2024 has been a year of bold opportunities and boundary-pushing innovation for EMURGO. The overarching goal throughout the year has been to facilitate the commercial adoption of Cardano’s Web3 products & services and related Web3 technologies through a multi-pronged strategy encompassing strategic partnerships and investments, infrastructure development, and blockchain education services.
Another big objective of EMURGO and the broader Cardano ecosystem has been collaborating with the community to foster greater awareness and support for Cardano’s drive to implement a decentralized governance structure for the network.
As this year draws to a close, we look back at the various highlights and milestone achievements that have defined 2024 for EMURGO in the areas above:
Facilitating Adoption of Web3 and Cardano with 40+ Strategic Partnerships
1) Web2 powerhouses remain pivotal in accelerating the adoption of Web3. EMURGO forged new strategic alliances with established industry leaders like Huawei Cloud and Antler’s Ibex innovation and investment platform to unlock new opportunities and extend the reach of the Cardano network beyond traditional Web3 boundaries.
With Huawei Cloud, EMURGO aimed to enhance Cardano’s distribution and security by establishing a Cardano validator node on Huawei Cloud and also enable developers to leverage its advanced cloud infrastructure for Web3 solutions on Cardano.
The partnership with Antler’s new Ibex platform helps drive impactful Web3 startup and corporate collaborations through strategic innovation and investment initiatives. It supports both startup founders and corporates in identifying and delivering Web3 products and services that can find a fit in the market.
2) Real-world asset tokenization has emerged as a transformative opportunity within blockchain and Web3, revolutionizing the way businesses can more efficiently manage and trade real-world assets. EMURGO’s partnership and investment in NFT and asset tokenization provider NMKR aims to scale their innovative platform tools, driving accessibility and growth in this space. Additionally, the launch of Kinka Gold, the first prominent gold-backed token on the Cardano blockchain, marks a significant milestone. Powered by EMURGO’s asset tokenization platform, Kinka Gold bridges the gap between traditional finance and decentralized ecosystems, further integrating real-world assets into the decentralized finance landscape.
3) Addressing the fragmentation and silos in the current blockchain ecosystem is essential to achieving mainstream adoption. EMURGO believes in creating seamless pathways for blockchains to interact and integrate with existing blockchain networks and Web2 systems, unlocking new opportunities for collaboration and growth. This can enable popular dApps on different blockchain networks to work together, ultimately driving more value to users, and also serve as a bridge for Web2 to step into the Web3 space.
One such partnership is with Zilliqa which will bring the Zilliqa ecosystem to the Cardano network through various interoperability and economic security-focused initiatives. Beyond that, EMURGO also collaborated with Axelar, enabling Cardano developers to connect with other DeFi applications on other blockchain ecosystems.
Notably, EMURGO also partnered with BitcoinOS, the smart contract operating system for Bitcoin, enabling the Cardano network to be the first Layer-1 to leverage the technology work of BitcoinOS. Ultimately, this gives Cardano DeFi access to Bitcoin’s $1.3 trillion in capital without intermediaries.
Elevating the Cardano Ecosystem
In addition to the 40+ partnerships above, EMURGO’s units were also busy building and delivering new functionalities to key pillars in the Cardano ecosystem such as the open-source Yoroi Wallet, Cardano Spot, and the Cardano Stablecoin Anzens USDA as a technology provider.
1) Yoroi Wallet welcomed its new and improved Yoroi 5.0 this year. Users gained access to a suite of exciting new features, including the Mobile dApp Explorer, Portfolio Manager, Dark Mode, Governance Features, and much more. These updates deliver a more seamless and engaging user experience with many more new features and functionalities planned for 2025. More than 10 dApps and projects have also integrated with Yoroi this year to deliver expanded user functionalities.
2) Cardano Stablecoin Anzens USDA also resumed its launch under the new ownership of institutional-grade trading desk Encryptus, to deliver a fully backed, Cardano-native stablecoin with global off-ramp capabilities with the support of EMURGO as a technology provider via our asset tokenization platform. Partnering with BitGo Trust, an industry-leading qualified custodian catering to institutional clients, USDA will also provide custodial services for users.
