Algorand Foundation Re-poster

We are excited to announce that the Top 10 finalists for the Global x402 Challenge have just been made public. Each participant will now have the opportunity to present their project as they vie for one of the 5 remaining prizes drawn from the 100K USDC prize pool.

When a 10-year bond is issued on-chain right now, its safety must be guaranteed all the way through 2036. This extended timeframe highlights exactly why implementing post-quantum security is an urgent priority today rather than a distant goal. Sharing insights on @FINTECHTVglobal, our CCO @AmarOdedra detailed the reasons Algorand has been actively getting ready for the quantum era since 2022. 👇

We are thrilled to present the 20 highest-ranking contenders on the Global x402 Challenge leaderboard.

Sharing an incredible reward pool of 500,000 ALGO, these top 20 projects earned their positions based entirely on their total volume. To maintain the integrity of the competition, any volume identified as synthetic was deliberately excluded from the current standings. Additionally, please be aware that the USDC prizes are being determined through a completely separate judging process.

A heartfelt congratulations goes out to all 20 teams for their phenomenal efforts and success.

We would like to extend our gratitude to the community members operating an Algorand node for your vital role in maintaining network security.

As a brief notification, please ensure your software is updated to version v5.0.3. Installing this patch is highly recommended because it resolves a known glitch that could stop your node from successfully rejoining the network following a system reboot.

For those of you who have already applied this release, your setup is completely good to go and no additional steps are needed.

A significant new milestone in the pursuit of quantum resilience has just been reached on the Algorand mainnet. To date, the network has successfully seen more than 2 million post-quantum transactions signed. Alongside this ongoing progress, native Falcon-1024 accounts are currently fully operational, and their total count continues to expand at a highly rapid pace.

Google stands alongside other purchasers funding the 2027 introduction of 63 Tesla Semis across Texas. Over a 4-year period, this upcoming fleet is anticipated to avert roughly 92,000 tonnes of CO2e.

Meanwhile, to keep claims completely traceable and to actively prevent double counting, GMA has enlisted @1to3carbon. Their role will involve the issuance and monitoring of environmental certificates directly on Algorand.

Greetings to all of our node runners! We kindly request that you update your nodes to version v5.0.3 at your earliest convenience.

This recent patch resolves a specific complication involving DNSSEC validation. Prior to this update, the error was stopping nodes from successfully bootstrapping into the network during a startup or restart process.

Here is a retrospective of Multichain Day, powered by Algorand and held during @token2049 in Singapore. It was an absolute pleasure to witness the entire ecosystem unite for this occasion. The activities were fantastic, ranging from @mdmudassir0143 delivering an onstage presentation about AC2 and x402, to networking with fellow builders at our booth in the company of @maroti_ps. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to @wrappedxyz and every individual who took the time to participate with us.

Hypercube's water credits, @wtrtoken, are demonstrating true practical value. When the 3,000 attendees arrived at Rome's Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum this month, they were welcomed with a remarkable initiative. A full cubic metre of treated water was officially retired in the name of every single delegate. Furthermore, all of these individual contributions were completely verified and securely recorded directly on Algorand.

The artificial intelligence ecosystem on the Algorand network continues its impressive expansion, and @zerosignal_ai serves as a fantastic illustration of this progress. This platform delivers a strictly private artificial intelligence experience that completely eliminates the need for user accounts or API keys. Operating on a straightforward per-message payment model, all of your transaction costs are settled efficiently through Algorand. Users can now enjoy the convenience of accessing a wide variety of powerful models in one centralized location, including Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Llama, Qwen, Mistral, and more. Experience it for yourself today by visiting https://zerosignal.ai/

Alongside @wrappedxyz, the Algorand group is currently present at TOKEN2049 Singapore to participate in Multichain Day. We are taking this opportunity to explain to enterprises and builders the critical importance of Q-Day. Additionally, we are demonstrating exactly how Algorand can facilitate their transition toward quantum resilience. You can view the live broadcast by checking out @algodevs just below.

Supported by an online presence of 2.04B ALGO, the Algorand network is currently protected by a total of 1,504 active accounts. To help visualize this network activity, @nullun has designed a real-time dashboard that tracks every single participant. This comprehensive tool allows you to monitor the specific expiration date of any participation key alongside its corresponding staked amount. In addition, the platform provides live updates on all payouts and block proposals. All node operators are encouraged to review their key status by visiting the link below.

https://partlife.nullun.com/

Becoming an Algorand validator and collecting staking rewards is a remarkably straightforward process. You only require a capable computer, a reliable internet connection, and a holding of 30K ALGO to begin. By meeting these basic requirements, you can participate alongside 1.5K+ validators who are actively securing one of the most decentralized networks in existence today.

Time is almost up for the Algorand Global x402 Challenge. Today serves as the absolute final opportunity to turn in your project and participate in the competition. By entering, you put yourself in the running for a portion of the impressive reward pool, which consists of $100K USD and 500K ALGO. Make certain to finalize and send in your entry using the link below before the deadline officially passes.

Vesuvius National Park, the location of an internationally renowned volcano, receives about 700,000 visitors annually. To help manage and enhance this incredible destination, Algorand is actively supplying the underlying technology for the park's digital services 🌋.

By utilizing AlgoWiFi, the location sees more than 200,000 connections each year. This system effectively supports digital postcards, QR access, and ticketing for guests. As an added feature, every visitor certification is officially logged directly on Algorand.

As a pioneer in post-quantum resilience, Algorand has successfully protected its onchain history and brought native PQ accounts live. Yet, the journey continues beyond these achievements. Safeguarding transactions solves just one piece of the puzzle, because the consensus selection process requires the exact same level of defense. This is exactly where PQ VRF enters the picture 🧵👇

Tune in to @FINTECHTVglobal this Tuesday, Sept. 29, to hear directly from Algorand CEO William Herkelrath. Broadcasting live from the @NYSE, his speaking session is scheduled for 9:50 AM ET. You can stream the event in real time by visiting https://terminal.fintech.tv/

The Algorand x402 Global Challenge currently boasts a registration roster of more than 1,300 developers, all vying for a reward pool of $100K + 500K ALGO. If you are participating in this event, we encourage you to promptly turn in your official entry along with your public GitHub repo directly to Electric Capital.