Blockstack has partnered with Blockdaemon to make it easier to launch a Stacks 2.0 node. Those interested in STX Mining and Stacking can now launch the required nodes with just a few clicks: https://blog.blockstack.org/blockdaemon-to-provide-robust-node-tools-for-the-stacks-2-0-network/

JUST IN: Daemon Technologies has officially launched and will serve as a critical entry point and hub for the Stacks Ecosystem in Asia.
https://twitter.com/blockstack/status/1300449632582094849

JUST IN: The Stacks Foundation's beta Grants Program has officially launched. Grants of up to $5,000 are available for projects that contribute to the development of the Stacks ecosystem: https://twitter.com/StacksOrg/status/1301594417623597057

JUST IN: Blockstack PBC is teaming with Arweave to host a bounty for enabling the Clarity smart contract language on Arweave’s smart contract protocol, SmartWeave. View more information here: https://blog.blockstack.org/bounty-from-arweave-and-blockstack-pbc-clarity-on-smartweave/

50 million STX were just transferred to the Stacks Foundation - the first half of the 100 million $STX going to the Stacks Foundation to support research, education, protocol upgrades, developer grants, & more in the Stacks ecosystem: https://twitter.com/blockstack/status/1304526650504359936

JUST IN: We are thrilled to announce the launch of Freehold — a community of hodlers building for hodlers.

Read the full article here: https://www.joinfreehold.com/post/welcome-to-freehold

"Freehold, a community development company meant to incentivize crypto holders to actively participate in education and building activities was launched today by Patrick Stanley, former head of growth at Blockstack."

Check out this great summary of Freehold from Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rorymurray/2020/09/16/crypto-community-development-company-launched-by-blockstacks-former-head-ofgrowth/#231b38d95366

JUST IN: Krypton release (Phase 3) of the Stacks 2.0 testnet is here! This means:

- A full implementation of Proof-of-Transfer (PoX) is now available
- Over 90% of the Stacks 2.0 design has been implemented
- Stacking (earning BTC) functionality is live!

This phase marks a huge step toward the launch of mainnet and will offer numerous new incentives for building on Stacks 2.0. More details: https://blog.blockstack.org/krypton-launch-proof-of-transfer-now-implemented-on-the-stacks-2-0-testnet/

With the recent release of Krypton, some may now be wondering, "When mainnet?" This post explains the next steps: https://twitter.com/blockstack/status/1309571302877990915

JUST IN: Given the upgrade to PoX consensus, Blockstack PBC has proposed an adjustment to future STX supply — the adjustment gives higher incentives to mine and stack (earn BTC) initially and reduces the year 2050 supply of STX from 2048M to 1818M. Muneeb just discussed this on the Town Hall today. Details here: https://forum.blockstack.org/t/pox-consensus-and-stx-future-supply/11232

JUST IN: Muneeb just announced a tighter 6-week engineering estimate for the "When mainnet?" blog post for Stacks 2.0. The post discusses mainnet readiness where a release passes all checks and can be deployed by independent miners: https://twitter.com/muneeb/status/1310616877115355136?s=20

Blockstack PBC filed a semiannual report with the SEC today for the fiscal semiannual period ending on June 30, 2020. This report provides public information about company finances among other business updates. Blockstack PBC is committed to transparency in the Stacks ecosystem. You can read the full report here: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1693656/000119312520256283/d39244d1sa.htm

JUST IN: Blockstack PBC and Chainlink are teaming up to integrate Chainlink as the preferred oracle for Clarity smarts contracts on Stacks 2.0: https://twitter.com/blockstack/status/1311304532543107075

NEW SUMMIT ALERT: Blockstack is working with Dystopia Labs to co-host the ReDEFIne Summit, along with partners Algorand and Chainlink as part of the larger Liquidity2020 DeFi Summit: https://twitter.com/blockstack/status/1311372164780748801

JUST IN: Check this video of Muneeb Ali, Co-founder of Blockstack and Sergey Nazarov, Co-founder of Chainlink as they discuss the importance of Chainlink oracles on Stacks 2.0.

https://twitter.com/muneeb/status/1312026581263618048

Today, we’re excited to share a new calculator that allows STX holders to estimate potential BTC returns through Stacking. The calculator is based on community feedback and is intended to help STX holders project potential scenarios and earnings for participation based on various assumptions and variables. For example, at a 50% participation rate in the consensus algorithm with 10 miners or pools (along with certain other assumptions, including assumptions related to the price of BTC and STX), the earning rate would be approximately 9%.

https://twitter.com/blockstack/status/1314596923307962368

📣 Introducing Stacks: a brand designed to unite the many projects and entities working to build a user-owned internet on Bitcoin.

The brand includes the very first Stacks logo and a complete design kit that community members can use to customize their own Stacks-related projects: https://twitter.com/blockstack/status/1316750595743723522

#HackDeFi has officially started! This latest hackathon aims to bring to DeFi to Bitcoin using the power of Stacks 2.0.

Developers will be rewarded up to $7,000 in prizes for building safe, secure projects that leverage Stacks 2.0 features like Proof-of-Transfer and Clarity.

https://hackdefi.devpost.com/

Blockstack PBC is becoming Hiro Systems, an entity committed to developers. As PBC’s work on the Stacks 2.0 public infrastructure winds down, it will shift gears to focus exclusively on building developer tools and apps for the Stacks ecosystem.

https://twitter.com/blockstack/status/1319385690237526016

The STX Mining Challenge has begun and there are already 60 miners on testnet 🙌🏽. Start mining now: https://twitter.com/blockstack/status/1321148779987423237