The Neo Council has approved and executed a proposal on Neo N3 MainNet to reduce block generation time to 3 seconds (setMillisecondsPerBlock=3000) and adjust GAS issuance to 1 GAS per block (setGasPerBlock=100000000).

Block time improves network responsiveness and transaction finality, while GAS per block ensures the GAS issuance rate remains stable.

The governance action bundled two chained native contract invocations into a single atomic proposal executed via the Policy contract. The proposal passed with 13 out of 21 Council votes, exceeding the required quorum of 11.

Transaction hash:
0x50f683f5db177d2e23d11882c411e5cec37c446213d9cea3174d9ad30db836f1

Details of the governance vote:
https://www.neo3scan.com/tools/governance/12

This update optimizes Neo N3 for future network demand and represents a strong example of decentralized governance in action, where Council members collaborate to make coordinated protocol-level decisions in the long-term interest of the Neo ecosystem.

Neo N3 Network Update: 3-Second Block Time and GAS Adjustment was originally published in The Neo Pulse on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Neo-CLI v3.9.2 was released on January 21, 2026. It will be deployed to T5 TestNet on January 22 and is scheduled for MainNet on February 3, 2026.

This is a hotfix release for v3.9.0 and includes a hard fork. Upgrading as soon as possible is strongly recommended. Please upgrade before February 3, 2026 to avoid incompatibility issues and full resync. Nodes upgraded before the fork will not require resyncing.

Note: Do not use the old config.json file, and ensure all plugins are updated to the latest version.

Hard fork heights:

• TestNet: Block 12,960,000
• MainNet: Block 8,800,000

Stay informed and prepare accordingly. If you have any questions, please reach out via our Discord channel.

Neo-CLI v3.9.0 was released on January 19, 2026, will be deployed to T5 TestNet on January 21, and is scheduled for MainNet on February 3, 2026.

This release includes a hard fork, and upgrading as soon as possible is strongly recommended. Please upgrade before February 3, 2026 to avoid a full resync. Nodes upgraded before the fork will not require resyncing.

Note: Please do not use the old config.json configuration file version and please install the latest version of plugins.

• TestNet hard fork height: Block 12,960,000
• MainNet hard fork height: Block 8,800,000

Key Updates in v3.9.0

This upgrade mainly includes the following improvements:

1. Added BIP32 hierarchical deterministic wallet and BIP39 mnemonic phrase support, enhancing wallet security and user experience.
2. Added Treasury native contract for managing Neo network funds and reward distribution.
3. Native contracts (Treasury, Notary, Oracle) now support NEP-30 standard, improving contract interoperability.
4. Added contract fee whitelist feature, allowing specific contract methods to be fee-free, reducing user costs.
5. Replaced native logging system with Serilog, providing more powerful logging and structured log support.
6. Added Storage.Local API, allowing contracts to use isolated local storage space, with data visible only to the contract itself.
7. Added RESTful API server plugin, providing HTTP interfaces for blockchain data access, contract invocation, and token queries.
8. Added invokeabi command to CLI, simplifying contract invocation process, supporting direct contract method calls via ABI.
9. SHA3–512 and Blake2b-512 Support

Stay informed and prepare accordingly. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out via our Discord channel.

Today, we are pleased to announce that the Message Bridge is now live on MainNet, expanding the interoperability capabilities available within the Neo ecosystem. The Message Bridge enables cross-chain communication between Neo X (EVM) and Neo N3, allowing applications on either network to exchange data, trigger contract logic on the opposite chain, and compose functionality across environments.

Neo X is developed by BaneLabs, a collaboration between Neo Global Development (NGD), NSPCC, and AxLabs. Together, they have been working to advance Neo’s infrastructure, including the recently introduced MEV resistance and the Token Bridge layer between Neo X and Neo N3.

A New Layer of Cross-Chain Capability

While the Token Bridge focuses on transferring assets, the Message Bridge introduces a broader mechanism: the ability to send arbitrary messages between chains. These messages may contain executable instructions or simply carry data to be stored, enabling contract calls, callbacks, relayed results, and store-only messages that do not require execution on the destination chain.

