Measure 1: Including DeFi Participants in Governance (June 1 - June 15, 2022)

The Algorand Foundation believes that active participation in decentralized finance (DeFi) is fundamental to the health of the Algorand ecosystem. Active DeFi is instrumental in attracting capital to the Algorand ecosystem, can drastically increase the total value locked (TVL) on Algorand, and provide investors in the Algo multiple ways to earn return and access credit and other financial products. As such, it is our view that our governance platform must do a better job of recognizing and rewarding the outsized contribution of DeFi participants, large and small, across a range of project types.

Measure 2: First Steps for XGovs: Proposing & Upvoting Measures (June 1 - June 15, 2022)

The Algorand Foundation is committed to a fully decentralized Algorand ecosystem. We believe that a governance structure that allows the Algorand community to impact the most important economic, technical, and policy decisions is fundamental to the long-term stability and continued growth of the Algorand ecosystem. Here we share a proposal to translate the principles behind the xGov tier into operative rules: although we outline the practical steps for the applications of the main principles, we view this proposal as a starting point for a broader discussion with the community.

Nigeria to Launch Major Crypto Initiative, IP Exchange Marketplace, and Wallet on Algorand

The Nigerian government has signed a 3-year exclusive IPR (intellectual property right) agreement with Developing Africa Group to launch a nation-wide wallet which will enable the international commercialization of all IP forms being created and registered within the country, both locally and internationally. The Developing Africa Group has chosen Koibanx, with the Government's approval, as the tokenization and payments engine to be utilized in the country and the Algorand Blockchain, the protocol to build on top of.

SALT Crypto | Staci Warden: The Algorand Renaissance

Warden discusses her path to the Algorand Foundation, Algorand’s legendary founder Silvio Micali’s background, and the blockchain protocol’s properties. Warden then talks about Algorand’s partnership with FIFA and the current bear market in crypto. Finally, she explains Algorand’s signature pure proof-of-stake and consensus mechanism, supporting Algorand developers, and the Algorand roadmap.

Universal Music Group to Release NFTs on LimeWire’s Algorand Marketplace

Digital music sharing services are coming back… in Web3 form. Just days after news broke that Napster will return in the form of an NFT marketplace on Algorand, LimeWire - which announced its own Algorand-based marketplace in March - announced today that it has signed major label Universal Music Group to its platform.

Wormhole Launches New Algorand Portal

Wormhole, the generic cross-chain messaging protocol, announced it has launched support for Algorand, a pure Proof-of-Stake (PPoS) blockchain with an extremely robust decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem. Now, developers can leverage the Wormhole SDK to build decentralized applications (dApps) and protocols that can move value seamlessly across nine major blockchain networks without fees.

Terra Projects Migrating to Algorand

The Algorand Foundation had a bunch of reach-out from Terra NFT projects and communities. They will be creating a tool that makes it easy and seamless for Terra projects to migrate/bridge/mint their NFT's on Algorand.

NFDomains Announces Mainnet Launch

We're happy to announce NFD's will be launching on Algorand Mainnet Saturday, June 4th. We will continue adding integrations and features to the platform as new applications are built, and as Algorand itself is upgraded.

Latest Foundation Grants

Asalytic

Niftgen

NFT Space

Update on Next Governance Voting Session (G3V1)

Recently, we have received extensive feedback from our community that the current governance structure, with its focus on rewarding passive Algo holders, does not incentivize development of the Algorand ecosystem as it should. We agree. Our initial departure from a flat governance system started last period, with the approval of the expert-governor (xGov) layer. Now, we plan to put forth a more comprehensive proposal, granting extra "governance seats" and rewards to active participants in the Algorand ecosystem, such as DeFi participants, NFT creators, relay-node runners, etc. The voting session for the current governance period will be held from June 1 to June 15, 2022, and the measures to vote on will be available two weeks in advance.

