On 23 September, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce stood up at SIFMA’s Digital Assets Conference in New York and described the current approach to customer checks as building “ever bigger data haystacks” in the hope of finding a needle or two. Her speech, Looking for Change in Haystacks, argued that know-your-customer rules risk turning financial rails into a panopticon, and that regulators should move toward verifying specific facts instead of collecting raw personal data. She was clear that the views were her own and not the Commission’s, and no rule has changed. Even so, it is the plainest statement yet from a sitting US regulator of the model behind zero-knowledge KYC, and it is the model Ontology has been building infrastructure for since 2018.
The case against the haystack The argument in the speech is about cost and effectiveness. Every exchange, broker and bank collects the same passport, the same proof of address and the same tax number, and holds its own copy. Peirce’s point is that the costs of this system dwarf what it catches, and that each extra copy is one more place where sensitive data can be mishandled or stolen. The same identity documents end up, in her words, put at risk across dozens of institutions.
We made the same argument from the security side in May, in the honeypot piece from the Privacy Hour series: concentrated stores of personal data are the prize in every breach, and the answer is a different shape of system rather than a bigger vault. The UK regulator says it in a regulator’s terms. The ICO’s data minimisation guidance tells organisations they should not hold more personal data than their purpose needs. A securities regulator arriving at the same place from the cost and effectiveness side is new.
Four proposals, and the infrastructure each one needs The speech makes four concrete proposals. Each maps onto a piece of infrastructure that already exists on Ontology.
Verify facts, not files. Peirce describes credentials that attest to specific facts, such as age, citizenship, accredited investor status or absence from a sanctions list, without revealing the data underneath. On Ontology that is a W3C verifiable credential: a signed, scoped statement issued once and held by the person it describes. When a service needs to know one thing, the holder presents that one thing. This is the starting point for zero-knowledge KYC.
Rely on checks that have already been done. She proposes making it easier for firms to rely on a trustworthy third party’s identity verification, so that a customer verified once does not have to be verified from scratch everywhere. That only works if a later firm can check the earlier verification without phoning the firm that did it. ONT ID anchors identifiers and their keys on a public chain, following the W3C Decentralized Identifiers model, so a verifier can confirm who issued a credential and that it is still valid without routing a request through the issuer. The issuer is never told who asked.
Fewer copies of the same data. If the credential travels and the document stays with the person, the number of databases holding a given passport scan falls toward one. On Ontology the chain holds only what is needed to check a claim: the identifier, its keys and the credential’s status. No documents and no profile.
Ask whether each field is needed. Her test for regulators is a single question: do we need this specific piece of information, or only a fact that it proves? A credential system lets a firm act on the answer, because the fact can be requested on its own.
Underneath all four sits one more requirement the speech implies without naming: permission and validity have to be withdrawable. A status list lets an issuer revoke a credential so that every later verification fails, which is what turns a one-off check into something a firm can rely on over time.
Where zero-knowledge KYC fits Zero-knowledge KYC is the strongest form of this model. With an ordinary credential, the holder can choose which signed statements to show. With a zero-knowledge proof, the holder can show something derived from a statement, such as “over 18” from a date of birth, and the verifier learns that the condition is met and nothing more. Peirce’s own example is a proof that tells a counterparty yes, this person meets your requirement.
The standards work here is moving. The W3C’s Data Integrity BBS Cryptosuites, a Candidate Recommendation Draft, let a holder reveal only chosen parts of a signed credential, with proofs that cannot be linked back to each other. That unlinkability matters for KYC in particular: a person who proves their age to five services should not leave five matching records that can be joined up into a profile.
Zero-knowledge KYC is a layer on top of the identity infrastructure, and it depends on that infrastructure being in place. A proof is only as useful as the trust in the issuer behind it and the ability to check that the credential has not been revoked. That is the part Ontology runs: decentralised identifiers, verifiable credentials and status, on a public chain that any verifier can read.
The missing piece is regulatory The most useful line in the speech may be the one about what is holding this back. Peirce says the technology exists and that what is missing is the regulatory framework that would allow and encourage its adoption. That is a fair description from where Ontology sits. The identity layer has been live for years. What changes adoption is a regulated firm being allowed to accept a scoped, verifiable claim in place of a stored document. Zero-knowledge KYC becomes routine when a regulator says that claim is enough.
ONTO Wallet is built for that world. It holds a person’s verified identity alongside the social, gaming and health data they choose to connect, with the holder deciding, item by item, what each counterparty sees. KYC becomes one more thing a person can prove without handing over.
Peirce gave this speech in her penultimate week at the Commission, so it should be read as an argument rather than a forecast. But the direction it sets out, from collecting data to verifying facts, is one Ontology has been working toward since before the products existed. If you are building something that needs to know a fact about its users and would rather not hold their documents, the infrastructure for zero-knowledge KYC is ready to use.
Further reading from Ontology: our Korea Blockchain Week recap, Beyond Data Ownership: Consent, Audit, Revocation, AI Chatbot Privacy: Public versus Private and the Privacy Hour recap that opened the series.
When Jake Paul and Mike Tyson stepped into the ring in November 2024, we delivered the fight to roughly 65 million concurrent streams. On an ordinary day our infrastructure takes in more than 2 billion requests and handles upwards of 38 million real-time logging events every second. At that scale, the whole picture doesn’t fit into a single engineering team’s head or onto a single dashboard. With more Live content, Podcasts and real-time streams, our need to understand and update our systems as quickly as possible becomes imperative to provide a good user experience. Understanding the system at this scale and within the time constraints we have, often becomes a daunting exercise in finding a needle in a haystack, in a dark jungle, blindfolded.
This post is about that search for the needle.
The Four hours before a fixConsider a regression of the kind we see in a given week. The home screen where you see the list of lists of movies, starts taking about 1.5 seconds longer to render. An alert fires. And then we go looking for what caused this issue and how do we fix it?
As it so happens, a regression on the application could be related to anywhere in the system — a client app regression from a new version deployment or A/B test rollout, a load shedding in the infrastructure, a GraphQL query responding with bad data because of a service rollout 6 hops downstream, are all suspects at this point. So, answering “what caused the issue?” needs insights from across the system, and this involves combing through layers of data in a meticulous manner.
The MELT Layer“What caused the issue?”
Metrics, events, logs and traces, or MELT, in the industry’s shorthand, are the right raw materials for such an investigation, and each of them answers roughly a quarter of the question. We collect observability data across these four pillars, unified into a single observability data layer. This lets us observe our systems in real time, across what our users are experiencing, how our applications are doing and what our backend infrastructure and services are processing and responding to.
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MELT — Metrics, Events, Logs and Traces, and how they are captured across the system.The investigation that follows may look like this in each layer:
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What each layer of MELT tells us and what it leaves outThe timeline of an investigationSo how long does it take to investigate an issue, figure out the root cause and fix it, so our users stop running into this issue again?
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A timeline of an investigation: ~4 hoursIn our chosen example, four hours. Very little of it went into computing anything difficult. Most of it went into reconstructing relationships that our observability systems already knew but we had never written down anywhere a human or machine could simply read and discover.
The disagreement underneathThe instinct here could have been, around 2023, to reach for more data or better dashboards, and while both help at the margins, neither addresses what makes these investigations slow.
It’s 2026 now, so we might say, “hey, agents”, but without the right context delivered to the agents, AI systems hallucinate, and especially when teams are on-call and need a fix “now”, we cannot let inaccurate agentic analysis lead us down the wrong path. We need the right needle, not any needle.
Each of our systems is internally coherent and externally isolated. Atlas, our telemetry platform, knows applications and their time series. Radar, our alerting system, knows thresholds and firing history. incident.io knows severities and responders. PagerDuty knows rotations. Spinnaker knows what shipped and when. And our Slack history knows, in a form no query engine can reach, which engineer solved something very similar last quarter and what they found.
The difficulty is that they do not agree on what they are talking about. A thing that is an application in one system is a service in a second and a cluster in a third, with names differing by a suffix, a casing convention, or a rename only a couple of people remember (SMEs, ring a bell?). Joining across them requires a human carrying the mapping in their head, and that person becomes the bottleneck in such cross-domain investigations. The hard part of end-to-end observability is probably better understood as a data modelling problem.
What we lacked was an explicit, machine-readable agreement about the entities in our operational world.
The OntologyThis agreement has a name: an ontology. Ontology is a formal specification of types, the properties they carry, and the relationships they may have. Its unit is the triple, one fact expressed as subject, predicate, object. Consider the following example triples.
In the example here, we have already encoded six facts, and can answer in one query, a question that used to span three tools.
“Which incidents affected applications owned by Team Bedrock in us-east-1?” is a single query in place of looking up incidents, Spinnaker and Radar.
We call our ontology layer, The Observability Ontology. It acts as the schema, rule set and shared agreement that standardizes how different systems understand entities like applications, services, incidents, deployments, etc.
We built it on the W3C stack for this: RDF for the data model, OWL for the ontology, SHACL for validation, and SPARQL for querying. These standards are well specified and widely implemented, which keeps the model portable across graph stores.
The data from the ontology itself, is stored as a knowledge graph, persisted to QuipuDB, our homegrown RDF graph database, a distributed quad store based on redb, a Rust-based embedded key value db. Data here is generated by parsing raw telemetry, logs, and incident discussions into triples (subject-predicate-object facts).
Every harvest also produces a full Turtle serialization for archival, making it human-readable and diff-friendly, which has proven more useful for debugging than we expected.
Our ontology is organized into twelve namespaces, each owning one operational domain:
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There are two decisions about this ontology that mattered while we built it, so they’re worth sharing.
The first is that we refused a generic Service type. “Service” means four different things across our tooling, so applications resolve to exactly one type, ops:Application, and every one of them is validated against our software catalog of roughly 49,000 entries before the entity is created. Unvalidated strings like usernames, team names, dependency names scraped from network topology, never become applications. We also cap dependency edges in both directions, because one popular service can carry thousands of reverse dependencies and would otherwise dominate the graph.
The second decision concerns what we chose to model. Incident chat carries the reasoning behind an incident. The hypotheses tried and discarded, the mitigation that worked, who knew why, is all context in the incident’s Slack channel and that knowledge evaporates when the channel goes quiet. So a 200-message, 50-person, 15-service incident channel becomes a structure, converting the operational chaos of an incident into ordered triples:
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Creating determinism from non-determinismBuilding this graph means using tools that are inherently stochastic. LLMs summarize discussions. Fuzzy matching resolves service names. A probabilistic engine proposes causal chains. None of these produce the same output twice with certainty, but what comes out at the end of our system is a deterministic graph that answers a SPARQL query the same way every time.
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The ontology is the mechanism that creates this determinism through its pipelined approach. We think of the pipeline as a ladder that drives entropy down, where entropy means the proportion of information still trapped in unstructured form. For example, at the start of this pipeline, an LLM could say anything, but it cannot emit a triple that violates the type system. We constrain the output space tightly enough and a stochastic process yields a deterministic contract:
# The model may produce any prose. Its output MUST fit these predicates:
category IN ["incident", "question", "discussion", "decision"]
sentiment IN ["positive", "neutral", "negative", "urgent"]# Result — a deterministic triple:
thread:123 slack:category "incident" .
thread:123 slack:isIncidentRelated "true"^^xsd:boolean .
There are five layers that get us down this ladder. Any single step of this ladder is non-deterministic. But in aggregate, the chain becomes deterministic. That inversion is the whole trick. We describe them below:
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The five layers to create determinism from non-determinismEnrichers: Agents as entropy reducersWe use what we call, enrichers, to reduce entropy across the knowledge graph. Dozens of enrichers run over the graph. Each one of them takes noisy input and emits typed triples, and each reads what earlier enrichers wrote. The contract for an Enricher is deliberately narrow:
class Enricher:
async def _enrich_async(self, ...):
raw = await self.fetch(...) # 1. read noisy input
result = self.analyze(raw) # 2. process (may be stochastic)
graph.add((uri, RDF.type, OPS.X)) # 3. emit TYPED triples
graph.add((uri, OPS.pred, Literal(result.value)))
return EnrichmentResult(success=True, triples_added=count)Three invariants that are standard across the enrichers:
every entity carries an rdf:type,every URI follows a single naming scheme, andthe catalog gates every ops:Application.Two operational choices are worth naming here, as well. The enrichment pipeline runs sequentially — load the graph, add triples, and save.
This sequencing removes an entire category of race conditions at a cost in wall-clock time we are happy to pay. And calls out to external systems like metrics, logs, events and the rest could be best-effort, so a slow downstream API doesn’t block the graph harvest, albeit some degradation. To that end, we are also working to translate these separate systems into the ontology, such as the Metrics Ontology and the Alerts Ontology, so everything could be queried from the Ontology itself.
The Correlation Engine: finding the correlation chainsThe correlation engine assimilates the vast number of signals from diverse input sources and condenses them into causal or correlatory chains of events. Today, the engine reads thirteen signal types, including log errors, metric anomalies, slow and failed traces, alerts, incidents, deployments, config changes, experiments, autoscaling, commits, end-to-end bottlenecks, and error patterns. It then searches for paths among them. Some ordered pairs are known to be causal and carry a high prior weight. For example, deployment before log error, config change before metric anomaly, failed trace before incident, and so on. Others, which show high correlation are considered correlation chains. Such chains are scored on temporal proximity and severity, inside a ten-minute window, with anything under 0.6 confidence getting discarded.
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The Correlation EngineThe role of the engine here is to propose with evidence, not to make conclusions. Hence, the engine stores its chains along with the graph records that were used to create them.
