The Monad Pulse #013
Monad Ecosystem Updates, Jan 15 - 22
Monad keeps widening its surface area. This week’s updates span narrative trading, AI-native infrastructure, real-world assets, and protocol-level economics, showing a network that’s no longer just scaling, but experimenting with what actually belongs on a high-performance chain.
Trendle Brings Narrative Trading to Monad
Trendle launched on Monad, introducing a platform that transforms narratives and attention into tradable markets. The protocol enables users to speculate on trending topics, memes, and cultural moments through onchain prediction markets, creating new opportunities for traders to monetize their ability to identify emerging trends.
Trendle represents a novel approach to prediction markets by focusing specifically on narrative momentum rather than traditional binary outcomes like sports results or election predictions. Users can take positions on the trajectory of stories, ideas, and attention cycles as they unfold across social media and crypto communities. The platform currently operates on an invite-code basis as it scales its early user community. Interested traders can visit Trendle’s social channels for access codes.
Monad and OpenBuild Launch Rebel in Paradise AI Hackathon
Monad partnered with OpenBuild to launch the Rebel in Paradise Hackathon, a six-week AI-focused event running from January 19 through February 28, 2026. The competition offers over $40,000 in prizes along with access to an NVIDIA supercomputer for winning teams. Registration is open at rebel.openbuild.xyz.
The hackathon brings together leading AI infrastructure providers including Kimi Moonshot, Zai, Doubao, YouWare AI, StepFun AI, SiliconFlow AI, and Rokid Global. Judges and venture partners include prominent firms Delphi Ventures, Vertex Ventures, Pantera Capital, CoinFund, and Enlight Capital.
The event includes two in-person Hacker Houses in major Chinese tech hubs. The Beijing session takes place January 31 at luma.com/irllzbeu, followed by the Shenzhen event on February 7 at luma.com/je6if25j. Both locations offer full-day developer workshops, technical panels, and networking opportunities with ecosystem builders and investors.
The hackathon aligns with Monad’s AI Blueprint initiative announced in November 2025, which provides comprehensive support for AI applications building on the network. With Monad’s 10,000 TPS capacity and sub-second finality, the platform offers infrastructure capable of supporting AI applications that require high-frequency data processing and low-latency inference calls.
Korean Treasury Bonds Launch on Monad via Etherfuse
Etherfuse enabled trading of tokenized Korean Treasury Bonds on Monad, marking the network’s entry into real-world asset tokenization. The KTB Stablebonds product represents institutional sovereign debt instruments brought onchain, leveraging Monad’s high-performance execution and EVM compatibility for traditional finance applications.
Monad serves as a launch partner for Shinhan Securities and Etherfuse in this deployment, demonstrating the network’s ability to handle institutional-grade financial products. The fast execution environment enables real-time settlement and clearing of bond positions, addressing latency concerns that have historically limited blockchain adoption in traditional finance. Users can access KTB trading at app.etherfuse.com/b/ktb.
MIP-3 Proposes Linear Memory Cost Model
Researchers at Category Labs submitted MIP-3, a proposal to reprice EVM memory costs from quadratic to linear scaling. The existing memory cost formula overcharges users relative to actual resource consumption, creating inefficiencies in contract execution. The new linear formula aligns pricing more closely with real computational overhead, reducing costs for memory-intensive operations.
The proposal represents a fundamental change to Monad’s gas economics and sets the stage for future EVM improvements. By addressing this pricing inefficiency, MIP-3 enables more complex smart contracts to execute economically, expanding the types of applications viable on the network. The full technical specification is available on GitHub, with community discussion taking place on the Monad forum.
Monad Ships v0.12.6 Mainnet Release with Osaka Fork Preparation
Monad deployed version 0.12.6 to mainnet, delivering trace interface fixes, consensus robustness improvements, and performance enhancements at the dataplane and execution levels. The release also includes preparation work for the upcoming Osaka fork, which will bring additional protocol improvements in the near term. The complete changelog is available in the developer documentation.
