solar

Solar and Solar Enterprises: 2024 End-of-Year Update

A personal letter and end-of-year update about Solar and Solar Enterprises.

Nayiem

Dec 30, 2024 — 7 min read

Personal Letter from the CEO - Nayiem Willems

2024 has been a year of immense growth and preparation for the future. While the crypto market soared to new heights, we focused on laying the groundwork for long-term success. This year, rather than pushing out frequent updates, we committed ourselves to securing essential licenses, refining our company structure, and ensuring full regulatory compliance. With an experienced compliance team and a dedicated development team, we are setting the stage for 2025 to be the most successful year in Solar's history.

Our vision is clear and ambitious: to reclaim a spot in the top 100 on CoinMarketCap and deliver exceptional value to our community. We deeply appreciate your trust and unwavering support as we navigate this journey together.

Here’s a detailed look at our flagship products and the exciting road ahead:

Solar Core 5.0

The development of Solar Core 5.0 is progressing steadily behind the scenes. This game-changing blockchain is already operational on a private testnet and undergoing rigorous testing. With every iteration, we are adding features designed to make Core 5.0 one of the most efficient and secure blockchains.

Testing has demonstrated that Solar Core 5.0 already outperforms our current codebase and many leading blockchains in the industry. We are committed to meeting and exceeding expectations as we deliver an even faster, more secure and more efficient product.

While we cannot yet provide a specific release date, we are confident that the final product will be well worth the wait. Our team is working tirelessly to ensure that Solar Core 5.0 excels in speed, scalability, and security with EVM support, positioning it as a true leader in blockchain technology.

Solar Card

We are thrilled to announce that Solar Card is entering its final stages! In partnership with Vault, we are launching crypto-friendly physical and virtual debit cards in over 180 countries, including the USA, Turkey, Japan, and many others. Alongside IBAN accounts, Solar Card offers users a seamless way to manage both crypto and fiat assets in a single platform.

Current Status:

App Development: The app has been fully developed and submitted to the Play Store and Apple Store. However, due to delays caused by platform-specific requirements, we made the crucial decision to develop a Progressive Web App (PWA).
Why a PWA? Apple and Google take between 15% and 30% in fees for in-app purchases. This significantly impacts features such as subscription payments, rewards, referral payouts, mobile top-ups, e-sims, and gift cards, making it challenging to provide cost-effective services. For instance, a subscription priced at €9.99 would increase to €12.99 on iOS due to these fees.

By transitioning to a PWA, users will experience the same high-level security features—such as biometric login and Face ID—without the added costs. This allows us to focus on delivering better services, including higher referral bonuses.

Solar Card will soon be ready to deliver its services globally. Achieving global availability has not been easy, but with nearly worldwide support for crypto-friendly cards and IBAN accounts, coupled with unique selling points (USPs) like up to 30% referral bonuses (instead of paying fees to Apple), we are confident that Solar Card will emerge as one of the best in the industry.

We are especially excited to provide one of the first crypto-friendly debit card solutions in markets like Turkey and Japan. Stay tuned—we’re nearly at the finish line!

tymt

Our flagship gaming platform, tymt, is evolving rapidly. While we initially planned to release version 2.2.2, we encountered a challenge integrating Chromium Web Extensions with Tauri for Metamask connectivity. To overcome this, we’ve transitioned to ElectronJS, which is widely supported and opens up new opportunities for additional features and developer contributions.

What’s Coming in tymt:

Over 800 games, including titles from Steam, GOG, and Hyperplay.
A full SDK and developer documentation to streamline the addition of traditional and Web3 games.
Support for major franchises like GTA, Fortnite, and Call of Duty, alongside seamless integration for Web3 games.
Developer-Friendly Pricing: Unlike Steam, which charges 30% commission, tymt will charge 0% for games selling fewer than 1,000 copies and a maximum of 10% for others, making it a supportive platform for indie developers and startups.

The updated tymt platform is now slated for release in January 2025. With features that revolutionise gaming across Web2 and Web3 spaces, tymt is set to become a game-changer.

FoxBox: The Future of Web3 Couch Gaming

As mentioned in one of our previous blog posts, tymt is actively working on an innovative console-like product, codenamed FoxBox, designed to bring Web3 gaming to your living room. While still in its early stages, we believe the FoxBox fills a crucial gap in the market.

Currently, most Web3 games lack seamless controller support, requiring technical know-how to configure controllers on PCs. This barrier makes it difficult for casual gamers and families to enjoy Web3 games from the comfort of their couch. Our vision for the FoxBox is to create a plug-and-play experience, much like a PlayStation or Xbox. Simply connect the console, sync your controller wirelessly, and start playing any game—whether it’s a traditional game or a Web3 title—without any hassle.

