Hello, WASM !

This newsletter will be distributed weekly based on the concept of “an easy weekend recap” of the happenings at Astar Network.

Finally, the mainnet is now compatible with WASM !

This is an important milestone for Astar Network, which has placed the XVM (WASM × EVM) concept at the center of its strategy.

With the development environment for WASM, such as support for “ink! Version 4.0,” now in place, we can’t wait to see what Astar will bring in the future.

Let’s continue to follow their progress together!

Now, let’s review this week’s news.

Astar Network is now compatible with WASM

Overview

Astar Network has announced its support for WASM.

An update will be released on April 6th to accommodate this.

On the same day, a Crowdcast hosted by Mr. Watanabe and others will also take place.

Opinion

WASM has finally arrived on Astar! It was already supported in the testnet, but it feels like it’s been implemented in the mainnet relatively early.

While the EVM environment was the only option before, WASM VM allows for dApp development in high-level programming languages such as Rust and C++.

This is expected to attract many more developers to the ecosystem.

This is a very significant update, and we’re excited to see what’s next!

Astar announces support for ink! Version 4.0

Overview

Astar Network has announced its support for “ink! Version 4.0,” a WASM smart contract programming language.

The language is now “Production-Ready,” and you can develop WASM smart contracts in Rust language almost entirely.

“ink!” is a programming language developed by “Parity,” a blockchain development company.

Opinion

They’re preparing the development environment towards the WASM implementation on April 6th.

I think the ecosystem’s attractiveness as an L1 chain of Astar Network will increase by attracting developers from a different layer than before.

Hakuhodo KEY3 launches KEY3 STUDIO

Overview

Hakuhodo KEY3 has launched “KEY3 STUDIO,” a solution that supports web3 project promotion for businesses.

They will collaborate with over 20 web3 startups to provide consulting services based on their experience.

Opinion

This is a service that has a positive impact on the industry.

I hope this will encourage more companies to start web3 projects.

It would also be great to see more companies developing projects on the Astar Network.

Astar Network’s presence in Europe and the United States is growing

Overview

Polkadot Insider has released statistics on the country-by-country percentage of access to Astar Network last month.

According to the statistics, the breakdown is Japan at 23.5%, the UK at 15.75%, South Korea at 8.1%, the US at 7.31%, China at 4.68%, and others at 40.65%.

In addition, statistics show that February had the highest number of accesses in the past three months.

Opinion

Astar Network’s presence is growing in Europe and the United States.

It’s a good sign that we need to evaluate the L1 chain’s presence from Europe and the United States.

Polkadot Insider disseminates such easy-to-understand infographics, so if you’re interested in Aster or Polkadot, follow them.

Bluez to be released

Overview

NFT marketplace Bluez is scheduled to release on Astar Network on April 10th.

Bluez supports both EVM and WASM.

According to the roadmap, it will first support EVM and then continue to support WASM until Q3 2023.

Opinion

Currently, the largest NFT marketplace on Astar Network is “tofuNFT,” which only supports EVM.

With the mainnet’s WASM support coming in April, competition for WASM NFT marketplaces is likely to intensify.

Bluez may be the leader in this area, as it involves ambassadors and community members.

It’s one of the projects we want to follow.

That’s all for this week’s news.

Thank you for reading to the end.