Algorand Becomes the Official Blockchain Platform of FIFA

Algorand will become the official blockchain platform of FIFA and provide an official blockchain-supported wallet solution, the company said in a Monday statement. It will be a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 regional supporter in North America and Europe, and a FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 official sponsor.

Algorand Unveils Proof of Stake Blockchain Efficiency Framework

On Earth Day 2021, we took the opportunity to show to the whole community why Algorand does not trade sustainability for security, for scalability nor for decentralization. Today we present a new framework of comparison for Proof of Stake blockchain efficiency and sustainability that properly weighs these three essential elements of the blockchain’s purpose into the resulting Decentralized Network Finalized Efficiency Score (DNFES).

Algorand Foundation Launches Venture Studio Algo Foundry

The Algorand Foundation today announces the launch of Algo Foundry, a venture studio dedicated to growing the Algorand developer ecosystem and building Algorand blockchain infrastructure and applications. In partnership with Undercurrent Capital, Algo Foundry will enable developers, entrepreneurs, and enterprises worldwide to focus on creating and building next-generation applications while deploying resources, playbooks, systems, developer talent, network, and capital to accelerate ideas and optimize the company creation process.

LA Times: Cryptography Pioneer Silvio Micali on Where Crypto is Headed

Today, Micali, 67, is focused on another application of encryption: the blockchain, which is the foundation of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. At the Milken Institute Global Conference this week, the MIT professor promoted Algorand, a blockchain he developed that he says is greener, faster, and more secure than other protocols.

Wildlife Conservatory Australia Zoo Announces NFT Project with Algorand

Australia Zoo, a wildlife conservatory related to the family of noted conservationist Steve Irwin, has announced a non-fungible token (NFT) series on the green blockchain Algorand to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Wildlife Warriors conservation project.

Using a Smart Contract to Spawn Additional Smart Contracts

With TEAL version 6, Algorand smart contracts can make app to app calls using inner transactions. This is a critical component in many multi contract applications and having this ability offers developers a great deal of flexibility in how they design their blockchain apps. This change allows developers to not only call another smart contract, but to also use a smart contract to create a new contract, call it and then even delete the contract. This effectively gives you the ability to spawn short lived contracts that can be used and then destroyed, perhaps in a single atomic transaction group.

Artificial Intelligence on Algorand

In this article we connect to the Algorand Indexer to access and collect USDC transactions data using Python. We also demonstrate the utility of predicting transaction volume with Machine Learning.

Build Your Own Algo Based Store with Woocommerce and Andpay

Building your own e-commerce store accepting Algo isn’t rocket science. In this short tutorial you’ll have your own Algo based store up and running in a matter of minutes. No coding skills needed. Using Cloudways (as hosting platform), Wordpress / Woocommerce (e-commerce), and Algo Payments by Andpay as payment service provider on top of the Algorand blockchain.

Pera Wallet ASA Verification Portal is Open for Applications!

We are very happy to announce that the revamped ASA Verification Program we had announced last month is now available for all ASA creators to verify their assets. You can learn more about the program and apply here.

Lofty Featured in NBC News Profile

Lofty AI is one of several tech startups aiming to use blockchain technology to create a new form of investment in real estate. They add to a growing movement built around shared ownership and cooperation, often called distributed autonomous organizations, or DAOs.

Pact Partners With DAO startup Prismatic

The partnership will allow the integration of Prismatic with Pact’s swapping functionality and liquidity pools, enabling DAO treasuries to diversify assets easily and generate yields from provided liquidity — all from one interface. Prioritizing ease-of-use, flexibility, and security for DAOs, Prismatic furthers these goals by providing access to Pact’s trading experience designed with users first in mind.

First Look at Limewire Roadmap

Our vision is to allow anyone to participate in owning and offering digital collectibles. As you will see on our roadmap, we will gradually introduce new marketplace features, digital collectible categories, partnerships, and Web3 functionalities. Please note that the following roadmap is by no means complete and may change as time progresses. We will do our best to keep our community updated.

