Q4 2025 Report
Executive summary
Over the quarter, Nervos Community Catalyst continued to advance its core programmes, with particularly strong progress across its flagship initiative, Community Keeps Building. With a growing number of new entrants and increasing momentum, more builders moved from learning to active development on CKB, alongside steady progress in several applications already under construction. As the CKBuilders cohort continues to mature, we expect to see these efforts materialise as testable applications and grant proposals to support further development.
In parallel, content creators and advocates sustained outreach and awareness efforts, with growing focus on community-funded roles that bridge online engagement and in-person activity. CKB Off-Chain supported the revival of CKB community meetups in the United States and is continuing preparations for further events in 2026. Meanwhile, CKBoost progressed through successive feature additions as it now moves toward focused testing and completion of its final milestone.
Community Keeps Building
Onboarding
In Q4, we made significant progress in building our developer base, onboarding another 10 developers, bringing the total number of developers in our ranks to 23. The overall composition of this programme (28 total) is now: 23 developers, 5 content creators. The 2 advocates concluded their roles and will be encouraged, as with all participants, to consider prospective roles for Community Fund DAO grants.
The new developers came from two main sources:
- Nervos Community Catalyst entered a strategic partnership with TechyJaunt, a developer education network based in Africa. Through this agreement, 5 developers have been introduced to CKB and are working through documentation and tooling to further their understanding.
- Word of mouth referrals. As we have continued to grow, current participants have shared their experiences with developer friends and colleagues, creating a steady influx of interested applicants.
Selection criteria
To provide some insight: my process for developer recruitment involves setting a few requirements, including: 1) a web development background of at least 2-3 years; 2) an established github profile at least 2 years old; 3) familiarity with Rust, Javascript, or Typescript, and a strong interest in learning or developing their blockchain understanding. These selection criteria help to isolate applicants who have a verifiable history and are sufficiently competent to work through CKB’s tooling at a beginner level.
CKBuilders (formerly Builders’ track)
Sharing the experience of builders
An article was published that explored the journey of learning CKB and its tooling from the perspective of CKBuilders (CKBuilders: A new generation of blockchain creatives on CKB). This provides valuable reflections regarding what facets of CKB they found appealing, and highlights the importance of peer support to overcome difficulties with tooling and other obstacles.
Strengthening connections
In November, we met with a number of CKBuilders for the first time at a CKB community meetup in Barcelona. This strengthened interpersonal connections and reinforces my desire to see more regional meetups.
Additionally, the CKBuilders telegram group is continuing to establish itself a space for people to ask questions, share any problems or perspectives, and receive help from more experienced developers.
Development progress
I can share that many of the developers have now completed their initial study of CKB and have now started using tooling such as CCC to create their own applications. Below I will list updates to existing initiatives as well as new ones.
Blackbox - a fiat + crypto all-in-one POS terminal
As introduced previously, this is a point of sale terminal built by @wyltek that will support traditional fiat payments as well as embracing payments in major cryptocurrencies, using payment channel networks (Fiber Lightning Network, Perun) for fast, private, cheap payment. Video demo.
Much of Q4 was spent in heavy development and preparation for prototype testing via the Spark programme. After some delays in acquiring components and with international shipping, the testing was completed and a preliminary report was issued in December. This was an extremely beneficial testing event which yielded excellent detailed feedback and recommendations for software, hardware, and UI/UX improvements for Blackbox. We now have a clear picture of the refinements needed to create a market-viable product and this will be the focus of Q1 2026.
A few models of Blackbox were available and presented at December’s CKCon, and the enthusiasm of the community to explore it was inspiring. I would also like to extend my thanks to all of the testers who participated from the various teams and from the community, as well as the Spark committee.
Verdict - a prediction market on CKB
With the rise in popularity of platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi, Verdict is a prediction market allowing people to trade on the outcomes of real world events, built on CKB. The creator, @Methemeticz, has deployed an early version of testnet and is continuing to add core features to reach an MVP. Currently, creation of new markets, minting and order book trading of YES/NO tokens is possible.
His roadmap includes oracle integration, implementing support for RGB++ and BTC collateral to support Bitcoin-oriented prediction markets, as well as further UX/UI enhancements to create an equivalent experience to other mainstream platforms. I will be recommending he seek a Community Fund DAO grant to support his ongoing work.
Link for testing (WIP) Verdict - Prediction Markets on CKB
Eterna Registry - an on-chain land registry and marketplace
Eterna is a land registry and marketplace that combines the Spore protocol with advanced GIS mapping technology and satellite imagery, developed by Wadie. In Q4, it underwent further development, and an early version has now been deployed on testnet. Marketplace development and testing are ongoing.
As mentioned previously, the key for this application is finding its target clients within existing regulatory frameworks (land agencies, estate agents). Fortunately, as a professional land surveyor, such targets are already connected to his field of work. Once he is able to shortlist potential partners, which is his current focus, I will be recommending he seek a Community Fund DAO grant.
Link for testing: 
CKB Registry V0.0.1 - Land Registry DApp
PocketNode - a mobile wallet light client implementation
PocketNode is a mobile-native light client implementation that could eventually support CKB full node, developed by @Jnr6. Development encountered issues with native Tentacle integration with Anrdoid, prompting discussions around formulating a new mobile-centric standard or other potential solutions: Bringing CKB Light Client to Mobile devices. Recently, a solution was identified thanks to @Eval_Exec which paves the way for mobile light client integration without major changes, and provides an easier development path for PocketNode. A link for testing will be available soon.