A 0.87 chain in the above example, is a strong hypothesis for a human or an agent to check, and the graph records the confidence alongside the claim so that consumers can understand why a chain is what it is and weigh their options to make decisions.
The knowledge flywheelEach harvest cycle turns the same four steps, and each rotation leaves the graph richer for the next. This is the Knowledge Flywheel, leading to continuous enrichment and improvement of the context about our system, stored in the knowledge graph.
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The Knowledge FlywheelObserve collects the signals. Enrich adds typed triples. Infer finds patterns invisible in the raw data. Adapt feeds knowledge back, so that established patterns become detection rules. The compounding result of the four phases leads to a self-improving system. A causal chain discovered in one incident becomes a known pattern for the next, and the ontology gradually stops being a schema and starts being a memory.
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Consider the example above. When we first see an incident in api-gateway caused due to a timeout and resolve it, we convert this knowledge into entries to the ontology. This becomes encoded knowledge. As we go through multiple cycles of this encoding, the graph starts learning patterns. After N cycles, patterns become wisdom — “api-gateway deploys cause 40% of SEV-2s” and “30% of deployment issues in api-gateway come from Connection Timeouts”. Surface this as an insight and we proactively start reducing incidents, not just react quickly to new ones.
Putting the graph to workOn top of the graph sits AutoRCA, our internal agentic AI solution, built with a set of specialist agents coordinated around one question. Walking the home page regression from the top of this post, the agentic system’s reasoning chain might look something like this:
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Each specialization to the inputs is built by people who understand their respective domain deeply. That division of labour only works if the specialists can pass findings to one another without having to agree on the terms of communication or even have knowledge of each other. The ontology acts as the interface. Each specialist learns one vocabulary — the graph’s. A team writing specialized use cases for how they use traces record their findings as triples about an ops:Application, the logs specialization reads triples about that same ops:Application, and neither needs to know the other exists. A new specialist learns the same vocabulary once and can immediately read everything the other six have written.
Set against the investigation we opened with, the change is narrower than it might sound. The alert still fires at 3:30pm, an engineer still has to weigh the evidence, and the fix still has to be written by someone who understands the code. The hour or two that used to go into assembling context — finding the owning team, reconstructing what shipped, correlating information from different parts of the system, recalling that something similar happened last quarter — all that work is the part the ontology and the graph absorbs. We are early enough that the ranked hypotheses are sometimes wrong, which is why each one carries the evidence that produced it. But when the engineer now starts the investigation, they are already holding the picture that used to take half an afternoon to assemble.
If you want to build one of theseA fair amount of what we have built, we learned by getting it wrong first. Based on this experience, these are the principles we would carry into a second attempt.
Model identity before anything else. Choose one authoritative catalog per entity kind and validate against it before creating an entity.Treat the ontology as code. Version it, review it, test it, and let changes arrive as pull requests. Treating the ontology as code lends itself to agentic development and lets teams scale and contribute to it.Separate concepts from instances. Concepts change on a human timescale and instances change continuously, conflating them makes both harder to evolve.Build on open standards. RDF, OWL, SHACL and SPARQL are specified, implemented many times over, and portable. A bespoke graph model ties a future consumer to one implementation.Constrain stochastic tools with a type system. This is the principle we would defend hardest. Models are useful precisely where determinism is impossible, and a sufficiently narrow output contract converts their output into something a query engine can trust.Make enrichment best-effort and ordered. A slow dependency should utmost degrade the graph, never block it. And ordering enrichers so each builds on the last buys more accuracy and that’s worth the tradeoff with parallelism that buys speed.Model human reasoning alongside machine telemetry. The most valuable edges in our graph came from discussion. Telemetry records what the system did, discussion records what people understood and interpreted. The reasoning is more valuable to store and serve as wisdom when we need it.Keep humans as the approvers. Let agents propose fixes, enrichers, and ontology changes, and route every proposal through a review process with humans in the loop.What comes nextThe graph makes three things possible. First, automatic root cause analysis, where a regression arrives with a ranked set of graph-backed hypotheses attached. Next, automated remediation, where a sufficiently confident diagnosis carries a proposed action like a targeted rollback, a traffic shift, a code change. And eventually infrastructure that heals itself, acting on a predicted failure before members feel it.
Alongside this, we plan to integrate the Observability Ontology with Upper, the domain-modeling language at the heart of Netflix’s Unified Data Architecture (UDA). Upper lets teams describe business and system domains as interconnected, machine-readable models and preserve their meaning and constraints as those models are projected into concrete schemas and systems. This integration would connect operational concepts such as applications, alerts, deployments, and incidents to the broader set of domains modeled across Netflix, giving engineers and agents a shared semantic layer for querying, validation, and reasoning. We will begin with a proof of concept that models incidents in Upper and use what we learn to determine where the two systems should converge.
AcknowledgementsNone of this would exist without the teams who share their data, expertise, and patience with an early system. We want to specially acknowledge the efforts of our own team members who made this possible from very early on in this lifecycle, Kaela Marsheck and Aditya Gaur. We are also especially grateful to our collaborators in Netflix’s ontology working group, Peter Royal, Alex Hutter, and to Alexandre Bertails and members of the Unified Data Architecture (UDA)/Knowledge Foundations team for sharing Upper and their domain-modeling expertise, and for helping us explore how the Observability Ontology can become part of a broader semantic foundation at Netflix.
For two days at the start of October the Ontology team was in Seoul, on a booth in the Upbit Zone at Korea Blockchain Week 2026, held at Walkerhill Hotels and Resorts from 30 September to 1 October. Thank you to everyone who came by, to the Korean community who have stayed with Ontology for a long time, and to FactBlock and Upbit for running the zone. This is a short account of what we heard there and what it means for the work ahead.
The conversation at Korea Blockchain Week has moved from trading to rails Korea Blockchain Week has a reputation as a trading crowd’s event, and this year’s programme pointed somewhere else. The main sponsor is the country’s largest exchange, and its own sessions in the zone were about regulation and market structure, public perception, and on-chain technology rather than the next listing. The underlying question was how regulated, everyday finance gets onto a chain without dragging every old problem along with it.
That is a healthy shift, and it is one Ontology was built for. When an industry stops asking what the price will do and starts asking what the plumbing looks like, the identity layer stops being a niche topic and becomes a precondition.
Every regulated rail needs an identity layer Regulated finance runs on knowing who the customer is. Today that means the same passport scan and proof of address copied into every exchange, bank and app a person uses, each copy held by a different team to a different standard. The more of finance that moves on chain, the more copies there will be, unless the model changes.
The model Ontology has worked on since mainnet launched in 2018 is simple to state. A person is verified once by an issuer that a relying party trusts. They hold the result as a verifiable credential. When the next service needs to know they are over 18, or resident in a given country, they present that claim and nothing else. The verifier checks the signature and the credential’s status against the chain and never receives the document.
A week before Korea Blockchain Week, that model was argued for from an unexpected place. On 23 September, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce told SIFMA’s Digital Assets Conference that regulators should move away from prescriptive data collection and toward attribute-based verification, using credentials and zero-knowledge proofs to confirm facts such as age, citizenship or sanctions status without revealing the data behind them. She spoke in a personal capacity and no rule has changed. But when a sitting commissioner describes the selective disclosure model in plain terms, the gap between where regulators are heading and where Ontology already is gets noticeably smaller. We will come back to her speech in detail on Thursday.
What we showed: ONTO Wallet and a reputation people hold themselves The product on the booth was ONTO Wallet, where identity, credentials and the data a person chooses to connect sit in one place, with the holder deciding item by item what each counterparty sees. The most concrete example running right now is gaming. The gaming reputation profile reads a player’s Steam, Twitch and Discord records with their permission and keeps the result with the player.
Gaming is where a verified, portable, user-held record found an audience first. The same infrastructure answers the KYC question above.
Four weeks of identity and data on this account Seoul was a useful reminder that the market still files Ontology under identity and data, and that the timing for that position is better than it has been in years. Over the next four weeks this account will set out each part of it in turn:
Privacy and KYC: what Commissioner Peirce’s speech means for credentials and zero-knowledge checks, and where Ontology fits. DID and data: how ONT ID and verifiable credentials work as one identity and data layer. Reputation: why a reputation worth trusting has to be held by the person it describes, with The Arena as the worked example. If you met the team in Seoul, thank you for coming by. If you did not, the spring privacy series is the best place to start before Thursday.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
According to official sources, Ontology announced that following the conclusion of its investigation into a security incident affecting its ecosystem projects, its mainnet has resumed block production and returned to normal operation. Ontology’s core network infrastructure remains secure, with no funds lost on the network. The earlier suspension of block production was a preventive measure jointly implemented by Ontology and its consensus nodes, designed to support the investigation and mitigate potential risks.
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Dashboards will remain useful for standardized monitoring, but they are becoming one interface among many rather than the only door to enterprise intelligence.
Business intelligence is becoming conversational.With generative AI, instead of locating a dashboard, adjusting filters and interpreting several charts, a business leader can increasingly ask a question in plain language.
Conversational analytics can translate a request into structured queries, retrieve data, generate a response and preserve context for follow-up questions. This approach expands access beyond users who know SQL or complex BI interfaces.
What’s changing isn’t just the interface. It’s who gets to ask. CFOs who once relied on custom-built dashboards, for example, can now interact directly with the data, generating tailored insights on demand.
AI still does not understand your business.Natural language creates an illusion that can be dangerous. A model may understand the general meaning of a term like revenue or customer, but it does not automatically know what those terms mean inside a particular company.
I’ve seen enterprises where two functions calculate the same KPI differently. In healthcare, for example, a “high-risk patient” may refer to someone with a high probability of hospitalization for a care-management team, while an underwriting team may define the same patient by expected future cost. Without that business context, an AI model can produce a confident answer that is technically correct but operationally wrong.
MIT’s Center for Information Systems Research found, for example, that enterprise data can lose business meaning, relationships and rules when separated from the applications where it originated, increasing the risk of AI misinterpretation.
Natural-language fluency should not be mistaken for business understanding.
Ontology could be the missing context.A governed semantic layer can help with this challenge by giving metrics, dimensions and business terms consistent definitions. Ontology adds another dimension. It formally represents concepts in a domain and the relationships among them.
In my industry, healthcare, for example, an ontology might connect a member to a health plan, a service to a provider, a claim to a diagnosis and a diagnosis to a clinical condition. Those relationships give AI a way to navigate business meaning rather than merely tables and columns.
Metadata, lineage, data quality and governance therefore become more important as BI becomes more intelligent.
BI must move from answering questions to anticipating them.Traditional BI is mostly pull-based. Someone opens a dashboard.
Conversational BI improves the experience, but a person still initiates the question.
The next step is more proactive. Agentic systems are being explored to achieve business goals, from automating complex processes to real-time decision support. In analytics, that could mean continuously evaluating governed metrics, detecting anomalies and investigating related factors.
An ontology-grounded system can connect a cost increase to geography, providers, diagnoses, utilization patterns and member populations. The goal is no longer just retrieving information, but also discovering relationships, explaining likely drivers and identifying the questions leaders should be asking. That is the bridge from business intelligence toward decision intelligence.
Ontology, however, is only as effective as the data architecture and semantic layer it is built on. Without a strong architecture, a governed semantic layer and a trusted data foundation, it can introduce ambiguity rather than clarity.
AI makes data architecture more important, not less.A conversational interface is only valuable if leaders can trust what sits behind it. Enterprises need to know which data produced an answer, which definition was applied, what transformations occurred and who was authorized to see the result.
That requirement is especially important in regulated sectors. Current AI governance guidance emphasizes lineage, provenance, data quality, access control, accountability and auditability as foundations for trustworthy AI.
AI-driven BI ultimately rests on that chain of trust, running from raw data through semantic definitions and ontology to governance and security.
The paradox is simple. As analytics becomes easier for the user, the architecture underneath it becomes more important. The future of BI may look conversational and effortless on the surface, but its credibility will depend on the disciplined data foundation beneath it.
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WSJ: Method Security and Palantir Announce The Cardinal Program, Delivering Method's Autonomous Cyber Systems via Palantir's Ontology for Cybersecurity
PLTR: Method Security and Palantir Announce The Cardinal Program, Delivering Method's Autonomous Cyber Systems via Palantir's Ontology for Cybersecurity
We are pleased to announce that the Ontology Mainnet has successfully resumed normal operation following the completion of the required security review and network upgrade procedures.
As part of this network upgrade, all Sync Nodes are required to upgrade to v3.1.5 as soon as possible to ensure network compatibility and smooth synchronization following the restoration of the Mainnet.
Action Required for Sync Nodes
All Sync Node operators are strongly advised to:
Upgrade their nodes to Ontology v3.1.5 ASAP; Follow the official upgrade instructions carefully; Ensure their nodes are fully synchronized with the Mainnet; Verify that their nodes are operating normally after the upgrade. Please refer to the official v3.1.5 release notes and upgrade instructions: https://github.com/ontio/ontology/releases/tag/v3.1.5
We strongly recommend that all Sync Node operators complete the upgrade as soon as possible to maintain compatibility with the restored network and ensure stable and uninterrupted synchronization.
Continued Security Monitoring
Although the Mainnet has now resumed, the Ontology team will continue to closely monitor network security, stability, and performance.
Our security review and monitoring efforts will also continue in coordination with relevant technical and security partners to ensure the long-term security and reliability of the Ontology network.
Thank you to all validators, node operators, ecosystem partners, and community members for your patience and cooperation throughout the emergency pause and upgrade process.
If you have any questions, please contact us or our community admins through the official channels.
