Yala Updates: January

January kicked off with strong momentum for Yala, with 1.5 million testnet wallets, significant product advancements, and continued community growth. Despite the volatility in the broader crypto market, we remain committed to long-term building and have reached key milestones.

In this update, we’ll cover:

1. Yala Testnet V2 Success
2. Yala Protocol Developments
3. Community Initiatives
4. Looking Forward to February

Testnet Success: 1.5M Yetis Strong

Testnet V1 launched on October 15th, followed by Testnet V2 on December 5th. Over the two months leading up to January 23rd, we reached impressive milestones:

• 1.5M unique wallet addresses
• $20B $YU minted
• 736.6K transactions completed

A huge thank you to our 1.5 million Yetis—your enthusiasm and participation are the driving forces behind Yala’s success.

Yala Protocol Developments

Our development and product teams have been working tirelessly, integrating valuable feedback from our testnet users. We have introduced new modes and made significant progress toward delivering a more robust and comprehensive stablecoin solution. Below is an update on our key achievements:

🔹 Yield Farming: Development is complete, and we’ve entered the QA testing phase to ensure a secure and seamless user experience.

🔹 Institution Mode: In addition to Lite Mode and Pro Mode, we are introducing Institution Mode for institutional clients. This mode, powered by time-lock script technology, will offer specialized vault management and yield strategies for high-net-worth clients. We’ve partnered with third-party custodians like Anchorage and Cobo for seamless technology integration, enhancing security and user autonomy.

🔹 NFT Development: All NFT-related development work is now finalized, clearing the path for our upcoming NFT claim.

🔹 Convert & Peg Stability Module (PSM): The Convert function and PSM are complete, and we are now in the QA testing phase.

• Convert Function: Allows users to swap USDC for $YU without slippage.
• Peg Stability Module: Ensures $YU maintains its stable peg and enables Yala to invest in real-world assets (RWAs) using USDC without risking de-pegging.

🔹 Stability Pool: Development has started on the Stability Pool, a key feature to maintain the long-term health of the protocol. Users will be able to:

• Stake $YU
• Earn berries
• Receive liquidation gains in YBTC
• Earn token rewards in $YU

This pool will play a crucial role in the stability and resilience of the protocol.

Community Growth & Initiatives

In January, we strengthened our focus on community education, offering insights into Yala from multiple perspectives. We also maintained a strong presence within our community, actively engaging with members and inviting partners to foster meaningful discussions.

One of our key initiatives was the publication of an article outlining Yala’s security measures, detailing how we safeguard user assets at every stage. Whether you are a retail investor, institutional holder, or experienced trader, Yala provides tailored security solutions to meet diverse needs:

🔹 Pro Mode: Smart contract monitoring tracks BTC and YBTC balances to ensure transaction consistency and minimize errors.

🔹 Institution Mode: Institutions maintain full custody of their BTC through Pay-to-Witness-Script-Hash (P2WSH) transactions, ensuring only the account owner can access the funds.

🔹 Lite Mode: Designed for retail users, this mode provides sustainable yields with minimal risk.

📖 Read the full article here:

Securing Your Bitcoin: Ensuring Safety for BTC Deposits

In this article, we’ll explore how Yala ensures the safety of BTC deposits across its Lite, Institution, and Pro Modes.

Yala BlogYala 🏔️

Our core team has been actively engaging with the community through various platforms.

🎙 KT shared insights on BTC ETFs during a discussion on @themass space, addressing the risks of market manipulation and how retail investors could get trapped buying at the top in a less organic market.

🔥 Yala’s Bitcoin Liquidity Series continued to thrive, featuring insightful conversations with StakeStone, Berachain, and more.

💡 Berachain shared its journey from Ethereum to becoming a BTCfi hub, emphasizing that:
"Bitcoin is a massive but underutilized opportunity."

As we move into February, we remain committed to expanding educational content, fostering engagement, and strengthening the Yala ecosystem.

What’s Next: February

With January laying a strong foundation, February promises to be another milestone month for Yala. We are gearing up for the launch of Testnet V3.

Testnet V3 will introduce a major new feature: the DeFi Marketplace.

• Users will be able to utilize $YU across Yala’s partner DeFi projects while earning points from Yala.
• This initiative aims to drive real-world usage of $YU across diverse applications, furthering our mission to bring Bitcoin’s liquidity across blockchains.

January was just the beginning. We’ll continue building, innovating, and moving closer to our vision for Yala.

Stay tuned!