Betanet release, awards, media appearances and more — here’s what’s going on at Quantstamp:

Quantstamp Betanet Protocol

We released our betanet protocol onto the Ethereum mainnet. You can now submit audit requests directly to the betanet version of the Quantstamp Protocol through a portal on our website. The reception has been overwhelmingly supportive.

Completed audits generate a public audit report along with a unique hash that provides a publicly verifiable record of the audit. This gives developers the opportunity to prove to their users that they have conducted an audit, and gives users the comfort of knowing that the smart contracts they are interacting with have met certain security standards.

Compared to the previous version of the protocol which ran on testnet, this version not only features a streamlined design with lower gas usage, but more importantly, it is a distributed permissioned network which moves us closer to our goals of a more decentralized architecture.

We are taking applications for node operators now. If you’re interested in contributing to the network by becoming a node operator and earning QSP, you can apply here. You must meet certain technical requirements and time commitments. If you meet our qualifications, we will notify you of the next step.

We’re not stopping here. We’ve already started designing the next iteration of the Quantstamp Protocol, currently targeting a December release. More details on this upcoming iteration will come in future updates.

Securing Smart Contracts on the Blockchain

To follow up on our betanet release, we published a technical overview of the betanet protocol written by team member Nadir Akhtar.

This longform article from Quantstamp Labs is a deep dive into the need for smart contract security. It explains the unique challenges of blockchain security and smart contract auditing, such as audit credibility and centralization, and how the Betanet protocol aims to address those challenges. If you’re interested in the design and philosophy behind the Quantstamp protocol, we highly encourage you to check this out.

Media Appearances

Top Cornell Grads and Faculty

We’re honored to have our CEO Richard Ma listed in a recent article on Top Cornell Grads and Faculty in the Cryptocurrency Industry. Put together by fellow Cornell grad John Wu, SharesPost Digital Assets CEO, this list also includes Emin Gun Sirer, a Cornell professor performing cutting edge research in blockchain technology, as well as Kathleen Breitman, co-founder of Tezos.

We’re happy for Richard’s achievements, and also congratulate all the talented Cornell alumni and faculty on this exceptional list.

Linda Selker Profiled in Above the Law

Our talented Head of Legal, Linda Selker was recently profiled in Above the Law. Part engineer, part lawyer, Linda Selker is motivated by the intersection of emerging technologies and law. In the article, Linda shares her perspective on working in the blockchain industry and the potential of the field to change the world.

Kacper Bak on Hashing it Out

Our Senior Research Engineer Kacper Bak appeared in an episode of Hashing It Out. Part of the Bitcoin Podcast Network, Hashing It Out is a technical spin on the typical blockchain podcast, where engineers, developers and those building the foundation of the decentralized future are interviewed. In this episode, Kacper talks about the technical foundations of Quantstamp, its future, and how we help provide the security that underpins mainstream adoption of blockchain technology.

Plug and Play Global Startup Award

Head of APAC Kei Oda accepting the Global Startup Award on behalf of Quantstamp at Plug and Play Japan Demo Day

In July we were accepted to Plug and Play Japan, the Japan branch of Plug and Play Tech Center, a global startup accelerator headquartered in Silicon Valley. This month, we won the Global Startup Award at Plug and Play Japan Demo Day! We were voted international fintech company with the most chance of succeeding in Japan for this batch.

FinTechSpace Taiwan

Quantstamp Sr. copywriter Dan Zhang and FinTechSpace coordinator TingTing Wu

Taiwan’s government is taking a positive approach towards the blockchain industry and is encouraging fintech innovation. In light of this, we’ve recently established a presence in Taiwan at the government-sponsored FinTechSpace — a fintech-oriented co-working space and startup accelerator. Through FinTechSpace, we aim to work with and support Taiwanese blockchain startups, as well as explore enterprise partnership opportunities on the island.

Smart Contract Security Alliance at ETHBerlin

Jared Harrill, Alex Murashkin, and Martin Derka from Quantstamp discuss security standards during the ETHsecurity Unconference at ETHBerlin

We sponsored and attended ETHBerlin, where our team members Jared Harrill and Olga Mack also helped organize a workshop within the ETHSecurity Unconference.

ETHBerlin, part of ETHGlobal, is a major development conference including a hackathon, as well as workshops and talks by leaders in the Ethereum development community. The ETHSecurity Unconference was a working session for security professionals in the Ethereum space. This community-organized event started a path to help map out issues like standards and community concerns.

Key members from Quantstamp, as well as members of the SecurETH community, came together in a workshop discussing standards and guidelines for the smart contract security industry. Various perspectives, from auditors, to customers, to developers were represented, and considered, to provide a holistic view of the issues involved. In the coming weeks, we will further flesh out many of the suggestions that were raised.

As the number of smart contracts deployed and the amount of funds under their control grow over time, security becomes increasingly important. This is why Quantstamp co-founded the Smart Contract Security Alliance. By working with our peers to establish smart contract security standards, together we can improve the accountability, credibility and professionalism in the smart contract industry, and educate existing and prospective customers. We believe the Alliance is integral to the healthy and mainstream adoption of smart contract technology.

If you’re interested in learning more about the standards, visit smartcontractsecurityalliance.com. If you are a security company interested in joining the Alliance, contact hello@smartcontractsecurityalliance.com. We also welcome input from smart contract developers and companies using blockchain technology.

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