This flexibility positions the Message Bridge as a core building block for the next generation of applications in the Neo ecosystem. With this infrastructure now available, developers can:

• Access Neo N3’s built-in Oracles directly from Neo X, and potentially other EVM chains (a direction that could be expanded in the future).
• Fund and interact with NeoFS from EVM-based applications on Neo X without requiring users to operate directly on Neo N3.
• Build custom token bridges — fungible or non-fungible — on top of the messaging layer.
• Implement advanced cross-chain flows such as swaps, asynchronous requests, and multi-step interactions.

In practice, this means Neo X developers can take advantage of capabilities not available in standard EVM environments but natively present on Neo N3.

Developer Tools and Examples Available Today

Alongside the MainNet deployment of the Message Bridge smart contracts:

• bridge-evm-contracts
• bridge-neo-contracts

We are releasing two key repositories to support developers:

• bridge-sdk-ts
  A TypeScript SDK designed for frontend and backend environments, offering a streamlined interface for interacting with the Message Bridge.
• bridge-examples-ts
  A set of TypeScript examples demonstrating how to send messages, execute them on the opposite chain, and handle returned results.

For further architectural details and integration guidance, developers can refer to the Message Bridge section of the Neo X documentation.

Together, these tools and resources make it straightforward for teams to begin experimenting with the Message Bridge and build new cross-chain applications across Neo X and Neo N3.

Another Step Toward a More Connected Neo Ecosystem

The launch of the Message Bridge expands the interoperability layer of Neo and reinforces the broader goal of enabling richer, more capable applications across Neo X and Neo N3.

As with any bridge infrastructure, safety, reliability, and monitoring remain ongoing priorities. The team will continue improving the system as usage grows.

We look forward to seeing how the community builds on this new capability — from leveraging Neo’s Oracles and NeoFS to designing entirely new classes of cross-chain dApps.

We are releasing Neo X MainNet v0.5.1, a patch version introducing several improvements and scheduled upgrades for the network.

This release adds support for event subscriptions from dBFT and enhances PreBlock construction, specifically in Envelope transaction handling. Since the Cancun and Prague upgrades have been successfully deployed on TestNet, this version also schedules the same upgrades for MainNet.

This version is fully compatible with v0.4.2 and v0.5.0 and does not require node resynchronization. For TestNet nodes, no configuration changes are needed when upgrading from v0.5.0. For MainNet nodes, DB reinitialization is required when upgrading from v0.4.2, as the Cancun and Prague forks are now enabled.

Upgrade Instructions (from TestNet v0.5.0 / MainNet v0.4.2 to v0.5.1)

1. Download the new binary and updated genesis configuration file from the release page.
2. Gracefully stop your node.
3. Replace the old binary with the new binary.
4. For MainNet nodes only: reinitialize the DB (do not delete it) using the following command:
   ./geth init — datadir ./node-datadir ./config/genesis.json
5. Start your node.

New Features

• Added support for real-time event subscriptions related to Envelopes.

Behavior Changes

• Cancun fork enabled at timestamp 1763000000 on MainNet.
• Prague fork enabled at timestamp 1763000000 on MainNet.

Improvements

• Refactored PreBlock handling to prevent unexpected Envelope reverts.
• Updated system contract documentation related to the Message Bridge.

We recommend all TestNet and MainNet node operators upgrade to v0.5.1 to ensure continued stability and compatibility with the upcoming forks.

Stay tuned for future updates!

Neo X MainNet v0.5.1 Upgrade Announcement was originally published in The Neo Pulse on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

As Neo X marks two years since its official announcement, we are taking the next step toward openness and collaboration by making several of its core repositories public on GitHub.

Neo X is developed by BaneLabs, a collaboration between Neo Global Development (NGD), NSPCC, and AxLabs. This decision follows the successful Neo X MainNet v0.4.2 upgrade, which brought MEV resistance technology live, a first-of-its-kind solution that enforces fair transaction ordering through enveloped transactions, threshold encryption, and dBFT consensus. With this upgrade, developers can now directly leverage MEV-resistant functionality on MainNet.

Since the announcement of Neo X at the Neo APAC Hackathon Hong Kong Finale in October 2023, Neo X has evolved from concept to a production-ready, EVM-compatible chain with proven MEV resistance. Throughout this period, Neo X has been evolving in a focused, stealth development mode — iterating through multiple TestNet and MainNet releases, performing comprehensive audits with Red4Sec, BlockSec, Hacken, and Secure3, and ensuring that what is released stands on a foundation of reliability and security.

