Walrus showed steady progress through 2025, rolling out mainnet with $WAL token staking and Sui-native blob storage despite crypto market dips like Bitcoin falling below $90K in Q4.Amid $1T+ in erased market value and VC caution from recession fears, the protocol doubled down on erasure-coded storage for AI data and media apps.Native Sui smart contract integration slashed costs via distributed node resilience, while late-year ecosystem upgrades defined clear roles for storage nodes, aggregators, and relays.The December Haulout Hackathon sparked real apps like verifiable AI datasets and data markets proving builder traction beyond hype.Grayscale's Sui trusts in August amplified visibility, and staking rewards grew steadily per early 2026 analysis. Looking to 2026, multi-chain expansions target Ethereum and Solana without ditching Sui settlement, cementing #walrus as AI-era storage infrastructure.

@Walrus 🦭/acc