Dear Band Community,
September 2021 was a landmark month for Band Protocol, highlighted by BandChain crossing 10 million oracle requests and the successful mainnet upgrade to BandChain Phase 2: Laozi. Alongside these achievements, we integrated with Boba Network and participated in NEAR Protocol’s MetaBUIDL hackathon, fostering deeper developer engagement across ecosystems.
With Phase 2 now stabilized, our engineering team has shifted focus to enabling advanced features—starting with IBC oracles—to solidify Band Protocol’s position as a scalable, decentralized oracle solution. Below, we detail key updates, partnerships, and future roadmaps.
Key Achievements
1. BandChain Phase 2: Laozi Mainnet Upgrade
- Migration Success: On September 23, the Laozi mainnet launched seamlessly with participation from 60+ validators. The chain paused briefly for maintenance and resumed without issues.
New Features Enabled: Phase 2 introduces:
- IBC oracles (via BCIP-4) for cross-chain data requests.
- On-chain revenue models for premium data providers.
- Verifiable Random Function (VRF) support.
2. Technical Milestones
- 10 Million Oracle Requests: BandChain processed over 10M requests by early September, demonstrating robust adoption.
Codebase Upgrades:
- Released v2.3.0, migrating to Cosmos-SDK v0.44.0 and IBC-Go v1.1.0.
- Finalized Laozi Testnet 4 for stability testing pre-mainnet.
Partnerships & Ecosystem Growth
1. Boba Network Integration
- First Optimistic Rollup Collaboration: Band partnered with Boba Network (Ethereum L2) to provide decentralized oracles for scalable dApps.
- 230+ Price Feeds: Developers can access crypto, forex, and commodity data via the Band Standard Dataset.
👉 Explore Band’s oracle solutions for DeFi
2. NEAR Protocol Hackathon
- Sponsored MetaBUIDL ($1M prize pool) to empower NEAR ecosystem developers.
- Focus: Custom oracles for external data needs.
FAQs
Q1: How does IBC oracle integration benefit developers?
A1: It enables cross-chain data requests (e.g., from Cosmos chains) via IBC, expanding use cases like interchain DeFi.
Q2: What’s next after Phase 2?
A2: Expect VRF launches, deeper IBC integrations, and on-chain revenue features for data providers.
Q3: How can I become a BandChain validator?
A3: Follow the validator guide.
About Band Protocol
Band Protocol delivers decentralized oracles for smart contracts, serving DeFi, gaming, and prediction markets. Learn more: Website.
Stay tuned for Q4 2021 updates as we scale BandChain’s capabilities!