Latest news with #AliYahya
Associated Press
02-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Aztec Network's Public Testnet Launch Achieves First Major Milestone In Bringing Privacy To Web3
Programmable privacy solution enables developers to build fully private applications on Ethereum for the first time LONDON, May 1, 2025 (Bitwire) -– Aztec Network today announced the launch of its Public Testnet, celebrating a pivotal milestone in the company's eight-year journey to solve one of blockchain's biggest challenges: privacy. Open to all developers, Aztec introduces the first fully programmable privacy solution that protects sensitive information while still maintaining blockchain's inherent transparency. Testnet follows successful testing of the first decentralized upgrade process for an L2, with over 100 sequencers participating in successful deployments of both DevNet and ProverNet. It represents a crucial step forward as Aztec prepares for a mainnet that will launch fully decentralized from day one - because true privacy means no central entity gets backdoor access. 'We currently view blockchain privacy as all-or-nothing, but it doesn't have to be,' said Zac Williamson, Co-Founder of Aztec Network. 'Developers can use Aztec to build dApps with privacy features that seamlessly blend with Ethereum's existing infrastructure, and they won't need to struggle implementing complex cryptography.' 'We first invested in Aztec in 2022 because we shared its vision for making privacy programmable and accessible for any crypto developer,' said Ali Yahya, General Partner at a16z crypto. 'Privacy is essential for blockchains to gain widespread adoption, enabling many new possibilities for crypto applications in financial services, gaming, identity, AI, and much more. Aztec's testnet launch is a significant step towards building that future.' This is the final step for Aztec following the development of several breakthrough technologies that paved the way to, and now set the stage for, mainnet: PLONK, a novel proving system for user-level privacy and programmability that yielded and Aztec Connect, which was a pivotal moment for privacy and encryption solutions; Noir, an intuitive zero-knowledge, Rust-like programming language; and a client-side library for a private execution environment (PXE). These tools allow developers to explore privacy-preserving applications across any use case where protecting sensitive data is a critical function. For more information about Aztec Network and to participate in the Public Testnet, developers can click here . For node operators looking to help run the network, click here . About Aztec Network Aztec is the only privacy-first Layer 2 on Ethereum, empowering developers to build applications that protect user privacy while enabling compliance. Backed by a $100M Series B led by a16z, Aztec is led by a team of world-class researchers and cryptographers who invented trustless client-side proving—the innovation that makes privacy-preserving apps on mobile possible. Using zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) and the Noir open-source, Rust-like programming language, Aztec is building a secure and scalable privacy layer for the decentralized future.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
LayerZero's ZRO Jumps 10% as VC Firm Andreessen Horowitz Buys $55M Worth
Interoperability protocol LayerZero's native token (ZRO) surged Thursday on news that venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz's (a16z) crypto arm increased its investment in the project. The company acquired additional $55 million ZRO tokens committing to a 3-year lock-up period, general partner Ali Yahya said in an X post. A16z has been an early backer of the protocol's development firm LayerZero Labs, participating in the team's $135 million series A fundraising round in 2022 and the following $120 million series B round in 2023. ZRO advanced 10% to $2.56 following the announcement before shedding some of the gains. The token was recently up around 5% during the day, outperforming the broad-market CoinDesk 20 Index and bitcoin (BTC) gains. LayerZero is a key piece of infrastructure that allows communication between isolated blockchains with cross-chain messages. The protocol underpins 125 blockchains, has facilitated over 145 million cross-chain messages and $75 billion in value transfers. Its tech supports projects such as PayPal's stablecoin, DeFi protocols Ethena and Pendle, and was selected as an issuance partner for Wyoming's stablecoin project. The investment will help the protocol expand beyond interoperability to token issuance, data management, governance and improving databases, according to an email. Sign in to access your portfolio
Iraqi News
22-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Iraqi News
Iraqi Film "Ibrahim" Receives Special Alert at Berlin Film Festival
Baghdad- INA The short film "Ibrahim" (Beneath Which Rivers Flow) by director Ali Yahya has achieved a new achievement by receiving a special alert from the international jury at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, within the "Generations - Generation 14plus" section. This honor came from the international jury, which included Emma Branderhorst, Asli Ozarslan, and Ikuru Sekai, in appreciation of the profound artistic value and the moving message carried by the film. "Ibrahim" deals with the impact of climate change on the Iraqi marshes, one of the sites listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as it sheds light on the drought crisis that threatens life in this region. The film presents a poetic vision of loss and resilience, reviewing the journey of a boy struggling to preserve his fading world, in a symbolic reflection of man's struggle in the face of environmental transformations and his quest for survival. The team expressed their pride in this achievement, stressing the importance of conveying Iraq's voice to international film forums, and shedding light on one of the most serious environmental challenges facing the country today. The film was screened in five cinemas during the Berlin Film Festival in the German capital, and was also part of the European Film Market (EFM), where it received wide attention from critics, filmmakers and film lovers from all over the world. This achievement represents an important step towards enhancing the presence of Iraqi cinema globally, and highlighting its ability to present creative works that compete in the highest cinematic forums.
