On January 17, Everstake, a Kiev-based staking service platform, was invited and joined the Neo3 Preview1 TestNet as a consensus node operator.

Erik Zhang, founder and core developer of Neo, noted, “We are glad to welcome Everstake as one of our consensus nodes on the Neo3 Preview1 TestNet. As Neo3 development accelerates, we appreciate the help from the ecosystem to facilitate Neo's development and the decentralization process."

This marks the beginning of decentralization on the Neo3 TestNet. As of June 2019, the Neo Foundation is no longer maintaining any consensus node on the Neo2 TestNet. Currently, the seven consensus nodes on the Neo2 TestNet are operated by KPN, Swisscom, Neo Global Development, MatPool, City of Zion, Red4Sec, and NeoSPCC. 

As more Neo3 Preview versions become available, the current and new consensus nodes will gradually join the Neo3 TestNet. According to Neo’s consensus node approval mechanism, a minimum test-run period of six months is required before a consensus node applicant becomes qualified to host a consensus node on the Neo MainNet. This process will ensure the performance and stability of the Neo3 MainNet once launched later this year.

Sergii Vasylchuk, CEO and Founder of Everstake, said, “Our team is ready to take on this endeavor, providing our technical knowledge as well as efforts to fuel and support the Neo3 Preview1 TestNet in many ways. ”

About Everstake

Everstake is a team of experienced developers, financial experts and blockchain enthusiasts. The company was founded by Attic Lab, an EOS block producer from Ukraine. Everstake runs highly secure and reliable nodes for PoS protocols using the enterprise-level hardware to ensure maximum efficiency and security.