Key Features of FoxBox:

Crypto Authentication Made Simple: The FoxBox will feature integrated crypto authenticators controlled via the tymt mobile app. Logging in is as easy as scanning a QR code on your TV screen.
Secure Transactions: All sensitive data, private keys, and in-game transactions will be handled directly through your phone. This ensures your data remains private and is never displayed on your TV screen.
Seamless Gaming Experience: Designed to eliminate complexity, FoxBox will make interacting with Web3 games as straightforward as playing any traditional console game.

Current Progress: We are prioritising the development of tymt release 2.2.2, incorporating the necessary enhancements to enable console support. Following this, our SDK will be released, allowing developers to create games specifically for FoxBox. Over 20 game publishers have already expressed interest in becoming pioneers of Web3 console gaming with our SDK.

Strategic Partnerships: We’ve partnered with leading hardware manufacturers in Asia to develop the FoxBox, preloaded with our custom Linux-based OS. This collaboration ensures the console will deliver top-tier performance and a seamless user experience.

Timeline: While there is no fixed release date yet, we aim to begin public testing with a limited batch of consoles in Q2 2025. The FoxBox will feature high-end hardware comparable to PS5 consoles and will be launched at a competitive price, making Web3 gaming accessible to all.

The FoxBox is not just another console—it’s a revolution in gaming. Stay tuned as we continue to bridge the gap between traditional and Web3 gaming, making it possible for everyone to enjoy blockchain-enabled gaming from their living room.

BrighterVPN: Progress and Future Plans

Earlier this year, BrighterVPN was successfully launched on Android and iOS, and the results have been nothing short of remarkable. With over 5,000 users subscribed and generating nearly $200,000 in revenue without a major marketing push, we’re thrilled to already serve such a significant user base.

Why Haven’t We Started Marketing Yet?

While the initial adoption has been strong, several key features that set BrighterVPN apart are still under development or pending approval. These include:

Crypto Wallet Logins and Payments: A core feature that allows users to log in and pay using cryptocurrency.
Enhanced Customer Support: Transitioning from a traditional ticketing system to a more dynamic and user-friendly approach.
Apple Store Challenges: Currently, the app is under TestFlight as Apple has declined approval, citing saturation in the VPN market. Our upcoming update will address this by introducing unique features that differentiate BrighterVPN from competitors.

What’s Coming in January?

We are preparing a major update for early January, which will include the following enhancements:

Crypto Wallet Login: Seamless logins with your preferred crypto wallet.
Referral and Reward System: Manageable via the client area on our website, users can earn up to 20% in referrals, paid in SXP, with an additional 10% allocated for incineration on the Solar Blockchain.
Country-Specific News: A dedicated news page providing tailored updates based on your VPN connection.
Subscription Management via Website: Subscriptions will now be managed through the website, bypassing Apple’s 30% and Android’s 15% commission fees. The savings will directly support referral programs and user rewards.

After implementing these features, we will fine-tune the desktop apps and browser extensions before expanding to other platforms, including Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, DD-WRT routers, and more.

SolarHQ: A Hub for Innovation

As hinted in some channels and in the transaction logs of the foundation wallet, Solar Enterprises now owns a building in a city in Northern Sweden.

This building, with approximately 4,000m² of space, will be the main hub for Solar.

Why Did We Acquire a Building?

During our participation at events in Dubai, South Korea, and Japan, we have noticed how crucial it is to have a physical office space to host investors, business partners, and regulatory bodies. Full ownership also aligns with regulations requiring financial services companies to maintain secure, physical locations for data storage.

The building is a historical landmark known in the region, easily accessible by public transport, and supported by the local municipality.

The hub will offer several services to the locals, such as:

Crypto-Enhanced Vending Machines: Open 24/7, operated through a unique partnership with a major payment terminal company in Sweden.
Gaming Arcade: Fully themed around tymt, hosting Web3 gaming events in collaboration with publishers.
Meetups and Events: The space will also be available for community meetups, business events, and investor gatherings.

We aim to host a Solar 2025 public event for investors, partners, and the community, further strengthening our position in the industry.

The building’s full design and progress will be revealed in Q1 2025, with doors opening in summer 2025.

Looking Ahead

2025 will be a breakthrough year for Solar and Solar Enterprises as we roll out new products and features, including Solar Core 5.0, Solar Card, tymt, and BrighterVPN. We’re focused on providing unparalleled services while fostering innovation and adoption within the blockchain space.

Thank you for your continued support. Together, we’re building the future of finance, gaming, and digital privacy. Let’s make 2025 a year to remember.

Happy holidays and a bright new year!— From the entire team at Solar.org and Solar Enterprises