CoreDAO Launches Hermes: The Biggest Upgrade Powering Instant Finality and Advanced Bitcoin-DeFi Infrastructure

Core DAO has unveiled Hermes, the most significant upgrade ever released on the Core blockchain — introducing near-instant finality, stronger validator operations, advanced cryptography, and next-generation smart contract capabilities. This upgrade transforms Core into one of the most advanced Bitcoin-powered infrastructures available today.

1. Near-Instant Transaction Finality

With Hermes, transactions now finalize in just 2 blocks. This is real finality — not probabilistic. Once a transaction is confirmed, it is irreversible.

This unlocks new possibilities for:

• Bitcoin neobanks requiring instant payments
• AI agents dependent on fast execution
• High-frequency trading strategies needing millisecond-level settlement
• Any real-time application built on Bitcoin-secured infrastructure

2. Stronger Validator Operations

Validator performance improves significantly with Hermes:

• Validators can pause for maintenance without penalties
• New validators can join as safe candidates
• Consecutive block production increases throughput

This delivers a more resilient, stable, and scalable network for developers and builders.

3. Advanced Cryptography: BLS12-381 Support

Hermes introduces BLS12-381 cryptographic support, enabling:

• Zero-knowledge proofs
• Threshold signatures
• Privacy-preserving computation

Projects requiring advanced cryptography can now leverage Bitcoin-level security without abandoning the ecosystem.

4. Smarter Smart Contracts With Full Chain History Access

Smart contracts can now read the entire chain history, not just recent blocks. This enables:

• Verifiable randomness for gaming and lotteries
• Complex DeFi analytics and data-driven logic
• More reliable time-based functions

This expands what developers can build on Core, improving depth, complexity, and reliability.

5. Programmable Accounts & Account Abstraction

Regular accounts evolve into programmable accounts, enabling smart contract–like functionality at the wallet level.

This brings:

• Account abstraction
• Programmable wallets
• Custom security and recovery logic

The line between standard accounts and smart contracts disappears — making Core more flexible and developer-friendly.

Conclusion: The New Standard for Bitcoin-Powered Infrastructure

Hermes reshapes Core’s capabilities from the ground up. With instant settlement, advanced cryptography, enhanced validators, smarter contracts, and programmable accounts, Core now supports the kind of infrastructure Bitcoin DeFi truly needs.

Hermes is here — and Core now powers one of the most advanced Bitcoin-DeFi infrastructures in the world.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the Hermes upgrade on Core?

Hermes is Core’s biggest upgrade, introducing instant finality, improved validators, advanced cryptography, and enhanced smart contract capabilities.

How fast are transactions after Hermes?

Transactions finalize in just two blocks, meaning near-instant and irreversible settlement.

Does Hermes support advanced cryptography?

Yes — it introduces BLS12-381 cryptography for zero-knowledge proofs, threshold signatures, and privacy-focused computation.

What new features do smart contracts gain?

Smart contracts can now access full chain history for better randomness, analytics, and time-based logic.

What are programmable accounts?

Accounts can now execute code, enabling smart contract-level functionality for wallets and allowing account abstraction.

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