Celo Foundation

Four years ago today, Celo mainnet launched on Earth Day 2020. Now, with 370M+ transactions and over 1,000 projects in more than 150 countries, the Celo ecosystem is thriving––as Web3’s home of regenerative finance (ReFi) and a leader in real-world assets (RWAs), notably stablecoins such as Celo-native USDC, USDT, and various Mento local currencies––and building for the real world. To mark the network’s milestone occasion, core contributors at @cLabs propose migrating Celo from a mobile-first, EVM-compatible Layer 1 to an Ethereum Layer 2 (“CEL2”) leveraging OP Stack, following a unanimous community vote in favor of the transition last year. By building on the OP Stack, Celo’s Ethereum L2 will maintain key features of Celo’s L1 including the ability to send money to a phone number, email address, or other social identifier via SocialConnect, and maintaining low gas fees to ensure greater accessibility and adoption of crypto around the world. cLabs will aim to build CEL2 with the OP Stack following a forthcoming community vote, with testnet deployment anticipated as early as Summer 2024. But that’s not all! To celebrate Earth Day, Celo’s mainnet anniversary, and the historic CEL2 proposal, there will be a series of NFT drops on the Celosphere marketplace, built by @Rarible, starting with a free, limited-edition CEL2 NFT on https://celosphere.xyz/ To learn more about cLabs’ proposal and this week’s activations and events, visit our blog post below:  https://lnkd.in/e6bb3kkR

Today, we’re proud to share that Google Cloud is integrating with Self’s proof-of-humanity ZKPs to bring new use cases powering AI adoption & Web3 innovation for human users. Through this partnership, Google Cloud will integrate the Self Protocol with new AI search tools in Google Cloud’s Web3 Portal, power sybil resistance for its Testnet Faucet with proof-of-humanity ZKPs, and provide OFAC sanctions-screening proofs for its pioneering Mainnet Faucet. Self uses zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) to ensure that no one—not even protocol developers—can access users’ private data. By leveraging zk-SNARKs, users can prove humanity and selectively disclose attributes (like age) without revealing sensitive details (like date of birth). No data is ever stored, making it impossible to leak. Today, Self supports biometric passports from 129 countries and biometric IDs across 27 EU nations, Turkey, Ukraine, Vietnam, Ghana, and Saudi Arabia. “With the proliferation of agentic activity, we’re excited to partner with Self in supporting verified humans across our platform,” says Rich Widmann, Head of Strategy, Web3, Google Cloud. “Self’s technology is seamless and secure, with a team that cares about user protection and privacy, empowering them to disclose only what they want to. We’re excited to explore more opportunities to unlock soon.” “Since launching earlier this year, Self has proven to be superior in technology and accessibility,” says Marek Olszewski, Self Co-Founder. “We are honored that Google chose our SDK to provide secure, privacy-first identity solutions, and to further drive AI and Web3 innovation for real people.” To learn more about the partnership, read the official press release: https://lnkd.in/eTPiwre6 Join Self co-founder Rene Reinsberg and Google Cloud Head of Strategy, Web3, Rich Widmann for an X Space where they’ll discuss their joint vision for applying zk-technology to drive Web3 innovation and AI adoption this Friday, July 25, at 1:30pm ET/10:30am PT: https://lnkd.in/esbJcP2M To verify your identity seamlessly and securely, you can download Self from the iOS and Google Play stores: iOS: https://lnkd.in/eykB6pNi Google Play: https://lnkd.in/eqEtJtDD

Last week, Self Protocol joined the Celo Foundation, cLabs, and Celo EU in Prague as Beam sponsors of EthPrague! This conference gathering brings together the Ethereum ecosystem to debate the frontier of Web3 — exploring identity, privacy, scaling, and the technologies shaping the next wave of adoption. On the Seed Stage, Self co-founder & Head of Engineering Rémi Colin presented a keynote, “The Last CAPTCHA: How Self is Verifying Identity With ZK Proofs,” sharing a critical reminder: “Up to this point, we still burn energy to prove we’re not bots — and with AI rising, it’ll soon be impossible to tell humans from machines.” Discussing the limits of current tools, Rémi added: “Forget CAPTCHAs. In two years, AI will solve tests humans can't — and most ‘proof of personhood’ schemes will be obsolete.” Instead, Self leverages zero-knowledge proofs to solve for trust without compromising privacy: “You can prove your age, nationality, or OFAC compliance — without revealing anything else.” Self also joined ZK Hack and Ethereum Czech for a community meetup to share insights, ideas, and explore how local builders are using zero-knowledge and identity tools onchain. On Wednesday, Self co-founder Marek Olszewski sat down for a fireside chat with Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin, moderated by Joseph Schweitzer of the Ethereum Foundation. Marek explained the need for ZK-powered identity solutions to preserve user privacy: “You wouldn't want to prove identity in a regular smart contract — you'd reveal your passport data to the world. But if you prove it in zero knowledge, that becomes really interesting.” Vitalik agreed — and warned of new risks: “ZK solves basic privacy. What it doesn’t solve is deplatforming... That’s why overlapping ID systems are essential.” The insights shared from Vitalik on overlapping systems, and broader feedback from the Ethereum ecosystem in Prague, will help guide Self as the team continues to build for the future of data sovereignty. Marek closed the week at ETHGlobal Pragma with a keynote on “Shipping zkPassport: Bringing Self Protocol to Production.” He followed Self’s journey from its early 2024 origin, its EthDenver launch as the world’s first ZK-powered, privacy-preserving identity protocol, to today. For a full recap of the week, read the latest Self blog post: https://lnkd.in/ey-XhbxJ To “Prove Your Self,” download the app from iOS and Google Play stores: iOS: https://lnkd.in/eykB6pNi Google Play: https://lnkd.in/eqEtJtDD

