ConsenSys Acquires Easy-to-Use Blockchain Notification Tool Hal to Strengthen Web3 Development

Ethereum development shop ConsenSys has acquired Hal, a platform that sifts through blockchain data and allows users to create notifications for things like trading, governance voting and tax compliance, for an undisclosed amount.

The acquisition brings 10 Hal employees and more than 40 application programming interfaces (APIs) for “blockchain listening and signals” to Infura, ConsenSys' popular Web3 connectivity layer. The APIs are part of an evolving process to make tools like Infura easier to use as the next-generation, decentralized internet develops.

Now is a good time to be selling the picks and shovels needed to build that new internet, Infura co-founder E.G. Galano said in an interview.

“Over the last couple of years, we have seen a new flavor of builder, looking to use lower code, or even no code-type tools, but with the same functionality that developers typically have,” Galano said.

A seasoned developer has a deeper understanding of how different tokens are being interacted with, for example, because they can plug into raw data from the blockchain and slice and dice it however they want, said Galano. Someone less experienced might be limited to just a front-end tool like Etherscan.

“Users want to be told when something happens on the blockchain, rather than going and finding it,” said Galano. “That type of functionality is really valuable for people who might be interested in activity on a particular NFT [non-fungible token], or DeFi [decentralized finance] protocol they were following.”