Ontology, the identity-focused public blockchain known for its ONT and ONG tokens and decentralized identity infrastructure, has paused block production on its mainnet after its core development team identified malicious activity targeting the network. In a September 1 update, the project said user assets were not compromised and described the move as a precaution designed to give its team time to complete security remediation and a network upgrade before normal operations resume.
According to a security update published on its official site, the Ontology Mainnet will remain temporarily paused while the technical team and network validators carry out the security response. The project set a provisional target of restoring normal operations within 24 hours, subject to completing security checks, remediation, testing and validation, and said it will publish a further announcement once the network is ready to resume.
From Emergency Pause to Confirmed Malicious Activity Ontology first suspended block production on August 31, describing the move as an emergency pause prompted by a potential security concern found during a routine security check. At that point, the team said no security incident had been confirmed and that there was no indication of any loss or compromise of ONT, ONG or other on-chain assets.
The picture sharpened the following day. In its September 1 announcement, the team said it had identified malicious attack activity targeting the network while reiterating that the investigation confirmed the activity does not involve or compromise the security of user assets. The mainnet, which has operated since 2018, will remain paused until the upgrade and verification work is finished, with the team coordinating with validators and ecosystem partners to complete the job.
Who Is Affected While the Network Is Down With block production suspended, on-chain transactions are not being processed, and Ontology has advised users to avoid time-sensitive transfers until the network is confirmed to have resumed. ONT and ONG holders, validators and applications built on the Ontology EVM are the groups most directly affected by the outage. The team has said users do not need to transfer or otherwise act on their assets in response to the announcement, and that the temporary suspension is a proactive security measure rather than a response to confirmed asset loss.
The halt also touches services that rely on the network’s identity and reputation layer, including ONT ID credentials and applications that use Ontology for decentralized identity verification. Off-chain components such as the ONTO wallet remain available, but any on-chain interaction is effectively frozen until block production resumes. Ontology said it is completing remediation, upgrading network components and running extensive testing and validation, and it plans to coordinate with third-party security organizations for further assessment before any resumption, extending the review beyond its internal technical investigation.
A Wider Pattern of Preventive Chain Halts The pause fits a broader pattern of network-level security responses across the sector. Cronos halted its blockchain on August 31 after an exploit of its Tectonic lending protocol, and a separate disclosure of a Solana card contract vulnerability has shown how quickly a security finding can disrupt day-to-day operations for users and builders.
Preventive pauses, in which a chain stops producing blocks to contain a suspected threat before losses are confirmed, have become a more common incident-response tool as attacks grow more sophisticated. Ontology’s update also flagged how artificial intelligence is contributing to the emergence of increasingly advanced security threats. For a network best known for decentralized identity and reputation rather than high-volume decentralized finance, the outage appears contained for now, but the full scope of the malicious activity and the timing of any resumption remain open questions tied to the outcome of the ongoing security review. The immediate test for holders and builders is whether the network returns within the stated 24-hour window or whether the third-party assessments surface issues that extend the pause further.
AUTHOR
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The Ontology core development team has identified a potential security concern during our daily security check that requires immediate investigation.
As a precautionary measure, and with the security and integrity of the Ontology Mainnet as our highest priority, block production on the Ontology Mainnet will be temporarily suspended with immediate effect.
This emergency pause is being initiated proactively to allow the technical team and network validators to conduct a comprehensive security review of the network and its related components.
No Current Impact on User Assets
We would like to emphasize that:
No confirmed security incident has been identified at this time. There is currently no indication of any loss or compromise of user assets. ONT, ONG, and other on-chain assets remain unaffected based on our current assessment. The temporary suspension is a preventive security measure, rather than a response to confirmed asset loss or an ongoing attack. We are taking this action out of an abundance of caution to ensure that any potential risk is fully assessed before normal network operations resume.
Network Status
During the emergency security review:
Block production will remain temporarily suspended. On-chain transactions will not be processed while the network is paused. Users should not attempt to perform time-sensitive on-chain transactions until the network has been officially confirmed to have resumed. Users do not need to transfer or otherwise take action with their ONT, ONG, or other on-chain assets as a result of this announcement. The duration of the pause is currently undetermined. We will prioritize the thoroughness of the security review over speed and will not resume block production until the network has been sufficiently assessed and deemed safe to operate.
Next Steps
The Ontology team is treating this matter as a top priority and is working closely with validators and relevant ecosystem partners.
We will provide further updates through the official Ontology channels as soon as more information becomes available.
A separate announcement will be issued before or at the time of network resumption, once the security review and any required upgrades have been successfully completed.
We understand that an unexpected network pause may cause concern or inconvenience. However, we believe that taking immediate preventive action is the responsible approach when the security of the network may potentially be at risk.
The security and integrity of the Ontology Mainnet, as well as the safety of user assets, remain our highest priorities.
Thank you for your patience, understanding, and continued support.
공지사항혜택·이벤트업비트소식거래 이용 안내수수료 안내입출금 이용 안내입출금 현황시장경보 현황Open API 안내정책 및 거래지원 문의1:1 문의하기문의내역이용자 가이드카카오톡 문의(24시간)증명서 발급공시 안내공지사항
입출금
NEW
Ontology 네트워크 계열 디지털 자산 입출금 일시 중단 안내
안녕하세요. 가장 신뢰받는 디지털 자산 거래소 업비트입니다.
Ontology 네트워크의 네트워크 점검으로, 입출금을 일시 중단합니다.(가상자산이용자보호법 시행령 제17조 제1호 가목)
상세 내용
대상 디지털 자산 : 온톨로지(ONT), 온톨로지가스(ONG), 무비블록(MBL) - Ontology 네트워크
중단 범위 : 대상 디지털 자산 입출금
중단 사유 : 네트워크 점검
중단 기간 : 공지사항 등록 시점 ~ 입출금 안정성 확인 후 본 공지사항을 통해 지원 재개 안내 예정
*해당 디지털 자산의 거래는 중단 없이 지원됩니다.
유의사항
입출금 중단 기간 동안 아래 내용을 유의해주시기 바랍니다.
입금 반환 및 출금주소 등록 절차는 일시 중단되며, 입출금 재개 이후 순차적으로 처리될 예정입니다.
해당 디지털 자산 입금 시, 업비트 계정에 입금이 반영되지 않을 수 있으며, 이 경우 복구가 불가능할 수 있습니다.
입출금 중단 중에는 네트워크 혼잡 등의 사유로 입금 처리에 지연이 발생할 수 있으며, 블록체인 네트워크상 트랜잭션의 컨펌 완료 시점과 입금 반영 시점에 차이가 있을 수 있습니다.
입출금 중단 시점 전후 또는 예정되지 않은 점검 발생 시, 일부 블록체인 네트워크에서 입출금이 발생할 수 있으나, 점검 기간 중에는 당사 월렛 시스템상 정상 처리가 불가하여, 종료된 이후 확인 과정을 거쳐 순차적으로 처리될 예정입니다. 이에 회원님 계정에 반영처리가 지연될 수 있음을 양해 부탁드립니다.
업비트는 회원님의 자산을 안전하게 보호하기 위해 프로젝트팀과 긴밀히 협력할 예정이며, 관련하여 추가 또는 변경 사항이 발생할 경우 본 공지사항을 통해 안내드리겠습니다.
Ontology has temporarily halted mainnet block production after its core developers identified a potential security concern during a routine check, leaving on-chain transactions suspended while validators conduct an emergency review.
Summary
Ontology has temporarily halted mainnet block production after its core developers identified a potential security concern during a routine security check. No confirmed security incident or user asset loss has been identified, with ONT, ONG and other on-chain assets currently considered unaffected. On-chain transactions will remain unavailable during the security review, and users have been advised to avoid time-sensitive transactions. Ontology has not set a restart time and said block production will resume only after the network has been assessed and deemed safe. The Ontology Network said in an official announcement that its core development team detected the potential issue during a daily security check and immediately moved to stop block production as a precaution. No security incident has been confirmed, and the team said it has found no evidence that ONT, ONG or other user assets have been lost or compromised.
🚨 Ontology Mainnet Emergency Pause
Ontology has identified a potential security concern requiring immediate investigation.
As a precautionary measure, block production has been temporarily suspended while our technical team and validators conduct a comprehensive security… pic.twitter.com/GfiXSW76lW
— Ontology – The Trust Layer for AI & Web3 (@OntologyNetwork) August 31, 2026 Ontology mainnet remains paused during security review With block production stopped, transactions submitted to the Ontology mainnet cannot be processed until network operations resume. The team has not provided an estimated time for the restart and said the review will take priority over restoring the chain quickly.
Ontology described the halt as a preventive measure, distinguishing it from a response to an active attack or confirmed theft. Developers and network validators are reviewing the mainnet and related components to determine whether the potential concern presents an actual security risk.
Users have been told not to move ONT, ONG or other assets because of the announcement. However, the network advised against attempting time-sensitive on-chain transactions while the pause remains in place.
“Block production will remain temporarily suspended,” Ontology said, adding that the network will not restart until it has been “sufficiently assessed and deemed safe to operate.”
The team has not disclosed the technical nature of the potential security concern, which component triggered the review or whether developers have identified a vulnerability requiring a software change.
Ontology said it is working with validators and relevant ecosystem partners during the investigation. A separate announcement will be released before or when block production resumes, after the security assessment and any required upgrades have been completed.
No user asset losses have been identified The network emphasized that the current investigation has not produced evidence of compromised user funds.
“There is currently no indication of any loss or compromise of user assets,” the team said. “ONT, ONG, and other on-chain assets remain unaffected based on our current assessment.”
The distinction leaves the mainnet in an unusual operational state: the chain is intentionally unable to process transactions, but Ontology has not reported an exploit, unauthorized asset movement or an ongoing attack.
A mainnet is the production blockchain where transactions involving assets with real economic value are recorded. As crypto.news explained in August, production networks depend on protocol software, economic incentives and validator infrastructure to maintain security while processing live transactions.
The Ontology team has chosen to keep transaction processing offline while the potential issue is examined instead of allowing normal block production to continue during the investigation.
Network pauses can prevent new state changes while developers and validators assess a problem, although the specific reason for Ontology’s decision remains limited to the potential security concern disclosed by its developers.
Ontology did not say whether exchanges or other services using the chain would separately restrict ONT or ONG deposits and withdrawals during the review.
A previous Ontology network upgrade produced similar restrictions at the exchange level without involving a reported security incident. In 2022, Binance suspended ONT deposits and withdrawals while supporting an Ontology upgrade, with services scheduled to reopen after the upgraded network was considered stable.
ONT and ONG form Ontology’s dual-token system Ontology operates with ONT and Ontology Gas, or ONG, as its two native assets. ONT is used within the network’s governance and staking structure, while ONG serves a separate role in its economic model.
The network has changed its staking framework over time. Crypto.news previously reported that Ontology reduced its minimum staking requirement from 500 ONT to one ONT as part of a governance and staking model update. Requirements for candidate nodes seeking to participate in consensus were reduced from 100,000 ONT to 10,000 ONT.
Ontology’s architecture has historically focused on decentralized identity and data infrastructure. The project uses ONT ID as part of that framework, allowing identity information and credentials to be managed through its blockchain infrastructure.
Interest in that part of the ecosystem resurfaced earlier in 2026 as traders focused on digital identity projects. ONT jumped more than 20% on March 30 as market attention turned to the European Union’s eIDAS 2.0 digital identity wallet rollout. The token traded between roughly $0.0568 and $0.0959 during the 24-hour period covered at the time.
The current mainnet interruption concerns the network’s operation, with Ontology’s announcement making no claim that ONT’s token contract, ONG or another on-chain asset has been exploited.
Ontology has not set a restart time For now, the mainnet will remain unable to produce blocks while developers and validators work through the security review.
Ontology said the duration of the shutdown is undetermined and that it will prioritize a complete examination of the potential risk over speed. Normal block production will resume only after the network has been assessed and the team considers it safe to operate.
Any upgrades found necessary during the investigation would have to be completed before the restart, according to the announcement. The team did not specify whether an upgrade is currently expected or whether the review could end without requiring changes to the network software.
Users therefore do not need to take action with their ONT, ONG or other on-chain holdings based on the information currently available, but transactions requiring mainnet processing will remain unavailable throughout the pause.
Ontology said updates on the investigation will be published through its official channels as more information becomes available. The network plans to issue a separate notice before or at the time operations resume once the security review and any required upgrades have been completed.
Ontology has temporarily halted mainnet block production after a potential security concern was identified during a routine security check.
This situation has caused the suspension of on-chain transactions while validators conduct an urgent investigation. So far, no security breaches or loss of user assets have been detected.
Security Review Continues Ontology stated that the decision to halt block production was a preventative measure and not a response to an active attack. No timeframe was specified for restarting the network, and transactions will not be processed until the security review is complete. Users were advised to avoid time-sensitive transactions.
The Ontology team has not yet disclosed the technical nature of the potential security concern or which component triggered the review. Developers and network validators are reviewing the mainnet and related components to determine whether the potential concern poses a real security risk.
User Assets Secure The network emphasized that the current review did not produce any evidence that user funds were compromised. “ONT, ONG, and other on-chain assets are unaffected according to our current assessment,” the statement said. Ontology did not specify whether it would restrict ONT or ONG deposits and withdrawals during the review.
Ontology announced that block production will resume after the security review and necessary upgrades are completed. Users should refrain from any transactions involving ONT, ONG, or other on-chain assets and should follow updates from the network’s official channels.
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The explorer’s last block was created at 4:24 a.m. ET, leaving transactions and Ontology-side bridge transfers unable to settle while validators review the network.
Ontology stopped producing blocks on its mainnet on Aug. 31 after developers flagged a potential security concern during a daily check, freezing onchain transactions while the network’s technical team and validators conduct an emergency review.
