Preface

The Federal Reserve’s ongoing hawkish stance and rising geopolitical and policy risks continue to put pressure on both traditional financial markets and the crypto sector. While major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum saw modest rebounds this week, many investors still take a wait-and-see approach, leading to more cautious trading sentiment. In this environment, some project teams are shifting away from token prices and toward technological innovation and ecosystem development to boost their industry competitiveness. Several leading projects have announced significant updates, aiming to gain an edge during this period of industry reshuffling.

Polygon unveiled AggLayer, a new cross-chain framework designed to create a “value internet” connecting all blockchains, positioning Polygon as a key infrastructure player in the Web3 ecosystem. EigenLayer is preparing to launch its slashing (penalty) mechanism on the mainnet, further improving the protocol’s security and decentralization. Solana continues to upgrade its core architecture, raising block computation limits to solidify its reputation as a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain. Meanwhile, Sony-backed Soneium, working with EigenLayer, has made a breakthrough in block confirmation speed, cutting final confirmation time by 98% and setting a new performance standard for Layer 2 solutions.

Summary

• Polygon Unveils AggLayer to Build a Universal “Value Internet” Across Blockchains.
• EigenLayer to Launch Mainnet Slashing Mechanism.
• Solana raises block computation limit and upgrades network performance.
• Polygon Unveils AggLayer to Build a Universal “Value Internet” Across Blockchains.
• Sony’s Soneium and EigenLayer Slash Blockchain Finality Time by 98%, Setting a New L2 Performance Benchmark. \

Key Events

April 14: Solana Raises Block Computation Limit, Upgrades Network Performance

Solana has successfully implemented upgrade proposal SIMD-0207, increasing the computation unit limit per block to 50 million, a roughly 4% boost. This upgrade allows Solana to handle more transactions at once, improving throughput without sacrificing performance. Proposed by Anza engineer Andrew Fitzgerald in December 2024, the change went live in April 2025.

While some in the community worry that bigger blocks could require more powerful validator hardware—potentially impacting decentralization—others advocate for even higher limits to maximize network performance. Solana also plans to raise the limit to 60 million computation units (via SIMD-0256) and introduce Firedancer, a new validator client from Jump Crypto, which is expected to greatly improve throughput and security.

Solana is steadily advancing its scalability roadmap, reinforcing its top-tier Layer 1 blockchain role. Greater transaction capacity should attract more decentralized apps and users, boosting network activity and ecosystem growth. However, as technology evolves, Solana must keep balancing performance improvements with decentralization and security.[1]

April 15: EigenLayer to Launch Mainnet Slashing Mechanism

Ethereum’s restaking protocol EigenLayer has announced its slashing (penalty) mechanism will go live on mainnet on April 17, 2025. With this update, Active Validation Services (AVS) can now use EigenLayer to build verifiable, trustless decentralized applications, while operators and stakers will shoulder more responsibility.

Slashing is an economic penalty system used in Proof-of-Stake (PoS) protocols to punish nodes or groups that break the rules. For example, if a node is caught double-signing or offline for too long, some or all of its staked assets can be seized. The rollout of slashing demonstrates EigenLayer’s growing maturity in security and incentive design.

This upgrade will significantly boost EigenLayer’s security and trustworthiness, likely attracting more institutional AVS projects and strengthening the sustainability of the restaking ecosystem. It may also prompt node operators to adjust their strategies and invest in tech upgrades, further advancing security and incentive mechanisms across the Ethereum ecosystem. As risks and rewards become more balanced, investors may become more selective when choosing node operators.[2]

April 16: Polygon Unveils AggLayer to Build a Universal “Value Internet” Across Blockchains

On April 16, Polygon Labs CEO Marc Boiron announced in a CoinDesk interview the launch of AggLayer, a new product designed to address the fragmentation of the blockchain ecosystem. AggLayer’s core mission is to create a unified settlement layer that seamlessly connects multiple Layer 1 and Layer 2 blockchains, effectively establishing an actual “value internet” where anyone can access and use their assets easily, anytime and anywhere. Polygon aims to position itself as the foundational infrastructure linking the entire Web3 world, greatly enhancing interoperability, transaction efficiency, and user experience across blockchains.[3]

AggLayer leverages zero-knowledge proofs (ZK proofs) and innovative mechanisms like “pessimistic proofs” to deliver greater security and efficiency than traditional cross-chain bridges. By bundling multiple cross-chain transactions, AggLayer significantly reduces costs and increases speed while maintaining decentralization. The product currently supports Polygon CDK chains and will soon allow any EVM-compatible chain to connect. Polygon also actively integrates real-world assets (RWA) into its ecosystem, especially in payments and tokenization. It has partnered with fintech leaders like Stripe and Grab to bridge traditional finance and DeFi.

Should AggLayer achieve widespread adoption, it could mark a milestone in blockchain infrastructure, breaking down silos between chains and enabling free movement of assets and applications. Polygon would then evolve from an Ethereum scaling solution into a core infrastructure provider for the multi-chain era, solidifying its standing in the blockchain landscape.

April 17: Sony’s Soneium and EigenLayer Slash Blockchain Finality Time by 98%, Setting a New L2 Performance Benchmark

Sony-backed blockchain network Soneium has announced a strategic partnership with AltLayer and EigenLayer to launch a “Fast Finality Layer.” This layer will reduce its blockchain transaction finality time from 15 minutes to under 10 seconds, a more than 98% improvement. This breakthrough is expected to dramatically enhance user experience and provide the high performance needed for mainstream blockchain applications, such as payments, gaming, and real-time data processing.

In blockchain, transaction finality time determines when a transaction is considered irreversible and secure, making it a key measure of usability and safety. Previously, Soneium used Optimism’s OP Stack, which, due to sequencer and challenge period mechanisms, required about 15 minutes for finality. By introducing a decentralized validator network based on EigenLayer and integrating AltLayer’s flexible execution layer, Soneium has created an L2 infrastructure that balances throughput and security, laying the groundwork for future performance enhancements and ecosystem growth.

Compared to leading L2s like Arbitrum and Optimism, Soneium’s “Fast Finality Layer” strikes a better balance between user experience and security architecture. This improvement is likely to attract more applications that require real-time responsiveness—such as high-frequency DeFi strategies, Web3 games, and payment systems—helping to grow its ecosystem and boost developer engagement.[4]

Conclusion

Looking back at this week’s market, although prices remained choppy, the blockchain sector saw several major advancements across public chains, DeFi, and cross-chain solutions. From Polygon’s AggLayer, which aims to build a unified value internet, to EigenLayer’s new slashing mechanism for enhanced restaking security, to Solana’s ongoing block performance upgrades, and Soneium’s 98% reduction in blockchain finality time, leading projects are making continuous progress in key mechanisms, security, and cross-chain collaboration. This may signal a shift in the crypto market from “narrative-driven” hype to real “technological delivery”. Such changes improve network performance and user experience and lay a solid foundation for future ecosystem growth.


References:

1. SolanaFloor,https://solanafloor.com/zh/news/solana-scales-higher-increasing-block-limit-by-4
2. X,https://x.com/eigenlayer/status/1911923495673704782
3. CoinDesk,https://www.coindesk.com/consensus-toronto-2025-coverage/2025/04/15/polygon-labs-marc-boiron-on-unifying-blockchains
4. CoinTelegraph,https://cointelegraph.com/news/sony-soneium-eigenlayer-finality-under-10-seconds

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