IBF Net Launches Affluence

Affluence is a unique NFT marketplace with auction, buy-now-pay-later and collateral-based financing options, launched by IBF Net amid the growing traction of NFTs as an emerging asset class.

Latest Foundation Grants

Flare

Alchemon

Messina

Aegir

Fidelis

Period 3, Voting Session 1: Apr 30, 2022 - May 14, 2022

The voting topic is not known at the time of this printing. This post will be updated when the Foundation defines Period 3's voting measures. Update: Voting for Period 3, Session 1 has moved to Jun 1, 2022 - Jun 15, 2022.

Algorand Celebrates Earth Day in New York City and Advocates for a Greener Future

Algorand, the blockchain transforming business models of all kinds, today announced it will showcase its commitment to sustainability and climate-first technology in Times Square, NYC. The takeover will begin as Earth Day celebrations around the globe kick-off — on Earth Day Eve in the US, Thursday, April 21, from 8:00-9:00 pm EDT — and demonstrates that the future can be built using modern, energy-efficient technology.

Smart Offsets: Algorand Ups Sustainability Pledge With Self-Executing Code

Algorand is continuing its campaign to be the greenest blockchain of them all, announcing a smart contract that will commit a slice of transaction fees to offset the chain’s carbon emissions in perpetuity. In addition to a carbon-negative pledge in writing (made on Earth Day 2021), the approach is now part of the Algorand protocol itself, said Vice President of Engineering Research Naveed Ihsanullah.

Canada SailGP Team Announces Partnership with Algorand

Canada SailGP Team has unveiled a significant three-year partnership with the Algorand Foundation. The agreement marks the first major partnership announcement for the Canadian team and sponsorship of a professional sailing team by a blockchain platform. Canada SailGP Team and the Algorand Foundation share a vision for a sustainable future that is built on cutting-edge innovation and high-performance technology, making the partnership a natural fit.

Silvio Micali Interview by Coin Telegraph

Silvio Micali, the founder of Algorand, talks about the blockchain trilemma, Ethereum's move to proof-of-stake, competition, regulations and what excites him about the future.

Create a Node on Azure & Sign Transactions with Azure Key Vault and Python

To achieve high availability and fault tolerance, running your Algorand node on Microsoft Azure is one of your best options. Azure makes it easy to configure a virtual machine with specifications that won’t burn through your money. For this tutorial, we will deploy a virtual machine that meets the minimum system requirements of an Algorand node. We will also be configuring Azure Key Vault to hold our Private Key used for signing Algorand transactions.

Run Algorand Indexer on Azure with Azure CLI

The Algorand Indexer provides powerful search capabilities for Algorand blockchain. You can query the indexer for transactions, assets, blocks, accounts, providing various criteria. There is already a complete guide on how to install an Indexer on the Algorand developer portal, but this tutorial will focus on doing it on Microsoft Azure, the cloud service provided by Microsoft.

Folks Finance Offsets its Carbon Footprint - Partners With ClimateTrade

Following Algorand’s example, we also decided to offset our carbon footprint. We hope to be of inspiration for other blockchain builders of the ecosystem to consolidate the mission that Silvio Micali and his team are pursuing.

NF Domains Launches on Testnet

Mint any NFD on TestNet for a chance to win that name on MainNet! TxnLab will randomly roll 10 different NFDs that have been minted and gift them to those users!

TinyChart Rebrands to Vestige

TinyChart will be rebranded entirely to Vestige, a DEX-agnostic platform for Algorand DeFi tools & analytics. TinyChart.org will stay operational until all promised functionalities (e.g. wallet connect) will be implemented under vestige.fi - more info specifically about the rebrand will be released at a later point.

Algodex Mailbox set to go Live on Mainnet on April 25

Algodex Mailbox is a decentralized web application that allows users to send Algorand Standard Assets even if recipients haven’t opted into the asset yet. Useful when sending to one wallet or hundreds.

