Polygon

Humanity Protocol, a human-centric zk-powered L2 built with Polygon CDK, is set to launch on testnet. Led by Human Institute and in collaboration with @animocabrands, the protocol aims to provide unique-human authentication mechanisms while ensuring users maintain control over their data and identity. The ultimate goal is to establish Proof of Humanity in the Polygon CDK ecosystem.

ETHDenver 2024 agenda includes various events like #BUIDLWeek, House of ZK, Aggregation Cave, Modular Day, Bitcoin Renaissance, and more. Speakers include @sandeepnailwal. The event will also feature a CDK Ecosystem Party and Blockchain Application Stanford Summit.

Polygon Miden is reimagining blockchain design to allow developers to create high throughput, privacy-preserving dApps. The first Miden Pioneer, @KeomProtocol, is using the unique execution environment to introduce zkDeFi to onchain order books, rewriting DeFi primitives with a ZK-first approach.

Telefonica is making a significant move towards web3 by partnering with Chainlink. This integration enhances decentralized security and innovation by securely connecting SIM SWAP API on GSMA Open Gateway to Polygon PoS. Vivo Brazil will be the initial operator to implement this partnership commercially.

Polygon has released the latest upgrade to Polygon zkEVM called Etrog on mainnet following a 10-day timelock. This upgrade includes support for four additional precompiled smart contracts, bringing the network closer to becoming a full Type 2 ZK-EVM. End users do not need to take any action as everything will work the same, only better. Infrastructure developers maintaining network infrastructure will need to update to the latest version of the node and prover. For more information and links to GitHub repos, visit the blog.

Polygon team is set to discuss the high level technical developments made in Q4 for Polygon PoS in the upcoming Quarterly Recap.

Merlin Chain, powered by LumozOrg, is incorporating ZK rollups to interact with the BTC network, including native L1 assets, protocols, and products. The project aims to make Bitcoin more enjoyable and is built with Polygon CDK.

Polygon founders and special guests will discuss the new Type 1 prover and AggLayer technology for scaling L2 chains on Ethereum. The advancements will enable EVM chains to upgrade to ZK and utilize the Polygon ecosystem resources. Join the conversation on Discord with guests such as @MihailoBjelic, @_bfarmer, @davidesilverman, @hudsonjameson, and more.

Tokenization in various forms, like real estate and digital collectibles, allows assets to be brought onchain for global liquidity. One example is tokenized Pokémon cards on Polygon PoS by Courtyard_NFT. With the collectibles market worth $460B+ in 2023, there's great potential to innovate in this space. An interview with Courtyard sheds light on the onchain excitement, part of a series focusing on tokenization projects in the Polygon ecosystem.

Polygon has released the Type-1 upgrade to the zkEVM prover, allowing EVM chains to become ZK Layer 2 without forking. Projects like Immutable zkEVM and MantaNetwork plan to leverage this upgrade, which offers lower costs, lower latency, and better user experience. The Type-1 prover maintains Ethereum's execution logic and can prove existing Ethereum blocks at an average cost of $0.002 to $0.003 per transaction. Further improvements, including a Type 2 mode, are in the pipeline for a 30 to 50X cost reduction over the next year.