2023-10-20: Community Event Begins

**CoW Protocol has been featured on [institutions.ethereum.org](http://institutions.ethereum.org) as part of Ethereum's evolving DeFi infrastructure stack.** The Ethereum Foundation's public resource highlights CoW Protocol's role in providing: - A neutral, secure base layer for institutional adoption - Open infrastructure that bridges traditional finance with DeFi This recognition positions CoW Protocol alongside other key protocols driving **real institutional adoption** in the Ethereum ecosystem. The institutions.ethereum.org resource serves as a comprehensive guide for institutions exploring DeFi opportunities and infrastructure solutions.

**CoW Swap has officially launched on BNB Chain**, bringing its signature MEV protection and gasless trading to one of DeFi's largest ecosystems. **Key features for BNB traders:** - **Zero gas fees** - solvers pay transaction costs - **MEV protection** through batch auction design - **Competitive pricing** via solver network - **Advanced order types** including limit and TWAP orders The DEX aggregates liquidity from PancakeSwap and other BNB Chain protocols while protecting users from frontrunning bots. Traders can connect with Trust Wallet or Binance Wallet without needing BNB for gas. [Try CoW Swap on BNB Chain](https://swap.cow.fi/#/56/swap/WBNB/0x8AC76a51cc950d9822D68b83fE1Ad97B32Cd580d)

CoW Protocol has launched **three Request for Proposals (RFPs)** to enhance their Playground testing environment for solver teams, with applications due by **November 17**. **The three RFPs target:** - **Offline Development Mode**: Build a local blockchain environment with pre-deployed CoW and DEX contracts, eliminating the need for expensive archive nodes - **Performance Testing Suite**: Create load-testing tools to simulate order flow and benchmark solver performance with Prometheus/Grafana integration - **Block Explorer & Transaction Analysis**: Develop a local block explorer with source verification, transaction traces, and gas analytics All projects will be **open source** with milestone-based payments through the CoW Grants DAO process. The initiative aims to provide developers with local development capabilities without internet dependency or mainnet forks. [Apply here](http://forum.cow.fi)

CoW Swap has released a **Halloween-themed dark mode interface** featuring gasless swaps and MEV protection. The new update eliminates the traditional "tricks" of DeFi trading: - No gas fees on swaps - Built-in MEV protection - Haunted dark mode design Users can access the updated interface at [swap.cow.fi](http://swap.cow.fi) to experience gasless trading while avoiding front-running and sandwich attacks. The timing coincides with Halloween, positioning expensive gas fees and MEV extraction as the "tricks" while offering gasless, protected swaps as the "treats."

A comprehensive 6-month trading analysis reveals CoW Swap's dominance among solver-based DEXes: - **Higher Trading Volume**: ~$200M daily vs $60M (1inch Fusion) and $30M (UniswapX) - **More Decentralized**: Top solver only controls 25% market share, with next five at ~10% each - **Better for Large Trades**: Shows best execution improvement for trades over 100 ETH The study compared CoW Swap, 1inch Fusion, and UniswapX, finding solver-based DEXes generally outperform traditional alternatives through optimized routing and off-chain liquidity access. Try CoW Swap: [swap.cow.fi](https://swap.cow.fi/#/1/swap/WETH/0xA0b86991c6218b36c1d19D4a2e9Eb0cE3606eB48)