Exclusive: Anza Co-Founder Responds to Solana Centralization Concerns

Decentralization SOL Solana
Last updated:
Crypto Reporter
Crypto Reporter
Shalini Nagarajan
About Author

Shalini is a crypto reporter who provides in-depth reports on daily developments and regulatory shifts in the cryptocurrency sector.

Last updated:
Why Trust Cryptonews
Cryptonews has covered the cryptocurrency industry topics since 2017, aiming to provide informative insights to our readers. Our journalists and analysts have extensive experience in market analysis and blockchain technologies. We strive to maintain high editorial standards, focusing on factual accuracy and balanced reporting across all areas - from cryptocurrencies and blockchain projects to industry events, products, and technological developments. Our ongoing presence in the industry reflects our commitment to delivering relevant information in the evolving world of digital assets. Read more about Cryptonews

The Solana blockchain crew has moved some team members from one of its divisions to a new entity called Anza.

Anza co-founder Jeff Washington, a former engineer at Solana Labs, announced this move on Tuesday, revealing the team’s focus on improving the performance of a Solana Labs validator client called Agave.

The Anza team also plans to enhance Solana’s existing infrastructure and develop new applications and products.

 

Anza’s Launch a Part of Solana’s Long-Term Vision, Co-Founder says

On the day of Anza’s launch, Fortune Crypto reported that Solana formed a new entity to address concerns about centralization.

About half of Solana Labs’ 100 employees moved to advance the blockchain’s credibility as a decentralized ecosystem, Fortune said.

However, Washington described Fortune’s report as inaccurate. He told Cryptonews:

“Anza has been part of the long-term vision, and work on the project in earnest began in Spring 2022. Today’s launch is unrelated to any happenings in the industry.”

He confirmed that Anza — a “Solana-focused dev shop,” comprises several core engineers from Solana Labs.

The new team will also become “core contributors to other projects within the ecosystem,” he added.

Washington, Stephen Akridge, Jed Halfon, Amber Christiansen, Pankaj Garg, Jon Cinque, and several engineers from Solana Labs make up Anza’s founding team.

How FTX Woes Affected Solana’s Token

Solana’s move to form a new entity follows a year of regulatory scrutiny triggered by FTX’s downfall in 2022.

Further, SOL, Solana’s native token, was associated with the “Sam Coins” tag, as disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried backed it.

Towards the end of FTX’s days, it emerged that sister desk Alameda Research held about $1.2b worth of SOL. This made it its second-largest holding after FTT, FTX’s native token. When this news broke, SOL’s value dropped over 40% in a week amid market concerns.

Still, Solana has bounced back and traded at around $104 at the time of writing.

More Articles

Blockchain News
Japan’s Metaplanet Adds Nearly 270 Bitcoin, Propelling Total Above 2,000 BTC
Shalini Nagarajan
Shalini Nagarajan
2025-02-17 05:08:23
Altcoin News
Argentine Lawyers File Charges Against President Milei Over Fake LIBRA Coin Promotion
Sujha Sundararajan
Sujha Sundararajan
2025-02-17 05:07:44
Crypto News in numbers
editors
Authors List + 66 More
2M+
Active Monthly Users Around the World
250+
Guides and Reviews Articles
8
Years on the Market
70
International Team Authors