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Zircuit Launches Garfield Testnet with Cancun and Pectra Opcodes, Enhanced Prover

George Town, Grand Cayman, March 5th, 2025, Chainwire Zircuit is rolling out Garfield, its latest testnet, launching the week of February 24, 2025. This upgrade introduces full support for all Cancun opcodes, prepares for the Pectra upgrade, and delivers a high-performance prover capable of proving all blocks more efficiently. Garfield Testnet: Advancing Ethereum Scaling The Garfield testnet serves as a crucial testing ground for Pectra-related updates, set for Zircuit mainnet integration in March 2025. Key improvements include: Full Cancun Opcode Support – Developers can leverage the latest Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) enhancements for building and testing applications. Pectra Compatibility – Garfield is structured to designed to accommodate Pectra upon its activation on Ethereum seamlessly Enhanced Prover – A new, more powerful prover capable of validating all blocks, enhancing speed and scalability. Testing of the Proving Cluster – Garfield enables rigorous optimization and evaluation of Zircuit’s proving infrastructure. EIP-7702 Readiness – The testnet is equipped for EIP-7702, with a targeted update planned in the coming days. New Network, Fresh Setup Required Garfield is a brand-new network with no prior testnet history. Developers must update their configurations, including a new chain ID and RPC endpoint. The testnet features a dedicated bridge front end and block explorer: Chain ID: 48898 RPC Endpoint: https://garfield-testnet.zircuit.com Block Explorer: https://explorer.garfield-testnet.zircuit.com Bridge URL: https://bridge.garfield-testnet.zircuit.com All relevant details will be published in the official documentation before launch. Transition Plan: Sunsetting of Current Testnet The existing Zircuit testnet will sunset on May 31, 2025. Users must withdraw any Sepolia ETH or testnet assets before the transition. An escape hatch will be activated before sunset, allowing withdrawals after May 31, 2025. Garfield Update Coming to Zircuit Mainnet Zircuit will implement Garfield updates on the mainnet in March 2025, ahead of Pectra’s Ethereum mainnet activation. This transition will occur seamlessly, with no anticipated downtime or user action required. For real-time updates, users can follow @ZircuitL2 on X or join their Discord . Mainnet Enhancements: Faster RPC, Upgraded Explorer, and Improved Bridge Alongside Garfield, Zircuit is introducing significant improvements: New RPC Endpoints – A high-speed, low-latency RPC service enhancing stability. While current endpoints remain active, users are encouraged to migrate. Block Explorer Enhancements – Sourcify integration enables easier smart contract verification, boosting transparency. Revamped Bridge – The withdrawal process is streamlined, with further optimizations planned. Escape Hatch Deployment – An escape hatch feature will be connected to Testnet 1.0 before its sunset, ensuring decentralized permissionless withdrawals from Zircuit forever in case the sequencer is not available. Mainnet will be equipped with this functionality right after testing. Looking Ahead Zircuit remains committed to continuous innovation and seamless user experience. With the Garfield testnet, developers gain access to cutting-edge Ethereum upgrades, while users benefit from a faster, more robust mainnet infrastructure. More details, including EIP-7702 support and prover optimizations, will be shared soon. About Zircuit Zircuit : Where innovation meets security, designed for everyone. Zircuit offers developers powerful features while giving users peace of mind. Designed by a team of web3 security veterans and PhDs, Zircuit combines high performance with unmatched security. Experience the safest chain for DeFi and staking. To learn more about Zircuit, users can visit zircuit.com , and follow their Twitter/X @ZircuitL2 Contact Head of Communications Jennifer Zheng jen@zircuit.com CoinOtag

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4 billion XRP tokens released by Ripple in a year

Ripple Labs, the issuer and biggest holder of XRP , has been maintaining a system of gradual releases for additional tokens into circulation for years. This approach, further developed with an escrow system in 2017, has ensured the digital asset has remained slightly inflationary through its existence. Specifically, on the first day of each month, the company unlocks 1 billion XRP, making 20-30% (200-300 million tokens) available for trading to raise additional funds for its operations while re-locking the rest. In March 2025, the proportion may be changing somewhat, as Finbold reported that Ripple might be preparing to sell as much as $795 million worth of the cryptocurrency. Simultaneously, the circulating supply of XRP has been increasing at a heightened pace. There were 56.5 billion tokens in circulation at the start of 2023 and 58.6 billion at the start of 2024, per the data Finbold retrieved using the Wayback Machine , indicating a 2 billion annual increase. At press time on March 5, 2025, the number increased to 62.8 billion, hinting at an unlock acceleration to 4 billion per year, according to the information retrieved from XRPscan . XRP distribution on March 5, 2025. Source: XRPscan. In total, the number of XRP in circulation rose from the 20 billion initially available in 2012 by nearly 43 billion, and 37 billion remain escrowed, demonstrating that the current system is likely to remain stable for years. Is XRP inflation the token’s main price driver? Monthly unlocks of 200–300 million XRP (~$500–700M at $2.46) could increase selling pressure , but they’ve not been major price drivers. Instead, the SEC’s lawsuit against Ripple, ongoing since 2020, has been the primary suppressant. In general, the cryptocurrency has become fairly susceptible to external factors as evidenced both by the rally in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s re-election – and the expected shift in the U.S. policy towards the industry – and the subsequent struggles. Despite the hopes for the current administration, the relative lack of progress in terms of creating a strategic cryptocurrency reserve has ensured that XRP failed to sustain its upward momentum and recent highs and is 15.48% year-to-date (YTD) at its press time price of $2.46. XRP YTD price chart. Source: Finbold Still, in early March, a powerful rally is possible as the SEC has been on something of a case-dropping spree , leading many traders to hope the fight against Ripple is nearing its end. Simultaneously, President Trump resparked the discussion about a strategic cryptocurrency reserve on Sunday, March 2, leading to a short-lived but powerful rally. Featured image via Shutterstock The post 4 billion XRP tokens released by Ripple in a year appeared first on Finbold . CoinOtag