Animoca Brands Corporation Ltd and LayerZero, the omnichain interoperability protocol, have jointly launched LayerZero-Animoca Brands Hackerhouse, a global initiative to advance cross-chain standards and demonstrate real-world use cases of interoperable digital assets.
The hackerhouse is a global initiative that aims to organise events across major cities every year, with the primary objective of gathering developers, projects and companies passionate about an omnichain future to conceptualise and build proof-of-concepts that will push the technical boundaries of cross-chain standards.
This initiative is also part of Animoca Brands’ broader effort to demonstrate the real-world use cases of blockchain-based applications and digital assets in order to facilitate productive interaction between the blockchain community and other relevant stakeholders.
The inaugural stop was successfully held in Hong Kong on December 12, 2022, with the support of ecosystem partners including Zellic, OtterSec, Brinc and Cyberport.
Standardise interoperability solutions
Animoca co-founder and executive chairman Yat Siu said: "We are thrilled to join forces with LayerZero on this global initiative to advance and standardise the interoperability solutions that will be one of the most critical infrastructures supporting an open metaverse in the future.
“It also serves as a venue where relevant stakeholders can gather, discuss, and witness the potential of truly interoperable digital assets.”
Inaugural stop
At the inaugural stop, in excess of 50 participants representing more than 25 companies attended the event to create prototypes based on LayerZero’s omnichain protocol and engage in discussions with guest speakers from partnering companies.
Additionally, observing guests including Duncan Chiu (HKSAR technology and innovation constituency legislative council member and president of the Hong Kong Information Technology Joint Council), Ernest Ho (head of digital finance at Hong Kong Monetary Authority), Rocky Tung (director and head of policy research at Hong Kong Financial Services Development Council), and Ian Chan (chief corporate development officer of Cyberport) each gave a welcoming remark that reaffirms Hong Kong’s commitment to supporting local blockchain and digital asset innovations, nurturing local talent pool, and positioning the city as the premier technology hub in the region.
Chan said: “We are delighted to be a key partner of the first Hacker House of Animoca Brands and LayerZero to witness the inception of such a meaningful initiative.
“Cyberport is a key driver of Hong Kong’s IT industry and the home to a community of over 1,900 start-ups.
“We are committed to fostering the development of our three clusters of Digital Entertainment, FinTech, and Smart Living by empowering our start-ups with financial and technological support, networking, and more.
“We are delighted to support Animoca Brands, a company based in Cyberport, as well as LayerZero in their effort to drive technological advances and local talent development in the blockchain space.”
About LayerZero
LayerZero is an omnichain interoperability protocol that allows dApps to build across multiple blockchains in a trustless, efficient manner.
It connects dApps across chains using on-chain Ultra Light Nodes, which achieve the security of a light node with the cost-effectiveness of a middle chain.
Using the protocol, developers can turn their dApps into omnichain-applications using a single, simple interface.
LayerZero co-founder and CEO Bryan Pellegrino said: “This joint initiative with Animoca Brands is a huge step forward in LayerZero’s mission to advance the interoperability landscape.
"Along with other ecosystem partners, we will be bringing together some of the best and brightest minds in the blockchain community to bring that omnichain vision to life.”