Monero Weekly Roundup - Issue #6

FCMP++/CARROT Hard Fork Confirmed On Schedule

The Monero Research Lab confirmed on April 7 that the FCMP++/CARROT hard fork is proceeding on schedule with no further delays, following a full developer meeting. A key architectural decision was also reached: the new CARROT key hierarchy will not be shipped with the fork, deferring that work until a subsequent Jamtis-PQ upgrade. According to @monero's repost of the update, this decision preserves fork stability and momentum, since including the key hierarchy would significantly increase wallet-side implementation work and risk delaying the upgrade. The CARROT key hierarchy primarily benefits cold and hardware wallet users, making it a natural candidate to be bundled with the more broadly useful Jamtis-PQ upgrade instead. A GPU-accelerated validation proof-of-concept using Slang/Vulkan is also advancing in parallel.

FCMP++ Beta Stressnet: Final Blocking Tasks Underway

Developer kayabanerve is completing the final remaining task items for the FCMP++ beta stressnet, according to jberman's update shared by @MoneroResearchL on April 1 and further progress reported on April 8. The work involves a complete side-by-side review to confirm no remaining discrepancies from Cypher Stack's recent commentary, plus a performance evaluation. jberman noted these are the final blocking items before the network will be ready for launch and community testing. Stressnet tracker: GitHub issue #166.

$150k FCMP++ Integration Audit CCS Proposed

Developer jberman opened a CCS proposal requesting 500 XMR (approximately $150k USD) to fund a three-phase independent audit of the FCMP++ integration code. The audit is structured in phases — crypto in C/C++, curve tree building, and consensus integration — each building on the prior. Phase 1 scope and goals are fully detailed in GitHub issue #294. Quotes are currently being solicited from candidates; the MRL will sign off on a candidate before each phase commences. The proposal follows the same pattern used for the FCMP++ Research CCS, which also raised funds upfront to allow seamless progression between phases.

Cypher Stack Composition Review Approved by MRL ($15k)

The Monero Research Lab approved a low-cost follow-up security review of the FCMP++ composition by Cypher Stack's new team, at a cost of $15k drawn from the FCMP++ Research fund. The review will focus specifically on the interoperability between the membership proof and the spend-auth plus linkability proof — an area that did not receive a dedicated formal follow-up after Cypher Stack's June 2024 composition review. kayabanerve noted the review covers a narrow, well-defined scope and is considered worthwhile for the peace-of-mind it provides at an acceptable price.

vtnerd Q2 2026 CCS Near Full Funding

Lee Clagett's (vtnerd) Q2 2026 full-time development CCS proposal reached 85.44 of 89.91 XMR raised (approximately 95% funded) after @monero highlighted it on April 12. The proposal covers LWSF/feed unit testing, investigation of indirect block limits, and development of a new library for encrypting wallet data with FIDO2. Completed deliverables from the prior quarter include LWS+F FCMP++ readiness, LWS+F /feed implementation, and Docker improvements.

Bulletproofs* Folding Scheme: Potential ZK-Rollup Applications

Researcher emsczkp presented the Bulletproofs* folding scheme at the April 1 MRL meeting, with the summary shared by @MoneroResearchL on April 7. A key architectural insight is the conceptual decoupling of the NARK prover from the folding prover: a third party could fold already-generated proofs without knowing the original secret witness. jberman noted this could potentially enable a scenario — originally sketched by kayabanerve — where a block producer aggregates proofs from many parties without interaction or secret knowledge. The paper is planned for peer-reviewed submission upon completion and is generating cautious optimism among MRL participants about applications beyond what was originally proposed.

Network hashrate averaged approximately 5.32 GH/s for the week, according to MiningPoolStats data cited in Revuo Monero issue #255. The weekly moving average transaction count was 21,843 transactions per day, with an average of 35.12 transactions per block. Block height reached 3,651,255 as of April 12, with the block reward remaining steady at 0.6 XMR. No significant pool concentration or mining disruptions were reported during the period.

