Aurora 2023: A Year in Review
Achievements and Plans for 2024
In 2023, the blockchain sector faced its share of challenges, and we are happy to share, at the end of it, that Aurora navigated them with adaptability and resilience, making significant strides even under adverse market conditions.
Aurora's commitment and effort resulted in several notable milestones this year. We reached 1 million monthly active users, reflecting the network’s expanding appeal and the trust users place in us. Our Total Value Locked (TVL) hit 30 million, showcasing the growing utility and worth of the Aurora ecosystem. Additionally, our market capitalization soared to 116.9 million, underscoring investor confidence and market belief in Aurora's future prospects and steady growth.
As we end the year, we want to share with the community some of the most significant achievements of the year, that lay the foundation for future growth and innovation in the year to come.
Aurora’s 2023 Innovations: Pioneering Blockchain Solutions for Enterprise
In 2023, Aurora made significant advancements in the blockchain industry, particularly in empowering businesses with cutting-edge blockchain technology. Our focus was on developing products that not only facilitate the integration of blockchain into business operations but also offer an unmatched level of customization and user experience.
Aurora Cloud: A New Era for Enterprise Blockchain
The launch of Aurora Cloud marked a major milestone in our journey to mass adoption. By launching it we opened a new era of blockchain for enterprises by empowering businesses to deploy their own customized chains, remove transactions for their users thanks to our Gas Control Management Tool, and access a marketplace of integrations to streamline development and monitor their infrastructure from the Aurora Cloud Console.
Aurora Pass: Facilitating Onboarding
Aurora Pass is another key component of our strategy. Launched in July 2023, this Web3 wallet provides a smooth onboarding experience to users, with familiar sign in tools like email, Google, and AppleID, as well as a transaction free experience, and convenient security.
Aurora Plus: The Gateway to the Aurora Ecosystem
Last, but not least, Aurora Plus, the entry point to the Aurora ecosystem, was transformed into a dApp and upgraded with the Lend & Borrowing Feature and Favorite dApp marker.
Infrastructural Upgrades
A lot of new tech upgrades were rolled out this year. The most notable being the release of the Cross-Contract Call Library which enhances the interoperability between NEAR and Aurora opening up the doors to new interesting possibilities.
The new Relayer 2 was also launched and new Engine Upgrades 2.9.0-3.0.1, were deployed, pivotal in optimizing the performance and user experience. Moreover, in 2023 we celebrated the two years anniversary of the Rainbow Bridge, deployed the Fast Rainbow Bridge, completed the Shapella Upgrade and added NEAR Native USDC transfers and WNEAR unwrap.
New Partners & Integrations
In 2023 over 40 projects joined the Aurora ecosystem, and a key partnership was formed with Layer0 to enhance blockchain interoperability. To discover them visit our ecosystem page!
Many of our partners also started benefitting from Aurora Cloud, and some even made it an integral part of their business model, such as PipeFlare, and PowerGold.
Looking at 2024
As we move into 2024, Aurora remains focused on enhancing our business solutions, particularly in addressing crucial pain points like security. We are actively developing Aurora Shield, a robust security solution aimed at providing businesses with greater protection. This tool will prevent transactions to non-existent addresses, safeguard against transfers to contracts that lack ERC-20 standards, and support effective Anti-Money Laundering (AML) scoring processes.
In addition to security enhancements, another key area of focus will be the support for the NEAR web3 wallet, responding to the growing demand for this feature. And we will also prioritize the acceleration of NEAR RPC, which is essential for improving transaction speeds and overall network responsiveness, a critical aspect for the efficiency and usability of blockchain technology. 2024 is shaping up to be a year of substantial advancements and exciting developments at Aurora. We invite you to stay connected for more updates as we continue to push the boundaries of blockchain innovation.
About Aurora
Powered by its high-performance EVM, and fully trustless Rainbow Bridge, Aurora combines an Ethereum compatible experience with the modern blockchain performance of NEAR Protocol. Aurora provides an optimal environment for the creation of scalable, carbon-neutral, future-safe, and low-cost Web3 services, as well as the perfect tools to bring to life your Web3 initiatives. Try Aurora Cloud, our all-in-one blockchain solution for enterprises, and get your Web3 journey started!