Other new developments
These are ideas and projects in various stages of development and feedback being worked on by CKBuilders
Buy me a Coffee - This is an early patreon or crowdfund style application, built by Aditya, allowing users to donate CKB and offer messages of support. This can be developed further, enabling users to create their own pages, as well as creating a hub and dashboard to view all available pages. Testnet link
Spin to win - This is a spin the wheel game developed by Naitik, currently at early prototype stage. Users submit a transaction to spin the wheel plus payment which adds to the prize pool. Current feedback and exploration is around UX, prize pool cell designs, and different approaches to achieve randomness. Testnet link
Credentials platform - This is a platform that enables organisations to issue secure, verifiable digital credentials on CKB. This was previously worked on by Methemeticz, who decided to work on Verdict, and is now started afresh by Mil0. Current status: Prototype development.
Other ideas that are currently being worked on are Kickstarter-style applications, a blogsite built on CKBFS, lending, on-chain vaults, and counters. I will share further details as they become available.
To me what’s important, as much as the ideas being worked on, is having more developers begin their journey on CKB and finding reasons to stay and grow.
Funnelling towards the Community Fund DAO
We encourage all CKBuilders to work on ideas that can eventually become Community Fund DAO grant proposals. This is a core part of showing new developers that they can have a future in this ecosystem, and I’m sure the community will help to encourage them. As the process of grant application can seem daunting, I have created a template to help guide CKBuilders and any prospective applicants wishing to create a proposal.
Leveraging AI
Based on recommendations from @jm9k, we have explored the use of AI as a development aide for CKBuilders, including providing access to an API key to use Claude Opus 4.5. From our experience so far, Opus 4.5 is showing promise as a superior model for backend and contract development and troubleshooting when compared to alternatives. We are planning to combine this with a CKB MCP server that is trained specifically on CKB documentation and tooling, with the hypothesis that this could substantially reduce workload for building CKB applications.
Content creators and advocates
The roster for content creators remained the same for Q4 2025, with each participant producing content around CKB news, narratives and events. Examples:
Nervos Network News. Fiber Update. Bridge Proposal. Price Action Analysis by 6figs
The Most Overlooked Proof-of-Work Gem $CKB by Rypto
My $50,000 of Nervos Network CKB Mining Profitability Update by Vosk
I just found the Secret To Success Nervos Network #CKB by Bitcoin Renegade
Everyone is freaking out about Quantum Computers by Dober
A number of these creators are coming to the end of their tenure with Catalyst, and discussions regarding Community Fund DAO proposals are in progress. I recently shared my thoughts about how content or advocate oriented proposals could be structured for better alignment and appraisal. On Funding Social Media Activity via the Community Fund DAO
At least one proposal aimed for Q1 will target US-based in-person outreach and advocacy, based on experience gained from similar attempts at Mining Disrupt. Other creators have been asked to consider where their interests and capabilities could be utilised to benefit the community.
Another proposal mentioned previously, in regards to a mining pool initiative with a US-based miner, has been investigated further. Some work was undertaken to update Stratum v2 configurations to successfully test launch a pool. Thanks to further exploration by @Alive24, there are some additional ideas being considered around combining solo pools or creating a protocol that combines mining with collateralised debt positions (CDP). It’s possible that multiple different mining proposals may spawn from this experimentation.
CKB Bounty Board
We launched a few bounties in Q4 which were successfully claimed:
- Write an article about the CKBuilders, completed by Femi
- Refer a developer to the CKBuilders group, which yielded 1 successful referral
- Promotional CKB graphics, claimed by Raja
One bounty actively being worked on:
- Create and maintain an ecosystem update aggregator, by E. Eclipse. This is a resource that tracks progress of various ecosystem projects, their recent deliverables and upcoming goals, as an alternative to a central roadmap. It is still in development currently, and is designed to support submissions by anyone with an appointed caretaker to. A testable version is here: CKB Journey | Nervos Ecosystem Roadmap
CKB Off-Chain
In November, the US-based CKB community met up in Dallas, Texas for the Mining Disrupt conference. I have written a report about it here: Mining Disrupt community meetup overview
A recent video recap of community efforts and reflections is also viewable here.
In 2026, meetups will continue to be a key focus, encouraging community members to build stronger connections and to give CKB more IRL presence. The next planned meetup is CKB London on Monday 16 February, in collaboration with CryptoMondays, a popular monthly crypto meetup that occurs globally across many cities including London. We will be hosting a networking session and discussion about CKB and quantum resistance. Come drop by!
More regional meetups are being planned this year across the USA, India, North Africa and Europe, I will share more information closer to the time.
CKBoost
As mentioned previously, CKBoost is a community engagement and quest platform that issues rewards for completed campaign objectives. It is available on testnet, with the following features now live:
- Create and fund campaigns and subquests with CKB or UDT
- Submit entries for quest and campaign completion
- Telegram-based verification
- Manage profile and dashboard
- Platform and campaign admin roles and dashboards
- Rewards in CKB, UDT and points
- Leaderboard to track top performers
- Create and support tipping proposals. Apply your own custom tip or add to the tipping pool
A detailed record of development can be viewed on its discussion page and github. CKBoost’s development is now nearing completion, with milestone 3 currently underway. Documentation, extensive testing, and UI enhancements are now the priorities.
Looking forward to 2026
The priorities for Nervos Community Catalyst in 2026 will be as follows:
- Support CKBuilders to build cool things
- Continue to support anyone in the community who wishes to be productive, whether as a builder, content creator, advocate, or something else
- Encourage progression of more Catalyst participants towards the Community Fund DAO
- Foster more regional meetups and presence at regional conferences
We now have an online presence at nervoscatalyst.org, it will eventually contain all of the main resources relevant to our work. As always, thanks to everyone involved in the various schemes mentioned above for their hard work. For any queries, please feel free to contact me on this forum on Telegram or neon at nervos.community.