Now, with Neo X’s validated architecture and implementation, alongside a mature interoperability layer, it’s time to open the doors.

Repositories Now Public

• go-ethereum: Neo X node implementation based on geth, EVM-compatible.
• docs: Technical documentation for Neo X.
• bridge-evm-contracts: Smart contracts powering the Neo X ↔ Neo N3 bridge (EVM side).
• bridge-neo-contracts: Smart contracts for the Neo N3 ↔ Neo X bridge (NeoVM side).
• neox-tpke-lib: TypeScript utilities for Threshold Public Key Encryption (TPKE).
• neox-tpke-examples: Example dApps demonstrating TPKE usage on Neo X.
• mpc: MPC ceremony for Neo X’s Zero-Knowledge DKG setup.
• zk-dkg: Zero-knowledge library used for Neo X’s Anti-MEV key generation within the Geth node.

Together, these components form the foundation of Neo X’s secure, interoperable, and resilient infrastructure, connecting Neo N3 (NeoVM) and Neo X (EVM)through the native bridge, soon to be extended by the upcoming Arbitrary Message Bridge (AMB).

The public release of these repositories marks a new chapter in Neo X’s journey, from stealth innovation to open collaboration. We welcome developers, researchers, and contributors to explore the code, enhance its capabilities, and help drive the next wave of MEV-resistant blockchain innovation.

By working in tandem, Neo X and Neo N3 create a cohesive ecosystem that bridges EVM compatibility with Neo’s dBFT-powered reliability and cross-chain architecture, enhancing both scalability and security across networks.

Learn more:

• Neo X MainNet v0.4.2 Upgrade — Anti-MEV Now Live
• How Neo Eliminates Toxic MEV
• Zero-Knowledge Encryption Protocol for Neo X DKG Successfully Audited by Hacken
• Neo receives audit from Red4Sec, further strengthening Neo X governance and bridge security

Opening the Neo X Core Repositories to the Community was originally published in The Neo Pulse on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We’re excited to announce that Neo X MainNet has been upgraded to v0.4.2 (block height 3,749,760), officially bringing the Anti-MEV function live.

This upgrade follows the successful rollout on TestNet and marks a decisive step toward a fairer blockchain ecosystem. At Neo, we uphold decentralization, censorship-resistance, and user-first values. Anti-MEV is not just a feature — it’s a core part of our vision for the future of Web3.

What is MEV?

MEV (Maximum Extractable Value) refers to the maximum profit a block producer can capture by manipulating transaction order. While some argue that “neutral” forms of MEV exist (such as simple DEX arbitrage), the vast majority are harmful. Toxic MEV acts as a hidden tax on users and represents a form of financial censorship. It undermines security, permissionlessness, and decentralization — the very foundations of blockchain.

Common examples of toxic MEV include:

• Front-running — Exploiting a user’s trade by inserting a competing transaction immediately before it.
• Sandwich attacks — Surrounding a user’s trade with other transactions to manipulate price.
• Block withholding and time-bandit attacks — Reordering or reorganizing blocks to capture value.

These are not harmless strategies — they are deliberate manipulations that subvert user intent and erode trust.

How Neo X Eliminates Toxic MEV

Neo X tackles MEV at the protocol level using a combination of cryptographic and consensus innovations:

• dBFT consensus — Eliminates opportunities and incentives for validator misconduct, safeguarding the block production process from the root.
• Enveloped Transactions — Transaction details remain hidden until inclusion in a block, preventing front-running and ordering manipulation.
• ZK-based Distributed Key Generation (DKG) and Threshold Decryption — Keys are generated via DKG, allowing users to encrypt transactions with a shared public key. Two-thirds of consensus nodes then decrypt using partial private keys, ensuring security and fairness.

Together, these mechanisms enforce fair transaction ordering and eliminate toxic MEV at its root.

Our Vision: MEV Is Not Inevitable

As Neo founder Da Hongfei wrote:

“MEV isn’t inevitable; it’s a choice. Too many treat it as an unavoidable byproduct of blockchains. It is not. MEV is engineered into incentives, and it can be engineered out.”

