As we bid farewell to 2023, we wanted to showcase the remarkable chapters that shaped Clave's narrative. From the first place we took the stage, ETHGlobal Scaling Ethereum Hackathon 2023, to today, our year is filled with a series of achievements advancing Clave as a non-custodial fintech player. This recap highlights key moments that we worked tirelessly to empower users to accelerate their journey in blockchain.

Genesis Block for Clave

In March 2023, our journey commenced as Opclave at the ETHGlobal Scaling Ethereum Hackathon. What started as an idea swiftly captured the attention of not just the press, but also industry leaders. Encouraged by this heartening interest, we embraced and cultivated this concept, paving the way for the evolution from Opclave to Clave. Our genesis unfolded through a convergence of innovation and industry recognition, propelling us to embark on a transformative path in the blockchain ecosystem.

Empowering Ethereum: Unveiling EIP-7212

Our journey with EIP-7212 began with a mission to simplify Web3 onboarding to bring the next billions to this world. Our proposal introduces a new precompiled contract for the widely-used secp256r1 curve from the Web2 ecosystem. In simpler terms, it offers a cheaper and more secure way to verify cure verification, aligning Web2 and Web3 authentication methods. By integrating familiar Web2 techniques like Passkey and Secure Enclave, EIP-7212 addresses key management challenges, making Web3 more accessible. As our proposal evolved from EIP to RIP-7212 (Rollup Improvement Proposal) recently, a new journey started for us and the rollups. RIP-7212 is the first-ever proposal of its kind and emphasizes our commitment to rollups and Layer 2 solutions.

Photo Source: @bayramov_eth on X

A Week of New Milestones: Devconnect for Clave

Devconnect Week was the first opportunity to showcase Clave to the community for the first time and spark the spirit of mass adoption.

Our team members shared the Clave vision through compelling speeches and engaging workshops including Abstract Istanbul, Cryptİst, AAvolution, notDevcon, ETHGünü, User Security Summit, and numerous gatherings that took place throughout Istanbul. However, the true magic revealed itself at zkCafé and zkBazaar, where Clave came alive with its first use cases, transforming into more than a solution — it became an immersive experience. Attendees delved into the seamless world of Clave through zkSync Era Testnet, setting a new standard for wallet usability. The numbers tell our tale of beta launch success — more than 750 users onboarded effortlessly with only setting up a nickname with their biometric authentication as the securest way possible, nearly 500 users experiencing local merchant shopping with zkWen tokens, and over 2100 transactions executed without gas fees! The compliments and positive feedback we received during this week further fueled our motivation. Clave is not just a product but a promise — a commitment to reshaping user experiences in the world we believe in.

Beyond Community Support & Global Recognition

Clave stood proudly as a recipient of both the Optimism RPGF-3 and ENS DAO Public Goods Grants in 2023! Clave, prev. Opclave, not only impressed the community but also sparked conversations around hardware signatures in account abstraction in Optimism RPGF-3. After that, the selection as an ENS DAO grantee became a solid example of Clave's position as an appreciated contributor to the Ethereum and Web3 communities. This dual acknowledgment serves as a nod to Clave's dedication to pioneering solutions that resonate with the broader ecosystem. Moreover, the honor of being acknowledged by Vitalik Buterin in one of his recent blog posts and Defiant interview adds an extra layer of pride to Clave's journey.

We worked tirelessly not only to improve our product but also to contribute to the community this year, and before 2023 ends, we revealed a new proof of concept as our dedication to this ecosystem, Universal Recovery: A Social Recovery Solution Utilizes ZK-Email. Universal Recovery redefines how users recover their accounts, offering a seamless and secure process with ZK-Email, enabling users to set any friend with an email address as a guardian, eliminating the necessity for on-chain wallets. Through Universal Recovery, we aimed to extend the benefits of social recovery to a broader audience, leveraging ZK-Email's capabilities to bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3. While the feature is still in the proof-of-concept stage, it has garnered attention from industry projects, leaders, and the press, positioning it as a potential public good in the Web3.

Closing 2023

As we bid farewell to 2023, we had a year in which we were born, grew, and became a widely recognized and beloved project that we couldn’t even imagine, but made us full of pride and gratitude.

Our 2023 journey has been exceptional, and we are thrilled to unveil the Clave Mainnet version in 2024 Q1, packed with outstanding features. Looking ahead, our focus on user engagement, strategic expansion, and seamless integration with zkStack promises an exciting future.

To our vibrant community and supporters, thank you for being part of our story.

We wish a promising 2024 filled with shared successes and continued development all together!

About Clave

Clave is an easy-to-use, non-custodial smart wallet powered by Account Abstraction and the hardware-level security elements (e.g., Secure Enclave, Android Trustzone, etc.) to simplify the onchain experience for the next billions. By empowering users with a user-friendly and secure bridge to seamlessly integrate their assets into everyday life, Clave delivers a comprehensive fintech solution, ensuring a holistic financial experience for all.

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