Algo Curator Museum Refocuses

With so many galleries, explorers, and resources already inundating Art NFTs, the Museum here at Algo Curator will refocus on being an educational and historical resource for Algorand. Check it out here: Museum.

Latest Foundation Grants

APAS

The Sign-up Window for the 3rd Governance Period for Would-be Governors is Now Open

We are excited to share the sign-up window for would-be Governors for the third period of Algorand Community Governance is now live and available. The Commitment Period for G3 is March 31, 2022 to April 14, 2022 (11:59:59 PM SGT).

Algorand Brings a Level of Maturity to the Blockchain Space

With well over 18,000 cryptocurrencies to choose from, investors have no shortage of options regarding where to put their money to work. But Algorand stands out with a distinguished track record, a focused initiative, and significant popularity. Algorand commands a market capitalization of $6 billion, putting it just inside the top 30 of the world’s most valuable cryptos.

Algorand Foundation to match Algo donations to Ukraine Relief

There is a clear desire within the community to assist and support the humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. In support of this, the Algorand Foundation is today committing to match all Algo donations to Ukraine Humanitarian relief, up to 1 Million Algo. The Foundation will provide regular updates on the amount of Algo contributed and the match from the Foundation itself. This matching program will run to April 30th.

Algorand Foundation $10 Million Dev Tooling SupaGrant

The Algorand Foundation is leading an effort to develop a world-class open source developer tooling suite. Such a suite includes IDE, static analysis, debugging, account management, automated testing (using the Algorand sandbox), a smart contract library, a block explorer for private blockchain development, and tools to help with continuous integration and development. You can compare this developer tooling suite to the Truffle Suite or Hardhat for Ethereum development.

Algorand Unlimited Assets and Smart Contracts

With the 3.5.1 release, Algorand now supports unlimited Assets and Smart Contracts per address! This upgrade will open up additional options and application scenarios for developers. This article covers some of these as well as additional API changes and constraints that developers should be aware of.

How to Participate in Algorand State Proof Generation (Register State Proof Keys)

As part of our March 2022 upgrade (v3.4.2), we released a new set of Falcon keys that will be used to generate Algorand State Proofs (ASPs), a Post-Quantum secure chain of certificates attesting to the state of the Algorand blockchain. Since the upgrade, participation node runners will generate and register these Falcon keys alongside the participation keys used during consensus. This marks our first major step towards releasing ASPs.

Pera Wallet 5.2.0 NFT Releases Are Live!

Hello Algorand community! We are back this week with another set of big releases, finally bringing NFT support to our iOS and Android apps! We know that many of you have been eagerly waiting for NFTs to be supported and we are very excited to make the functionality available for our community.

Folks Finance Protocol is live on Mainnet

After months of hard work, extensive testing, and continued support from its partners and community, Folks Finance, the capital markets protocol for lending and borrowing, is now live on Algorand Mainnet!

Humble Swap Taken Offline Amid Identified Protocol Vulnerability

We are asking that everyone who has LP on Humble Swap to please remove it. No exploit has occurred but we identified a vulnerability in our SC. We will issue a more thorough response, but want to give the community a heads up.

Curator Coin's Yieldly Pools Closed Out

Curator Coin's Yieldly pools completed and closed out at 8:30 pm EST on Thursday 4/07/22. Everyone who participated on Yieldly is welcome to join the Tinyman Curator/ALGO LP and continue earning rewards on Algostake. Head over to the LP DeFi Program page for more details!

Latest Foundation Grants

DopePanda

Fairmeme

Yield Monitor

Fracctal Monsters

Key Dates For Algorand Governance Upcoming

As we approach the end of March, we are also approaching a number of key dates for the end of the current Governance Period (G2) and the start of the next Governance Period (G3). As with G2, the G3 governance commitment period will enable Governors to commit Algo inclusive of their Governance Rewards, distributed at the end of the current Governance Period (G2), to the next Governance Period (G3). This is now standard practice for all future periods.