3) Cardano Spot has become a central content hub, publishing over 1,000 articles and fostering collaboration through initiatives like the Cardano Codex Hackathon in India. We truly value our diverse pool of contributors, community members, and project owners who continue to showcase their innovative collaboration within the Cardano ecosystem, playing an active role in shaping the future of the network.
4) Supporting Cardano’s decentralized governance has been a priority for EMURGO throughout the year. From organizing last year’s CIP-1694 workshops to lending support for Intersect and governance-related educational videos and initiatives, EMURGO is firmly committed to the community’s efforts to raise awareness of decentralized governance and enable delegate representative (DReps) to vote on-chain for the ratification of the Cardano Constitution.
Related reading:
- How to protect your crypto in Yoroi Wallet
- 5 takeaways from the Cardano Constitutional Convention
- Why Cardano is ideal for asset tokenization
Enhancing Blockchain Education and the Cardano Developer Pool through EMURGO Academy
Education is the foundation of blockchain adoption, and EMURGO Academy plays a pivotal role in transforming potential into expertise to empower the careers of interested developers and share professional insights into our rapidly evolving industry. This also helps to draw in more Cardano developers to the ecosystem to contribute their talents to building and improving decentralized applications.
EMURGO Academy achieves this by providing access to the latest industry knowledge and experts via a range of curated courses and workshops all over the globe, targeting Web2 and Web3 developers and business professionals.
This year, EMURGO Academy expanded its reach to provide comprehensive blockchain education, partnering with 17+ global universities to implement its latest SmartBlocks blockchain learning solution, and has trained over 3600+ learners in blockchain and Cardano, including proudly partnering with over ten universities across emerging economies — including Ivory Coast’s Institut Universitaire dA’bidjan (IUA), Malaysia’s Universiti Malaya, and the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras, amongst others — championing the next generation of Web3 pioneers.
In addition to SmartBlocks, EMURGO Academy developed and launched the first cohorts of its Aiken Developer Course, a new learning program that helps programmers quickly build dApps on Cardano. Aiken is a fast and user-friendly language designed to appeal to developers of all backgrounds.
Related reading:
- Aiken and how it empowers developers to build Web3 applications quickly
- EMURGO Academy’s Aiken Course FAQs
- 5 blockchain applications for new developers to learn
Empowering the MEA region through Web3 Solutions
Today, the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region is quickly emerging as the new nexus of the Web3 sector. Its dynamic startup ecosystem has become the driving force behind grassroots adoption and budding innovation for blockchain and digital assets. This year, EMURGO’s Middle East & Africa unit, EMURGO Africa, researched and published over 30 reports on Africa’s fast-evolving Web3 landscape.
It also helped to launch EMURGO Labs to utilize the advanced capabilities of Cardano’s blockchain to create software solutions to help facilitate companies in the region transition to Web 3.0.
Expanding EMURGO’s Global Presence at Major Global Events
In 2024, EMURGO strengthened its global footprint by participating in marquee Web3 events worldwide, connecting with industry leaders, media stakeholders, and potential partners. A highlight was hosting our first-ever media luncheon ahead of TOKEN2049 Singapore, fostering dialogue, and raising awareness of Web3 advancements and EMURGO’s milestones. We also had the pleasure of joining efforts with IOG for the Cardano VIP Networking Event at the heart of Singapore’s Marina Bay for an intimate invite-only gathering of the ecosystem’s players. These were all a part of the fantastic week at TOKEN2049 where we hosted a booth to represent the Cardano ecosystem.
Also, to round out the year, EMURGO participated at Cardano Summit 2024 through keynote speeches, discussion panels, and side events to celebrate the ecosystem’s achievements as well as have a presence at the Cardano Constitutional Convention in Buenos Aires to lend support and witness the signing of the Cardano Constitution draft by elected delegates.
2024 has been an extraordinary year for EMURGO and is a testament to the breadth and impact of our collective efforts. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our partners and peers who have championed our vision and strategic collaborations, contributing to EMURGO’s continued growth and success. As we close this chapter, we look forward to an even more impactful and transformative 2025!
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Disclaimer
You should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. Nothing contained herein shall constitute a solicitation, recommendation, endorsement, or offer by EMURGO to invest.