While the trace interface changes are not protocol-altering since traces are purely execution artifacts, the consensus and performance upgrades strengthen network reliability as transaction volume scales. The Osaka fork preparation signals continued rapid protocol evolution as Monad refines its architecture based on mainnet performance data.
Allora Brings Predictive AI Infrastructure to Monad
Allora mainnet launched on Monad, enabling developers to build DeFi applications with predictive intelligence. The integration provides developers with access to decentralized AI inference capabilities that can anticipate market movements and execute automated strategies before price changes occur.
Allora’s architecture combines machine learning models with onchain execution, creating a feedback loop where predictions trigger real transactions at Monad’s full 10,000 TPS capacity. This infrastructure unlocks new categories of “smart DeFi” applications that react to predicted rather than observed market conditions. For protocols focused on MEV protection, liquidation prevention, or automated rebalancing, predictive AI provides a significant competitive advantage.
Jinglingcookies and Ultraliquid from Monad discussed these applications in detail during a Twitter Spaces session available at x.com/i/spaces/1YqGolyOWPAJv. The conversation explored how Monad’s throughput characteristics specifically enable real-time AI model execution at scale, a capability not feasible on lower-performance chains. Developers can learn more about leveraging Allora’s infrastructure in the official announcement.
PingMe Enables Crypto Payments via Text and Email
PingMe deployed on Monad, bringing simplified crypto payments to the network. Users can now send digital assets via text message or email without requiring recipients to have wallet addresses or blockchain knowledge. The service abstracts away technical complexity, making crypto transfers as simple as traditional payment apps.
PingMe addresses a persistent user experience challenge in crypto adoption. By enabling payments through familiar communication channels, the platform removes friction for onboarding new users who find wallet addresses and gas fees intimidating. Recipients receive notifications via their preferred channel and can claim funds with minimal setup, potentially never interacting directly with blockchain infrastructure if they choose to keep assets within the PingMe ecosystem.
Kintsu Launches SuperMON Vaults with 14.51% APY
Kintsu introduced SuperMON vaults on January 21, offering automated DeFi yield strategies with 14.51% APY on MON deposits. Developed in collaboration with Upshift and curated by Qualia, SuperMON executes multi-protocol strategies across Monad’s leading DeFi platforms including Kintsu, Uniswap, Morpho, Curvance, Euler, Kuru Exchange, and LFJ.
Users deposit MON into the SuperMON vault and receive superMON tokens representing their position. The vault automatically allocates capital across lending markets, liquidity pools, liquid staking positions, and leveraged strategies, optimizing for yield while managing risk exposure. This approach consolidates DeFi complexity into a single-click deposit experience, making sophisticated strategies accessible to users without deep protocol knowledge.
SuperMON builds on Kintsu’s core liquid staking product sMON, which enables users to earn native staking rewards while maintaining liquidity for DeFi participation. The addition of SuperMON extends this concept by actively deploying staked positions across the entire Monad DeFi ecosystem, creating layered yield opportunities. For users seeking passive income on their MON holdings, SuperMON provides institutional-grade strategy execution with transparent onchain settlement.
Category Labs Announces Potential $30M MON Buyback
Category Labs, the development team behind Monad, disclosed plans for a potential open-market buyback of up to $30 million worth of MON tokens during the first half of 2026. The discretionary program can be initiated, suspended, or terminated at any time based on market conditions and regulatory requirements. The announcement does not guarantee a specific number of tokens will be repurchased.
The buyback signals Category Labs’ confidence in Monad’s long-term trajectory while providing potential support for token price during a period of ecosystem development. Buybacks reduce circulating supply and can improve token economics if executed at favorable valuations. However, the discretionary nature of the program means it functions more as optionality than a committed capital return strategy.
The timing coincides with Q1 2026 roadmap items including the launch of onchain governance and continued validator expansion toward 300+ nodes. If executed, the buyback would occur as the network scales transaction volume and protocol revenue, potentially creating a feedback loop where increased usage funds token repurchases that improve holder economics. Market participants will monitor whether Category Labs deploys capital during periods of price weakness or restrains buybacks when market conditions strengthen.