Etherlink’s Big Week: Calypso, Apple Farm, Gate.io, and More

Etherlink has been rapidly evolving, and this week showed how all the pieces are coming together. Faster performance, new incentives, greater accessibility, and a stronger community—this is what scaling on Tezos looks like.

Calypso is Live: A Faster, More Efficient Etherlink

The Calypso upgrade has been officially activated, thanks to Tezos bakers voting it in. This marks Etherlink’s third successful upgrade, reinforcing its ability to evolve without forks, disruptions, or breaking changes.

What Calypso Brings to Etherlink:

• 30x Faster Smart Contract Storage – Execution is now dramatically improved, making dApps smoother and more responsive.

• Smarter Storage Management – Etherlink now stores only the latest block on Rollup Nodes, while keeping full history accessible via Octez EVM Nodes.

• Faster Bridging to Tezos L1 – A new precompiled contract entry point lays the groundwork for instant withdrawals, expected to go live in early Q2.

• Governance Updates – With the Quebec upgrade lowering Tezos block times to 8 seconds, Etherlink governance contracts have been updated to stay in sync.

• Reliability Improvements – New event-driven notifications improve network resilience and uptime, reducing unexpected downtime risks.

With Tezos bakers at the center of governance, Etherlink continues to showcase how upgrades can happen smoothly, without forks or disruptions.

Faster Transactions & Lower Fees—But What’s Next? Apple Farm.

With Calypso’s performance improvements now live, the focus shifts to driving user activity on Etherlink. That’s where Apple Farm comes in.

The countdown for Apple Farm is officially on. With $3,000,000 in rewards and over 40,000 waitlist signups, this DeFi incentive program is set to boost activity across Etherlink’s ecosystem.

Here’s a preview of the initial earning opportunities:

🍏 Superlend – Earn Apples by supplying $XTZ.
☢️ xU3o8 – Earn Apples by holding xU3o8 (tokenized uranium).
🟠 Hanji – Earn Apples by submitting market orders on the limit orderbook DEX.
🦎 IguanaDEX – Earn Apples by providing liquidity in the WETH/XTZ pool.

This is just the beginning—Apple Farm will expand as more protocols integrate. The full reward structure will be revealed at launch. Sign up for the waitlist at applefarm.xyz/waitlist and get ready to farm!

Making It Easier to Access Etherlink: Gate.io Integration

A faster Layer 2 with massive incentives is great—but getting funds in and out needs to be seamless too, that’s why the Gate.io integration is a huge step forward.

XTZ deposits and withdrawals on Etherlink are now live on Gate.io, making it easier than ever for users to move funds between L1 and L2.

This isn’t just about one exchange—it’s part of a bigger push to integrate Etherlink with centralized platforms, increasing liquidity and accessibility. More integrations are expected in the coming months as Etherlink adoption grows.

Scaling Adoption Requires Community—Enter the Etherlink Community Rewards Program

Performance upgrades and DeFi incentives drive network activity, but community engagement is just as important. That’s why Etherlink is launching its own version of the Tezos Community Rewards Program.

The program is being rolled out in two phases:

Phase 1 (March 2024): General Rewards Pool

• Rewards for active community participation

• Includes content creation, educational contributions, technical development, and moderation

Phase 2 (April 2024): Category-Specific Awards

• Innovation Champion Award – Recognizing technical contributions and smart contract development

• Community Builder Award – For those growing the Etherlink community

• Content Creator Award – Rewarding top creators of educational articles, videos, and infographics

How to Participate

✅ Track your contributions
✅ Submit your work using #EtherlinkCRP or via Discord
✅ Nominate and support fellow contributors
✅ Rewards are distributed monthly based on contribution quality and impact

This is just the beginning of a broader initiative to reward ecosystem participants. Expect special challenges, hackathons, and even community governance of rewards in the future.

What’s Next for Etherlink?

All of these updates—Calypso, Apple Farm, Gate.io integration, and the Community Rewards Program—are setting the stage for the next major milestone:

Instant, Trustless L1 Withdrawals – Expected early Q2, making transfers between L2 and Tezos L1 seamless.
More DeFi Growth – Apple Farm is just the start—expect more dApps, lending markets, and DEX activity.
Expanding Exchange Support – More integrations beyond Gate.io to increase Etherlink liquidity.
Developer Tools & Infrastructure – Enhancing the building experience on Tezos L2.

Etherlink is proving that Layer 2 solutions don’t have to be fragmented, slow, or complex. With seamless governance, continuous performance upgrades, and a clear focus on community engagement, it’s shaping up to be a cornerstone of Tezos’ scalability vision.

Tezos Protocol Upgrade: Quorum has reached!

As Etherlink continues to evolve, Tezos L1 is also progressing with Rio, the 18th Tezos protocol upgrade—Quorum has reached!

With just four days remaining in the Exploration phase, Rio currently reached quorum with 60.45% participation. While support is overwhelmingly strong at 100% in favor, every vote matters. Bakers, now is the time to cast your ballot and ensure Tezos biggest strength, governance, is demonstrated.

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

Rio brings several important changes to enhance Tezos' efficiency, staking mechanics, and governance participation:

• Shorter Network Cycles – Reducing cycle times from three days to one, meaning faster staking adjustments, unstaking periods, and reward distribution.

• Updated Rewards Model – 10% of participation rewards will now fund the Data Availability Layer (DAL), incentivizing bakers who actively contribute to Tezos’ L2 scalability.

• Stricter Baker Inactivity Rules – Bakers will be marked inactive after two days instead of eight, ensuring a more responsive and engaged validator set.

• Gas Fee Adjustment for Wallet Transactions – A small gas fee increase of 0.0002 tez for wallet-to-wallet transactions to reflect storage costs. Smart contract fees remain unchanged.

Bakers: Your Vote Matters

Tezos upgrades only happen through on-chain governance, and every vote counts in shaping the network’s future. To vote in the Exploration phase, Bakers can use the following command in the Octez client:

octez-client submit ballot for YOUR_ADDRESS PsRiotumaAMotcRoDWW1bysEhQy2n1M5fy8JgRp8jjRfHGmfeA7 yea|nay|pass

The last day to vote in the exploration phase is March 19th. Make your voice heard and help Tezos continue evolving.

Check the latest voting progress on Tezos Agora.

This Week in the Tezos Ecosystem

Stepping into the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) in New York, the energy in the room is undeniable. The space is filled with artists, collectors, and Tezos community members, all gathered to experience the opening of Compositions in Code: The Art of Processing and p5.js—a new installation series co-presented by MoMI and the Tezos Foundation, in association with Processing.org.

This series brings together artists who helped shape Processing, one of the earliest creative coding environments, with those working in p5.js, a modern framework that has made generative art more accessible than ever. The result is a showcase of works that demonstrate how code can be used as a tool for artistic expression, from structured patterns to unpredictable visual compositions.

At the center of the exhibition, two featured works stand out: "Returns" by Aleksandra Jovanic and "MoMI Exploder" by Marius Watz. Each piece highlights a different approach to generative art, where randomness, structure, and precision come together in unexpected ways.

• "Returns" by Alexis explores human psychology, patterns, and the tendency to find meaning in randomness. It blends data visualization and algorithmic design, creating a piece that encourages viewers to search for connections within abstract elements.
  🔗 Mint a fragment of "Returns"

• "MoMI Exploder" by Marius Watz takes digital abstraction into physical space. A 3D wireframe geometry, first projected, is then "drawn" using artist tape, challenging the boundaries between digital and physical media.
  🔗 Mint a fragment of "MoMI Exploder"

Minting Art in Real Time on Tezos

One of the most exciting elements of Compositions in Code is that visitors aren’t just there to observe—they’re active participants. A Tezos-powered minting station allows attendees to collect digital fragments of the exhibited works, making the experience something they can take with them. For those who couldn’t attend in person, the same opportunity is available online via MoMI, ensuring that anyone can engage with the collection.

The opening event brought together members of the Trilitech Arts Team, MoMI, and the Tezos Foundation, setting the stage for an ongoing series that will continue to feature new artist pairings.

With more artists set to join the series, this is just the beginning. Stay tuned for upcoming releases and additions to the collection.hts from the teams driving Tezos forward.

Arthur Breitman on Tokenization: What Went Wrong and What Comes Next

Just as Compositions in Code explores how technology shapes art, Arthur Breitman recently sat down with Charlie Shrem to discuss how technology is reshaping finance, tokenization, and real-world assets. The latest episode of The Charlie Shrem Show dives deep into what went wrong with the first wave of tokenization and why the next iteration could be the one that truly sticks.

What Went Wrong with Tokenization?

Tokenization was supposed to revolutionize finance, but the first wave missed the mark. According to Arthur, much of the early hype was focused on tokenizing bonds, real estate, and securities, but crypto traders weren’t looking for slow, stable investments—they wanted high-volatility, high-reward assets.

Ironically, the most successful tokenized real-world asset turned out to be stablecoins—not because they were investments, but because they were a convenience, offering a way to transact in USD-like assets without exposure to traditional banking systems.

What’s Changing in the Next Wave of Tokenization?

Arthur highlights a new wave of tokenization that focuses on unlocking previously inaccessible markets. One of the most unexpected yet promising examples? Uranium.

With Uranium.io—a Tezos-powered platform that tokenizes uranium reserves—investors now have access to a commodity that was previously off-limits to retail markets. This type of tokenization isn’t about wrapping old financial instruments in new technology; it’s about creating new markets entirely.

