Welcome to the Core Blockchain Overview. In this edition, we explore the Z Protocol licensing Satoshi Plus, token price and volume performance, and active loans.
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The Core Blockchain By The Numbers
Total Value Locked (TVL): $6.2M (-24%)
Weekly DEX volume: $269K (-67%)
Stablecoin market cap: $3.5M (-10.3%)
Total CORE delegated: 263.6M (-1.6%)
Total BTC staked: 2,417 (-3.2%)
These metrics are accurate at the time of publication. The percentage change is over a 14-day period.
Inside The Network
🔸What we’re watching: Core is licensing Satoshi Plus, its consensus mechanism, to Z Protocol, a layer-1 blockchain designed to extend Zcash with smart contract functionality and AI agent infrastructure.
Z Protocol will apply the same consensus logic Core uses for Zcash, with miners and stakers voting for Z validators.
Under the licensing terms, a portion of Z Protocol transaction fees will be redirected to the Core network, and CORE token holders will receive access to Z tokens at launch.
🔸Why it matters: Core's revenue has mainly come from activity on its own chain, such as gas fees, staking and applications fees. Licensing its consensus mechanism lets it set up a franchising business, adding a second source of revenue by charging a portion of fees from other networks that adopt it.
This also changes the impact Core has on the ecosystem, as licensing the consensus mechanism lets other projects build blockchains for use cases that Core would not pursue itself.
Z Protocol, for instance, is building privacy and AI agent infrastructure tied to Zcash.
🔸The bigger picture: The franchise terms gives CORE holders direct exposure to Z Protocol's growth via an airdrop allocation of Z's token at launch.
Kieran Dennis, co-founder of Z Protocol and an initial contributor to Core, said on a livestream that the blockchain was created with privacy in mind, especially as AI agents transact onchain at greater scale than humans.
If the franchise model produces meaningful fee flow and Z Protocol's token gains traction, licensing its tech could become a credible path for Core to scale its revenue and avoid depending solely on network and app fees.
Ecosystem highlights
Core is collaborating with Boring Security to host DeFi safety and security workshops on how to avoid MEV botting.
The CORE token briefly reached $0.067 on April 22, a price close to the pre-liquidation cascade in late March, before falling back to $0.038, reflecting a short squeeze following re-leveraging after the event
Check out the Core blog for more updates.
Delve into the Core community
P2P is sunsetting its Core validator set on May 22
Chris Flores, an Initial Core Contributor, explained what quantum resistance means for bitcoin staking and custodial wallets
Active loans in wrapped CORE reached 3.63M on May 6, the highest level since the liquidation cascade on March 29
Join in the fun
Want to dive deeper into the Core blockchain?
Join the Core Ambassador program and help grow the ecosystem
Sign up for SatPay’s bitcoin-focused neobank app
Until next time.
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This information is for entertainment purposes only. It should not be considered financial advice, nor should it be used to make investment decisions. Cryptocurrencies are high risk and you should consult a financial professional before making any financial decisions. Make sure you do your own research.