In a crowded Web3 environment dominated by similar EVM blockchains, Alephium distinguishes itself with a bold Swiss Layer 1 approach that combines the security of Proof-of-Work, scalability through sharding, an intuitive user experience, and an innovative energy model. The recent Danube update marks a significant milestone for the project. To explore its implications, we spoke with Maud Bannwart, a key team member bridging technology and user needs. **Maud Bannwart: The Human Face of Alephium** Maud joined Alephium before it went public as the first non-developer on the team. She now oversees legal affairs, partnerships, conferences, and advocates for both users and developers. Her cross-functional role offers a broad perspective, crucial in a technical space where solutions often fail to meet real-world demands. Alephium focuses not on radical disruption but on addressing the structural flaws of existing blockchain systems. **Danube: A Major Structural Upgrade** The Danube update is Alephium’s most ambitious evolution, enhancing speed, usability, and support for complex applications. Key features include: - Reduced block time to 8 seconds for faster confirmations and smoother transactions. - Groupless addresses, simplifying user interactions by removing technical layers. - Over 20, 000 transactions per second enabled by threefold faster node synchronization. - New developer tools, including chain transactions, better composability, and improved testing modules. Maud emphasizes, “We want users to no longer see the complexity of sharding. ” Danube advances Alephium’s maturity while maintaining its minimalist, technical core. **Proof-of-Less-Work: An Eco-Friendly Innovation** Alephium tackles Proof-of-Work’s energy concerns with its Proof-of-Less-Work model. This hybrid approach replaces some energy use with a token burn mechanism, preserving consensus integrity while significantly reducing environmental impact. Applied to Bitcoin, it could cut energy consumption by 87%.

Economically, burning tokens creates deflationary pressure on ALPH, reinforcing sustainability and safeguarding miners' incentives. **Why Developers Should Consider Alephium Over EVM** Alephium offers a clearer, more robust, and cost-effective alternative to the increasingly complex EVM environment. It uses a Turing-complete virtual machine on a UTXO-based architecture, boosting native security and lowering smart contract exploit risks. Maud points out that audits for EVM projects can cost more than development itself, a problem Alephium addresses by providing a reliable yet flexible framework for complex DApps. Developers also benefit from direct collaboration with the team, allowing input into protocol development—a rarity among blockchains. **Web2-Level User Experience in Web3** Alephium prioritizes user experience with Web2-inspired tools. Native Passkey support enables wallet creation without seed phrases, compatible with biometric systems like Face ID and hardware keys such as Yubikey. Maud notes, “We will be able to offer wallets as simple to use as those in Web2. ” This reduces onboarding friction and enhances wallet security, paving the way for broader adoption beyond crypto insiders. **Roadmap: Plans for 2025 and Beyond** Post-Danube, Alephium aims to keep advancing with initiatives including: - Support for regulated tokens based on smart contracts to facilitate compliant asset tokenization. - Ongoing performance improvements, including further block time reductions and faster DApps. - Community expansion supported by enhanced tools, tutorials, and ecosystem organization. Their ambition is to become the go-to smart contract platform on Proof-of-Work blockchains, offering an alternative often overlooked in favor of all-EVM solutions. **Alephium: A Thoughtful Alternative Vision for Web3** Alephium doesn’t seek to revolutionize abruptly but builds step-by-step a solid alternative to traditional blockchains. Its foundation relies on deliberate choices—Proof-of-Work for security, native sharding for scalability, and user experience designed for everyone from experts to newcomers. Thanks to innovations like Danube, accessible developer tools, eco-responsible Proof-of-Less-Work, and community focus, Alephium redefines the modern Layer 1 blockchain. As Maud Bannwart summarizes, “Proof-of-Work can be scalable, performant, and user-friendly. ”