The Shift From Project to Public Good
In 2024, founder Pedro Gomes established the WalletConnect Foundation to guide the protocol’s transition into a fully decentralized, community-owned network. This marked a turning point: from a centralized project to a permissionless utility serving millions.
Securing the Infrastructure
The Foundation’s first mission was to decentralize the relay network. ✦ By onboarding multiple independent node operators, WalletConnect eliminated central control points, ensuring that connections remain encrypted, censorship-resistant, and resilient against outages.
Empowering the Community With WCT
The launch of WCT enabled staking, governance, and incentives for contributors. ➤ Under Gomes’s leadership, staking programs now reward infrastructure providers and allow token holders to directly shape the network’s roadmap.
Raising Standards for Wallets
Another focus has been WalletConnect Certified, a program built in partnership with Reown to set benchmarks for wallet usability and security. ⬥ Certification encourages best practices in transaction clarity, recovery flows, and interoperability, giving users greater confidence.
Tools for Developers
The Foundation has rolled out improved SDKs such as AppKit and WalletKit, simplifying persistent sessions, social logins, and multi-chain wallet integration. This empowers builders to innovate without fighting technical friction.
Expanding Partnerships and Education
From hackathons and documentation to alliances with VCs and institutional players, Gomes has emphasized growth across all fronts—technical, financial, and community. His vision continues to position WalletConnect as indispensable infrastructure for billions of Web3 interactions.
