We started 2021 by working hard to prepare for the launch of the Moonbeam and Moonriver networks. Likewise, our ecosystem continues to grow, and more projects are building on Moonbeam than ever.
We have lots of news for you. Let’s get started!
Token Allocation Information for Glimmer (GLMR) and River (RIVER)
We published the planned token allocation for the future utility tokens on the Moonbeam and Moonriver networks!
About River: River is the token for Moonriver, our deployment to the Kusama network. Moonriver is intended as a companion network to Moonbeam, where it will provide a permanently incentivized canary network. The new code will ship to Moonriver first, where it can be tested and verified under real economic conditions. It will also be a community-led experiment where the community will decide the direction it takes.
As part of this community-led strategy, the Moonbeam Foundation plans to use a crowdloan to secure funding for its parachain slot on Kusama. A majority of the network tokens (60%!!) have been allocated for the community. The exact timing is not finalized.
Since Moonriver is where we deploy code first, and Kusama will have parachain functionality first, this network will launch BEFORE Moonbeam.
Find more information about the River token here.
About Glimmer: Glimmer is the token for Moonbeam, our deployment to the Polkadot network. The Moonbeam Foundation is still working to define more details about the sale, which is expected shortly before the MainNet launch this year. Once those details are available, we will notify you!
Find more information about the Glimmer token here.
TestNet Upgraded to Moonbase Alpha v5
We released a new version of Moonbase Alpha, our TestNet. This version introduced significant infrastructure updates and added staking features, which opens the door for collators to actively participate in producing blocks on the network. This update is an essential step toward the launch of Moonriver, the network’s Kusama deployment.
Read the announcement here, or click here to see the complete list of updates included in the new version of Moonbase Alpha.
Moonbeam Grants Program Now Accepting Applications
The Moonbeam Grants Program is now open and accepting applications! This program aims to fund Web3 software developers and support projects that contribute to the Moonbeam ecosystem’s growth.
Eligible projects fall into two categories:
- Tools and infrastructure: Projects that other Moonbeam developers need or fill existing tool gaps. Some examples include wallets, browsers, and API services.
- Ecosystem projects: Projects that seed the Moonbeam ecosystem with useful services and utility on the web. Use cases could include DeFi, NFT, identity, games, insurance, and more.
Grant winners will receive funding with native Moonbeam tokens (Glimmer “GLMR”) once it is available. The token is not released yet. Additional benefits include access to developer tools and resources, communication and support of the Moonbeam team, grant recognition, and more.
Read the announcement here.
New Partnerships, Integrations, and Projects Building on Moonbeam
Moonbeam and Ocean Protocol Partner to Bring a New Data Economy to the Polkadot Ecosystem
The Moonbeam and Ocean teams have completed the first part of an initial integration: a successful deployment of Ocean’s contracts to Moonbeam. The full initial integration will also involve bridging OCEAN token from Ethereum MainNet, and a new deployment of Ocean Market Web App components for Moonbeam. Once complete, this will enable users to publish data, stake on data, and buy data in the Polkadot ecosystem in an open, secure fashion.
Read the announcement here.
Moonbeam Network Completes TestNet Integration of ChainBridge, The Network’s First Bridge to Ethereum
Moonbeam announced the completion of a TestNet integration of ChainBridge, a modular multi-directional bridge built by ChainSafe. This is the first bridge between Ethereum and the Moonbeam parachain on Polkadot, and will allow asset transfers between the two independent chains!
Moonbeam’s Ethereum-friendly design has made it an ideal expansion point for many Solidity-based projects that want access to the growing Polkadot ecosystem. Projects in the Moonbeam TestNet need a working bridge to connect their multi-chain deployments, and Polkadot-only projects want to have access to ERC-20 and ERC-721 tokens living on Ethereum today. The ChainBridge deployment on Moonbeam removes this impediment to allow free movement of tokens between the sovereign chains.
Read the announcement here.
Poolz Integrates Its Decentralized Token-swapping Protocol Into Moonbeam
The integration of Poolz into the Moonbeam TestNet will expand Poolz’ cross-chain capabilities for interoperable Defi and token sale fundraising.
By integrating Moonbeam’s technology into its protocol, Poolz makes it easier for developers to create native Polkadot applications that utilize Poolz’s cross-chain capabilities for token swapping.
Ethereum native projects can now deploy the same logic and smart contract code on Polkadot while supporting the exchange of ERC20 assets using Poolz.
Read the announcement here.
Moonbeam is Part of the PolkaPet World!
PolkaPets is the first-ever digital collectible card game to feature Polkadot projects in interactive and immersive gameplay. This is a great way to engage community members and build awareness for emerging Polkadot-based projects, all at the same time.
The Moonbeam PolkaPet NFT character has two heads that allow it to be incredibly agile and able to build in multiple environments! This PolkaPet is very curious and loves to explore new things. Learn more about the Moonbeam PolkaPet here.
Crust Network and Moonbeam Collaborate For Decentralized Storage
Moonbeam and Crust partnered to enable developers to access decentralized storage of Solidity smart contracts and DApp data. This integration will benefit Crust by providing a new inflow of users and projects that are building on Moonbeam who will need a storage protocol for their own particular use case.
Now, developers and projects building on Moonbeam have access to a cost-effective and decentralized data storage solution that can be used for decentralized applications, cloud services, edge computing, or even file storage and sharing.
Read the announcement here.
Offshift Completes Initial Integration on Moonbeam
Offshift completed an initial integration of the platform into Moonbeam. This integration makes it possible for Moonbeam developers to access Offshift’s full palette of private, synthetically-pegged zkAssets for multiple use case scenarios like payments, point-of-sale, or any number of innovative DeFi applications based on privacy.
Read the announcement here.
Moonbeam in the Media
We want to share with you some articles that were recently published and talk about Moonbeam, our purpose, and what is coming up next!
CryptoSlate | Here are some of the big projects coming to Polkadot (DOT) in 2021
Decrypt | Polkadot Price Hits Record High, Pushing Market Cap Past $10 Billion
CryptoNinjas | Moonbeam upgrades Polkadot smart contract platform to include staking
Altacoin Buzz | Notable Projects Built On Polkadot – Part I
See all the latest news, information, and technical releases for the Moonbeam project at https://moonbeam.network/news/.
Upcoming Events
Feb. 4th: Using Solidity Smart Contracts with Chainlink Oracles on Moonbeam:
Alberto Viera from the Moonbeam team will provide a quick overview and demo of the Moonbeam smart contract platform, how it integrates with existing Ethereum tools, and how you can use the built-in access to Chainlink within a Moonbeam environment. You’ll also learn how to deploy your unmodified Solidity smart contracts to Moonbeam’s Polkadot-based environment, where you can get access to new users and assets. Join us on Thursday, February 4th at 18:00 UTC. Register for free here.
Talks You May Have Missed
Why Polkadot: The Polkadot DeFi Alliance organized a presentation to learn more about Polkadot and why more projects are building on it. Rewatch this presentation using this link.
Temporada de Parachains: This was our second presentation for Spanish-speakers. Alberto Viera, from the Moonbeam team, gave an overview of the project. Rewatch it here.
You can keep track of which events we’re attending here: https://moonbeam.network/events/.
That’s it for this month! As always, you can keep in touch via Discord, Twitter, Telegram, or our newsletter.
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