By tolerating MEV, blockchains allow hidden taxes, censorship, and centralization to erode trust. By eliminating it, we protect users, strengthen decentralization, and create more competitive, investable ecosystems.

At Neo, we believe fairness is not just an ethical imperative, but a strategic necessity for the future of Web3. We are committed to building systems that uphold the original promise of blockchain: trust, transparency, and decentralization without compromise.

Neo X Anti-MEV is live on MainNet. This is not just a technical milestone — it’s a statement of intent. We choose a blockchain future that is fair, censorship-resistant, and truly decentralized.

About Neo

Founded in 2014, Neo is an open-source, community-driven blockchain platform designed to welcome developers into the Smart Economy. By enabling developers to digitize and automate the management of assets through smart contracts, Neo is built to realize the optimized digital world of the future. As the most developer-friendly blockchain, Neo meets developers where they are by integrating seamlessly with the world’s most widely used languages and tools and providing the most feature-complete blockchain platform for building full-stack decentralized applications. With native support for powerful infrastructure including decentralized storage, oracles, and domain name service, Neo is the ideal foundation for developers to build the next generation Internet.

Neo X is Neo’s sidechain. With its MEV resistance and full compatibility with Ethereum tooling, Neo X excels in cross-chain scalability and DeFi applications through its use of the dBFT consensus mechanism and enveloped transactions.

Official Website | X | Discord | Telegram | Facebook | Reddit | YouTube

Neo X MainNet v0.4.2 Upgrade: Anti-MEV Now Live was originally published in The Neo Pulse on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Following v0.4.0, we are releasing Neo X TestNet v0.4.1, integrating the fully audited ZK-based DKG. With this upgrade, Neo X’s Anti-MEV functionality officially moves from preview into production.

Compatibility

• v0.4.1 replaces v0.4.0 to support updated DKG algorithms.
• No additional steps are required for migration.

New Features

• MPC ceremony results are now integrated into verifier contracts.

Improvements

• Updated BLS12–381 precompiles to the Prague version.
• Added support for recovering outdated or lost Anti-MEV keystores.
• Integrated the audited ZK-DKG v0.3.0.
• Upgraded the system contract for ZK-based Key Management.

Bug Fixes

• Resolved a panic issue during ZK-based DKG message recovery.
• Fixed improper use of ZK version during reshare recovery.
• Prevented potential zero scalars in Anti-MEV operations.

v0.4.1 will be deployed on the Neo X MainNet shortly, enabling full Anti-MEV functionality. Stay tuned to our official channels for the release update.

Neo X TestNet v0.4.1 Upgrade Announcement was originally published in The Neo Pulse on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Hey Neo devs,

Busy coding? Ready to try something new? We invite you to join the Neo X Trust Relay Campaign!

As you may know, the ZK DKG protocol powering Neo X’s Anti-MEV feature has just passed a comprehensive audit by Hacken and is now ready for deployment. (Learn more about the audit of Neo X’s ZK DKG protocol here.)

To make the system even more secure and robust, we’re launching “Neo X ZK Trust Relay”, a Multi-Party Computation (MCP) campaign — and you can be part of it.

Qualified participants will also receive rewards in GAS tokens.

How to Join

Step 1: Register

Fill out this form with accurate information before August 26, 3 PM UTC+8. 👉 Registration Form

To be eligible, you must meet the following requirements:

Operating System

• Linux or macOS
• Windows users may join using Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2)

GitHub Account

• At least 1 month old
• At least 1 public repository
• Must follow at least 5 GitHub accounts
• Must have at least 1 follower

Internet Connection

• A stable, reliable connection is required.

(The most common failure cause is timeout due to slow/unstable uploads. Please ensure you have good upload bandwidth when participating.)

Recommended Hardware

• CPU: Intel Core i7–14700k or better
• RAM: 16GB or more
• Storage: 100GB or more

The Neo team will review submissions on a first-come, first-served basis and select up to 15 qualified participants. Once all slots are filled, further registrations will not be considered.

Selected participants will be announced on August 27.

Note: This is a developer-facing campaign. A solid background in computer science and cryptography is required to complete your relay task. Be sure to highlight your skills in the registration form to maximize your chances of being selected.