Beyond tokenization, Arthur also discusses how Tezos continues to evolve with faster block times, seamless governance upgrades, and a strong developer community, pushing blockchain infrastructure forward while traditional financial institutions remain slow to adapt.

Arthur Breitman Breaks Down Tezos Canonical Rollups on Tezos X-Plained

In addition to the tokenization discussion, Arthur also appears in Episode 2 of Tezos X-Plained, diving into Canonical Rollups—a key piece of Tezos’ scalability roadmap. In this video, he breaks down how Tezos’ native rollup architecture enables scalable, efficient, and secure Layer 2 solutions without compromising decentralization.

🎥 Watch Tezos X-Plained Ep. 2: Canonical Rollups
🔹 Watch here

If you’re interested in where tokenization is actually heading and how Tezos is leading in scalability, these are two must-watch discussions.

🎧 Listen to the podcast here:
🔹 Apple Podcasts
🔹 Spotify

Buying Uranium on Tezos Just Got Easier

Tokenized uranium is no longer an idea—it’s a reality. Uranium.io, built on Tezos, has upgraded its platform to make owning physical uranium as simple as a few clicks.

With the latest update, users no longer need upfront KYC to get started. Instead, on-chain analytics monitor compliance in real-time, requesting verification only if necessary. This means faster, frictionless access to a commodity that was previously out of reach for most investors.

How to Own Uranium in Three Steps

1️⃣ Create an account – Sign up directly on Uranium.io
2️⃣ Add funds – Deposit USDC via Transak
3️⃣ Buy uranium – Enter the amount and click “Buy”

That’s it. 24/7 global access, no middlemen, no unnecessary delays.

With Tezos powering this on-chain marketplace, tokenized commodities are no longer just a concept—they’re here.

Learn more and get started at Uranium.io.

Sugarverse Secures $1M in Funding, Bringing Sugar Match to Etherlink

As Uranium.io simplifies access to tokenized commodities, another sector of the Tezos ecosystem is gaining momentum—Web3 gaming. This week, Sugarverse, a next-gen game studio focused on sustainable and rewarding in-game economies, announced that it has successfully raised $1 million in funding to fuel the launch of Sugar Match, its flagship mobile game, set to debut on Etherlink this summer.

Sugarverse isn’t new to gaming. The team has already launched over 10 successful Web2 games with a combined player base of more than 60 million users. Now, they’re bringing that expertise into Web3 with a focus on long-term, balanced in-game economies—a challenge that has plagued many blockchain games in the past.

Many Web3 games struggle with token value declines and unsustainable reward structures, rewarding early adopters while leaving later players at a disadvantage. Sugarverse aims to fix this.

CEO Nikolay Mitev emphasizes that Sugarverse is building a model where all players have equal opportunities to benefit, ensuring rewards remain fair at every stage of the game’s lifecycle. Inspired by online poker, Sugar Match’s economy is designed to avoid the boom-and-bust cycles seen in traditional play-to-earn models.

Bringing Web3 to a Mainstream Audience

Unlike many blockchain-based games that emphasize complex mechanics first, Sugar Match prioritizes fun and accessibility, allowing players to start in guest mode and ease into Web3 features gradually. This approach, according to Efe Kucuk, Head of Gaming at Trilitech, is key to bringing more casual gamers into the Tezos ecosystem:

Sugar Match is the first of five planned games from Sugarverse, marking the studio’s full transition into Web3 gaming. As Tezos continues to expand into scalable Layer 2 solutions with Etherlink, the arrival of high-quality mobile games could drive significant new user adoption.

With funding secured and Etherlink providing the foundation, Sugarverse is set to make a major impact in Web3 gaming.

🔴 Now Streaming: Tezos, Baking & Web3 Gaming with Billy Housh

This week on TezTalks Live, we’re joined by Billy Housh, Tezos baker, educator, and gaming enthusiast. Billy shares his insights on the state of the Tezos ecosystem, the role of baking, and the challenges and opportunities of bringing Web3 gaming to life.

Our special guest is Billy Housh, who is bridging Tezos, education, and game development.

🔍 In this episode, we’ll explore:

Tezos Baking & Beyond: - Billy’s journey into Tezos, operating as a baker, and why he’s helping others get started.

The State of Tezos in 2025: - A deep dive into where the ecosystem stands and what’s ahead.

Web3 Gaming’s Potential: - Why gaming is seen as a key use case for blockchain and what’s holding it back.

Challenges & Adoption: - How blockchain can fit into the gaming world and what’s needed to overcome resistance.

Looking Ahead: - The intersection of Tezos, gaming, and education, and what’s next for Billy Housh.

Watch the full episode on YouTube.