The chain’s official explorer listed block 20,770,893 as the latest block. It was created at 4:24:26 a.m. ET (8:24:26 UTC), providing confirmation of when production stopped.
In its announcement, Ontology did not identify a suspected vulnerability or affected component. It said no confirmed security incident had been found and that there was no indication of asset loss or compromise, based on its current assessment.
In an official post, Ontology described the block-production suspension as a “preventive security measure” rather than a response to confirmed asset loss or an ongoing attack.
Transactions and Exchange Transfers FreezeOntology said no onchain transactions will be processed while block production is paused and warned users not to attempt time-sensitive transfers.
Ontology’s bridge interface was still accessible. However, because Ontology is not processing transactions, any bridge transfer requiring an Ontology-side transaction cannot complete until block production resumes.
Upbit separately suspended deposits and withdrawals for ONT, ONG and MBL on the Ontology network. The exchange said trading in those assets would continue and that transfers would reopen only after it confirms deposit-and-withdrawal safety.
Restart Plan Has No TimetableOntology said the pause’s duration is undetermined and that block production will not resume until the network has been sufficiently assessed and deemed safe to operate. The review covers the network and related components.
A separate announcement will be issued before or when block production restarts, after the review and any required upgrades are completed, according to the project. The team also told users they do not need to move their ONT, ONG or other onchain assets because of the pause.
Ontology’s core development team pulled the emergency brake on its mainnet on August 31, stopping block production entirely after flagging a potential security issue during a routine daily check. The last block produced was approximately 20,770,893, and every on-chain transaction ground to a halt while validators and the technical team launched a comprehensive review.
No confirmed security breach or user asset loss has been reported. But the precautionary freeze was enough to send ripples across the ecosystem, with major Korean exchanges Bithumb and Upbit quickly suspending deposits and withdrawals for ONT, ONG, and MovieBloc (MBL) tokens tied to the Ontology network.
What happened and what we know so far The halt came roughly ten days after Ontology rolled out its MainNet v3.1.2 upgrade around August 21. That update was designed to improve Ethereum compatibility by adding EVM opcodes, a move aimed at making the network more accessible to developers building in the broader EVM ecosystem.
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The Ontology team has not provided a timeline for when block production will resume. The priority, according to the team, is completing a thorough safety assessment before bringing the network back online.
Trading on alternative networks has not been affected. If you hold ONT or ONG on a centralized exchange that hasn’t paused activity, your tokens are still tradeable. But any assets sitting in on-chain wallets or pending on-chain transactions are frozen until the mainnet restarts.
Exchange responses and market impact Bithumb and Upbit moved fast. Both South Korean exchanges suspended ONT, ONG, and MBL transactions on the same day the halt was announced.
The broader pattern of precautionary chain halts The distinction here is that Ontology’s team initiated the halt themselves rather than having the network fail organically. The timing also matters. The v3.1.2 upgrade was supposed to make Ontology more competitive by enhancing EVM compatibility. An emergency shutdown ten days later is not exactly the confidence-building follow-up the team was hoping for.
Ontology is a public blockchain designed to address the needs of decentralized identity, data management, and trust infrastructure, employing a dual-token model where ONT serves governance and staking roles, while ONG functions as a utility token for transaction fees. Since its active mainnet launch in 2018, Ontology has incorporated several enhancements, particularly aimed at improving its compatibility with Ethereum through the introduction of EVM opcodes in recent upgrades.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
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공지사항혜택·이벤트업비트소식거래 이용 안내수수료 안내입출금 이용 안내입출금 현황시장경보 현황Open API 안내정책 및 거래지원 문의1:1 문의하기문의내역이용자 가이드카카오톡 문의(24시간)증명서 발급공시 안내공지사항
입출금
NEW
NEO N3, Ontology 네트워크 계열 디지털 자산 입출금 일시 중단 안내 (08/26 22:00 ~)
안녕하세요. 가장 신뢰받는 디지털 자산 거래소 업비트입니다.
NEO N3, Ontology 네트워크의 월렛 업그레이드로, 2026-08-26(수) 22:00(KST)부터 안정성이 확인 완료되는 시점까지 입출금을 일시 중단합니다.(가상자산이용자보호법 시행령 제17조 제1호 가목)
상세 내용
대상 디지털 자산
네오(NEO), 가스(GAS) - NEO N3 네트워크
온톨로지(ONT), 온톨로지가스(ONG), 무비블록(MBL) - Ontology 네트워크
중단 범위 : 대상 디지털 자산 입출금
중단 사유 : 월렛 업그레이드
중단 기간 : 2026-08-26(수) 22:00 ~ 입출금 안정성 확인 후 본 공지사항을 통해 지원 재개 안내 예정
*해당 디지털 자산의 거래는 중단 없이 지원됩니다.
유의사항
입출금 중단 시점에 임박하여 입금할 경우, 정상적으로 반영되지 않을 수 있으므로 사전에 충분한 시간적 여유를 두고 입금을 진행해 주시기 바랍니다.
입출금 중단 기간 동안 아래 내용을 유의해주시기 바랍니다.
입금 반환 및 출금주소 등록 절차는 일시 중단되며, 입출금 재개 이후 순차적으로 처리될 예정입니다.
해당 디지털 자산 입금 시, 업비트 계정에 입금이 반영되지 않을 수 있으며, 이 경우 복구가 불가능할 수 있습니다.
입출금 중단 중에는 네트워크 혼잡 등의 사유로 입금 처리에 지연이 발생할 수 있으며 블록체인 네트워크상 트랜잭션의 컨펌 완료 시점과 입금 반영 시점에 차이가 있을 수 있습니다.
입출금 중단 시점 전후 또는 예정되지 않은 점검 발생 시, 일부 블록체인 네트워크에서 입출금이 발생할 수 있으나, 점검 기간 중에는 당사 월렛 시스템상 정상 처리가 불가하여, 종료된 이후 확인 과정을 거쳐 순차적으로 처리될 예정입니다. 이에 회원님 계정에 반영처리가 지연될 수 있음을 양해 부탁드립니다.
업비트는 회원님의 자산을 안전하게 보호하기 위해 프로젝트팀과 긴밀히 협력할 예정이며, 관련하여 추가 또는 변경 사항이 발생할 경우 본 공지사항을 통해 안내드리겠습니다.
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This is a general announcement. Products and services referred to here may not be available in your region. Fellow Binancians, Starting at approximately 2026-08-20 23:00 (UTC), Binance will suspend the deposits and withdrawals of token(s) on the Ontology (ONT) network to support its network upgrade and hard fork to ensure the best user experience. The network upgrade and hard fork will take place at the block height of 20,800,000, or approximately at 2026-08-21 00:00 (UTC). Please note: The trading of token(s) on the aforementioned network will not be impacted.Binance will handle all technical requirements involved for all users.Deposits and withdrawals for token(s) on the aforementioned network will be reopened once the upgraded network is deemed to be stable. No further announcement will be posted.There may be discrepancies between this original content in English and any translated versions. Please refer to the original English version for the most accurate information, in case any discrepancies arise. For more information, please refer to the announcement from the project team. Thank you for your support! Binance Team 2026-08-13
Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, has announced its support for the planned network upgrade and hard fork on the Ontology (ONT) network. According to the exchange’s statement, deposit and withdrawal operations on the ONT network will be temporarily suspended to ensure users can continue their transactions securely.
Binance announced that it will suspend token deposits and withdrawals on the Ontology network as of 02:00 AM on August 22, 2026. The network upgrade and hard fork are expected to take place around 03:00 AM on August 22, 2026, at block height 20,800,000.
The company stated that the upgrade process will be supported to protect the user experience and ensure that technical processes are completed smoothly. Binance also emphasized that all necessary technical processes during the network upgrade will be managed by their own teams and users do not need to take any additional action.
On the other hand, it was stated that although deposit and withdrawal transactions on the network will be temporarily suspended, trading of ONT and related tokens will not be affected. Users will be able to continue trading normally on Binance spot and other trading platforms during the upgrade process.
Binance announced it will reopen deposit and withdrawal services once the Ontology network is confirmed to be stable following the completion of the network upgrade. The exchange also stated that no further announcements will be released regarding this process.
In the cryptocurrency ecosystem, network upgrades and hard forks are considered crucial for security, performance, and the rollout of new features. The Ontology community is closely following this update, expecting it to strengthen the network’s technical infrastructure and contribute to its long-term development.
*This is not investment advice.
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A short whale in CXMT has paid over $3.4 million in funding fees, with an unrealized loss of $3.67 million on its positions.
Per Lookonchain monitoring, whale address 0xf292 has opened a 1x leveraged short position on 2.9 million CXMT, with the position valued at approximately $22.57 million and an unrealized loss of $3.67 million. The whale has already paid over $3.4 million in funding fees, averaging around $170,000 in daily funding fees.
4 minutes ago
HSK Chain sponsors and supports the EAG Oceania, Africa, and Latin America Hackathon Series, helping to build the global developer ecosystem.
According to official sources, HSK Chain has announced its sponsorship and support for the "2026 Global Builders Initiative" launched by the Ethereum Applications Guild (EAG), in a joint effort to advance the global developer ecosystem and Ethereum application innovation. The event expands the competition’s reach to three emerging Web3 markets—Australia, Africa, and Latin America—marking a key step in HSK Chain’s global ecosystem expansion. Scheduled from August 19 to September 29, 2026, the initiative covers six regional developer communities: Brazil, Nigeria, Colombia, Kenya, Bolivia, and Sydney, Australia. Adopting a format combining online development courses, regional hackathons, and in-person Demo Days, it is expected to attract over 1,000 Web3 developers worldwide and push hundreds of innovative projects into incubation. As a sponsor, HSK Chain will set up dedicated tracks at all six locations, offering a total prize pool of 10,000 USDT, with a focus on supporting innovative applications in sectors including AI Agents, DeFi, stablecoin payments, and RWA (Real World Assets). The chain will also provide participating teams with technical support, mainnet deployment services, and Demo Day pitching opportunities; outstanding projects will further have access to the official Grant program and ecosystem incubation resources. Founded by Dr. Xiao Feng, Chairman and CEO of HashKey Group, and Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin during Token2049 in 2025, EAG is a global non-profit developer organization dedicated to driving the Ethereum ecosystem’s transition from infrastructure development to application innovation.
4 minutes ago
Coinbase launches new matching engine for Deribit, capable of processing over 100,000 orders per second.
Coinbase announced the phased deployment of a new-generation high-performance matching engine on Deribit. Built on dedicated infrastructure, the engine can process over 100,000 orders per second with a matching latency of less than 1 millisecond, designed to enhance execution speed, scalability, and liquidity performance for institutional derivatives trading. This upgrade also integrates Deribit into the same core execution infrastructure as Coinbase International Exchange. Coinbase noted that the new engine adds a built-in "speed bump" mechanism to select trading products, which briefly delays active orders to give liquidity providers more response time in fast, volatile markets, and is expected to help market makers offer tighter bid-ask spreads and deeper order books. The company added that all its perpetual contracts will also migrate to this matching engine later this year. Once the migration is complete, options and perpetual contracts will share a more unified trading infrastructure, enabling a more consistent trading experience, broader product coverage, and deeper liquidity.
4 minutes ago
Bitget's TradFi Quanto Perpetual Contracts Now Support 2x Long Positions on SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics
According to an official announcement, Bitget has launched two TradFi Quanto perpetual contracts: CSOPSK2LHKD (2x long SK Hynix) and CSOPSS2LHKD (2x long Samsung Electronics), supporting up to 20x leverage and 24/7 trading. These TradFi Quanto perpetual contracts enable users to directly trade non-US dollar-denominated overseas stocks, such as Hong Kong-listed equities, using USDT, with no foreign currency conversion required throughout the process. The contracts are quoted in local currencies including Hong Kong dollars and Japanese yen, while margin deposits and profit/loss settlements are all completed in USDT, simplifying the trading workflow and effectively avoiding additional risks from exchange rate fluctuations.
4 minutes ago
Analysis: Selling pressure from listed mining firms is an overlooked factor weighing on Bitcoin’s price; these companies have sold $1.78 billion worth of BTC this year.
Bitcoin has fallen roughly 27% year-to-date, with its price retreating below $64,000. In addition to over $4.4 billion in net outflows from U.S. spot crypto ETFs, sales by long-dormant holders and digital asset treasury firms, listed Bitcoin miners have emerged as a less-discussed supply source in the market. According to Blockware Intelligence data, listed miners held a combined ~127,000 BTC at the start of the year, a figure that has since dropped to 99,000 BTC. This translates to roughly 28,000 BTC sold year-to-date, worth around $1.78 billion at current prices. Blockware Solutions’ research team noted: “The sales by listed miners since the start of the year are an underdiscussed factor weighing on Bitcoin’s weak price performance in 2026.” Miners’ profitability is also under pressure, with the average cost to mine one BTC standing at roughly $74,300. A growing number of miners are shifting to AI operations, leveraging the high-voltage power resources they have secured to support this transition. Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty has dropped roughly 18% from its November peak, with the decline in hash rate marking one of the longest such stretches on record. Blockware stated that competition has eased following the exit of large miners, and active operators are now earning roughly 18% more BTC than they were 10 months ago, leading to improved mining economics.
4 minutes ago
Duan Yongping's stake in Pop Mart has risen from 5.55% to 7.70%.
According to disclosures from Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), H&H International Investment, LLC—managed by Chinese investor Duan Yongping—increased its stake in Pop Mart H-shares from 5.55% to 7.70% on August 6. Earlier reports noted that on August 5, HKEX disclosed that H&H International Investment, also managed by Duan Yongping, had cut its long position in Pop Mart International Group Co., Ltd. from 7.65% to 5.55% on July 30, 2026. Duan Yongping responded to the recent position reduction on Xueqiu, a Chinese social media platform, saying: "It’s just that the put options expired, and some shares were called away." (Clarification: The put options expired, and some shares were called by call options.)
Eight years ago, on 30 June 2018, the Ontology MainNet went live. It has run without interruption ever since. Anniversaries are usually a moment to look back, and there is plenty to look back on: an identity framework shipped early, a wallet used in more than 170 countries, a network that has settled tens of millions of transactions. But the more useful thing to do on our eighth birthday is to say clearly where we are going next. The next chapter is about identity, data ownership, and AI, and it runs through one product: ONTO Wallet.
The short version is this. AI is resetting the value of data, and the kind of data it needs most is the hardest to source responsibly: high-quality, consent-based information that is provably created by a real person. Ontology has spent eight years building the infrastructure that can supply exactly that. Now we are putting it to work.
The data problem AI is about to hit AI systems are only as good as the data they learn from. For years that data came from web scraping, but the industry is moving away from scraped content toward high-quality human data. Synthetic data can scale human judgement, but it cannot replace it. What AI increasingly needs is verified human data: information that is high-quality, consent-based, and provably created by a real person, sourced in a way enterprises can stand behind.
The supply of that data is the problem. Today the people who create data rarely share in its value. By Ontology’s own analysis, Meta, Alphabet and Amazon alone have earned more than 1.3 trillion US dollars from user-generated data, while the individuals behind it receive nothing.
Regulation is moving the other way. Frameworks such as the EU Data Act are pushing enterprises toward first-party, user-consented data. The missing piece has been a way to prove data is authentic and human without exposing it. That is the gap Ontology has spent eight years preparing to fill.
ONTO Wallet: from holding assets to owning data ONTO Wallet is the centre of the strategy. It remains a multi-chain Web3 wallet, and it is now building on that foundation to add an identity and verified human data platform. People own the data they create, build a verified profile, and earn rewards by contributing data on their own terms. On the other side of the marketplace, projects in AI, gaming and Web3 gain access to verified human data, a resource that is in growing demand and hard to source responsibly.
The platform rests on capabilities Ontology has built over its eight years, now native to the wallet: decentralised identity through ONT ID, and software-only verification that confirms data is authentic and human without exposing the underlying information. No special hardware is required.
It is organised around four ideas:
Ownership: people own the personal data they create.
Identity, the core differentiator: verifiable identity is what lets a person prove who they are and what they have done.
Utility: real rewards and a working data marketplace, not a promise of one.
Trust: the guarantees carried by the network underneath.
Identity is the through-line. It is what turns raw data into verified human data that the AI economy can actually use.
Eight years of building the foundation Ontology comes to this moment with infrastructure already in production, not a whitepaper:
Eight years of stable operation: the Ontology MainNet has run without interruption since 30 June 2018.
An identity pioneer: ONT ID is one of the earliest decentralised identity frameworks aligned with the W3C DID standard, with 1.65 million decentralised identities issued.
Global reach: ONTO Wallet has more than 2 million users, across 70+ blockchains and 170+ countries.
A proven network: more than 20,188,999 transactions processed, 898 active nodes, and 216,135,075 ONT staked.
The infrastructure underneath: a four-part EVM upgrade A data platform that asks people to contribute needs transactions that are fast and inexpensive. So the anniversary release also upgrades the network that makes that possible, bringing four widely adopted Ethereum opcodes to the Ontology EVM. The changes reduce transaction costs, shrink smart contract sizes, and bring the network in line with the current Ethereum standard, while removing friction for teams porting existing Ethereum contracts across.
PUSH0 (EIP-3855): places the value zero onto the stack, reducing contract size and lowering the gas cost of almost every transaction.
BASEFEE (EIP-3198): lets a contract read the network’s current base fee directly on-chain, with no external data source.
MCOPY (EIP-5656): copies memory in a single step, speeding up data-heavy operations such as encoding and cryptography.
Transient storage, TSTORE and TLOAD (EIP-1153): a low-cost storage that lasts for a single transaction, well suited to temporary state such as reentrancy protection.
Together these bring the Ontology EVM in line with the opcodes introduced in Ethereum’s Shanghai and Cancun upgrades, so the latest output from compilers such as Solidity and Vyper runs without special handling.
“For eight years we have built the infrastructure for trusted identity and user-owned data. The next eight are about putting it to work for the defining technology of our time. AI runs on data, and it increasingly needs data that is high-quality, consented, and provably human. Ontology and ONTO Wallet let people own that data and decide how it is used, turning verified human data into the foundation of a fairer AI economy.”
Li Jun, Founder of Ontology
Where Ontology goes next This anniversary is less a celebration of what Ontology has built than a statement of where it is going. As AI resets the value of data, Ontology intends to be the place where identity is owned, data is given with consent, and verified human data becomes infrastructure the whole industry can build on.
Eight years in, the foundation is in production. The work of the next chapter starts now. Learn more at ont.io and onto.app.
On its eighth anniversary, Ontology puts ONTO Wallet at the centre of its strategy, adding an identity and verified human data platform to its multi-chain wallet, with a four-part Ontology EVM upgrade keeping the infrastructure underneath fast and current.
Ontology, the Layer 1 blockchain for decentralised identity and data, marked the eighth anniversary of its MainNet by setting out the next chapter of its strategy: building the trusted identity and verified human data layer for the AI economy. At the centre is ONTO Wallet, the ecosystem’s datawallet, which is adding an identity and data platform that lets people own the data they create and put it to work, exactly as AI’s demand for high-quality, consent-based human data accelerates.
Eight years of building identity and data infrastructure have prepared Ontology for an AI economy that increasingly depends on trusted, consent-based human data.
The data problem AI is about to hit
AI has a data problem. As models become more capable, the supply of high-quality, consent-based human data is becoming one of the industry’s biggest constraints. Synthetic data can scale human judgement, but it cannot replace it. What AI increasingly needs is verified human data: information that is high-quality, consent-based, and provably created by a real person, sourced in a way enterprises can stand behind.
The supply of that data is the problem. Today the people who create data rarely share in its value. By Ontology’s own analysis, Meta, Alphabet and Amazon alone have earned more than 1.3 trillion US dollars from user-generated data, while the individuals behind it receive nothing. Regulation is moving the other way: frameworks such as the EU Data Act are pushing enterprises toward first-party, user-consented data. The missing piece has been a way to prove data is authentic and human without exposing it. That is the gap Ontology has spent eight years preparing to fill.
ONTO Wallet: from holding assets to owning data
ONTO Wallet is the centre of the strategy. It remains a multi-chain Web3 wallet, and is now building on that foundation to add an identity and verified human data platform. People own the data they create, build a verified profile, and earn rewards by contributing data on their own terms. On the other side of the marketplace, projects in AI, gaming and Web3 gain access to verified human data, a resource that is in growing demand and hard to source responsibly.
The platform rests on capabilities Ontology has built over its eight years, now native to the wallet: decentralised identity through ONT ID, and software-only verification that confirms data is authentic and human without exposing the underlying information. No special hardware is required.
It is organised around four ideas: ownership of personal data, verifiable identity as the core differentiator, real utility through rewards and a working data marketplace, and trust carried by the network underneath. Identity is the through-line: it is what lets a person prove who they are and what they have done, and what turns raw data into verified human data that the AI economy can use.
Eight years of building the foundation
Ontology comes to this moment with infrastructure already in production, not a whitepaper:
Eight years of stable operation: the Ontology MainNet has run without interruption since 30 June 2018. An identity pioneer: ONT ID is one of the earliest decentralised identity frameworks aligned with the W3C DID standard, with 1.65 million decentralised identities issued. Global reach through ONTO Wallet: more than 2 million users, across 70+ blockchains and 170+ countries. A proven network: more than 20 million transactions processed, ~900 active nodes, and 216 million ONT staked The infrastructure underneath: a four-part EVM upgrade
A data platform that asks people to contribute often needs transactions that are fast and inexpensive. The anniversary release upgrades the network that makes that possible, bringing four widely adopted Ethereum opcodes to the Ontology EVM. The changes reduce transaction costs, shrink smart contract sizes, and bring the network in line with the current Ethereum standard, while removing friction for teams porting existing Ethereum contracts across.
PUSH0 (EIP-3855): places the value zero onto the stack, reducing contract size and lowering the gas cost of almost every transaction. BASEFEE (EIP-3198): lets a contract read the network’s current base fee directly on-chain, with no external data source. MCOPY (EIP-5656): copies memory in a single step, speeding up data-heavy operations such as encoding and cryptography. Transient storage, TSTORE and TLOAD (EIP-1153): a low-cost storage that lasts for a single transaction, well suited to temporary state such as reentrancy protection. Together these bring the Ontology EVM in line with the opcodes introduced in Ethereum’s Shanghai and Cancun upgrades, so the latest output from compilers such as Solidity and Vyper runs without special handling. Alongside the EVM enhancements, Ontology has continued its ongoing technical review process, introducing a series of performance optimisations and bug fixes that further improve network stability, efficiency and overall reliability.
“For eight years we have built the infrastructure for trusted identity and user-owned data. The next eight are about putting it to work for the defining technology of our time,” said Li Jun, Founder of Ontology. “AI runs on data, and it increasingly needs data that is high-quality, consented, and provably human. Ontology and ONTO Wallet let people own that data and decide how it is used, turning verified human data into the foundation of a fairer AI economy.”
Where Ontology goes next
This anniversary is less a celebration of what Ontology has built than a statement of where it is going. As AI resets the value of data, Ontology intends to be the place where identity is owned, data is given with consent, and verified human data becomes infrastructure the whole industry can build on. The work of the next chapter starts now.
About Ontology
Ontology is building the trusted identity and verified human data layer for the AI economy. Through decentralised identity and verifiable data, Ontology gives individuals control over their information and enables enterprises to access verified, user-consented data at scale. For more information, visit ont.io.
About ONTO Wallet
ONTO Wallet is evolving from a multi-chain wallet into a multi-chain data wallet for the AI economy. It lets people own their digital identity, build a verified profile from the data they already create, and earn rewards by contributing that data on their own terms, while giving projects access to verified human data. Learn more at onto.app.
Eight years ago, Ontology set out with a simple but powerful vision: to build a decentralized identity and data ecosystem that people could trust. Today, as we celebrate our 8th anniversary, we’re honored to reflect on a journey shaped not just by innovation, but by a global community that has grown with us, supported us, challenged us, and helped define what Ontology has become.
Our anniversary theme, “Celebrating 8 Years of Trust. Unlocking ∞ Possibilities”, represents exactly that. Trust has always been our foundation. Possibility has always been our future. And between them lies our community, the bridge that made eight years possible.
This milestone is more than a celebration. It’s an invitation.
An invitation to look back… and to build forward.
Your Story, Our Story: Announcing “Ontology Life – Ontology & Me” To mark our 8th anniversary, we’re launching a special community campaign:
🌀 Ontology Life – Ontology & Me Story Sharing Contest Over the years, Ontology hasn’t just been a protocol; it’s been part of people’s journeys as builders, developers, creators, partners, and community members. We want to hear those stories.
📅 Timeline November 21 — November 30
💰 Prize Pool: $1,000 in ONG 🥉 $200 ONG 🥈 $300 ONG 🥇 $500 ONG Winners will be chosen based on:
Story quality Engagement and votes on social media Final selection by the Ontology team 📣 How to Join Look for the official anniversary post on X. Reply under the tweet with your Ontology story, your first interaction, biggest milestone, favorite moment, or how Ontology has shaped your Web3 journey. Share it, hype it, tag friends, and celebrate with us. Whether you’ve been here since the beginning or you joined last week, your story matters. Your voice is part of our history.
A Look Back: 8 Years of Building Trust Over the past eight years, Ontology has powered secure decentralized identity, enterprise adoption, cross-chain integrations, and real-world solutions. We led the charge on DID long before it became a Web3 trend. We consistently pushed for a safer, more private, more human digital world.
From ONT ID to ONTO Wallet, from enterprise partnerships to community-led initiatives, this journey has been built together, step by step, block by block.
And the future?
The future is even more exciting.
Unlocking ∞ Possibilities: What’s Next for Ontology We’ve been making great progress in implementing our 2025 Roadmap, as our 8th year shapes up to be an important foundation in creating a future with infinite possibilities. This next chapter is designed around one mission: empowering people with tools that make Web3 more open, more intelligent, and more connected than ever before.
Below is a deeper look at the innovations coming to the Ontology ecosystem.
🔒 Ontology IM: Decentralized, Private Instant Messaging Our biggest launch of the year is also one of our most ambitious.
Ontology IM is a decentralized, identity-verified messaging protocol designed for the next era of Web3 communication. Unlike traditional messaging apps that rely on centralized servers, user profiling, and opaque data practices, Ontology IM offers:
Full end-to-end encryption with cryptographic identity verification True censorship resistance—no middleman controls your data DID-anchored messaging, ensuring that every conversation is real, verifiable, and secure This protocol is built not just as another messaging app, but as an infrastructure layer for decentralized communication, enabling:
dApps to embed secure messaging instantly Communities to coordinate without fear of censorship Users to enjoy seamless, private conversations across chains After months of development and testing, Ontology IM is nearing its public debut, and the first hands-on experience will be in your grasp very soon.
🤖 AI Marketplaces AI and blockchain are converging faster than ever, and Ontology is positioned at the center of that evolution.
