Dear Persisters,
As we approach the end of the first half of the year, I want to share where Persistence is headed next.
This is not a small adjustment. It is a real change in direction, and I want to be direct about why we are making it.
Persistence has been around for a long time. Along the way, we have built through multiple cycles and shipped real products across staking, liquid staking, DeFi, interoperability, and BTCFi. There is a lot to be proud of in what this community and team have built together.
But I also need to be honest: the current path is not working well enough.
Crypto is a brutal market. Timing matters. Sometimes you build something genuinely useful, only to find that demand is not there yet. We have spent years building products before the market was ready for them, and we cannot keep doing that. The lesson is simple: we need to build where demand actually is, not where we hope it will be later.
Why are we changing
Persistence has never had a building problem. Our challenge has been making sure the things we build create real, durable value.
A product only matters if people use it, pay for it, or depend on it. Otherwise, it is just another technically sound project waiting for a market that may never arrive.
Over the years, I have learned a few things the hard way:
- Crypto infrastructure is hard to monetise.
- DeFi demand can be extremely cyclical.
- Being early can look exactly like being wrong for a long time.
- Distribution matters as much as code.
- We need to be resilient across cycles and markets.
I still believe in BTCFi and in the broader long-term promise of on-chain and cross-chain infrastructure, more than ever. But we cannot afford to wait around for the market to come to us. We need to build where attention and demand are already moving.
Today, that is AI.
The AI opportunity
AI has changed what a small, talented team can do. We can move faster, automate more, and test real demand in days instead of months.
But businesses do not buy “AI” as a slogan. They buy outcomes: more customers or sales, less manual work, better operations, and more leverage from the teams they already have.
Most businesses are still early in this transition. They may use ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini in isolated ways, but very few have built the systems, workflows, and internal agents that compound over time.
That is the opportunity we see.
Three layers, one mission
Persistence is becoming a demand-first, product-and-services business on a mission to assist businesses with AI Transformation.
For that, we are building in three layers.
First, AUDIT.one: a paid audit that helps us understand a business, identify the highest-value automation opportunities, rank them by ROI, and recommend what is actually worth implementing.
Second, implementation and ongoing support: for customers who want help beyond the audit, we can stay involved and help deliver the work.
Third, self-serve products: as we work with more businesses, we will see more clearly which AI problems the market is actually willing to pay to solve. Those recurring patterns will guide the products we build next. Consider it the automated version of the second layer.
We are not trying to force a one-size-fits-all product into the market. We want to solve real problems for real businesses, and let that work show us where the real opportunities are.
We have already started conversations with potential customers, run a handful of trial audits, and the early response has been encouraging.
What this means for XPRT & the Persistence community
I want to be clear and careful here.
We are not promising price appreciation, revenue share, or any token-backed financial rights. We are also not announcing any formal program today. That needs more time, data and counsel.
That said, we do want XPRT to remain a practical, participatory part of Persistence’s future.
Concretely, here are a few ways I envision building around the community over time:
- A distributed AI delivery network: Persistence will act as the coordination layer that scopes problems with clients (through AUDIT.one) and, where needed, brings in community experts to help implement solutions. Think of Persistence as the hub that connects demand with the right capabilities.
- Local and regional expertise: Persisters in different countries can contribute market context, regulatory know-how, client introductions, and hands-on implementation help when a client needs local support.
- Curated contributor roles & quests: community members may be invited to contribute to playbooks, share implementation patterns, and help run workshops or client-facing sessions when appropriate.
- A practical referral/engagement channel: when a client requires more than our core team can deliver, we may invite vetted community contributors to participate in delivery under Persistence’s coordination and quality controls.
- Skills and knowledge sharing: we will create channels for case studies, templates, and agent-design patterns that community members can use and improve, so the collective knowledge base grows as we do real work.
Note that none of the above implies guaranteed work, payment, or token-linked benefits at this time. If we pilot any of these models, we will publish clear, separate guidelines explaining how contributors are selected, how engagement works, and how any compensation (if relevant) is arranged. For now, this is about creating practical ways for the community to be useful and involved.
Our current product suite
This pivot is not just about starting something new; it is also about responsibly narrowing our focus.
- DEXs on Persistence Chain and Babylon Chain: we will start a deprecation process for these DEXs and provide clear timelines and instructions so users can withdraw assets safely. We will publish dates for the withdrawal window and migration guidance shortly.
- Persistence Chain: the chain will remain live in maintenance mode, supporting staking and governance, but with a smaller footprint and fewer validators as we focus on upkeep rather than growth.
- Interoperability project (Persistence V2): we will deprecate the interoperability project that has not gained traction; much of its functionality is now covered and expanded by Bridgekitty, which we will continue to operate, support and try to grow.
In every deprecation case, our priority is to protect users and give clear, actionable guidance with reasonable timelines. We will publish a dedicated migration and withdrawal plan with milestones and support resources within the next few weeks.
The chain and governance
Persistence and the chain are part of our history, and staking and governance will continue to be supported. We are simply changing our allocation of time and resources, focusing on revenue-generating services while keeping the chain operational to keep our options open.
If we identify genuine, on-chain needs that align with our services and community, we will build them. If not, we will not invent on-chain use cases for the sake of narrative.
Next steps and how you can help
- Feedback: I will be in the comments to answer questions and hear feedback, please ask anything concrete so we can respond clearly.
- Introductions: if you know businesses that could benefit from an AUDIT.one engagement (marketing teams, operations heads, SMB leaders, enterprise groups), please introduce us.
- Participation: if you would like to be part of the practical community network described above (sharing local context, implementation expertise, or case studies) reach out to us on Telegram.
- Watch for timelines: we will publish our relevant deprecation plans, withdrawal windows within the next two weeks.
Closing
Persistence has always been about persisting, not giving up.
Not giving up does not mean doing the same thing forever. It means adapting, being honest about what is working, and having the courage to change when it is not.
This is that moment.
We are keeping our roots while becoming an AI-first company. AUDIT.one is the first step, and the community network is an aspiration that could make Persistence a practical place for AI transformation, coordinated by us, supported by you.
I am looking forward to your feedback, your introductions, and your help as we begin this next phase. Let’s go AI-pill some companies who need it.
Jeroen.