Etherlink Goes Live: DeFi, Upgrades, and ETH Denver

Etherlink has had a massive week, cementing its role as a powerful scaling solution for Tezos. With its Bifrost upgrade now fully deployed, the rollup is no longer in beta and is officially running on mainnet. This transition represents a major step forward, solidifying Etherlink as a scalable, efficient, and resilient layer-2 for Tezos users and developers.

Apple Farm: $3 Million in Rewards to Boost DeFi on Etherlink

One of the biggest announcements of the week is Apple Farm, a new incentive program designed to jumpstart DeFi activity on Etherlink. With $3 million in rewards set aside for Season 1, Apple Farm will reward users who engage in meaningful onchain activity across participating DeFi protocols.

So how does it work? Users earn “Apples” by interacting with DeFi protocols on Etherlink, and at the end of Season 1, those Apples will be converted into tez ($XTZ) from the reward pool. The goal is to make onchain participation more rewarding while strengthening Etherlink’s growing DeFi ecosystem.

Here’s a look at the protocols integrated into Apple Farm at launch:

• IguanaDEX – Earn Apples by providing liquidity for key token pairs.

• Superlend – Supply select assets to earn Apples.

• Hanji – Trade and provide liquidity on Hanji.

• Uranium.io – Hold Uranium tokens to participate.

The program will expand to include more protocols over time, ensuring that as the Etherlink DeFi ecosystem grows, so do the earning opportunities for users. Additionally, the Apple Farm leaderboard will allow users to track their progress throughout the season, adding a competitive element to the rewards distribution.

This incentive program is being developed in collaboration with Merkl, a company specializing in onchain rewards mechanisms. Merkl has previously built successful incentive programs for Optimism (Superfest) and ZKsync (Ignite), both of which significantly boosted engagement and liquidity in their respective ecosystems.

Want to get a head start? Join the Apple Farm waitlist at applefarm.xyz/waitlist for an exclusive rewards boost.

The Bifrost Upgrade Is Live – Etherlink Is Now Fully on Mainnet

Alongside Apple Farm, another major milestone for Etherlink is its full transition to mainnet with the Bifrost upgrade. With this update, Etherlink is no longer in beta—it is now fully operational as Tezos’ first live layer-2 solution, providing scalable and low-cost transactions while leveraging Tezos’ security.

This upgrade ensures greater stability, performance improvements, and optimized transaction execution, making it even easier for developers and users to interact with Etherlink seamlessly.

Calypso: The Next Etherlink Upgrade Is Up for a Vote

Even as Bifrost takes effect, the next Etherlink upgrade, Calypso, is already moving through the governance cycle. Tezos Bakers are now invited to vote on the proposal, which introduces several key improvements to Etherlink, including:

• Faster Withdrawals – A new precompiled contract entry point lays the groundwork for instant tez withdrawals from Etherlink to Tezos L1.

• Performance Boosts – The Etherlink virtual machine now leverages caching, making storage interactions faster and improving execution speeds for dApps.

• Reliability Enhancements – Etherlink now uses events to notify the sequencer of delayed transactions, reducing the risk of downtime due to unexpected network conditions.

• Storage Optimization – The rollup context now retains only the latest block, significantly reducing disk usage for full Rollup Nodes.

These upgrades are designed to enhance Etherlink’s speed, efficiency, and resilience, ensuring it remains a robust scaling solution for Tezos users.

Key Dates for the Calypso Vote:

• Proposal Period Vote: Expected to start February 24th, 2025

• Promotion Period Vote: Expected to begin February 25th, 2025

Tezos Bakers can participate in the governance process at governance.etherlink.com.

Meet Etherlink at ETH Denver

If you’re attending ETH Denver, you won’t want to miss the chance to connect with the Etherlink team in person. They’ll be stationed at:

📍 Booth 522, Regenlandia Area
🗓️ February 27 - March 2
⏰ All Day

This is a great opportunity to:

✅ Get a firsthand look at Etherlink’s latest developments
✅ Learn more about Apple Farm and how to maximize rewards
✅ Dive into the upcoming Calypso upgrade and governance process

Whether you’re a developer looking to build on Etherlink or a Tezos community member excited about the future of scalable L2s, stop by and meet the team!

Final Thoughts: A Huge Week for Etherlink & Tezos

This is a pivotal moment for Etherlink and the broader Tezos ecosystem. With Apple Farm set to supercharge DeFi, the Bifrost upgrade bringing Etherlink to mainnet, and Calypso introducing key performance upgrades, the L2 is rapidly evolving.

The ability to scale Tezos while maintaining decentralization and security is what makes Etherlink a game-changer. And with a presence at ETH Denver, it’s clear that Etherlink isn’t just growing within the Tezos ecosystem—it’s positioning itself as a serious player in the broader Ethereum L2 space as well.

Expect more exciting developments in the coming weeks as Apple Farm prepares to go live and the governance vote for Calypso progresses. We’ll be keeping a close eye on it all—so stay tuned.

