aelf Monthly Digest — February 2024
aelf is a high-performance layer-1 blockchain network built on cloud computing.
Dear aelf Community Members,
Welcome to the February edition of the aelf Monthly Digest! This article provides an overview of the advancements in aelf’s technology, highlights ecosystem development, recaps events held during the past month and shares Web3 industry insights.
Technology
1. aelf Cloud-Native Computing Optimisation
aelf’s cloud-native computing system has been successfully deployed on the Testnet and has undergone rigorous stress testing. The system is now in the optimisation phase and our team is actively addressing any issues to ensure optimal performance.
2. aelf Network v1.7.0 Upgrade
In February, aelf upgraded its network to v1.7.0, improving governance rewards claiming by allowing modification of the maximum number of claimable periods. The update also enhanced the aelf explorer, simplifying the process of claiming governance rewards, especially in cases with multiple claimable rewards from batches of votes.
Ecosystem
1. Community NFT Design Contest Winners Announced
We’d like to thank everyone for their active participation for our aelf in Paris Community NFT Design Contest. We saw 19 design submissions and over 8,500 votes from the community over a span of 4 weeks. A big congratulations to the 2 winners who have both walked away with 100 USDT worth of ELF tokens each for their design skills and active voting participation respectively!
2. 2 New Block Producer (BP) Seats Released on aelf
aelf’s evolving ecosystem, rich with dApps, encourages active participation from token holders through voting, bolstering its robust and dynamic environment. With a governance structure powered by the AEDPoS consensus mechanism, we emphasise on collaboration between BPs, candidate nodes, and voters. Following the inaugural election of 17 BPs in early 2022, the network has grown to 21 BPs by 2024. We are happy to announce that we have two new BP seats open! Find out how aelf governance participants are incentivised and what it means to be an aelf BP.
3. aelf Ventures Launches AEVOLVE Labs
We’re excited to announce the launch of AEVOLVE Labs, an incubator for promising blockchain projects. AEVOLVE Labs offers tailored mentorship, networking opportunities, and funding support to selected projects, aiming to foster innovation and efficiency across various blockchain technologies and sectors. With a focus on product-market fit, networking, and financial strategy, AEVOLVE Labs serves as a launchpad for early-stage blockchain ventures, providing crucial resources and support to shape the future of blockchain innovation.
4. aelf’s feature in NUS Fintech Labs’ ‘FinTechLah’ Podcast
On February 26th, aelf took part in NUS Fintech Labs’ “FinTechLah” podcast titled ‘Building a Robust Fintech Ecosystem in Singapore’. Leong Han Wai, our Business Development Associate at aelf, shared valuable insights on how Layer 1 blockchains like aelf can boost the Fintech ecosystem in the fintech and blockchain industry, focusing on skills development and the importance of networking. He also discussed strategies for both students and companies to remain at the forefront of the industry’s rapid innovation and evolving market demands.
Listen to the podcast here.
5. aelf Ecosystem dApps Highlight
AeFinder completed the development of v1.1.6 in February and is set for testing and deployment in March. This update brings various optimisations and enhancements for the indexer such as improved processing speed, client log enhancements, optimised RAM usage, and enhanced capabilities for horizontal expansion.
Following the rollout of AetherLink v1.1.0 last month, rigorous testing was conducted in February to verify the functionality of the features, including its multitasking and parallel processing capabilities, as well as the enhanced node connections through gRPC.
Events
1. AllStarsWomen DAO Singapore Chapter Launch with aelf
On February 6th, we hosted the AllStarsWomen DAO Singapore Chapter Launch Event which was a landmark occasion celebrating the intersection of blockchain technology and women’s leadership in the industry. Esteemed hosts Akina Ho (Co-Founder of AllStarsWomen DAO), Linda Ang (Singapore Chapter Co-Lead/Head of Strategy at aelf), and Hilary Chiu (Singapore Chapter Co-Lead), alongside notable guest speakers, delved into the transformative power of Decentralised Autonomous Organisations (DAOs) in promoting innovation, inclusivity, and a decentralised future for businesses. The panel discussion “How DAOs Will Transform Businesses” explored the profound impact of DAOs on business structures. Attendees enjoyed refreshments and the unique opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, making the launch an unforgettable kickoff for the AllStarsWomen DAO Singapore Chapter and a promising step forward for aelf’s partnership in championing women’s contributions to blockchain technology.
2. Lunar New Year Celebrations with aelf
The year of the Dragon roared to life at aelf’s Singapore office with an electrifying celebration! The aelf team kicked off the festivities with a scrumptious luncheon, followed by a spirited lohei toss that had everyone cheering for prosperity and good fortune. The excitement continued with an angbao lucky draw, adding an extra dash of luck to the festivities.
