The blockchain ecosystem continues to evolve at a rapid pace, with innovation spreading across layers, protocols, and developer tools. At the forefront of this movement, the Algorand Foundation has introduced LiquidAuth, a groundbreaking step toward decentralized authentication — positioning it as a true alternative to centralized solutions like WalletConnect.
LiquidAuth: A New Era in Decentralized Authentication
On June 26, during its annual Decipher conference in Barcelona, the Algorand Foundation launched LiquidAuth, a decentralized, open-source, and chain-agnostic tool designed to revolutionize how users authenticate and communicate across Web2 and Web3 applications.
👉 Discover how decentralized authentication is reshaping user security and privacy.
Unlike traditional wallet connection methods that rely on centralized relays, LiquidAuth enables peer-to-peer communication between wallets and dApps using established cryptographic standards. This eliminates intermediaries, significantly reducing attack surfaces and enhancing both security and user privacy.
By removing dependency on third-party login systems — such as email or social media accounts — LiquidAuth empowers users with full control over their digital identities. It’s not just a wallet connector; it's a foundational layer for secure, trustless interactions across platforms.
With its modular design, LiquidAuth can integrate seamlessly into existing ecosystems, making it an attractive solution for developers aiming to build truly decentralized experiences.
River Protocol Powers First dApp: Propeller
Also launching on June 26, Propeller emerged as the first decentralized application built on River Protocol, an open-source communication framework introduced in May. Developed by LCA, a product innovation agency under Late Checkout, Propeller reimagines user feedback loops through real-time messaging between product teams and their communities.
What sets Propeller apart is its use of token-gated memberships secured via NFTs. This ensures only verified community members can participate in discussions, fostering higher-quality input while preventing spam or impersonation. Users contribute ideas, help refine products, and are rewarded for valuable insights — creating a dynamic, incentive-aligned ecosystem.
This integration of on-chain verification with real-time communication signals a shift toward more interactive and accountable Web3 product development.
Covalent Secures $5M to Expand Data Infrastructure in Asia
Data accessibility remains a critical bottleneck in blockchain adoption. To address this, Covalent, a leading modular data infrastructure provider, raised $5 million from RockTree Capital, CMCC Global, Moonrock Capital, and Double Peak Group.
The funding will support the expansion of the Ethereum Wayback Machine — Covalent’s long-term data archiving solution — into the APAC region. This initiative aims to unlock deeper analytics, improve AI-driven insights, and fuel blockchain innovation across Asia.
As part of the announcement, Covalent unveiled the New Dawn Initiative, a rebrand reflecting its commitment to serving crypto-native builders. The refreshed identity features a bold neon green and blue palette, symbolizing Vancouver’s vibrant tech culture and the foundation’s forward-looking vision.
BNB Chain Advances Scalability With BEP-341
Scalability takes center stage with BNB Chain's proposal of BEP-341: Governance Enabled Continuous Block Production. This upgrade allows validators to produce consecutive blocks, increasing transaction throughput and overall network efficiency.
To mitigate centralization risks, the proposal includes adjustable governance parameters that balance performance gains with security safeguards. Currently open for community discussion on the BNB Chain forum, BEP-341 represents a strategic move toward optimizing consensus mechanics without compromising decentralization.
Additionally, BNB Chain activated the BEP-336 Haber Hardfork, introducing blob-carrying transactions that reduce gas fees by up to 90%. On opBNB, Layer-2 transaction costs now hover around $0.0001, reinforcing BNB Chain’s position as one of the most cost-efficient environments for developers.
Shardeum Launches Incentivized Testnet Stage 1: Atomium
Shardeum, an EVM-compatible Layer-1 leveraging dynamic state sharding to maintain near-zero fees, launched Stage 1 of its incentivized testnet — named Atomium — on June 26.
Over 3.3 million SHM tokens (0.65% of total supply) are allocated to reward contributors who identify bugs, test performance, and stress the network ahead of mainnet. The phased rollout ensures stability is rigorously assessed before progressing to subsequent stages.
With auto-scaling shards adjusting in real time to network demand, Shardeum aims to deliver consistent low-latency transactions — a key differentiator in the competitive L1 landscape.
Allora Network Raises $35M for Decentralized AI
Allora Labs, the team behind the Allora Network — described as a "self-improving machine intelligence network" — closed a strategic funding round, bringing total funding to $35 million. Backers include Polychain, Framework Ventures, CoinFund, and Delphi Digital.
Allora leverages decentralized machine learning models that continuously evolve based on community participation and feedback. This collective intelligence model enables applications to improve autonomously while remaining resistant to manipulation.
The new capital will accelerate development of a decentralized ecosystem where AI models are owned and governed by their users — not corporations.
Conduit Raises $35M to Become the 'Onchain Cloud'
Developer experience gets a major boost with Conduit, which raised $35 million in Series A funding led by Paradigm and Haun Ventures. The platform enables developers to launch high-performance Ethereum rollups in under 15 minutes with one-click infrastructure.
Positioned as the future “onchain cloud,” Conduit aims to simplify dApp deployment and scaling through modular rollup technology. With additional backing from Coinbase Ventures and Bankless Ventures, Conduit is well-positioned to become a go-to toolkit for Web3 builders.
👉 See how one-click blockchain deployment is transforming developer workflows.
FAQ: Understanding Key Developments
Q: What makes LiquidAuth more secure than WalletConnect?
A: LiquidAuth removes reliance on centralized relay servers by enabling direct peer-to-peer authentication. This reduces exposure to data leaks, man-in-the-middle attacks, and single points of failure inherent in current connection methods.
Q: How does River Protocol ensure authentic user feedback?
A: River uses token-gated access via NFTs and on-chain verification to confirm user identity. Only legitimate community members can join discussions, ensuring feedback quality and accountability.
Q: Why is blob-carrying important for blockchain scalability?
A: Blob transactions allow large data batches to be stored off-main-chain but still verified on-chain. This drastically cuts storage costs and gas fees while maintaining data availability — crucial for rollups and scaling solutions.
Q: Can anyone participate in Shardeum’s Atomium testnet?
A: Yes, the incentivized testnet is open to community members worldwide. Participants earn SHM tokens by testing network functionality, reporting issues, and contributing to stability assessments.
Q: What is chain abstraction, and how does ENSO enable it?
A: Chain abstraction hides complex cross-chain operations from users. ENSO’s intent engine lets users express desired outcomes (e.g., “swap ETH to USDC”) without managing chains manually — the system handles routing automatically.
Q: How does ZKX combine social features with perpetual trading?
A: ZKX allows traders to share strategies publicly, enabling others to copy trades directly within the DEX interface. Combined with cross-chain interoperability and governance via $ZKX tokens, it creates a community-driven trading experience.
Emerging Innovations Across the Ecosystem
- Solana Foundation introduced Actions and Blinks, allowing seamless blockchain transactions within any app or message.
- Acre launched simple BTC yield, offering a “Bitcoin in, Bitcoin out” staking model using stBTC.
- ENSO, an intent-based chain abstraction engine, raised $4.2M to launch its Cosmos-based L1.
- Matter Labs revealed ZKsync 3.0, featuring an “Elastic Chain” architecture similar to Polygon’s AggLayer.
- Portal to Bitcoin hired 18 new team members post-$34M raise, including Dan Edlebeck as CMO.
- Bitget partnered with Foresight Ventures on a $20M fund for TON ecosystem projects.
- Colosseum, a Solana-focused accelerator, raised $60M for early-stage investments.
- Metis began community selection for sequencer node operators, promoting shared network ownership.
- Gitcoin released a free Grants Program Canvas toolkit for funding initiatives.
- Artela detailed a new parallel execution and storage architecture for scalable dApps.
- Osmosis DAO approved a fee-free Bitcoin bridge via Nomic integration.
- Aleph Zero launched zkOS, generating ZK proofs in under a second on consumer devices.
- Arbitrum rolled out Orbit Layer Leap, enabling one-click transfers from L1 to L3 chains.
- Farworld Labs raised $1.75M for Farcaster-native gaming platforms like Farcade.
- Celo Foundation appointed Eric Nakagawa as Executive Director.
- Botanix Labs hired Ron Stoner as Head of Security for its Bitcoin L2.
- POKT Network expanded into decentralized AI inference services.
- ZKX secured $7.6M total funding for its social perpetual trading DEX on Starknet and Ethereum.
These developments underscore a broader trend: the infrastructure layer of Web3 is maturing rapidly, prioritizing security, usability, decentralization, and cross-chain interoperability.
Whether through novel authentication models like LiquidAuth or scalable rollup platforms like Conduit, the tools being built today lay the groundwork for mass adoption tomorrow.
👉 Explore next-gen blockchain tools shaping the future of decentralized apps.