Algorand Community Governance: Period 2 Review

As the current Governance Period (G2) comes to a close, we’re excited to report on some key insights related to the vote and the next steps in the future of Algorand Community Governance.

AlgoGrants is Evolving to a New Vertical-Focused Ecosystem Funding Structure

The AlgoGrants program will sunset in the coming weeks, with new Ecosystem Funding programs taking its place. Please note the current SupaGrants for EVM compatibility and IDO launchpads remain open for applications and will soon be joined by further innovative SupaGrants opportunities. Existing grant recipients will have received prior communications on this program change, and all grant applications received before the closure of the AlgoGrants form will still be processed as per the existing program terms and conditions. The program will formally close for applications on March 30th, 2022.

How to Participate in Algorand State Proof Generation (Register State Proof Keys)

As part of our March 2022 upgrade (v3.4.2), we released a new set of Falcon keys that will be used to generate Algorand State Proofs (ASPs), a Post-Quantum secure chain of certificates attesting to the state of the Algorand blockchain. Since the upgrade, participation node runners will generate and register these Falcon keys alongside the participation keys used during consensus. This marks our first major step towards releasing ASPs.

LimeWire Selects Algorand Blockchain for the Relaunch of its Digital Collectibles Marketplace

LimeWire today announced it has selected the Algorand blockchain to power the relaunch of its digital collectibles marketplace. As the first carbon-negative blockchain, Algorand has become the network of choice for energy-efficient NFT marketplaces and the Web3 creator economy. In addition to minting its digital collectibles on Algorand, LimeWire also plans to launch a token later this year, which will provide exclusive community access, voting mechanisms, and a reward system for token holders.

Algorand v3.5.1 Released

• This release contains a database migration. As a result, expect node upgrades to take longer than usual - 15 minutes for participating nodes and 1 hr for archival nodes. The node software and hardware profile will ultimately determine the length of the upgrade.

• Catchpoint files will be temporarily unavailable. New catchpoint files will not be generated until the protocol upgrade is completed.

• Unlimited Assets and Applications will only be available after the protocol upgrade is complete.

• Some API Endpoints change. Please see below for further details.

Algorand Indexer v2.10.0 Released

• A database migration is included in this release. This has been timed to a few minutes on testnet, and about half an hour for mainnet. We recommend running this upgrade in a non-live environment to allow the migration to finish before putting in service.

• The /v2/account endpoints may now return a 400 error if the total number of account assets and apps opted into or created by an address in the response exceeds the limit. The current default is 1000.

• This release also contains consensus support for the upcoming go-algorand v3.5.1-stable release.

Algorand Unlimited Assets and Smart Contracts

With the 3.5.1 release, Algorand now supports unlimited Assets and Smart Contracts per address! This upgrade will open up additional options and application scenarios for developers. This article covers some of these as well as additional API changes and constraints that developers should be aware of.

Releasing MyAlgo 3.0: A Community-Driven Redesign

After several months of working on the functionality and stability of the platform, we finally released the new version of MyAlgo Wallet, our most community-driven release to date. You spoke, and we listened! We worked diligently to deliver a product worthy of our community. This release focuses on strengthening the features our users liked most, improving the ones the community didn’t like as much, and adding new features requested by the community.

Algomint Announces Governance Token Public Listing on 30 March, 2022

The much anticipated Algomint governance token, goMINT, will be made available via an unprecedented three-way listing on Tinyman, PACT, and AlgoFi DEX on Algorand at 9am AEDT on 30 Mar, 2022. The launch will also offer users a chance to win 1 of 300 much anticipated Blackbook NFTs from one of the world’s leading graffiti artists!

GARD Set to Launch on Mainnet in Last Week of March

GARD is a decentralized lending protocol and stablecoin built to unlock the liquidity within Algorand Governance. Users will be able to mint GARD, using their Governance commitment as collateral, creating liquid staking options for the 50,000 Governors that are currently staking 2.8 Billion ALGO.

Humble Swap Set to Launch on Mainnet on 28 March, 2022

Humble Swap is a DEX/AMM built on Algorand in Reach that will have limit orders and liquidity farming.

Latest Foundation Grants

Prismatic

QuickNode

Algorand Name Service

AlgoLaunch

TinyChart

Algorand Governance Period 2 - Vote Now Complete

The Algorand Governance Period 2 Vote is now complete and Option A, the creation of an xGov tier, is the choice of the Algorand community. Of the 2.8Bn Algo committed by 37.8k eligible governors, 95% of the vote was in favour of Option A.

Major Protocol Upgrade: Expanded Smart Contract Functionality

Algorand, the technology company powering the platform for next-generation blockchain-based applications, today announced another major technical release that empowers sophisticated apps and marks a major milestone for cross chain interoperability. Developers are now able to build complex dapps for the Algorand ecosystem with smart contract-to-contract calling and network participants can take their first step towards trustless cross-chain interoperability with quantum-secure keys for the upcoming State Proof technology.

Algorand State Proofs

Algorand State Proofs are a new interoperability standard that securely connects blockchains to the outer world without trust in an intermediary. All Proof of Stake chains can implement State Proofs to remove trust from the cross-chain equation.

Algorand in ATX: March 14, 2022 | 1 - 9pm CST

Visit The AlgoRanch in Austin, Texas for a one-day event celebrating the convergence of next generation technology and culture.

Algorand v3.4.2 Released

• This release requires a protocol upgrade.

• Contract to contract: Smart contracts can now call other smart contracts, using the new inner transaction type appl.

• State Proof keys: online participants will now generate Post Quantum-secure Falcon keys when renewing online status. These keys will be used to generate Algorand State Proofs.

• Batch Verification: nodes can now group signatures in batches for faster verification.

Algorand Indexer v2.9.0 Released

• This release enables support for the V31 go-algorand consensus upgrade.

• Contract to contract support.

• Support for State Proof keys.

AVM 1.1: Contract to Contract calls and an ABI come to Algorand

In this release, developers will be outfitted with powerful tools to expand the functionality of their application models. With contract-to-contract support, applications can create or invoke other contracts on the network. Deployed smart contracts can now be discovered and invoked using the Application Binary Interface (ABI). Additionally, groups of transactions can be created in a simplified manner, allowing for a much more versatile way of invoking contracts that require additional transactions.

Algorand Ecosystem Directory Launches

The Algorand Ecosystem Directory is here! Discover projects building in the Algorand ecosystem and submit yours today.

Tinyman Staking Program

Tinyman Staking Program will set to begin on the 10th of March and will continue until May. The total reward amount is set at 2 Million Algo for this reward round and it will be given at predetermined rates to Liquidity Contributors of specific pools, chosen by Algorand Foundation.

Algomint Announces Governance Token Public Listing on 30 Mar, 2022

The much anticipated Algomint governance token, goMINT, will be made available via an unprecedented three-way listing on Tinyman, PACT, and AlgoFi DEX on Algorand at 9am AEDT on 30 Mar, 2022. The launch will also offer users a chance to win 1 of 300 much anticipated Blackbook NFTs from one of the world’s leading graffiti artists!

Blockchain startup Prismatic announces strategic partnership with Algoracle

Prismatic is proud to team up with Algoracle to bring reliable oracle services to the Algorand ecosystem. In addition to using Algoracle’s data feeds, Prismatic actively takes part in the decentralized community of Algoracle’s node operators and feed providers, which facilitate trusted, independent, and real-time data feeds.

Curator/ALGO LP Rewards available at Algostake!

Participants providing liquidity to the Curator/Algo Pool on Tinyman receive DeFi rewards paid out in Curator Coin. See our program details on the LP DeFi Program page.

Latest Foundation Grants

Defactor

DeCHO

E4E

SockHodler

Element