The festivities continued with the Lunar New Year Lohei with aelf & Talent@Web3 held on February 15th where both DAO communities came together to mingle, indulge in another round of lohei tossing, and witness a spectacular dragon drone show right from our office windows.
3. NFT Paris 2024
Over the span of 1 week from February 21–26, we launched our first-ever Proof of Attendance NFT, co-hosted 2 side events and attended NFT Paris 2024 as a Gold sponsor. We also ran 11 raffle draws which saw more than 10,000 attendees and more than 600 Proof of Attendance (POA) NFTs minted. Read the recap article here.
4. Venturing further into Spain and the US
Following our successful participation in NFT Paris 2024, the aelf team swiftly transitioned to the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, held from February 26–29th. As the largest international trade show for the mobile communications and telecoms industry, MWC provided a platform for us to deeply engage with industry leaders and explore cutting-edge developments. From there, our journey continued to ETHDenver, where we actively participated in #BUIDLWeek and attended numerous enlightening talks and workshops, further cementing our commitment to innovation and collaboration within the blockchain community.
5. Hands-on Smart Contract Workshop: Writing & Deploying with C#
On February 29th, our “Hands-on Smart Contract Workshop: Writing & Deploying with C#” opened doors to enthusiasts, regardless of their blockchain background. Using C# as the programming language, attendees learned about smart contracts from the ground up, including writing and deploying them on a real blockchain. Our tech team simplified complex concepts, ensuring everyone could follow along and gain practical skills. This workshop empowered participants with new developer tools and introduced them to a community of supportive learners, showcasing the transformative potential of blockchain technology.
Upcoming:
aelf is headed to the US in March
In March, the aelf team is gearing up for an exciting journey across the United States, with stops in San Francisco, Boston, and New York City. Starting off in San Francisco, we’ll be attending the Game Developer Conference 2024 and the Next Gen Tech Forum as a Bronze sponsor, where we’ll explore the latest innovations and trends shaping the gaming industry. From there, we’ll make our way to Boston for PAX EAST 2024 and New York City for NFT.NYC 2024. Stay tuned for more details!
Industry Insights
This week, we published 4 Industry Insights articles:
- Popular Web3 Programming Languages in 2024 and Which Should You Use
This article provides a comparative analysis of key programming languages for smart contract development in blockchain and Web3. It discusses Solidity’s popularity in Ethereum-based projects, Vyper’s focus on security and simplicity, Rust’s high performance in Solana, C#’s versatility, and Go’s efficiency and scalability. - Tokenisation in DeFi: Revolutionising Asset Management, Ownership and Investment
This article focuses on the transformative impact of decentralised finance (DeFi) on asset management through the process of tokenisation. It explains how various assets can be digitised on the blockchain, outlines real-world applications of tokenisation, the challenges and benefits of tokenisation in DeFi and regulatory considerations. - 5 NFT Trends to Watch in 2024: Hybrid NFTs, RWA Tokenisation, Gaming NFTs, Ordinals and Phygital NFTs
This article delves into the dynamic evolution of the NFT market, highlighting 5 key trends: Hybrid NFTs, RWA Tokenisation, Gaming NFTs, Ordinals and Phygital NFTs. These trends collectively indicate a significant shift in how NFTs are being utilised, promising innovative applications and implications for the future. - How to Write Smart Contracts and Create DApps using C#
This article is a beginner’s guide for Web3 development using C#. It covers the basics of smart contracts and their function within blockchain technology, outlines the prerequisites for developing in this space, and offers a step-by-step guide on the development and deployment process.
About aelf
aelf, a high-performance Layer 1 featuring multi-sidechain technology for unlimited scalability. aelf blockchain is designed to power the development of Web3 and support its continuous advancement into the future. Founded in 2017 with its global hub based in Singapore, aelf is one of the pioneers of the mainchain-sidechain architecture concept. Incorporating key foundational components, including AEDPoS, aelf’s variation of a Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS) consensus protocol; parallel processing; peer-to-peer (P2P) network communication; cross-chain bridges, and a dynamic side chain indexing mechanism, aelf delivers a highly efficient, safe, and modular ecosystem with high throughput, scalability, and interoperability. aelf facilitates the building, integrating, and deploying of smart contracts and decentralised apps (dApps) on its blockchain with its native C# software development kit (SDK) and SDKs in other languages, including Java, JS, Python, and Go. aelf’s ecosystem also houses a range of dApps to support a flourishing blockchain network. aelf is committed to fostering innovation within its ecosystem and remains dedicated to driving the development of Web3 and the adoption of blockchain technology. Find out more about aelf and stay connected with our community:
