TL;DR

• Crescendo hard fork: Increased throughput to 10 blocks per second, positioning Kaspa among the fastest proof-of-work networks and marking a major step toward DAGKNIGHT.

• vProgs Yellow Paper: Introduced Kaspa’s framework for verifiable programs that execute off-chain while anchoring cryptographic proofs to Layer 1.

• Layer 2 Momentum: Multiple teams advanced execution layers, with early applications emerging across DeFi, developer tooling, and real-world use cases.

• KRC20 tokens and NFTs: Token and NFT activity gained traction, supported by new marketplaces, wallets, and integrated platforms.

• Developer infrastructure: Expanded SDKs, public node services, and community-run technical resources strengthened the builder ecosystem.

• Public Market Visibility: Kaspa’s presence among public companies grew, with Nasdaq-listed miners and firms disclosing mining activity and KAS holdings.

Protocol and Research Milestones. The Crescendo Hard Fork: The Defining Kaspa Milestone of 2025

The Crescendo Hard Fork marked a defining technical milestone for Kaspa, increasing mainnet throughput from 1 block per second to 10, demonstrating the strength of its research foundations and engineering execution.

Beyond raw throughput, Crescendo marked a shift in how Kaspa operates at the network level. By reducing the average block time to roughly 100 milliseconds, Kaspa fell below the global internet round-trip time (RTT), a regime where traditional single-leader blockchain designs begin to struggle. As core developer Michael Sutton noted, “Passing the RTT threshold is thus a qualitative, not merely a quantitative, leap.”

Operating in this regime validated Kaspa’s multi-leader GhostDAG architecture under real-world conditions, demonstrating that secure, permissionless consensus can operate at speeds once considered impractical without centralization trade-offs. Crescendo clarified Kaspa’s long-term technical ceiling.

vProgs Yellow Paper Released

Following Crescendo’s demonstration of high-speed transaction ordering, Kaspa advanced its long-term application vision with the release of the vProgs Yellow Paper. Core developer Michael Sutton published the first draft of the Kaspa Verifiable Programs (vProgs) protocol, alongside a technical commentary outlining its design philosophy.

Rather than placing heavy execution on Layer 1, Sutton warned that high-capacity execution increases centralization risk, while overly constrained designs sacrifice scalability and security. vProgs instead propose verifiable programs that execute off-chain while anchoring zero-knowledge proofs to Kaspa’s blockDAG, keeping the base layer computationally minimal and focused on neutral, high-speed ordering.

By separating fast transaction sequencing from verifiable off-chain execution, vProgs outline a path for supporting complex applications without turning Kaspa’s base layer into an execution bottleneck. This framing echoed remarks from Kaspa founder Dr. Yonatan Sompolinsky, who said, “it starts and ends with transaction ordering,” reinforcing Kaspa’s view that robust ordering, not heavy execution, underpins scalable on-chain systems.

Research Signals and Early Proofs

In 2025, Kaspa’s long-running research efforts began translating into visible technical signals. Core developer Michael Sutton emphasized the depth and continuity of Kaspa’s R&D team, noting that “talent and expertise are compounding in R&D.” An early Rust implementation of DAGKnight shared by @CoderofStuff_ translated long-standing research into working code. While still far from testnet readiness, the prototype offered a concrete signal of forward progress.

Kaspa researcher and KEF grantee Eliott (@eliottmea) highlighted the systemic risks embedded in common price oracle designs, emphasizing that oracles function as core trust infrastructure rather than neutral tooling.

Sompi to Dwork

Kaspa’s smallest unit of account underwent a quiet but meaningful evolution, reflecting the project’s preference for protocol-first, faceless design. Dr. Yonatan Sompolinsky proposed renaming the smallest unit from “sompi” to “dwork” in honor of computer scientist Cynthia Dwork, whose foundational research on proof-of-work and partial synchrony underpins key elements of Kaspa’s design.

Welcome to the Team, Hans Moog

As Kaspa’s research surface expanded, so did the group of people shaping it. In 2025, the Kaspa Ecosystem Foundation awarded a grant to welcome Hans Moog to Kaspa Core as a researcher. With over 24 years of programming experience and deep familiarity with DAG-based distributed ledger systems through his work at IOTA, Moog added meaningful depth to Kaspa’s growing research effort.

Moog was introduced to the community at the Hong Kong Web3 Festival, where he joined a KEF-organized panel alongside Michael Sutton exploring zero-knowledge technologies for UTXO-based Layer 1 protocols. His participation reinforced Kaspa’s continued emphasis on pairing academic research with real-world engineering.

Developer Infrastructure

Following Crescendo, Kaspa’s focus shifted from proving raw throughput to enabling real-world use. Developer tooling and public infrastructure continued to mature, including new hosted node options and the launch of a Kaspa Q&A platform by core developer Ori Newman (https://qa.kas.pa/), designed to help developers share knowledge and build more efficiently.

Infrastructure growth kept pace with usage. Kaspa’s node network expanded steadily, and the community reached a milestone of 1,000 active nodes by Kaspa’s fourth birthday. By the end of 2025, Kaspa ranked among the most actively used proof-of-work networks by transaction count, processing multiples more transactions than Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Monero. In real-world speed trials conducted by YouTuber Crypto Odie, Kaspa consistently confirmed transactions faster than its peers under identical conditions, offering a practical demonstration of network performance.

Layer 2s, Applications, and Real-World Use

With the base layer stabilized following Crescendo, 2025 marked a shift toward applications, Layer 2 experimentation, and ecosystem-facing infrastructure built on Kaspa.

Layer 2 development began to take clearer shape during the year. Kasplex launched its zkEVM-compatible Layer 2 in September, quickly attracting early applications and tooling. Around it, the Zealous Swap ecosystem expanded through projects such as Moonbound and Fervent Finance, focused on KRC20 token launches and liquidity pathways. In parallel, Igra Labs continued public development of a separate Kaspa-based Layer 2 architecture, with plans extending beyond 2025.

Application development broadened alongside layered systems. Kaspa.com, launched by Sione Milhem and Christian Ludwig, emerged as a central hub for KRC20 activity, consolidating token discovery, DEX functionality, marketplace features, and launch infrastructure into a single low-fee interface. Wallets and payment tools such as Kurncy Wallet and Kasway point-of-sale software continued to mature, supporting broader experimentation and retail-facing use. Other projects explored more advanced DeFi primitives, including Kaskad, Kaspa Finance, SeaSwap, and more, while experimental efforts such as Vivoor and a transaction mixer reflected early exploration of media and privacy use cases.

Developer tooling improved as well. The release of the Rusty-Kaspa Python SDK expanded access for Python developers, complementing existing Rust-based tooling and lowering barriers for experimentation.

Kaspa’s usage increasingly extended beyond online platforms. Wolfy’s Bar in London remained a consistent brick-and-mortar adopter of KAS, while community members shared everyday payment examples reinforcing Kaspa’s practicality as a fast peer-to-peer network. Beyond payments, Kaspa KII explored early industrial pilots, including energy-focused initiatives such as ZET-EX and the Gigawatt Stablecoin, as well as the Kaspa Orbital Node Initiative, which proposed deploying a lightweight node aboard a CubeSat in low Earth orbit – quite literally sending Kaspa to the moon.

Together, these projects reflected a year defined less by announcements and more by experimentation, as Kaspa’s ecosystem began translating protocol-level breakthroughs into layered systems, applications, and real-world touchpoints.

Real-World Adoption

Wolfy’s Bar in London continued to stand out in 2025 as one of the earliest and most consistent brick-and-mortar businesses accepting KAS. More than a café, Wolfy’s served as a physical hub for the Kaspa community, hosting meetups, producing educational content, and demonstrating how Kaspa can function in everyday commerce, not just online.

Beyond organized venues, Kaspa increasingly appeared in ordinary, unplanned moments. Community members shared real-world examples of paying for everyday services such as haircuts, buying food, purchasing merchandise, and covering travel expenses with KAS, reinforcing the network’s growing practicality as a fast, peer-to-peer payment system.

Kaspa Consistently Leads in Crypto Odie’s Speed Trials

In 2025, YouTuber Crypto Odie (@CryptoOdie) ran a series of hands-on transaction speed comparisons, putting Kaspa head-to-head with major Layer 1 blockchains using identical smartphones and live, recorded transactions. Across multiple trials, Kaspa consistently confirmed transactions faster than its peers, often by a wide margin, offering a clear, visual demonstration of its real-world performance under fair, repeatable conditions.

Voices of 2025: Community Members Shaping the Ecosystem

Kaspa’s progress in 2025 was shaped not just by protocol upgrades, but by the people engaging with the network day to day. Through a series of in-depth interviews, KASmedia captured how builders and community members experienced the year, offering perspective on where Kaspa stood and where it was heading.

• Ori Newman — Ori gave readers a chance to get to know him, sharing insight into his role on Kaspa Core and the values guiding his approach to protocol design. https://kasmedia.com/article/ori-interview 

• Sione Milhem — Sione shared how KaspaCom evolved into a multi-functional ecosystem hub, from a DEX and NFT marketplace to analytics and portfolio tools, reflecting Kaspa’s growing usage and complexity. https://kasmedia.com/article/kaspacom-interview-with-sione 

• Ger (CryptoPumpz) — Ger discussed how engaged community voices help build understanding and visibility for Kaspa through livestreams, tutorials, and ongoing commentary. https://kasmedia.com/article/crypto-pumpz-interview 

• Chad Ballantyne — Chad discussed his role as the designer behind Kaspa’s visual identity and how his work is evolving within the ecosystem through Kaspa Commons. https://kasmedia.com/article/kaspa-commons-and-chad 

• Igra Labs — Pavel and Dennis of Igra Labs discussed how future scaling layers and composability could extend Kaspa’s architecture while preserving its core design goals. https://kasmedia.com/article/igra-labs-interview 

• Rock the Kaspa — Chris and Tom of “Rock the Kaspa” discussed the role of community media in tying together Kaspa-related events, updates, and grassroots momentum throughout the year. https://kasmedia.com/article/an-interview-with-rock-the-kaspa

• Kaspa Kii: Desert Energy — Paul van Son, co-founder of Kaspa KII, discussed how Kaspa’s architecture is being used as infrastructure rails for real-world pilot projects. https://kasmedia.com/article/a-clean-kaspian-future 

• Kasway — The Kasway team shared how their point-of-sale solution is bringing Kaspa into everyday payments, with a focus on user experience and merchant integration. https://kasmedia.com/article/kasway-interview 

• Sin City — The Sin City Crypto team shared how their YouTube channel combines entertainment and education while regularly spotlighting Kaspa through dedicated coverage and interviews. https://kasmedia.com/article/sin-city-interview 

• Plan K — Plan K, a prominent Kaspa educator, explored Kaspa’s economic foundations, drawing on monetary theory and long-term perspectives on money.: https://kasmedia.com/article/an-interview-with-plan-k 

• Kaspa Silver — Kaspa Silver reflected on his work educating the community through tutorials and commentary, helping newcomers build a strong understanding of Kaspa’s fundamentals. https://kasmedia.com/article/interview-with-kaspa-silver 

Together, these interviews reflected a year shaped by builders, researchers, and community members actively working through Kaspa’s next phase.

Events and Global Presence of 2025

In 2025, Kaspa appeared on global conference stages through technical talks, keynotes, and developer-focused sessions. At Hong Kong Web3 Festival 2025, Kaspa founder Dr. Yonatan Sompolinsky and core developer Michael Sutton spoke during a dedicated Kaspa session organized by the Kaspa Ecosystem Foundation. Yonatan also delivered a keynote at Tokenize: LDN 2025 on real-time decentralization and the convergence of traditional finance and Web3, while Sutton presented on vProgs and composable architecture at the Web3 Developers Underground in Tel Aviv.

Kaspa-aligned teams also participated in developer conferences and industry events worldwide. Igra Labs represented Kaspa at ETHDenver and ETHDam, engaging builders around execution-layer and composability concepts. Kasplex presented its zkEVM Layer 2 at Malaysia Blockchain Week, while the Kaspa Ecosystem Foundation served as title sponsor of Onchain Symposium 2025 in Seoul, marking Kaspa’s first dedicated event in Korea. Kaspa KII represented the network at the 15th DII Desert Energy Leadership Summit in Dubai, highlighting industrial and energy-related use cases.

Community events extended this presence locally. Crescendo watch parties were held across multiple regions, recurring meetups continued at Wolfy’s Bar in London, and educational outreach in Nigeria expanded through TEDx Enugu and the Kaspa Education Series at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus.

Listings, Institutions and Going Public

In 2025 alone, Kaspa expanded its exchange and service availability through listings and integrations including HTX (formerly Huobi), HiBit, BTCC, AscendEx, WhiteBIT, NovaDAX, and ANYCOIN, alongside support from platforms such as Zelcore, Tangem Pay, Travala, CryptoAutos.com, CryptoTax Calculator, FinchPay, and more.

In 2025, Kaspa’s visibility among Nasdaq-listed miners continued to grow. Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA) announced in June 2024 that it had expanded its operations to include Kaspa mining, having mined tens of millions of KAS tokens since deploying its first Kaspa miners in late 2023, part of a broader diversification strategy alongside its Bitcoin business. 

BGIN also made headlines as a major institutional holder, reporting that it had acquired approximately 235 million KAS, positioning itself as the largest publicly reported corporate holder of the asset and reflecting growing institutional interest in the network.

Cypherpunk Nick Szabo Recognizes Yonatan

Nick Szabo interacted with Yonatan : Szabo then replied with the best comment ever:

"P.S. I think blockDAGs have a great deal of potential, but it is best realized when emphasis is put on applying the better tradeoffs to improving trust minimization rather than on other desiderata such as performance. Bitcoin remains king because so many have prioritized so many other ideas over trust minimization."

Growing Interest from Bitcoin-Maximalists

Throughout 2025, a noticeable shift began taking shape on X: long-time Bitcoin maximalists taking a closer look at Kaspa’s technology. One of the most visible examples was Vijay Kailash, CFA, CFP, who publicly transitioned from skeptic to outspoken Kaspa advocate. His technical comparisons between BTC and KAS sparked broader conversations inside Bitcoin circles, helping move Kaspa from “too good to be true” to a project worth serious consideration. While still holding Bitcoin, Vijay’s engagement signaled a broader trend: Kaspa increasingly earned attention from those once firmly committed to Bitcoin-only narratives.

More Decentralized on Social Media

Kaspa’s X account shifted toward an unofficial, protocol-first stance as part of a broader move toward decentralized communication. The project moved away from personality-driven messaging and single points of dependence in its public presence. As part of this transition, Chad, who had long played a central role in Kaspa’s outreach, stepped back from managing the account and launched Kaspa Commons, an independent community initiative supporting open discussion and collaboration outside any official channel.

Conclusion

Cheers to a remarkable 2025, and here’s to what lies ahead in 2026. From all of us at Kasmedia, we wish you and your families a happy, healthy New Year.