Google Quantum Paper Accelerates Post-Quantum Planning at MRL

A discussion thread on post-quantum security was opened on the Monero Research Lab GitHub and became a major agenda item at the April 1 and April 8 MRL meetings, with the summary published by @MoneroResearchL on April 8. The catalyst was a Google Quantum AI paper demonstrating circuits that implement Shor's algorithm for ECDLP-256 using fewer than 500,000 physical qubits — an approximately 20-fold reduction from prior estimates. rucknium noted this accelerates the urgency of Monero's post-quantum transition. Developer tevador outlined the current roadmap: (1) FCMP++/Carrot, (2) Jamtis-PQ for full post-quantum privacy (though not soundness), and (3) a complete post-quantum protocol. jberman advocated for contracting a dedicated research team for the full PQ protocol work once FCMP++ is complete. Participants broadly acknowledged that a full PQ transaction protocol faces practical challenges — current estimates suggest transaction sizes in the 100–500 KB range — but agreed the threat merits continued research funding.

tevador Advances Jamtis-PQ Specification Using CSIDH-1024

An extensive MRL discussion on April 8 covered tevador's in-progress Jamtis-PQ specification, which uses CSIDH-1024 (a CSURF variant) to provide quantum-resistant forward secrecy for addresses. This closes the last major privacy gap if an address is known to a quantum adversary. A noted limitation is that view tags still rely on classical ECDH, meaning a quantum attacker could locate e-notes but not decrypt them. Discussion also addressed Janus attack mitigations under Jamtis-PQ, the performance constraints of CSIDH for view tags (scan times would increase roughly 1,000x), and lattice-based alternatives for the signature scheme components that require re-randomizability — a property hash-based schemes cannot provide.

A community-authored review of law enforcement cooperation policies across approximately ten XMR exchanges was shared this week and highlighted by CypherGoat's This Week in Monero #27. The post examined what transparency and compliance disclosures these services provide, offering useful context for users evaluating their threat models when choosing swap services.

No major new regulatory actions or exchange delistings directly affecting Monero were announced during the April 6–12 period. The broader regulatory environment continues to evolve, with ongoing community attention to the EU's MiCA framework and its implications for privacy-preserving assets. The community-run resource Monero Observer and getmonero.org remain the recommended sources for tracking regulatory developments as they emerge.

THORChain XMR Integration Passes Simulation Tests, Mainnet 1–2 Months Away

THORChain announced on April 10 that its Monero chain client — developed by contributor Boone — has passed simulation tests, including inbound and outbound swaps as well as liquidity operations on a local THORChain network. Mainnet deployment is targeted within 1–2 months alongside Bittensor, with both expected to land in the same THORChain v3.18 release. The integration uses a FROST-based multi-signature mechanism and a dedicated Asgard vault for Monero, adapted to work within Monero's 16-byte tx_extra constraint through memoless transactions. The Monero chain client code review and stagenet testing phase is now underway. Importantly, the integration requires no changes to Monero's consensus protocol or RandomX — all modifications are on the THORChain side. An initial liquidity pool of $10,000 seeded by treasury funds is planned for launch. Protocol-Owned Liquidity (POL) in v3.18 is projected to add approximately $200,000/month to deepen pools over time.

fluffypony Advising Wagyu; Community Reaction Mixed

Riccardo Spagni (@fluffypony) publicly confirmed he is advising Wagyu — the Monero/Hyperliquid cross-chain bridge — on protocol architecture, threat modelling, and adversarial security review. He framed his role as pushing for genuine infrastructure rigor and stressed that bridges introduce real attack surfaces deserving the same scrutiny as the base protocol. The announcement drew divided community reaction: supporters welcomed the involvement of an experienced adversarial thinker, while critics — including @OrangeFren, who cited the earlier Privacy Wallet rug as a cautionary precedent — questioned whether a centralized bridge model fits Monero's ethos. fluffypony argued that dismissing tools that add real Monero liquidity and accessibility is counterproductive and that the path forward is helping projects improve rather than rejecting them outright.

ShopinBit: Buying a Car With XMR, No KYC

A detailed Reddit post from ShopinBit CEO Lando Rothbardian explained the full process for purchasing a car using XMR through the service — with no KYC required. The post attracted strong community interest as a concrete real-world demonstration of Monero's usability for high-value purchases beyond small transactions.