Our upcoming AI Marketplace will introduce a new layer of intelligence to the Web3 experience by enabling creators, developers, and users to:
Deploy AI agents tailored for wallet management, data insights, identity verification, transaction support, and more Access AI-driven services that plug directly into the Ontology ecosystem Build and monetize AI tools in an open marketplace powered by decentralized identity Combine ONT ID + AI for secure, privacy-protected personalization For users, this opens the door to Web3 that is more intuitive and more helpful:
Your wallet becomes your assistant Your AI agents understand your on-chain activity while keeping your data private Everyday tasks become smoother, more automated, and more efficient For developers, it’s an opportunity to launch intelligent tools into a global marketplace built on real identity and trust.
💧 DEX Integration & Liquidity Expansion Liquidity is the lifeblood of any blockchain ecosystem, and 2025 will mark a major strengthening of Ontology’s market foundations.
Following the latest community vote and the upcoming MainNet Upgrade, the stage is set for:
Improved liquidity for both ONT and ONG Enhanced token utility across the Ontology EVM A more accessible and connected trading environment for users and partners Alongside these improvements, we are finalizing the requirements to bring a DEX to the Ontology EVM, enabling:
Native swaps Yield and liquidity opportunities More robust token flows across the ecosystem Easier onboarding for developers building decentralized applications This upgrade ensures Ontology remains competitive, flexible, and attractive to new builders in a rapidly evolving multi-chain world.
Thank You for 8 Years of Trust Eight years in Web3 is more than a milestone, it’s a testament to resilience, innovation, and community. Through bull runs, bear markets, technological shifts, and global changes, Ontology has remained committed to building infrastructure that empowers people, not platforms.
To everyone who believed in Ontology, who built with us, who shared feedback, who held discussions, who contributed code, who created content, who participated in governance, who simply showed up —
Thank you.
Our story continues.
And now, we want to hear yours.
Share your story. Celebrate our journey. Shape what comes next. Happy 8th Anniversary, Ontology!
As part of our 8th Anniversary celebrations, Ontology is launching a new initiative designed to strengthen the network, increase decentralization and empower ONT holders. If you have ever thought about running your own node, this is the perfect moment to get started.
During Round 266, we are rewarding community members who step up and create new nodes. Here is everything you need to know.
What Is the Ontology Node Campaign The Node Campaign is a special event that encourages ONT holders to run their own nodes by removing one of the biggest barriers to entry: the operational setup fee.
Event Summary Round: 266
Dates: November 24 to December 12/13
Rewards: 2500 ONG set-up fees reimbursed after the round ends
Winners: Top 5 new nodes ranked by Total Stake
If your new node finishes the round in the Top 5 by stake amount, Ontology will refund your node operation fee at the end of the round.
This is a great opportunity to become more involved in the ecosystem while supporting Ontology’s long term health and decentralization.
Why Run a Node Running a node on Ontology brings several benefits:
1. Earn Staking Rewards By operating a node, you can attract delegators and earn a portion of the staking rewards generated by your total stake weight.
2. Support Network Stability More nodes means a more secure and resilient blockchain. Your participation strengthens Ontology for everyone.
3. Strengthen Decentralization Increasing the number of active nodes reduces concentration and creates a healthier ecosystem.
4. Contribute to Ontology’s Growth As we expand into messaging, AI marketplaces and gaming, a stronger node ecosystem ensures better performance and reliability for all applications.
How to Participate To join the campaign, simply create a new Ontology node during Round 266. Only nodes created in this round will be eligible.
The Ontology team has prepared easy-to-follow guides to help you through the entire process.
Step 1: Prepare Your ONT Make sure you have enough ONT (10,000) to register your node and meet the staking requirements.
Step 2: Download ONTO Wallet You can run and manage your node directly from ONTO.
Step 3: Follow the Node Creation Guide We recommend reviewing the full guide before beginning to ensure a smooth setup.
Step 4: Watch the Video Tutorial (Optional) Prefer a visual walkthrough
Step 5: Launch Your Node During Round 266 Make sure you create your node between Nov 24 and Dec 12/13. Nodes created before or after this period will not qualify.
Step 6: Build Your Stake The Top 5 nodes with the highest total stake at the end of the round will have their fees reimbursed.
Step 7: Receive Your Fee Reimbursement After Round 266 ends, the Ontology team will reimburse the fees in ONG directly to the winning node operators.
Tips for Increasing Your Total Stake If you want to improve your chances of winning:
Share your node with the community and invite delegators Provide clear information about your node name and purpose Be active in Telegram groups and social channels Maintain transparency and encourage long term staking Support your node with your own ONT to increase its weight A strong, well-communicated node can attract more delegators.
Who Should Join the Campaign This event is ideal for:
ONT holders who want to become more active participants Community members interested in staking and node economics Builders and ecosystem partners who want to support decentralization Anyone who wants to learn more about participating in the Ontology network If you believe in Ontology, running a node is one of the most meaningful ways to contribute.
Join the Network, Strengthen the Ecosystem The Node Campaign is an opportunity to take your involvement to the next level, help grow our network and access real rewards for doing so.
With fees reimbursed for the Top 5 new nodes, the barrier to entry has never been lower.
Round 266 is your moment to step forward.
Start preparing your node now.
We look forward to welcoming new operators into the Ontology ecosystem.
PANews reported on November 26th that Binance plans to suspend token deposits and withdrawals on the Ontology (ONT) network at 15:00 (UTC+8) on December 1st, 2025, to support its network upgrade and hard fork. The project team anticipates conducting the network upgrade and hard fork on December 1st, 2025 (UTC+8).
Please note the changes in token economics following this event:
The Ontology network uses a dual-token model: Ontology (ONT) and Ontology Gas (ONG). Ontology Gas (ONG) Maximum and Total Supply Changes: It will be reduced from 1 billion to 800 million, of which 200 million tokens will be burned immediately; Ontology Gas (ONG) circulation supply: No immediate changes, but the future supply cap may be capped at 750 million due to a permanent lock-up mechanism.
Binance has announced that it will support a major upgrade and hard fork of the Ontology (ONT) network.
Binance Announces Support for Ontology (ONT) Network Upgrade and Hard Fork According to the statement made by the exchange, deposits and withdrawals of all tokens on the Ontology network will be temporarily suspended as of 10:00 on December 1, 2025.
It was stated that this step was taken to ensure the smooth implementation of technical updates on the network and to protect the user experience in the best possible way.
The Ontology network upgrade and hard fork is also scheduled for December 1, 2025. The Ontology blockchain is known for its dual-token structure: Ontology (ONT) is a governance-focused token, while Ontology Gas (ONG) is used to pay transaction fees on the network.
With the new update, the Ontology Gas (ONG) supply will undergo a significant change. The current maximum and total supply of 1 billion will be reduced to 800 million. As a result, 200 million ONG tokens will be permanently burned.
However, the circulating supply of ONG will reportedly not change immediately following the upgrade. However, due to Ontology's permanent locking mechanism, the circulating supply may decline to approximately 750 million units in the future.
Binance stated that deposits and withdrawals for ONT and ONG will be reopened once the network upgrade is complete. It emphasized that users' spot transactions will not be affected by the upgrade.
*This is not investment advice.
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Ontology is celebrating its 8th anniversary and introducing one of its biggest updates to date – the v3.0.0 MainNet upgrade. Li Jun, Ontology’s Founder, shared the full announcement on X.
Key Highlights From Ontology’s v3.0.0 MainNet Upgrade Strengthened Token Economy and Incentive Model Ontology’s v3.0.0 upgrade introduces major improvements to Ontology’s dual-token model (ONT and ONG), designed to support long-term sustainability and ecosystem growth.
The total ONG supply has been reduced from 1 billion to 800 million, with 100 million ONG permanently locked. This lowers inflation and strengthens long-term token value. Updated reward distribution now allocates 80% of newly issued ONG to ONT stakers and 20% to liquidity and ecosystem expansion, balancing network security with growth incentives.
These changes align Ontology’s token model with long-term utility and healthier economic design.
Network Upgrades, Identity Integration, and Governance The v3.0.0 upgrade enhances the core performance, interoperability, and identity tooling of the Ontology Blockchain.
Upcoming support for EIP-7702 will introduce a more flexible account system and stronger compatibility with the Ethereum ecosystem, improving cross-chain liquidity and builder experience. Core upgrades to consensus, stability, and gas management make the network faster and more reliable. ONT ID will soon be creatable directly on Ontology EVM, unlocking seamless decentralized identity use cases across DeFi, gaming, and social platforms. All tokenomics updates were approved through on-chain governance, reflecting a mature and aligned Ontology community.
These improvements position Ontology as a more interoperable, identity-driven, and community-governed Web3 infrastructure layer.
Product Enhancements, Developer Growth, and Real-World Utility Ontology continues to expand its ecosystem with new tools, user experiences, and privacy-preserving features.
Expanded grants, developer tools, and onboarding resources make it easier to build with ONT, ONG, and ONT ID. A new encrypted IM solution launching later this year will leverage decentralized identity and zero-knowledge technology to protect user sovereignty and secure communication. The ONTO Wallet has been upgraded with a refined identity module, better UX, and new payfi functionality developed with partners, improving Web3 payments and digital identity management. Orange Protocol is advancing its zkTLS framework to turn verified, privacy-preserving reputation signals into real economic utility — strengthening Ontology’s mission to make decentralized trust measurable and portable. Recommended Reading ONG Tokenomics Adjustment Proposal Passes Governance vote
The proposal secured over 117 million votes in approval, signaling strong consensus within the network to move forward with the next phase of ONG’s evolution.
Mainnet Upgrade Announcement
Initial update about the upcoming MainNet v3.0.0 upgrade and Consensus Nodes upgrade on December 1, 2025. This release will improve network performance and implement the approved ONG tokenomics update.
8 Years of Trust – Your Story Campaign
The first campaign to kick off Ontology’s 8th anniversary celebrations. It shares updates from the 2025 roadmap along with details on how to win rewards just for sharing your story with Ontology. We want to hear from you!
Your Guide to Joining The Node Campaign
Everything you need to know about how to get involved in Ontology’s node campaign, including key dates and requirements.
Bitcoin (BTC) $60,983 has exceeded $91,000 as the week and the month of November come to a close. While the graphical data remains calm and trading volumes low, altcoins predominantly exhibit lateral movements. However, the upcoming week promises significant developments for both Ethereum $1,623 and Ontology (ONT).
Ontology (ONT) DevelopmentsOntology is set to launch its MainNet v3.0.0 and Consensus Nodes upgrade on December 1, 2025. This update will enhance network performance and implement an approved update to ONG tokenomics. The ONT token is utilized for network governance. Meanwhile, ONG, as a gas token, covers transaction fees, smart contract executions, and the costs of dApp interactions.
The update in ONG tokenomics will limit the ONG supply to 800 million and extend the issuance schedule from 18 to 19 years. 80% of the released ONG will be allocated to incentivize ONT staking.
Upcoming Ethereum FusakaThe Fusaka upgrade, named from a blend of “Fulu” and “Osaka,” represents this year’s second major network upgrade for Ethereum and will be implemented on Wednesday. This update is expected to bolster the core layer of Ethereum, facilitating improved management of high-volume transactions from Layer2 solutions, enhancing the entire Ethereum ecosystem.
A pivotal feature of this update is PeerDAS, which allows validators to check only data segments instead of entire blobs. This approach balances bandwidth demand and reduces costs for validators and Layer2 networks. Key for investors is the improvement in cost efficiency and transaction speed.
This upgrade, highly praised by Fidelity Digital Assets and other institutions, is seen as a crucial step in preparing the Ethereum network for the future. Tokenization is currently a hot topic, and Ethereum stands at its center. Fusaka is expected to produce positive results in strengthening the main network’s efficiency and enabling various Layer2 solutions in tokenization processes.
Fusaka is more than a one-time upgrade; it signals the continuation of essential improvements for Ethereum. The path embarked upon is incredibly positive for maintaining a cost-effective, economically sustainable, and competitively viable Ethereum. While the long-term impacts will be evident, in the short term, Ether’s price will be driven by investor appetite rather than developer enthusiasm.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
PANews reported on December 1st that, according to official news, Ontology mainnet version v3.0.0 will officially launch on December 1st, 2025. All nodes must upgrade to version v3.0.0 before 08:00 (UTC+8) on December 3rd to avoid service interruptions. Changes to the total and maximum supply of ONG will occur at block height approximately 19,500,000 (expected on December 15th). Please complete the upgrade before the deadline.
According to previous reports , after this upgrade, the maximum and total supply of Ontology Gas (ONG) will be reduced from 1 billion to 800 million, of which 200 million tokens will be burned immediately; the circulating supply of Ontology Gas (ONG) will not change immediately, but the future supply cap may be limited to 750 million due to a permanent lock-up mechanism.
Welcome to the November edition of the Ontology Community Newsletter! This month brought exciting campaigns, updates, and events from Ontology, ONTO Wallet, and Orange Protocol. Below are the highlights, neatly organised to help you catch up on everything that happened across the ecosystem.
DID & Web3 Reputation — What Happened in November • DIF Newsletter #55 Released The Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF) published its latest newsletter, exploring how DID and verifiable credential standards are being adapted for AI agents to enhance trust and identity in decentralized systems.
• Privacy and Social Trust in Web3 Bitget reported on UXLINK and ZEC’s collaboration to build compliant privacy and real-world trust networks, advancing Web3 reputation through human-centric systems.
What Ontology Did in November • Whitepaper Saturday Launch Initiated a weekly quiz based on Ontology’s whitepaper as part of the #ONTWeeklyChallenge, inviting the community to answer surprise Telegram questions for $ONG rewards and emphasizing deeper understanding over superficial reading.
• Meme Monday Activation Launched the week’s challenge with a themed meme contest (“When you finally understand how staking works”). Participants submitted original memes tagged #OntonautsMeme and tagged 3 friends for a share of a $100 $ONG prize pool.
• Hodler Tuesday Participants who held at least 10 $ONT / $ONG and shared proof in Telegram received rewards. The event also encouraged the community to prepare for Discussion Wednesday.
• Wordle Wednesday Event Hosted a live Wordle-style discussion in Telegram with updated rules requiring reposts, tags, and form submissions to qualify for $ONG rewards.
• Swap Thursday This week included:
A minimum $10 token swap challenge via ONTO Wallet with screenshot submissions A new educational video on Proof of Stake A Privacy Hour Space focused on decentralized identity and Web3 An announcement for a Community Connect on AI × Crypto • Game Friday Held a series of Telegram mini-games testing knowledge and reaction speed, with leaderboard rewards for top performers.
• Community Connect Hosted multiple live Spaces discussing Web3 × AI × Crypto, and previewed the next Whitepaper Saturday.
• 8th Anniversary Campaign Kick-Off Two major anniversary initiatives launched:
Ontology & Me storytelling campaign Free Node Setup campaign November Spaces Community Connect: https://x.com/OntologyNetwork/status/1986359985522049448?s=20 Privacy Space: https://x.com/OntologyNetwork/status/1986458150753501674?s=20 Community Connect: https://x.com/OntologyNetwork/status/1986359985522049448?s=20 Privacy Hours: https://x.com/OntologyNetwork/status/1986458150753501674?s=20 Community Connect: https://x.com/OntologyNetwork/status/1986645858209689845?s=20 Community Connect: https://x.com/OntologyNetwork/status/1988897265621037193?s=20 What ONTO Wallet Did in November • Trading Competition Update Shared ongoing leaderboard updates for the Trading Competition with @SimpleSwap_io, encouraging users to keep trading to win from the 2,170 USDT prize pool (ending November 14).
• OKX DEX Integration Announced full integration with @okx DEX, enabling ONTO Wallet users to access trending trading pairs directly within the dApp.
• Trading Competition Conclusion Confirmed the competition’s end, published the winners list, and announced that rewards would be distributed within 7 working days.
• Invite Campaign Launch (8th Anniversary) Launched a referral campaign offering 20 ONG per successful invite, drawn from a 10,000 ONG pool, running November 21 – December 21.
• Invite Campaign Access Instructions Shared guidance on accessing the Invite Campaign through:
Mobile browser Discover page banner ONTO Profile section What Orange Did in November • Rewards Distribution Announced 20 lucky winners from the @humanode_io campaign on Orange, distributing $400 for bridging Biotoken on Ontology EVM.
• X Space Promotion Highlighted an upcoming Space hosted by @digikaai on AI Agents, Smart Contracts & The New Digital Workforce.
• OHS Snapshot Announcement Reminded users that one week remained before the OHS snapshot for Ontology’s 8th anniversary and encouraged minting OHS and reaching the top 10 ranks for a share of $1,000 ONG.
Staking & Statistics Total transactions to date: 20,105,312 That’s a Wrap for November! Stay engaged as we continue shaping the future of Web3 together.
See you in next month’s edition!
📚 Also read Your Guide to Joining the Ontology Node Campaign This guide explains how holders can join Round 266 of the node campaign (running November 24 – December 12/13) and get a chance to have their node-setup fees reimbursed (2,500 ONG) if their node ends up among the top 5 by total stake. It outlines the full step-by-step participation process — from preparing 10,000 ONT, installing ONTO Wallet, to registering your node — and gives tips on how to attract delegators and increase your node’s stake.
8 Years of Trust: Your Ontology Story Begins Here This celebratory post reflects on eight years of growth, community-building, and infrastructure development in the Ontology ecosystem — from decentralized identity and enterprise adoption to cross-chain integrations. It also introduces the anniversary campaign Ontology Life – Ontology & Me, inviting users to share their personal Ontology journey (first interaction, milestones, favorite moments) to win a share of a 1,000 ONG prize pool. The article paints a big-picture view of where Ontology has come from — and where it’s going.
PANews reported on December 19th that the Ontology mainnet has completed its upgrade, reducing the maximum and total supply of ONG tokens from 1 billion to 800 million. This adjustment has been approved by the community vote and is now officially in effect on the mainnet. The vote took place from October 28th to October 31st, 2025, with the Triones nodes unanimously approving the proposal with 117 million votes. This adjustment not only involves technical updates but also reflects the community's consensus on long-term sustainability, enhanced liquidity, and support for developers. The adjustments include permanently burning 200 million ONG, fixing the maximum and total supply at 800 million ONG, and permanently locking up the equivalent of 100 million ONG in ONT and ONG assets through a new liquidity mechanism. Furthermore, the ONG release period has been extended to approximately 19 years, maintaining a stable release rate of 1 ONG per second.
Previously, it was reported that Binance would support the Ontology (ONT) network upgrade and hard fork. The Ontology community passed a proposal to adjust the ONG token economy, reducing the total supply to 800 million tokens and permanently locking up 100 million tokens of value.
Ontology, a blockchain focused on decentralized identity and trust infrastructure for Web3, is pleased to announce the launch of Ontello Beta, a new app that brings encrypted messages, on-chain identity, and artificial intelligence (AI) agents. The mission behind this launch is to protect users’ identities while bringing their messages fully on-chain in encrypted form under this single app.
Today we’re opening the Ontello Beta to our community 🚀
A new kind of social + Web3 app bringing private encrypted messaging, on-chain identity, passkey-secured smart wallets, & AI agents into one simple experience.https://t.co/frxNTlJABm@matrixdotorg @ont_did
— Ontology – The Trust Layer for Web3 (@OntologyNetwork) December 23, 2025 Ontology is committing that it is the first kind of social +Web3 app that ensures security at a high level and provides users with a comfort zone via encryption of messages and on-chain identity. In addition, this application also has a strong system in the form of a passkey-secured smart wallet along with AI agents. In this decentralized world, real identity is the burning question in the market. Ontology comes on the front page to deal with it for the development of users. Ontology has revealed this news through its official X account.
Ontello to Deliver Self-Sovereign Identity and Encrypted Experience Fundamentally, the purpose behind this launch is to ensure full ownership in the sense that user will have their own identity and their own actions will not belong to any platform. With Ontello, users will experience a secure end-to-end encrypted messenger, self-sovereign identity powered by ONT ID, a built-in smart wallet that ensures proper working with the device’s passkey, and AI agents for Web3 life.
In addition, Ontology gives proper guidance for the efficient working of Ontello Beta, which is as simple as other apps. First of all, users will create a decentralized identity with ONT ID, because with ONT ID, every message is tied to a real, verifiable, self-owned identity. In this process, user can change their display name later, but the ONT ID remains permanent.
Empowering Users with Decentralized Identity and AI for Web3 This innovative step of Ontology is much more beneficial for users in terms of decentralized identity with a secured passkey system for the wallet. Moreover, Ontello Beta creates an automatic self-custody smart wallet upon first-time registration; in other words, there is no need for seed phrases, no private key management, no complication, but only the users’ wallet will be protected by a passkey.
This initiative is of great significance as now users can send their assets to ONT ID, ENS, or standard addresses. Last but not least, one of the interesting features of Ontello Beta is the AI Agent Store, which is specially built for Web3 users. To sum up in one line, Ontello’s aim is that users’ identity should be decentralized, communication should be encrypted, and AI should strengthen individuals, instead of platforms.
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Welcome to the December edition of the Ontology Ecosystem Newsletter.
December marked a busy close to the year, with important infrastructure updates, ecosystem milestones, and community conversations across Ontology, ONTO Wallet, and the wider network. Below is a structured overview of what happened and why it mattered.
Ontology Network Updates December focused heavily on infrastructure stability, long-term sustainability, and ecosystem alignment.
Early in the month, Ontology issued a mandatory MainNet v3.0.0 upgrade notice, requiring node operators to update by December 3 to avoid network disruption. This upgrade was accompanied by planned ONG supply adjustments around December 15, reinforcing Ontology’s commitment to predictable and transparent network operations.
To mark Ontology’s 8th anniversary, the team hosted a series of community discussions, including special Privacy Hour X Spaces focused on ecosystem progress and future direction, as well as Community Connect Spaces covering anniversary updates and broader Web3 trends.
December also saw Ontology join the Circle Alliance Program, opening the door for deeper collaboration around on-chain economies powered by USDC.
Additional highlights included:
Publication of the House of ZK report, covering MainNet upgrades and ecosystem developments A new Consensus Round 266 summary, outlining yield performance and staking growth Announcement of Ontology & Me campaign winners, distributing 1,000 ONG based on community voting Launch of Ontello Beta, introducing a new social Web3 application with encrypted messaging and AI agents Community Spaces in December Ontology 8th Anniversary Space Node, Staking, and ONTO Growth Space These conversations offered insight into both technical developments and broader ecosystem direction.
ONTO Wallet Highlights December was also an active month for ONTO Wallet, with a strong focus on discovery, trading activity, and community participation.
ONTO published its 2025 Year in Review, reflecting on the product’s evolution into a trusted Web3 discovery wallet designed to help users explore projects with greater clarity and confidence. This was complemented by the launch of the Year in Review feature inside the app, along with a community sharing campaign offering rewards of up to 100 USDT.
ONTO also announced an official partnership with Changelly, expanding exchange options inside the wallet. The integration is scheduled to go live in January, with related campaigns to follow.
Trading activity remained strong throughout the month, including:
Final leaderboards and winner announcements for the ONTO x Exolix Trading Competition Multiple trading lucky draw campaigns with rewards in USDT and ONG A new Exolix trading campaign offering a total prize pool of 4,400 USDT In parallel, ONTO continued community education efforts, publishing guidance on non-custodial wallet security and promoting discussions on building sustainable Web3 communities.
Network Activity Snapshot As of December, the Ontology network has processed:
20,149,529 total transactions and over 200 million ONT has been staked.
This milestone reflects continued on-chain usage across the ecosystem.
Looking Ahead As the year comes to a close, Ontology remains focused on infrastructure reliability, responsible ecosystem growth, and long-term engagement models. More updates on upcoming initiatives and community programs will be shared in the new year.
Thank you for being part of the Ontology ecosystem. We look forward to continuing the journey together in 2026.
Welcome to the January edition of the Ontology Ecosystem and Web3 Infrastructure Newsletter.
January marked a strong start to 2026, with important infrastructure improvements, new partnerships, and community conversations across Ontology Network and ONTO Wallet. Below is a structured overview of what happened and why it mattered.
Ontology Network Updates January focused on network optimization, thought leadership, and strengthening the foundation for enterprise adoption.
A key milestone this month was the 80% reduction in MainNet gas prices, implemented on January 22 following community governance approval. This reduction significantly lowers transaction costs across the network, improving accessibility for developers and users alike.
On the thought leadership front, Ontology published articles exploring Web3 distribution evolution with a focus on trust and discovery, as well as insights on CeDeFi as a bridge between liquidity and self-custody. These pieces reinforce Ontology’s position as a thought leader in decentralized infrastructure. For broader context on these themes, a16z crypto explores how portable reputation is reshaping on-chain identity.
Additional highlights included: 2025 ecosystem expansion highlights showcasing growth across identity and DeFi verticals
Ongoing community governance participation in network parameter decisions
Continued infrastructure reliability and node performance monitoring
Community Spaces in January Web3 Unlocks Live Space exploring opportunities with ecosystem partners
These conversations provided insight into both technical developments and broader ecosystem direction.
ONTO Wallet Highlights January was an active month for ONTO Wallet, with new partnership integrations and trading campaigns driving user engagement.
The previously announced partnership with Changelly officially went live this month, expanding in-wallet exchange options for users. To celebrate the integration, ONTO launched a trading competition with a total prize pool of 5,400 USDT.
ONTO continued its focus on helping users navigate Web3 with confidence, maintaining its position as a trusted discovery wallet designed for clarity and security. As blockchain identity tools enter everyday life, self-custody wallets like ONTO play an increasingly central role.
Network Activity Snapshot As of January, the Ontology network has processed:
20,162,892 total transactions
This milestone reflects continued on-chain usage across the ecosystem.
Looking Ahead With gas costs significantly reduced and new partnerships in place, Ontology is well-positioned for continued growth in 2026. Industry analysts identify digital identity, regulation, and government adoption as pivotal Web3 trends this year, areas where Ontology’s infrastructure continues to deliver. The network remains focused on infrastructure reliability, ecosystem expansion, and community-driven governance.
Thank you for being part of the Ontology ecosystem. We look forward to sharing more updates in February.
Ontology has spent eight years building the infrastructure for decentralised identity, reputation, and trust. Following the landmark tokenomics reform and 80% gas fee reduction of recent months, the foundation is firmly in place.
In 2026, we consolidate that foundation into real-world value. The identity and data stack converges within ONTO Wallet, giving individuals a single place to manage, build, and monetise their digital reputation. For AI-driven enterprises, Ontology provides verifiable, human-generated data they can rely on. Eight years of infrastructure becomes a gateway for human-centric AI and financial sovereignty.
A Leaner, More Accessible Public Chain The ONG tokenomics reform saw 200 million ONG burned and the supply permanently capped at 800 million, with an ongoing liquidity lock programme removing further supply from circulation. Community governance reduced gas fees by 80% in January 2026. These changes created a leaner, more cost-effective network. In 2026, we refine the engine and expand the community footprint.
We will continuously optimise the Ontology EVM with selective integration of high-value Ethereum Improvement Proposals that enhance performance and developer flexibility. The goal is to ensure the chain remains a top-tier environment for decentralised applications and supports the infrastructure demands of the data wallet model.
ONT staking continues to offer highly competitive APRs, and in 2026 we are lowering the barrier to entry for self-run nodes to encourage a more diverse validator set. Broader community participation in governance strengthens network resilience and distributes trust across the ecosystem rather than concentrating it.
We are also shifting toward gamified, social, and interactive engagement. The aim is to make the Ontology ecosystem not just functional but rewarding to explore, attracting new participants through experience rather than speculation alone.
Strengthening the Identity Foundation Decentralised identity has been at the core of Ontology’s mission since day one, and the ONT ID frameworkremains one of the most mature decentralised identity systems in production. As Real World Asset (RWA) use cases accelerate and demand for trustworthy digital credentials grows, the infrastructure underpinning identity must evolve in step.
In 2026, we will continue upgrading our Decentralised Identifier (DID) and Verifiable Credential (VC) infrastructure to meet the growing demands of RWA use cases, while maintaining alignment with the latest W3C standards. This ensures that Ontology’s identity layer remains interoperable, standards-compliant, and ready for the next wave of real-world adoption -whether that involves tokenised assets, cross-border credentials, or regulatory compliance frameworks.
The ONT ID system and its associated components form the trust backbone that makes ONTO Wallet’s identity monetisation features possible. Without verifiable, standards-aligned identity infrastructure, data monetisation and reputation systems lack the credibility that enterprises and institutions require.
Strategic Consolidation: The ONTO Integration We are moving from a fragmented product suite to a unified, focused platform. In 2026, we are selectively incorporating and re-exposing relevant functionalities developed in Orange Protocol (Reputation) and Ontello (Privacy) into ONTO Wallet, in a way that aligns with the right timing, user needs, and product context. Together with the ONT ID identity layer already built in, the result is a single product where users manage their identity, credentials, reputation, and privacy from one interface.
ONTO Wallet transforms from a crypto wallet into a data monetisation engine. Users will be able to leverage their accumulated reputation and verified data to unlock rewards, access exclusive services, and participate in the data economy. The value users have built over time through their identity and activity becomes something they can act on, not just maintain.
Where Crypto Meets AI Crypto has historically centred on trading. Ontology is looking toward the next decade of productivity.
Bitcoin started a revolution. AI is the technology currently reshaping daily life. We believe the true disruption lies at the intersection of blockchain and AI, where verifiable identity and user-consented data become essential infrastructure for the next generation of intelligent applications.
We will actively explore and implement use cases for ONT and ONG within AI applications. This includes positioning Ontology as a layer of truth for AI training sets: verified, human-generated data that models can rely on. It also includes using our tokens to facilitate micro-payments for decentralised AI agents and services, creating functional utility beyond speculation.
Data Sovereignty: Building the Alternative We stand firm in the belief that unique individuals deserve unique ownership.
We may not be able to stop the data-harvesting practices of Web2 giants directly. What we can do is build a superior alternative. Ontology provides the infrastructure that allows users to bypass traditional data exploitation and move toward self-sovereign data monetisation: owning their information, controlling who accesses it, and earning from its value.
By putting high-quality, user-consented data back into the hands of innovators, we empower projects to build more accurate, ethical, and impactful tools. The data economy does not have to be extractive. With the right infrastructure, it can work for the people who create the value in the first place.
2026 in Summary In 2026, Ontology consolidates eight years of infrastructure into a unified product and a clear market position. The identity and reputation stack -anchored by an upgraded ONT ID framework aligned with the latest W3C standards -converges in ONTO Wallet. The public chain becomes leaner and more accessible. And the intersection of blockchain and AI opens genuine utility for ONT and ONG beyond trading.
The work ahead is not about building more technology. It is about delivering value from the technology we have already built.
Join the Movement Whether you are an enterprise seeking verified, user-consented data, a builder creating the next generation of AI-powered tools, or an individual ready to take ownership of your digital identity -2026 is the year to get involved.
Explore the ecosystem at ont.io
Download ONTO Wallet at onto.app
Stake ONT and secure the network
Join the conversation and shape what comes next
Eight years of infrastructure. One unified vision. Your data, your future.
Ontology consolidates its decentralised identity, reputation, and privacy stack into ONTO Wallet, positioning the ecosystem at the intersection of blockchain and AI with verified, user-consented data.
Ontology, a leading decentralised identity and data infrastructure network, has published its 2026 roadmap outlining a strategic shift from infrastructure development to product consolidation and real-world value delivery.
The roadmap follows a landmark 2025 tokenomics reform that permanently capped ONG supply at 800 million, burned 200 million tokens, and introduced an ongoing liquidity lock programme. In January 2026, community governance reduced on-chain gas fees by 80%, creating a leaner and more cost-effective network for developers and users.
Product Consolidation: One Wallet, One Interface
Central to the 2026 strategy is the consolidation of Ontology’s product suite into ONTO Wallet. Relevant functionalities from Orange Protocol (reputation and data aggregation) and Ontello (privacy) are being selectively incorporated into ONTO, joining the ONT ID identity layer already built in. The result is a single interface for managing identity, credentials, reputation, and privacy.
ONTO Wallet will evolve from a crypto wallet into a data monetisation engine, enabling users to leverage their accumulated reputation and verified data to unlock rewards, access exclusive services, and participate in the emerging data economy.
Identity Infrastructure Upgrades
Ontology’s ONT ID framework remains one of the most mature decentralised identity systems in production. In 2026, the project will continue upgrading its Decentralised Identifier (DID) and Verifiable Credential (VC) infrastructure to support growing demand from Real World Asset (RWA) use cases, while maintaining alignment with the latest W3C standards.
Blockchain Meets AI
The roadmap positions Ontology at the intersection of blockchain and artificial intelligence. Verified, user-consented data from the ONTO ecosystem will serve as training sets for AI models, addressing the growing demand for high-quality, provenance-verified human data. ONT and ONG tokens will gain additional utility through micro-payments for decentralised AI agents and services.
Public Chain and Governance
Ontology will continue optimising its EVM-compatible chain through selective integration of Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs). The barrier to entry for self-run validator nodes will be lowered to encourage a more diverse and resilient validator set. Gamified ecosystem engagement initiatives are planned to drive broader community participation.
Data Sovereignty
The roadmap reinforces Ontology’s commitment to self-sovereign data ownership. The project is building infrastructure that enables users to bypass traditional data exploitation, control who accesses their information, and earn from its value -providing innovators with access to high-quality, user-consented data for building ethical and impactful tools.
About Ontology
Ontology is a high-performance, open-source blockchain specialising in decentralised identity, data, and reputation. Since 2018, Ontology has built a comprehensive trust infrastructure enabling self-sovereign identity, verifiable credentials, and user-consented data exchange. Its native tokens are ONT (governance) and ONG (utility). For more information, users can visit ont.io.
Ontology’s ONT jumps over 20% as traders bet its decentralized identity stack could benefit from the EU’s eIDAS 2.0 rollout of digital ID wallets to 450M citizens.
Summary
Ontology’s ONT token has surged more than 20% today, extending a week that saw an intraday jump of up to 55% as EU eIDAS 2.0 headlines hit the market. ONT, a decentralized identity and data infrastructure token, traded between roughly $0.0568 and $0.0959 over the last 24 hours, with its price now around $0.07. The move comes as the EU confirms eIDAS 2.0 digital identity wallets will roll out to more than 450 million citizens by 2026, a timeline that has lit up Binance Square and X. Ontology’s (ONT) price has rallied more than 20% in the last 24 hours, as traders crowd into what they see as a pure‑play bet on Europe’s coming digital identity overhaul. MEXC data show ONT changing hands near $0.07 today, up 19.45% on the session, with intraday trading between roughly $0.0568 and $0.09587 and a market capitalization of about $65.38 million based on a circulating supply of 934.26 million ONT. That builds on an earlier spike this week, when a Binance Square post noted that ONT had “recorded a sharp surge of nearly 50%, reaching $0.06235 in just a few minutes” on a breakout backed by a sudden volume spike.
The backdrop is the European Union’s decision to push ahead with eIDAS 2.0, a regulatory framework that will require every member state to offer at least one EU Digital Identity Wallet to citizens by 2026. A Binance Square analysis explicitly tied ONT’s move to that catalyst, arguing that “Ontology’s focus on identity security and data integrity is perfectly aligning with the EU’s new eIDAS 2.0 digital ID wallets,” and noting that the protocol’s infrastructure is designed around verifiable credentials and selective disclosure. In the same post, the author highlighted a “staggering 70% vertical surge in just three hours, spiking to $0.065,” alongside a “massive $1.16 million capital injection in a single hour” as traders chased the narrative.
Ontology price with overbought signals ONT sits in the digital identity and infrastructure niche rather than pure DeFi or L1 smart‑contract competition. Coingecko’s overview of Ontology describes it as a project focused on decentralized identity and data, with a circulating supply near 910 million ONT and a market cap that has recently hovered in the $50–70 million range. According to Binance Square, earlier this week ONT’s technical picture flashed classic “overbought” conditions, with the token’s relative strength index pushing into the 79–85 band as it ripped more than 55% intraday. That kind of momentum is usually associated with short‑term exhaustion, yet today’s continuation suggests dip‑buyers are still willing to lean into the eIDAS theme as long as the EU sticks to its late‑2026 rollout plan.
On the higher‑timeframe chart, CoinMarketCap data show ONT trading around $0.07227 recently, up 22.43% on the day, with a 24‑hour volume above $126 million and a gain of roughly 85.6% from its all‑time low of $0.03894 earlier in March. That bounce comes after years of drawdown from its $11.18 all‑time high set in May 2018, leaving plenty of bagholders who may see any identity‑driven rally as a chance to exit.
Digital id narrative ripples across peers The Ontology move is also resonating across the broader identity and privacy sector. While there is no single benchmark basket, traders on Binance Square and X are increasingly grouping ONT with other “identity stack” tokens and real‑world‑data plays that could, in theory, plug into government‑backed wallet schemes. The EU’s own vision, set out in public documents and explained by firms such as Thales, is to give roughly 450 million people a secure digital wallet that can hold credentials like IDs, diplomas or licenses under user control, using cryptographic attestations and selective disclosure. That pushes identity from niche to macro‑level infrastructure—exactly the kind of narrative that tends to attract speculative capital.
In previous crypto.news coverage of real‑world‑asset and identity projects, similar regulatory tailwinds have sparked sharp but uneven rallies, with early winners often those that have pre‑existing technical primitives rather than the best marketing. A separate crypto.news story on tokenization highlighted how EU pilots can create “credibility arbitrage” for protocols that fit policymakers’ priorities even if their token economics remain unproven. Another crypto.news story on market cycles noted that when Bitcoin and large caps stall, narratives like digital identity can briefly take center stage as traders hunt for the next high‑beta theme.
As ONT trades around $0.07 with daily gains above 20%, the question now is whether sustained progress on eIDAS 2.0 and concrete integration wins can justify the move—or whether this week’s rally will fade once the initial regulatory buzz is priced in.
China’s Center for Information Industry Developed Research Institute’s monthly crypto rankings have always been viewed as an oddity, given that the CCID is controlled by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in a country notoriously scathing toward cryptocurrency.
But since President Xi Jinping’s recent address at the Politburo claiming that “We must take blockchain as an important breakthrough for independent innovation of core technologies. Clarify the main directions, increase investment, focus on a number of key technologies, and accelerate the development of blockchain and industrial innovation,” the rankings potentially warrant more respect.
With the Chinese government announcing its intention to be at the epicenter of blockchain technology development, cryptocurrency markets went into overdrive, with Bitcoin seeing over 30 percent gains within ten hours.
Whether the Chinese government actually warms to the decentralized cryptocurrencies its citizens have long been enamored of remains to be seen. In the meantime, the news was widely viewed as a positive sign for the markets.
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Are the CCID Research Institute Rankings Suddenly Relevant Again? The newfound enthusiasm for blockchain in the CCP, also indicated in recent news of a pending state-run digital currency, drags the CCID’s rankings back into view. Its latest edition has just been released.
Assessed in terms of technology, applicability (capability of being applied to solve problems), and creativity (how unique the blockchain is in its approach to solving problems), EOS has consistently ranked first since the organization began publishing its rankings in May of 2018.
The 14th index shows some notable movements since its last report. TRON overtook Ethereum in second place, though only by the skin of its teeth. Lisk is up seven places to seventh and Qtum surged ten places to eighth.
Ontology is down seven places to fourteenth and Cosmos fell twelve places, from tenth to 22nd. GXChain fell precipitously, falling out of the top five in favor of BitShares. The top five now reads EOS, TRON, Ethereum, NULS, BitShares.
NANO on the Rise NANO enjoyed a rise from 22 to 13, finding a place back in the spotlight it lost during the early 2018 BitGrail debacle, from which it has since struggled to recover. As reported recently by Crypto Briefing, NANO is playing a substantial role in the ecosystem of Softbank-backed payments processor Wirex, an FCA-licensed company based in the U.K.
At a recent NANO meetup in London, Wirex’s CEO Pavel Matveev said the company was keen to continue its relationship with the crypto formerly known as RaiBlocks. A Wirex blog post also spared no compliments in describing Nano, calling it “a next-generation cryptocurrency with great potential.”
With an opaque ranking system, the CCID results will likely remain a curiosity for some time. However, the CCP’s apparent newfound fondness for blockchain technology means it is warranted for the community to put blatant skepticism over their rankings on hold for at least an interim period.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Paul de Havilland. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
