> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://blog.arbitrum.foundation/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Builder's Block #022: Arbitrum’s Mid-Year Recap & New Stylus Hardhat Plugin - URL: https://blog.arbitrum.foundation/builders-block-022-arbitrums-mid-year-recap-new-stylus-hardhat-plugin/ - Published: 2026-07-30T13:00:18.000Z - Updated: 2026-07-30T13:35:16.000Z - Author: Arbitrum Foundation - Tags: Builder Newsletter 💡 ****What's Important This Week** 🚀 Arbitrum's 2026 Mid-Year Recap: Milestones & Ecosystem Growth ⚙️ Build Stylus Contracts with CoBuilders’ New Hardhat Plugin Suite ⚠️ Builder Feedback Request on Arbitrum’s New State Representation ## 📣 Announcements *Key updates from the Arbitrum ecosystem and Foundation.* ### **Arbitrum H1 2026: The Programmable Economy is Accelerating** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d4/cc/d4cc8040-691e-4dd2-8282-0c08d45fc5a8/content/images/2026/07/h1.jpg) H1 2026 was defined by momentum. Across ecosystem growth, institutional adoption, and landmark launches such as Robinhood Chain mainnet, Arbitrum strengthens its position as the finance-native platform with enterprise-grade infrastructure to power the programmable economy. [Read More Here](https://x.com/arbitrum/status/2077388239070020041?s=20&ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) ### **Hardhat 3 Plugin Suite for Arbitrum Stylus** @cobuildersxyz went live with their Hardhat 3 plugin suite. Developers can now compile, test and deploy Rust and Solidity smart contracts together in the Hardhat plugin suite with one single command. > Until now, building on [@arbitrum](https://x.com/arbitrum?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) Stylus meant having to leave your Hardhat workflow behind. > > Not anymore. > > We shipped a Hardhat 3 plugin suite that brings the full Stylus lifecycle into Hardhat. Rust contracts right next to Solidity. > > 🧵 [pic.twitter.com/Rg5CcRt3r2](https://t.co/Rg5CcRt3r2?ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) > > — CoBuilders (@cobuildersxyz) [July 14, 2026](https://x.com/cobuildersxyz/status/2077097634788245986?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) [Try Now & Start Building](https://github.com/CoBuilders-xyz/hardhat-arbitrum-stylus?ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) --- ## 📚 Learn & Build *New learning drops and hands-on resources from across the Arbitrum ecosystem.* ### **How Robinhood Chain Apps Can Simplify Wallet Funding With ZeroDev Smart Routing Address** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d4/cc/d4cc8040-691e-4dd2-8282-0c08d45fc5a8/content/images/2026/07/zerodev-RHC-blog.jpeg) Building on Robinhood Chain? ZeroDev Smart Routing Address gives each user one deposit address, routes supported funds into the right smart account, and reduces manual bridge-and-transfer friction. Fund once. Stay in-app. Activate faster. [Read the Blog](https://www.zerodev.app/blogs/how-robinhood-chain-apps-can-simplify-wallet-funding-with-zerodev-smart-routing-address?ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) ### **Build Your First Robinhood Chain App** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d4/cc/d4cc8040-691e-4dd2-8282-0c08d45fc5a8/content/images/2026/07/0726_Arbitrum_Foundation_Blog_Robinhoodchain_1200x600_V2-1.png) Robinhood Chain lets developers build with the same EVM tools and workflows they already know: Solidity contracts, Foundry deploys, Viem reads, Wagmi writes, ERC-20 approvals. Here's how to build your first Robinhood Chain app by Ben Greenberg [Read the Article](https://x.com/ArbitrumDevs/status/2080357165739692286?s=20&ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) ### **A Beginners Guide to Privacy Onchain** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d4/cc/d4cc8040-691e-4dd2-8282-0c08d45fc5a8/content/images/2026/07/zkp-jess.jpeg) As more financial applications move onchain, privacy will become essential for adoption at scale. This beginner-friendly guide breaks down how zero-knowledge proofs work, why they matter, and how they could enable a more private, scalable future for blockchain applications. [Read the Article](https://x.com/0xjesstech/status/2080295308894834813?s=20&ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) ### **Robinhood Chain for Ethereum Developers - what you need to know** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d4/cc/d4cc8040-691e-4dd2-8282-0c08d45fc5a8/content/images/2026/07/what-you-need-to-know.jpeg) Layer 2s like Robinhood are EVM-Compatible, but there are a handful of semantic changes we need to consider when deploying contracts across multiple chains. This article is a list of considerations for Ethereum developers deploying to Robinhood. [Read the Article](https://x.com/0xjesstech/status/2079909645359939818?s=20&ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) --- ## 🔦 Ecosystem Highlights *Fresh launches and standout threads from around the Arbitrum ecosystem.* ### **How WalletConnect brings connectivity to payments in Arbitrum** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d4/cc/d4cc8040-691e-4dd2-8282-0c08d45fc5a8/content/images/2026/07/walletconnect-arb.png) WalletConnect brings connectivity to Arbitrum payments by enabling businesses to integrate with the largest network of digital wallets through a single, future-proof integration. Learn how PSPs and merchants can access Arbitrum's settlement rails without building custom integrations across chains and assets. [Read the Article](https://walletconnect.com/blog/arbitrum-drives-payments-with-walletconnect?ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) ### **Total RWA Value on Arbitrum Hits $900 million** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d4/cc/d4cc8040-691e-4dd2-8282-0c08d45fc5a8/content/images/2026/07/900m.jpeg) The tokenization of real-world assets continued to gain momentum, with total RWA value on Arbitrum surpassing $900 million. As institutions increasingly explore onchain finance, Arbitrum remains at the forefront of powering the programmable economy. ### **Sedona Launches on Arbitrum** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d4/cc/d4cc8040-691e-4dd2-8282-0c08d45fc5a8/content/images/2026/07/sedona.jpeg) Privacy-first neobank Sedona is bringing private payments, markets, and financial services to Arbitrum. Discover why Sedona chose Arbitrum as the foundation to scale its vision of a new kind of onchain banking experience. [Read More Here](https://x.com/SedonaFi/status/2077771266593903043?s=20&ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) ### **Bitget Wallet X Integrates Arbitrum** Bitget Wallet X, Bitget Wallet’s developer infrastructure stack, has integrated Arbitrum to help developers and applications access deeper onchain liquidity, market data, and infrastructure across ecosystems. > Hello fellow developers/builders > > If you're building wallets, DeFi protocols, payment products, or autonomous agents, we'd love to connect. > > This is our official account of the Bitget Wallet eng team, and will be the official source of all developer updates, tech insights, and… [pic.twitter.com/SJ25s5RbDs](https://t.co/SJ25s5RbDs?ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) > > — Bitget Wallet Devs (@BitgetWalletX) [July 22, 2026](https://x.com/BitgetWalletX/status/2079869529644286340?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) --- ## 🛠️ Dev Tooling & Infra *Updates to SDKs, CLIs, and developer workflows across the stack.* ### **How ZeroDev Simplifies Wallet, Gas, & Cross-Chain Friction** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d4/cc/d4cc8040-691e-4dd2-8282-0c08d45fc5a8/content/images/2026/07/Arbitrum-ZeroDev-Blog-Cover-1-1.png) If you’re spending time solving wallet onboarding, gas management, or cross-chain UX, this is worth a read. Explore how @zerodev\_app’s account infrastructure stack can help simplify these challenges for applications built on the Arbitrum Platform. [Read More Here](https://x.com/arbitrum/status/2081766343812976775?s=20&ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) In addition, teams building on Arbitrum can now get 3 months of @zerodev\_app Growth Plan: 100,000 credits, Gas sponsorship, Bundler infrastructure. Use code: ARBZERODEV [Claim the Offer & Start Building](https://x.com/arbitrum/status/2082166707162948094?s=20&ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) ### **Arbitrum Nova Minimization** If you're still building or holding funds on Arbitrum Nova, now's the time to act. We are currently halfway through the 90-day migration window, during which time developers and users are encouraged to migrate from Arbitrum Nova to Arbitrum One. Learn more here. 👇🏻 > Important Update on Arbitrum Nova. > > As per a recent proposal, the ArbitrumDAO has voted to minimize Arbitrum Nova by transitioning it into a maintenance-oriented state with reduced capacity and deprioritized support. > > A thread on what this means for developers and users 👇🏻 > > — Arbitrum Developers (@ArbitrumDevs) [June 9, 2026](https://x.com/ArbitrumDevs/status/2064311595619192983?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) --- ## 🗓️ Events *Workshops, hackathons, and ecosystem meetups to watch.* ### **Aftermovie: Founder House London** Open House London ended with an incredible 3-days of shipping on the Arbitrum Platform: $300K in prizes and grants, 140 founders from across the globe, & 15+ financial products out of stealth Here's what went down 👇🏻 0:00 /0:31 1× Follow [@ArbitrumDevs](https://x.com/ArbitrumDevs?ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) & stay tuned for the full recap. --- ## 🧵 Forum & Community Discussions *What builders are debating and proposing this week.* ### **\[RFC\] New state representation for Arbitrum: proof-format change and request for feedback** Offchain is researching a change to how Arbitrum commits to its state: replacing the Merkle-Patricia Trie (MPT) with a new verifiable data structure (plus auxiliary verifiable structures). The primary motivation for this change is to scale Arbitrum chains to new heights that optimizing the MPT cannot alone achieve. [Read the Full RFC](https://forum.arbitrum.foundation/t/rfc-new-state-representation-for-arbitrum-proof-format-change-and-request-for-feedback/31066?ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) ### **Arbitrum Growth Circles: Final Report** AGC Cohort 1 was ran as a go-to-market bootcamp for early-stage DeFi teams building toward regulated, institution-facing use cases, organized around a shared cohort thesis - custodians as a distribution channel for DeFi protocols rather than generic startup support. This report closes out the program’s final milestone, summarizing what the cohort delivered and what was learned. [Read the Full Report](https://forum.arbitrum.foundation/t/arbitrumdao-factsheet-robinhood-chain-mainnet-launch/31041?ref=blog.arbitrum.foundation) --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d4/cc/d4cc8040-691e-4dd2-8282-0c08d45fc5a8/content/images/2026/07/Copy-of-New-Arbitrum-Everywhere-slide-template-2-1-1.png) ## Stay Ahead of What's Next Subscribe to Builder’s Block for more updates, opportunities, and upcoming events from the Arbitrum ecosystem. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup.