Optimism

**Privacy Boost** has introduced pre-confirmation support for OP Stack chains, marking a significant improvement in transaction speed. **Key Features:** - Private transfers now complete in under one second - Settlement processes continue running in the background - First privacy solution specifically designed for OP Stack chains **What This Means:** Users can now execute private transactions with near-instant confirmation while maintaining the security of background settlement. This addresses a common pain point where privacy features typically slow down transaction speeds. The update builds on Privacy Boost's existing capabilities, which include private balances, private sends/receives, and full auditability—features specifically requested by institutional users.

OP Labs is transitioning away from third-party rollup-as-a-service providers for production support on the OP Stack. Teams seeking production support will now work directly with OP Labs through **OP Enterprise**, establishing a single, clear relationship with the team that develops the stack. Key points: - Legacy support through third-party providers is being phased out - Direct support now available exclusively through OP Enterprise - Existing OP Enterprise chains continue without disruption - Change aims to streamline support relationships For more details: [OP Labs blog post](https://www.optimism.io/blog/a-more-direct-model-for-production-support-on-the-op-stack) Learn about OP Enterprise: [optimism.io/op-enterprise](https://www.optimism.io/op-enterprise)

**Ether.fi has officially gone live on OP Mainnet**, bringing its liquid staking protocol to Optimism's Layer 2 network. **Key highlights:** - Users can now access ether.fi's staking services with faster transactions and lower fees on Optimism - The integration expands ether.fi's reach beyond Ethereum mainnet - Leverages Optimism's scalability for improved user experience This deployment marks another step in ether.fi's multi-chain expansion strategy, offering stakers more options for where they manage their ETH positions. [Read the full case study](https://www.optimism.io/case-studies/etherfi)

**Ether.fi's migration to OP Mainnet continues to break records**, with daily spending reaching new highs since moving $220M in total value locked (TVL), 70,000 active cards, and 300,000 accounts to the network. **Key metrics:** - Transaction costs: fractions of a cent per transaction - Crypto card volume grew 10x in 90 days - March: $12.7M → May: $128M - OP Mainnet now ranks #2 globally for crypto card volume, surpassing Solana, BSC, and Arbitrum **The economics are working at scale.** Low transaction fees enable sustainable unit economics, making OP Mainnet an attractive platform for high-volume payment applications. The network has climbed into the top 15 chains by TVL, with 84% growth in 30 days driven largely by this migration. The success demonstrates how Layer 2 solutions can support real-world payment use cases with meaningful transaction volumes.

**Reserved blockspace is now live on OP Mainnet**, introducing a stake-based ordering experiment that changes how transactions are processed on the network. **Key points:** - The new system allows users to reserve blockspace based on their stake - This represents a shift from traditional first-come-first-served transaction ordering - The experiment aims to improve transaction predictability and reduce MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) For technical details and implementation specifics, visit the [official blog post](https://www.optimism.io/blog/reserved-blockspace).

**Network congestion is creating a stark divide in Ethereum transaction processing.** Under sustained network load, eligible transactions continue to receive predictable inclusion times, while non-eligible transactions are experiencing delays exceeding 10 seconds. This two-tier system highlights the growing importance of transaction eligibility criteria during periods of high network activity. **Key implications:** - Eligible transactions maintain consistent processing times - Non-eligible transactions face significantly longer wait times (10+ seconds) - Network congestion reveals infrastructure priorities The pattern suggests Ethereum's infrastructure is prioritizing certain transaction types to maintain network stability during peak usage periods.

OP Stack has implemented a solution for managing transaction overflow in its reserved blockspace system. The challenge arose when eligible transactions exceeded the reserved capacity during block construction, as the mempool's priority-sorted stream mutates in real-time and doesn't allow transactions to be returned. **The Solution:** - A parallel spillover queue that re-prioritizes transactions by tip - Ensures latency-sensitive transactions maintain predictable inclusion - Prevents eligible traffic from losing out during network congestion The reserved blockspace feature allocates a configurable portion of each block specifically for eligible transactions, allowing them to avoid competitive tip auctions when the network experiences high demand.

Optimism has deployed a **two-tier block-building structure** with pluggable eligibility rules. **Two initial rule types are now live:** - **Stake-based**: Senders who have staked OP tokens gain priority access - **Allowlist-based**: Pre-approved addresses receive preferential treatment The system maintains the existing block-building path while allowing developers to define custom rules and configure the builder for specific use cases. This follows the earlier Phase 1 implementation requiring 100k OP stake for top-of-block access with FIFO ordering.

A new block structure divides each block into two tiers: - **Reserved tier**: Claims up to R% of gas for eligible transactions only - **General tier**: Handles remaining capacity, sorted by priority tip The system adapts dynamically to demand: - When reserved demand is **light**, unused gas flows to the General tier - When reserved demand is **heavy**, transactions that fit aren't dropped - Blockspace remains maximally available regardless of where demand concentrates Operators control the split through a single parameter: **R** (the reserved percentage). This flexible architecture ensures efficient blockspace utilization across varying demand patterns.

**OP Stack has launched reserved blockspace** to solve a critical problem: ensuring latency-sensitive transactions get included during network congestion without competing in tip auctions. **Key features:** - Configurable portion of each block dedicated to eligible traffic - Predictable transaction inclusion without bidding wars - Now live on OP Mainnet with stake-based ordering experiment This mechanism guarantees certain transactions won't be priced out when the network gets busy, providing reliability for time-critical operations. More details: [OP Mainnet blog post](https://www.optimism.io/blog/reserved-blockspace)