Deep Dive
1. Mainnet Upgrade Finalized (17 November 2025)
Overview:
Zilliqa completed its 0.19.0 Mainnet hard fork, slashing the unstaking period from 14 to 7 days and introducing stricter penalties for faulty validators. This upgrade aligns with Zilliqa 2.0’s broader migration to Proof-of-Stake, aiming to improve liquidity for stakers and network reliability.
What this means:
This is neutral-to-bullish for ZIL, as shorter unstaking periods could attract more stakers seeking flexibility, while stricter penalties may reduce network downtime. However, ZIL’s price remained flat post-upgrade, trading at $0.0069 (-13% weekly), suggesting muted short-term sentiment (Yahoo Finance).
2. StraitsX Stablecoins on Solana (16 December 2025)
Overview:
Singapore-licensed StraitsX announced plans to bring its MAS-compliant XSGD and XUSD stablecoins to Solana by early 2026. Zilliqa, already integrated with StraitsX stablecoins, could benefit indirectly from expanded cross-chain liquidity.
What this means:
This is a neutral catalyst, as ZIL isn’t directly involved in the Solana integration. However, it reinforces Zilliqa’s role in compliant financial infrastructure. XSGD currently holds a $13M market cap, with $18B in cumulative onchain volume across supported chains (CoinMarketCap).
3. Discounted Altcoin Spotlight (19 December 2025)
Overview:
ZIL gained attention as a top altcoin trading at a 40%+ discount, with analysts highlighting its sharding tech and active developer activity. Despite an 8.55% weekly price gain, ZIL remains down 52.99% over 90 days.
What this means:
This is cautiously bullish, as discounted valuations coupled with ZIL’s infrastructure improvements could attract contrarian traders. However, the broader “Bitcoin Season” (CMC Altcoin Season Index: 24/100) limits upside potential (CryptoNewsLand).
Conclusion
Zilliqa’s recent upgrades and ecosystem integrations signal a focus on technical refinement over hype-driven growth. While staking flexibility and compliance partnerships strengthen its infrastructure narrative, ZIL’s price remains constrained by broader market rotation into Bitcoin. Will Zilliqa 2.0’s institutional focus finally bridge the gap between tech execution and market momentum in 2026?