The Celo Foundation is excited to share that MiniPay, the non-custodial stablecoin wallet built on Celo by Opera, is now live as a standalone app for Android and iOS users in 50+ countries! Launched in September 2023 within the Opera Mini browser, MiniPay has exceeded 7 million activated wallets throughout Africa, introducing users to the benefits of spending, sending, and saving with stablecoins. MiniPay’s intuitive design, near-zero transaction costs, and frictionless transactions have helped onboard users throughout Africa to the world of Web3 while garnering acclaim like the Africa Tech Summit Award for Best Web3 App. In addition to seamless transactions with Tether.io’s USDT, Circle’s USDC, and Mento Labs’ cUSD, MiniPay is home to a growing ecosystem of Mini apps. With over 50 million weekly impressions and 5 million weekly opens, the Mini app ecosystem is a powerful gateway to the new onchain economy. The 15+ applications built for everyday stablecoin use include utility and airtime payment, music streaming, gaming, merchant payment, charitable giving, and more. The launch of MiniPay as a standalone app marks a major milestone in Opera and the Celo Foundation’s ongoing partnership, which began in 2021 with the integration of Celo for Opera browser-native crypto payments. The Celo Foundation is proud to support the Opera MiniPay team and builders throughout the ecosystem as we work together to bring the conditions of prosperity to all. To learn more, read Opera MiniPay's release: https://lnkd.in/eDkQvfvP To download MiniPay, visit: iOS App Store: https://lnkd.in/eejfWeWx Google Play Store: https://lnkd.in/epPFcheR

Next week, Celo Foundation's CFO Nauman Mustafa, CPA joins Hedera's Betsabe Botaitis at the Blockchain 4 Good Virtual Summit to discuss, "A Multifaceted Approach to Financial Inclusion – Transforming Vision into Action." Don't miss the fireside chat, moderated by UKUS Crypto Alliance co-founder Dr. Lisa Cameron, on Tuesday, April 15th at 4:45pm CET! Register today: https://lnkd.in/dqpEvNEV

Earn Yield with Celo Foundation: AAVE Vaults Now Available on vaults.fyi The Celo Layer 2 era is here — and vaults.fyi is now your front door to earning sustainable, mobile-native yield onchain. Starting today, you can supply USDT, USDC, cUSD, and CELO into Aave vaults on Celo’s new Ethereum L2 — directly through the vaults.fyi interface. Celo brings: 📱 Ultra-low fees & mobile-first infrastructure 🌍 A mission-driven ecosystem focused on real-world access 🔗 Deep integration with Ethereum’s security via the OP Stack This launch expands our reach across the EVM landscape, now including Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Avalanche — and Celo. Whether you’re reallocating stablecoins or seeking diversified strategies across chains, vaults.fyi makes it easy to explore and earn with confidence. 👉 Read the full announcement: https://lnkd.in/e3UUjiC5

I'm thrilled to announce that Loop Crypto has launched on the Celo blockchain! This collaboration is particularly exciting given Celo Foundation's commitment to leveraging mobile technology and driving global crypto adoption. Stablecoin usage in emerging markets is accelerating, and Celo stands at the forefront of this movement. By integrating Loop’s payment infrastructure, merchants can now support a variety of payment options on Celo, including subscriptions, one-time payments, and invoicing. For payment processors and platforms embedding Loop’s APIs, this partnership introduces additional low-cost, efficient rails for global fund transfers. We’re also excited to share that Absinthe Labs, Drakkar-Software, BlockPeer, Frenglish, Para, and chainEDGE are already live with Loop, enabling seamless payments on Celo for their services. If you’re a merchant looking to expand your global reach or a payment processor aiming to enhance your international presence, we’d love to hear from you. Together with Celo, we’re unlocking the potential of crypto and stablecoin payments to empower merchants and consumers around the world. Read more below...