Tezos Protocol Upgrade: Rio Moves Through Governance

While Etherlink is making big moves on Tezos Layer 2, the Rio protocol upgrade is progressing through Tezos governance with just four days remaining in the proposal phase. Bakers have already cast 81.5 million upvotes with over 12% participation, meaning Rio will advance to the Exploration phase soon.

What’s in Rio? A Focus on Scalability & Staking

Rio is the 18th Tezos protocol upgrade proposal, introduced by Nomadic Labs, Trilitech, and Functori, with changes designed to enhance scalability and refine Tezos’ staking model. Here’s a refresher on what it brings:

• Shorter Cycle Times – Network cycles will now last just one day instead of three, meaning faster staking adjustments and quicker unstaking periods.

• Updated Rewards Model – 10% of participation rewards will now fund the Data Availability Layer (DAL), a key component for Tezos’ L2 scalability. Only bakers who participate in DAL will receive these rewards, incentivizing broader involvement.

• Stricter Baker Inactivity Rules – Bakers will be marked inactive after two days instead of eight, ensuring a more responsive network. Reactivation is also faster, taking only two days.

• Slight Gas Fee Adjustment – Transactions between user wallets will see a small increase of 0.0002 tez to account for storage costs. Smart contract fees remain unchanged.

Rio builds on community feedback, refining how Tezos manages staking, governance participation, and L2 scalability. The transition to one-day cycles will make delegation and staking operations much more fluid, while the new DAL rewards system ensures more bakers actively support Tezos’ scalability efforts.

With only a few days left in the proposal phase, Bakers still have time to submit or upvote the proposal using the following command in the Octez client:

octez-client submit proposals for <baking_key> PsRiotumaAMotcRoDWW1bysEhQy2n1M5fy8JgRp8jjRfHGmfeA7 --force

For the latest voting status and details, check Tezos Agora.

Every upgrade strengthens the Tezos ecosystem, and Rio is no exception. If you’re a Baker, now’s the time to cast your vote before the proposal phase ends!

This Week in the Tezos Ecosystem

ETH Denver is in full swing, and Tezos has been everywhere. From real-world asset tokenization to DeFi adoption, the Tezos ecosystem has been part of key discussions shaping the future of Web3. Here’s a look at what’s already happened and what’s still to come.

February 26: A Big Day for Tezos at ETH Denver

Tuesday was packed with Tezos-led panels and discussions, starting with RWA Day, where Joanna Rindell of Trilitech spoke about tokenizing real-world assets on Tezos. The conversation ranged from treasury bills to uranium markets, highlighting how Tezos is helping bring institutional assets on-chain. The presence of Uranium.io, a project focused on tokenizing uranium, was a standout topic.

At Innovate Denver, Nomadic Labs Anthony Hayot joined a panel on DeFi’s role in traditional finance. The discussion tackled why institutional adoption of DeFi has lagged, but also how protocols like Tezos are making real progress in bridging that gap.

Meanwhile, World of Women took the stage at SheFi Summit, where they showcased their work in digital art, NFTs, and Web3 inclusivity. Tezos has long been a hub for NFT creators, and this event reinforced the network’s role in supporting artists and builders.

February 27: Kicking Off ETH Denver with the Tezos Breakfast Club

Wednesday morning started off strong with the Tezos Breakfast Club at the Corner Bakery Café. Builders, developers, and community members gathered over coffee and pastries to talk about Etherlink’s transition to mainnet and the upcoming Apple Farm incentive program. It was a laid-back but productive way to kick off another big day at ETH Denver.

What’s Still Ahead: Arthur Breitman’s Keynote & More

There’s still plenty to look forward to, including Arthur Breitman’s keynote on Friday, February 28th at 10:50 AM MST on the BUIDL SQUAD stage. He’ll be tackling the fragmentation of Layer 2 networks and discussing whether the future lies in enshrined base-layer functionality over modular approaches. Expect some big insights into scalability, AI agents, and the role of Tezos in this evolving space.

And if you haven’t yet, be sure to visit the Etherlink booth (Booth 522, Regenlandia Area). The team will be there until March 2nd, answering questions and showcasing Tezos’ first live Layer 2 solution.

With ETH Denver still in full swing, Tezos continues to be at the heart of the conversation. Whether it’s DeFi, RWAs, or NFTs, the network is proving why it’s a key player in Web3.

🔴 Now Streaming: Digital Art on Tezos with Objkt’s Ombeline Rosset

This week on TezTalks Radio, Marissa Trew speaks with Ombeline Rosset, digital art curator and community manager at Objkt. From curating emerging artists to strengthening the Tezos art scene, Ombeline shares insights into the ever-changing art landscape.

Our special guest is Ombeline Rosset, shaping the future of Tezos-based digital curation.

🔍 In this episode, we’ll explore:

Curating Digital Art: - How Ombeline transitioned from Objkt’s first employee to leading curation efforts.

Community & Collectors: - The role of community management in sustaining and growing the Tezos art ecosystem.

Challenges & Evolution: - How Tezos art has grown since 2021 and what’s next for artists and collectors.

The Future of Objkt: - The importance of discoverability, onboarding, and tools for new collectors.

Advice for Newcomers: - Why engaging with the community and attending events is key to success in the Tezos art space.

Watch the full episode on YouTube.