Hedera News: Latest Updates and Developments in the Hedera Ecosystem

Hedera News: Latest Updates and Developments in the Hedera Ecosystem

Hedera continues to evolve with a wave of significant updates — from new partnerships and technical changes to pricing adjustments — reinforcing its position as a trusted, enterprise-ready DLT platform. This article highlights the freshest developments shaping the network.

Unified Brand and Leadership Alignment

In May 2025, the ecosystem underwent a clear rebrand: HBAR Foundation became Hedera Foundation, and the Hedera Governing Council was renamed Hedera Council. These now-aligned identities offer better clarity for the ecosystem while preserving each entity’s unique role .

New leadership followed suit. Charles Adkins, previously at Polygon and Aptos, stepped in as CEO of the Hedera Foundation, ushering a sharper focus on DeFi, AI, tokenization, and digital identity . Tom Sylvester took over as President of the Hedera Council, with co-founder Mance Harmon elected Chair starting July 2025 .

Together, this brand refresh and leadership shift set the stage for deeper institutional adoption and community-driven innovation.

New Fees for Consensus Service Starting 2026

A major change is on the horizon: as of January 2026, the fee for ConsensusSubmitMessage in the Consensus Service will rise from $0.0001 to $0.0008 per transaction .

This eightfold increase marks the first price adjustment since Hedera’s open access launch in 2019. The change aims to more accurately reflect infrastructure costs and sustain long-term economic health while retaining the network’s reputation for predictable, low-cost operations .

Hedera Council Welcomes New Partners

In January 2026, the Hedera Council brought new members on board: Halborn as a Strategic Partner, and HashPack, Hashgraph Online, and Genfinity as Community Partners .

HashPack, a leading non-custodial wallet, brings easy access to Hedera via web and mobile platforms, making dApps and DeFi more accessible . Hashgraph Online offers open standards, SDKs, and developer tooling to accelerate real-world adoption . Genfinity’s ecosystem tools—like registry infrastructure—have powered over 34 million transactions already .

These additions deepen ecosystem collaboration and pave the way for broader engagement and innovation.

Ecosystem Mapping and African Hackathon

In June 2025, the Hedera Ecosystem Map, launched by Exponential Science, offered a new way to explore the growing network. It’s an interactive directory that categorizes projects, governance entities, apps, and infrastructure with verified links and status indicators .

Meanwhile, Hedera expanded its global outreach by organizing the Hedera Africa Hackathon, slated for July 2025. Featuring in-person hubs across more than 20 cities and a $1 million prize pool, it aimed to encourage innovation in areas like finance, identity, ESG, IoT, and DeFi across the continent .

These efforts signal Hedera’s rising global footprint—especially in emerging markets where blockchain can meet real needs.

Technical Upgrades, Hiero Integration, and Tokenization Push

– Project Hiero: Hedera moved its codebase to the Linux Foundation’s Decentralized Trust initiative. This shift, tied to the Hiero namespace transition, enhances transparency and enables broader community contributions .

– Mainnet Upgrades & EVM Enhancements: In July 2025, multiple upgrades rolled out, including HIP-1217 for modular smart contract calls and HIP-1086, which expanded EVM callData to 128KB—boosting compatibility and scalability .

– Tokenized Real Estate: Hedera also took steps forward in real-world asset tokenization, particularly around REITs, spotlighting its performance and regulatory focus .

– Hiero Improvement Proposals (HIPs): This open governance model empowers the community to propose and track changes. HIP-551, enabling atomic multi-action transactions, is one notable use case simplifying DeFi and NFT workflows .

Additional Highlights from Q3–Q4 2025

Community reports show Hedera was active in late 2025:

• Multiple mainnet upgrades improved smart contract execution, developer tooling, and network performance .
• Hedera To Earn (HTE), a Web3 rewards ecosystem aimed at onboarding millions of users via token incentives, was launched .
• A South Korean DeFi app, SALT, went live on Hedera, expanding access in APAC .
• Tools like Hashport’s HBAR Faucet and identity solutions such as HashPass made user onboarding smoother .

Ethereum ETF & AI Studio (Mid‑2025)

Back in mid-2025, note-worthy developments included:

• Hedera’s AI Studio, an open-source toolkit that helps developers build AI-integrated dApps, including LangChain-compatible agents that tap into Hedera services .

• The Canary HBAR ETF caught attention as the SEC began reviewing it, potentially offering regulated institutional exposure to HBAR .

Conclusion

Hedera’s ecosystem remains dynamic into early 2026. Strategic rebranding, stronger governance structures, expanded partnerships, technical growth, and community engagement all point to a platform maturing rapidly—without losing its developer- and user-friendly ethos. Whether it’s pricing updates, global events, or powerful open tooling, Hedera continues building both foundation and momentum.

FAQs

What’s the new fee for ConsensusSubmitMessage on Hedera?
As of January 2026, the fee increases from $0.0001 to $0.0008 USD per transaction. It reflects infrastructure costs and supports long-term sustainability.

Who leads the Hedera Foundation and Council now?
Charles Adkins is CEO of Hedera Foundation, and Tom Sylvester is President of Hedera Council. Mance Harmon will serve as Council Chair starting July 1, 2025.

What is Project Hiero?
Project Hiero refers to Hedera’s open-source code transition under the Linux Foundation Decentralized Trust initiative. It ushers in open governance and community-led development.

How does the Hedera Ecosystem Map help users?
This interactive tool maps projects, infrastructure, and governance participants. It provides useful filters and verified links, creating clarity across the growing ecosystem.

What is Hedera To Earn (HTE)?
HTE is a Web3 rewards ecosystem launched on Hedera’s mainnet. It’s designed to drive mainstream adoption by incentivizing user actions across apps with token rewards.

Total word count: approximately 900 words.