The Celo Foundation is proud to share that following a successful hardfork, led by core contributors cLabs and Layer 1 validators, Celo is officially an Ethereum Layer 2! Since launching on mainnet Earth Day 2020 as an EVM-compatible, Proof-of-Stake Layer 1 blockchain and Geth fork, the Celo ecosystem has grown to more than 1,000 projects in over 150 countries. As a Layer 2 built on OP Labs PBC's OP Stack and leveraging Eigen Labs EigenDA, Celo maintains core features including sub-cent transaction costs, fee abstraction (enabling ERC-20 tokens including USDT and USDC as gas currency), Ultragreen Money, and more. With this migration, block time decreases to just one second (from five seconds), the network gains Ethereum security and native bridging, and deflationary tokenomics through the “Great Celo Halvening” are currently in flight. Celo also joins a shared roadmap focused on rollups and modular scalability, deepens composability with Ethereum-native apps and protocols, and unlocks access to Ethereum’s full suite of developer libraries and tools while expanding liquidity and presence across the blockchain ecosystem. Over 100 Day One partners, including Uniswap Labs, Curve, Chainlink Labs, RedStone Oracles, Hyperlane, LayerZero Labs, Wormhole, Axelar Network, Rarible, Infura, QuickNode, Alchemy, thirdweb, and AAVE, committed to supporting within just two hours to ensure their applications and infrastructure are ready for users immediately following the hardfork. “Celo’s upgrade to an Ethereum Layer 2 is a natural progression towards our Day 1 mission––to create the conditions of prosperity for all––and platforming a robust onchain economy for the future. Leveraging Ethereum’s network infrastructure, Celo is enhancing security and interoperability for millions of daily users,” said Rene Reinsberg, Celo Co-Founder and Celo Foundation President, “a transformative milestone in Celo’s five-year journey.” “Since launch, Celo has maintained close alignment with Ethereum, and we’ve always seen ourselves as a cultural extension of the community with a rich Regen culture and focus on mobile DeFi applications,” said Marek Olszewski, Celo Co-Founder and cLabs CEO. “Migrating to a Layer 2 marks an exciting return home for Celo, combining the best of the networks’ advantages to scale Web3 with global reach and continued impact.” To read cLabs’ forum post, visit: bit.ly/42hpa3t  To read the founders’ letter to the community, visit: https://bit.ly/3QNBoKJ

Today, the Celo Foundation is proud to introduce CxAI, a user-centric AI initiative designed to accelerate prosperity for all. Joined by 15+ founding partners, CxAI is committed to harnessing AI’s transformative potential by leveraging blockchain innovation with AI-powered tools. Leading projects and open-source frameworks include Chain GPT, Climate Collective, EigenLayer, Eliza Labs, Gaia 🌱, GainForest.Earth, GOAT by Crossmint, GT-Protocol, Masa AI, Olas, Predicate, Safe, Sentient Foundation, Universal Machine, and Vana, who are joining efforts with the Celo Foundation to build a robust ecosystem of use cases aligned across the principles of user-centricity, open-source collaboration and transparency, and Celo’s core mission to create prosperity for all––humans and their agents. Since launching mainnet on Earth Day 2020, Celo has increasingly drawn AI projects empowering humans, including decentralized non-profit GainForest.Earth and real-time data network Masa. With recent progress on agent infrastructure, improved LLMs & groundbreaking agent-to-agent transactions, projects on Celo can scale for impact like never before. To expedite the growth of Celo's onchain economy, CxAI founding member Universal Machine, a consortium of MIT engineers and alumni, is developing AI agents to augment the network’s robust stablecoin ecosystem, DeFi applications, and introducing new ways for users to interact with agents onchain. With Web3’s influx of autonomous agents, Celo core primitives, like phone number and social mapping to prove personhood will unlock new possibilities for identity verification across everyday use cases — from gaming to the creator economy. “Web3’s promise has always been to use mass-coordination tools to solve the mass-coordination problems of our time, from systemic inequality to the climate crisis. With the emergence of powerful AI tools at our fingertips, the Celo Foundation and broader ecosystem stance — shared by so many Day 1 partners with CxAI — is to leverage agentic cooperation for good, rapidly aligning incentives for the benefit and prosperity for all — humans and their agents. We look forward to accelerating our mission,” says Rene Reinsberg, Celo Foundation President and Celo Co-Founder. "The Celo ecosystem is uniquely poised for a thriving agent economy which we’re happy to drive forward through bringing Olas agents to Celo” said David Minarsch, CEO of Olas core contributor Valory. “Joining the CxAI initiative allows us to demonstrate the full potential of our vision of user-owned autonomous AI agents and work with builders contributing to the rapid growth of onchain AI solutions.” To learn more, visit ai.celo.org.

Mountain Protocol is now live on Celo Foundation. As the first prudentially regulated, permissionless, yield-bearing stablecoin, USDM enhances access to financial services for users and developers across Celo’s ecosystem. Celo’s commitment to real-world adoption through decentralized payments, mobile DeFi, and inclusive finance aligns closely with Mountain Protocol’s mission. This integration will support more efficient payments, savings, and a variety of global financial use cases. We’re excited to collaborate with a network dedicated to financial empowerment and prosperity for all.