Step 2: The Relay Begins

When we announce participants, we’ll also assign the relay order.

• Starting August 28, 18:00 UTC+8, the first participant will receive their task.
• The task must be completed before August 29, 12:00 (noon) UTC+8.
• Neo team will review within 6 hours and then pass the baton to the next participant.
• And so it continues, one by one… (we’ll skip weekends — because yes, devs also need to touch grass).

By September 18, 12:00 (noon) UTC+8, all 15 participants should have completed the relay!

More details and step-by-step instructions will be provided to qualified participants in a private Discord group created specifically for this campaign.

Step 3: Final File & Verification

After receiving the last participant’s file, Neo will publish a predefined Bitcoin block hash as the final source of randomness. Using this randomness, we will generate the final SRS file. This file will then be made public. Participants can verify it by downloading the file and running the calculation locally — if the hash matches, it’s correct; if not, there’s an issue. This is the final step Neo will complete after the MPC relay.

Step 4: Rewards

Every participant who successfully completes their assigned task will receive 20 GAS from the Neo team.

Important:

• If someone fails to finish within the required timeframe, they forfeit the reward.
• The relay will continue without their contribution, leaving the system “one hand short.”
• Please consider carefully before signing up and act responsibly if you do!

Ready to Join?

If you’re a professional dev and want to strengthen the foundation of Neo X: Sign Up Here

Have questions? Join the Neo Discord and ask our mods directly.

Let’s build trust together — one relay at a time.

Neo X Launches ZK Trust Relay to Enhance Security and Robustness was originally published in The Neo Pulse on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We’re excited to share that we have successfully completed the audit of the zero-knowledge Distributed Key Generation (DKG) protocol powering the Anti-MEV solution on Neo X.

The audit was conducted by Hacken, a leading Web3-native security company. Following Hacken’s comprehensive audit, we collaborated closely with their experts to refine and optimize the code in accordance with their recommendations. With these enhancements complete, we are confident that the code is fully prepared for the next phase of deployment.

This marks the final step before we deploy to TestNet, then MainNet, bringing Neo X’s Anti-MEV functionality to life.

Our Anti-MEV Mission on Neo X

Neo X is a high-performance, EVM-compatible chain running in parallel with Neo N3. It serves as a bridge and frontier between the Neo ecosystem and the broader EVM world. But we’re not only focused on compatibility — Neo X is also designed to tackle one of DeFi’s biggest problems: Maximal Extractable Value (MEV).

MEV happens when block producers reorder transactions for profit, extracting billions of dollars from users each year. To stop this, we use enveloped transactions — a mechanism that seals transaction details from block producers until after confirmation. This removes the ability to reorder transactions for personal gain.

Why DKG Matters

The Distributed Key Generation (DKG) protocol is the cryptographic core of Neo X’s Anti-MEV design. It allows validators to collaboratively generate key pairs, where the public key is used to encrypt (or “envelope”) transactions. The private keys are split among the validators, and a threshold — typically two-thirds of validators — is required to decrypt the transaction. This mechanism ensures that transactions remain secure, prevents any single validator from censoring or manipulating them, and guarantees block finality while avoiding chain reorganizations.

Audit Outcomes

Hacken’s audit identified 15 findings:

• 11 issues were fully resolved
• 4 were acknowledged and accepted

With these addressed, we believe the code is now ready for deployment.

Read the full audit report here: https://hacken.io/audits/neo-x/l1-neo-x-zk-dkg-functionality-jun2025/

About Hacken

Born on blockchain, Hacken is an end-to-end blockchain security and compliance partner for digital assets. Since its founding in 2017, Hacken has been trusted by 1,500 adopters, including the European Commission, ADGM, MetaMask, Ethereum Foundation, and Binance.

We’re honored to have their expertise backing our work, reinforcing the trust and reliability of our network.

What’s Next

With the audit behind us, we’re preparing to roll out Anti-MEV on Neo X — first to TestNet, and then to MainNet. This innovation is designed to deliver a more fair, secure, and trustworthy DeFi environment for everyone building and transacting in the Neo ecosystem.

We can’t wait to share the next updates as we move toward going live. Stay tuned!

Zero-Knowledge Encryption Protocol for Neo X DKG Successfully Audited by Hacken was originally published in The Neo Pulse on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.