Several community tools launched or updated this week. xmrpay.link offers Monero invoicing in seconds with no accounts, no KYC, and a Tor-accessible interface (open source on GitHub). monero.jobs launched as a marketplace for listing services and getting paid in XMR with ratings and reviews. Monero SuperPay unveiled a new website and macOS downloads this week. A Consensus Miami privacy pop-up, organized by community member WebWipe, was announced for May 5 during Consensus week.

@MoneroTalk hosted a live episode on April 8 featuring Diego Salazar (rehrar) of Cypher Stack covering the latest FCMP++ development status, nuances around the privacy design decisions made this week, and the road ahead. The audio version is available as MoneroTalk Episode 379. Community response was positive, with many citing the episode as the most current and accessible overview of where FCMP++ stands heading into the beta stressnet phase.

@monerify's repost of a Zcash privacy-usage reminder — which showed how easy it is to accidentally link addresses when using opt-in privacy — resonated with many community members as a reminder of Monero's default-privacy advantage. The original post by @cipherscan_app demonstrated a real transaction where shielding and unshielding in sequence re-linked two Zcash addresses, to which @monerify responded simply: "or you can just use monero."

A new animated series, Monero-Chan Unchained Episode 1, launched this week and was highlighted across community channels. The project continues the tradition of Monero-themed creative content that makes the project more accessible to new audiences.

@Monero_TV resumed calls for clarification regarding community wallets holding an alleged 867 XMR that have not been transferred following fluffypony's 2023 resignation from the Monero Core team. The topic resurfaced on April 8 in the context of fluffypony's Wagyu advisory announcement, generating discussion about community fund accountability. No resolution was reached during the week.

The r/Monero community circulated a warning about HammerVM, a VPS provider that accepts Monero, following reported conduct issues with its operator. Community members are advised to exercise caution.

@monerotopia aired Episode 257 on April 12, featuring SirJamzAlot on Monero SuperPay alongside the weekly price report and news roundup.

XMR ended the week at approximately $343 USD, up roughly 4.2% on the seven-day period, according to Revuo Monero's April 12 data. Market cap stood at approximately $6.33 billion. XMR also gained against Bitcoin, with the XMR/BTC pair up approximately 0.94% on the week. The price saw its strongest single-day move around April 11, when the THORChain XMR integration announcement drove buying interest across privacy coins broadly.

On-chain activity per Revuo Monero's blockchain statistics showed a weekly moving average of 21,843 transactions per day with 35.12 transactions per block on average. Inflation rate stood at 0.86%, consistent with Monero's tail emission schedule of 0.6 XMR per block.

MRL Establishes Post-FCMP++ Research Roadmap

Across the April 1 and April 8 MRL meetings — summarized by @MoneroResearchL — participants converged on a post-FCMP++ research roadmap shaped by the quantum threat escalation. The agreed sequence is: (1) ship FCMP++/Carrot, (2) develop Jamtis-PQ using CSIDH-1024 for quantum-resistant address forward secrecy, and (3) pursue a complete post-quantum transaction protocol. On the practical challenges: tevador outlined that PQ key exchange is constrained to CSIDH or lattice-based schemes if stealth addresses are to be preserved. Hash-based schemes, while quantum-resistant for signatures, cannot provide key exchange and are not re-randomizable — a hard requirement for Monero's ring signature model. Lattice-based approaches (e.g., Raccoon for multisig) are the most likely path but introduce significant complexity for threshold signature protocols. The community discussion that followed was notable for its technical depth and consensus that the quantum threat — now measurably closer than prior estimates — warrants a dedicated research team and dedicated funding post-FCMP++.

The MRL discussion on "More Jamtis features in Carrot" concluded with a decision not to ship the new Carrot key hierarchy with the fork and not to include it at all — instead waiting for Jamtis-PQ so the majority of users benefit simultaneously and wallet complexity is minimized. tevador noted that deferring this work also reduces wallet-side implementation scope, keeping the FCMP++ fork timeline intact. As developer UkoeHB summarized: skipping the Carrot key hierarchy brings Jamtis-PQ closer by reducing the workload before it.