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vonFlandern Selected for Web3 Foundation's Decentralized Nodes Program Cohort 3!
We are delighted to announce that vonFlandern has been selected to participate in the third cohort of the Web3 Foundation's Decentralized Nodes Program with both of our Polkadot validator nodes: vonFlandern/VFDA and vonFlandern/VFDB. Read more
Polkadot Capital Group Launches Institutional Initiative Under David Sedacca
Polkadot launched the Polkadot Capital Group on August 19, 2025, as a new institutional division aimed at connecting traditional financial institutions with Web3 infrastructure. The initiative is led by David Sedacca, a former financial expert from BlackRock, KAYAK, and Casper. Read more
Dr. Gavin Wood Returns as CEO to Parity Technologies
Dr. Gavin Wood, co-founder of Ethereum and creator of Polkadot, is returning as CEO of Parity Technologies in late August 2025. The company announced this in an official blog post. Wood had stepped down from the CEO position in October 2022 to focus on protocol research and development.
Björn Wagner, who has served as CEO since October 2022, will step down after three transformative years at the helm of the company. Wagner remains connected to the company after a total of nine years with Parity and has, according to Wood, left behind a "strong foundation and lasting impact."
Wood justifies his return with the concept of "leverage" - the architectural groundwork has been laid and the market is ready. The combination of vision with day-to-day execution from the CEO position is intended to help Parity "move faster and accelerate the next phase of growth."
The company emphasizes that nothing will change in day-to-day operations for teams, projects, and partners. However, Wood announces that "the bigger picture is evolving" and this will become noticeable in the coming months.
Polkadot 2.0 Achieves Major Milestone with Elastic Scaling
Polkadot 2.0 reached a significant technical breakthrough with the successful implementation of Elastic Scaling, the final major upgrade of the Polkadot 2.0 suite. This revolutionary technology allows parachains to utilize multiple cores simultaneously, dramatically increasing transaction throughput.
On Kusama, the network already demonstrated impressive capabilities by achieving 143,343 transactions per second using only 23% of available cores. With Elastic Scaling, parachains can reduce latency to 2 seconds using three cores, or even 500ms with 12 cores.
The upgrade introduces dynamic scaling where projects can acquire additional computational resources as needed, paying only for what they actually use. This represents a fundamental shift toward more efficient and cost-effective blockchain operations.
Alongside Elastic Scaling, XCM v5 was deployed to optimize cross-chain communication, further enhancing Polkadot's interoperability capabilities.
Gavin Wood Unveils Proof of Personhood System at Web3 Summit
At the Web3 Summit 2025 in Berlin, Polkadot founder Gavin Wood presented the revolutionary Proof of Personhood (PoP) system, designed to address identity verification challenges in the AI era.
The PoP system features two levels: DIM1 (Proof of Individuality) and DIM2 (Proof of Verified Individuality), providing decentralized identity verification without relying on centralized ID models. Wood announced plans for what he called the "fairest airdrop ever" and submitted a $3 million treasury proposal to fund the initiative.
Additionally, Wood proposed significant changes to Polkadot's security architecture, including an 80% reduction in validator costs (from $500 million to $100 million annually) through fixed validator payments and stricter staking rules. The proposal also includes DOT supply limitation to approximately 3.14 billion tokens.
These changes aim to improve economic efficiency while maintaining network security and decentralization.
vonFlandern Accepted into Web3 Foundation's Decentralized Nodes Program Cohort 2.1
On July 3rd, 2025, vonFlandern was accepted by the Web3 Foundation into Cohort 2.1 of the Decentralized Nodes Program. Our Polkadot validator vonFlandern/VFDA is now part of this important support program.
Why Cohort 2.1 was necessary:
Cohort 2.1 is a transitional cohort between Cohort 2 and Cohort 3. This additional cohort became necessary because the Web3 Foundation needs to rebalance its Polkadot stashes to prepare for upcoming increases in the active validator set. This enables the Foundation to continue nominating the maximum number of nodes and support network decentralization.
Cohort 2.1 runs for approximately two months, from the end of Cohort 2 on July 17th until the start of Cohort 3 on September 10th, 2025. There was no separate application process for this transitional cohort - the DN Committee selected Polkadot nodes from among Cohort 2 participants.
Through this participation, vonFlandern reinforces its commitment to advancing Web3 technologies and strengthening decentralization within the Polkadot ecosystem. The Decentralized Nodes Program aims to support validators who contribute to the security and diversity of the network.
vonFlandern Launches Official Website
vonFlandern officially launched its new website, vonflandern.org, aiming to provide transparent information about the operation of its validator nodes and active participation in network governance.
The website offers detailed insights into vonFlandern's validator nodes:
- Polkadot Validator: vonFlandern/VFDA, hosted in Mumbai, India.
- Kusama Validator: vonFlandern/VFKA, hosted in Roubaix, France.
Both validators are publicly accessible via the Polkadot Telemetry Dashboard, ensuring transparency regarding their operational status and performance.
Beyond technical operations, vonFlandern actively engages in governance decisions within the Polkadot ecosystem.
The launch of vonflandern.org underscores vonFlandern's commitment to advancing Web3 technologies and strengthening decentralization within the Polkadot and Kusama networks.
vonFlandern Joins Web3 Foundation’s Decentralized Nodes Program
On March 17, 2025, the Web3 Foundation announced the inclusion of vonFlandern in the second cohort of its Decentralized Nodes Program. This program promotes the decentralization of the Polkadot and Kusama networks by supporting validators who contribute to the networks’ security and diversity.
vonFlandern was selected alongside 104 Polkadot and 210 Kusama nodes from a record 188 applications. The second cohort, running until July 17, 2025, focuses on the geographical distribution and technical strength of nodes to enhance network resilience.
Through this participation, vonFlandern underscores its commitment to advancing Web3 technologies and strengthening decentralization within the Polkadot ecosystem.