Layer-2 scaling solution Polygon (MATIC) has not processed a block in over an hour and a half, leading some to believe that the blockchain network could be suffering from an outage. According to data from Polygonscan, the blockchain's last block and transaction was processed at around 8:35 pm UTC on Feb. 22. The network has previously suffered network outages, with the last occurring on Mar. 21-22, 2022 due to maintenance required on one of the network's three layers. The Polygon team is yet to comment on the outage. This is a developing story, and further information will be added as …

General manager of the Bank for International Settlements Agustín Carstens spoke at the Singapore FinTech Festival on Feb. 22 and described the digital financial infrastructure he believes would best suit central bankers’ needs. He called that infrastructure a “unified ledger.” Carstens compared the theoretical unified ledger with a smartphone, saying they both work seamlessly with a variety of components. Unlike a smartphone, a unified ledger would have open architecture, however, and would show programmability and composability, that it, it would run and bundle smart contracts. There are over 2 million apps available to smartphone users, Carstens noted. He said: “A …

The Web3 Domain Alliance, a member-led coalition that aims to provide a standardized framework for Web3 naming services, has announced 51 new members, including Blockchain.com, Rarible, Wyre, Bitdegree, WazirX, and Klever. These firms will help promote the development of the Web3 naming industry and the functioning of Web3 domain registries, according to the company We’re excited to announce that 52 new members are joining the Web3 Domain Alliance including @blockchain, @rarible, @sendwyre, @bitdegree_org, @WazirXIndia, and @klever_io, along with dozens of other naming systems, projects and companies! #W3DA Why this is great news [1/4] pic.twitter.com/rzSlYKYpEh — unstoppable.nft (@unstoppableweb) February 22, 2023 …

Blockchain technology is often a valuable tool in solving various business challenges due to its ability to create secure, trusted, and transparent data sources and has gained traction across industries as businesses seek efficiency and cost reductions. Daniela Barbosa, the Executive Director at the open-source blockchain development firm the Hyperledger Foundation, spoke to Cointelegraph about how blockchain for enterprise is transforming global markets and industries. Barbosa noted blockchain technology has already demonstrated its value in various enterprise use cases, such as provenance tracking, logistics, and cross-border payments. By providing efficiency and cost-saving solutions while saving time and labor, enterprise blockchain …

According to a press release on Feb. 22, Tencent Cloud, the cloud computing branch of Chinese internet giant Tencent, announced that it had concluded multiple agreements with blockchain firms to support the active development of the Web 3.0 ecosystem. Firstly, Tencent Cloud signed a memorandum of cooperation with decentralized blockchain infrastructure provider Ankr to jointly develop a series of blockchain API services for remote procedure call nodes. The new service will be deployed on Tencent Cloud's infrastructure and will provide connections to mainstream blockchains building on Web 3.0 games and applications. Secondly, Tencent Cloud said that it reached strategic cooperation …

According to the results of a community vote on Feb. 22, users and validators of The Open Network (TON), a layer one blockchain previously created by Telegram, have voted to suspend miners' wallets for four years if they are inactive and have never made an outgoing transaction. The decision resulted in 1,081,389,416 TON being suspended, worth an estimated $2.58 billion at the time of publication and accounting for over 20% of TON tokens outstanding. The validator vote, which began on Feb. 21, 2023, was passed after the first two rounds without requiring a third tie round to break the tie. …

The growing GameFi sector has caught the attention of the video game industry, leading many brands to create their own unique blockchain games. However, despite the popularity of these projects, many lack engaging gameplay mechanics and the entertainment value found in successful traditional games. With a focus on high production values, replayability and entertainment, the upcoming blockchain gaming project Undeads aims to bring these much-needed elements to the forefront of the Web3 space. Undeads’ head of community Jan Emil Christiansen will get into more detail about the ambitious gaming project in an AMA on Feb. 22, 3:00 pm UTC. Undeads …

Smartphones could become an integral part of blockchain networks, powering connectivity between smart devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) industry. Nodle is the firm behind a connectivity platform that incentivizes users to become nodes of an IoT network. Making use of the increasing proliferation of smartphones worldwide, the network uses Bluetooth connectivity to rent computing power, storage and Bluetooth capability of devices to broaden the footprint of IoT networks. Nodle CEO Micha Anthenor Benoliel outlined details of the project in an interview with Cointelegraph, which looks to tap into a global network of electronic devices connected through Bluetooth Low …

Tech jobs that do not require coding are important for several reasons. Firstly, they provide opportunities for individuals who may not have the technical background or interest in coding to work in the tech industry. This can help diversify the industry and bring in fresh perspectives and skill sets. Additionally, these roles are crucial for the successful development and launch of tech products and services. Technical support specialists, project managers, technical editors and quality assurance testers are all essential for ensuring that products are user-friendly, high-quality and meet user needs. Finally, these roles often require strong communication, problem-solving and organizational …

The launch of Bitcoin Ordinals back in January created a stir within the crypto community on their place within the Bitcoin (BTC) ecosystem. Users are debating whether they offer new use cases for Bitcoin or if it takes away from the initial peer-to-peer cash system vision of BTC. No matter the community sentiment on the Bitcoin NFT issue, this did not stop Bitcoin mining firm Luxor Mining from acquiring OrdinalHub, the primary platform for Bitcoin NFTs. The announcement came on Feb. 20, saying already 150,000 inscriptions have been made, a 15000% increase from the beginning of the month. Luxor highlighted …

Artifacts recovered from the wreckage of the Titanic are set to be tokenized using blockchain technology through a partnership driven by the company that acts as the steward of the sunken vessel. A three-way partnership involving RMS Titanic Inc. (RMST), Hong Kong-based Venture Smart Financial Holdings and Web3 firm Artifact Labs will begin tokenizing precious artifacts from the Titanic to unlock a myriad of Web3 functionalities. Select artifacts from the sunken Titanic will be preserved as nonfungible tokens (NFTs), which is aimed to open up shared ownership to the wider general public. RMST holds the exclusive rights to recover artifacts …

Ethereum core developer Tim Beiko announced the Shapella (Shanghai/Capella) upgrade is scheduled for Feb. 28. The Shapella network upgrade will activate on the Sepolia network at epoch 56832. Shanghai and Capella are the names of the upcoming Ethereum hard fork. Shanghai is the name of the fork on the execution client side, and Capella is the upgrade name on the consensus layer client side. Some of the key Ethereum improvement proposals (EIP) changes on the execution layer include Warm Coinbase and Beacon chain push withdrawals. The push withdrawals will make way for validator withdrawals from the beacon chain to the …