Deep Dive
1. Mobile Incentives Shift (Jan 2025)
Overview: Blast phased out its Points and Gold rewards system, transitioning to liquid $BLAST tokens to streamline payments within Blast Mobile apps.
This shift required smart contract updates to enable direct $BLAST distribution for user activity. Developers now receive grants in $BLAST instead of Gold, aligning incentives with token utility.
What this means: This is neutral for Blast because it simplifies rewards but ties user engagement directly to $BLAST’s market performance. (Source)
2. API Shutdown Impact (Oct 2025)
Overview: Blast API’s shutdown prompted developers to migrate to alternatives like Alchemy or multi-chain providers, impacting node infrastructure code.
The change highlighted reliance on centralized RPC providers, pushing teams to adopt redundancy protocols. Blast’s documentation now emphasizes multi-provider setups for resilience.
What this means: This is bearish short-term due to migration friction but bullish long-term for decentralization efforts. (Source)
3. Yield Mechanism Upgrade (Jan 2025)
Overview: Blast Mobile’s Earn app now auto-converts deposits to USDB (backed by MakerDAO’s DAI), offering yield via $BLAST payouts.
Smart contracts were updated to handle cross-chain conversions and dynamic APY calculations based on $BLAST’s price. Yield sources include MakerDAO’s 11.5% baseline rate and protocol incentives.
What this means: This is bullish for Blast because it attracts yield seekers but exposes users to $BLAST’s volatility. (Source)
Conclusion
Blast’s updates reflect a pivot toward mobile-first DeFi and infrastructure resilience, though token-centric incentives introduce market dependency. How will developer adoption of $BLAST-driven dApps shape its ecosystem maturity?