable trust becomes essential. This collaboration ensures those agents act reliably, verifiably, and within human-defined parameters.

Using EigenCloud’s verifiability layer and Google’s Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), the system enables:

• Verifiable AI agent actions
• Cross-chain payment coordination
• Restaked economic guarantees

The integration marks a major milestone in building a trusted, interoperable AI-driven economy, where verification is cryptographic, and agentic payments are frictionless.