Q1 2026 represents a clear inflection point for FLock. The business has moved beyond building core infrastructure and is now demonstrating early signs of a functioning decentralised AI economy with real usage, strong developer demand, and growing institutional validation.
During this quarter, we saw meaningful traction across product, ecosystem growth, and external recognition. The network surpassed 10,300 model submissions, launched a new economic layer through FOMO (FLock Open Model Offering), expanded into multi-chain infrastructure, and gained visibility at an institutional level through inclusion in Grayscale’s AI sector considerations.
Taken together, these developments mark the transition from concept to early market validation.
Network Growth & Ecosystem Traction
The growth of the FLock network in Q1 signals a shift from passive interest to active participation. Surpassing 10,000 model submissions on AI Arena is not simply a numerical milestone; it reflects sustained engagement from builders who are choosing to experiment, train, and deploy within a decentralised framework.
This momentum was further reinforced by the launch of FOMO, where over 4,000 applications were submitted within the first hour of its beta release. The speed and volume of this response indicate a clear gap in the market for infrastructure that allows AI developers to monetise their work in a more open and equitable way.
At the same time, the network continues to strengthen at the infrastructure level. The onboarding of cybersecurity-focused validators such as Korea-based Anam145 enhances both the robustness and credibility of the system, while the tracking of FLOCK TVL on DeFiLlama signals deeper integration into the broader decentralised finance ecosystem.
What is emerging is not just a network, but an ecosystem where contributors, validators, and users are increasingly aligned around shared value creation.
Product & Economic Innovation
The most significant development this quarter has been the introduction of FOMO. This represents a fundamental shift in how AI models are owned, monetised, and valued.
Traditionally, AI economics have been highly centralised, with users paying platforms for access while the underlying contributors receive little ongoing value. FOMO challenges this structure by turning models into Real Model Assets, where revenue generated from actual usage is distributed across the ecosystem. Model creators, contributors, and users all participate in value accrual, directly linking economic outcomes to real activity.
Until FOMO, the standard prices for AI inference were set by cloud providers (like AWS and Alibaba Cloud) and gateways (like OpenRouter and SiliconFlow). Their prices are dictated by the cost of compute, since they cannot price inference below hosting costs without making a loss.
This is not just a new feature, but the foundation of a new AI economy. By breaking traditional pricing floors for inference and redistributing value, FLock is redefining how AI systems scale sustainably.
Alongside this, the expansion of the FLock API through integrations such as OpenClaw agents positions the company as a key infrastructure layer for the emerging agent economy. By enabling low-cost inference for open-source models, FLock is lowering barriers to entry while increasing the practical utility of its network.
The successful bridging of FLOCK from Base to Solana further strengthens this position. Multi-chain accessibility increases liquidity, expands the developer base, and reinforces FLock’s ambition to operate as a chain-agnostic AI infrastructure layer rather than being tied to a single ecosystem.
Research & Technical Leadership
FLock continues to differentiate itself through a strong research-led approach, which is increasingly translating into external recognition and credibility.
During the quarter, the team received the Best Industrial Paper Award at the IEEE/WIC International Conference on Web Intelligence and Intelligent Agent Technology in London. This is a significant achievement, not only for the recognition itself, but for what it represents: decentralised AI is now being taken seriously within traditional academic and technical communities.
Further validation came through presentations at leading conferences such as IEEE SaTML 2026, where FLock’s SoK on blockchain-based decentralised AI was presented and peer-reviewed, thanks to the Ethereum Foundation which awarded FLock a research grant in 2024. In parallel, new research on token economic stabilisation demonstrated how mechanisms such as dynamic buyback-and-burn can create more resilient decentralised AI economies.
This growing body of work is helping to shift decentralised AI from a crypto-native concept into a credible and academically grounded paradigm, strengthening FLock’s positioning with enterprise and government stakeholders.
Strategic Partnerships & Global Positioning
FLock’s strategic activity in Q1 has been focused on one core objective: embedding decentralised AI into real-world ecosystems through builders, institutions, and global platforms simultaneously.
A key pillar of this has been deep engagement with the developer ecosystem. FLock played a leading role as a Gold Sponsor of the UK AI Agent Hackathon (OpenClaw Edition), the largest Web3 x AI hackathon in Europe. Beyond sponsorship, FLock actively shaped the direction of innovation by hosting its own track, “AI Agent for Good” in partnership with Blockchain for Good (BGA). This track alone generated 48 submissions, all focused on advancing UN Sustainable Development Goals, reinforcing FLock’s positioning at the intersection of cutting-edge AI development and global impact.
This builder-first approach was further extended internationally through FLock’s role as a Track Sponsor at South Korea’s premier hackathon, strengthening its presence in one of the most active and technically advanced Web3 markets. These engagements are not isolated events, but part of a broader strategy to position FLock as the default infrastructure layer for the next generation of AI developers and agent-based applications.
Alongside developer engagement, FLock has continued to deepen its institutional relationships, particularly with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). During the quarter, FLock delivered two dedicated workshops in collaboration with UNDP and UNDP AltFinLab, providing hands-on training on AI and agent-based systems for institutional use. These sessions focused on practical implementation, equipping stakeholders with the tools and understanding required to deploy AI in real-world public sector contexts.
This institutional focus is complemented by tangible demonstrations of FLock’s technology in action. In partnership with the Sarawak AI Centre, FLock conducted a live demonstration of decentralised federated learning using real local-language data on the Base testnet. This showcased how FLock’s infrastructure can enable sovereign AI capabilities, allowing governments to train customised models securely without compromising data privacy. The demonstration represents a significant step towards positioning FLock as a viable solution for public sector AI deployment at both regional and national levels.
FLock has also invested in convening leadership and talent at the highest levels. In collaboration with BGA, the team co-hosted a two-day CEO Forum on “Blockchain and AI for Good - Young Talent Edition” across Imperial College London and the University of Oxford. This initiative brought together emerging leaders, researchers, and industry stakeholders, reinforcing FLock’s role not just as a technology provider, but as a convener of the next generation of AI leadership.
Beyond these flagship initiatives, FLock maintained strong visibility across key global ecosystems through a series of targeted community activations. These included co-working sessions with Base at Encode Club in the UK, participation in DeAI-focused events such as DeAI Day in Vienna, and engagement in major international forums including the AI x Web3 Summit in Seoul hosted by BNB Chain and Unibase. Each of these touchpoints strengthens FLock’s presence across both the Web3 and AI landscapes, ensuring continued relevance across geographies and sectors.
Taken together, these activities reflect a deliberate and coordinated strategy. FLock is not only building technology, but actively embedding itself within the environments where AI is being shaped - from grassroots developer communities to global institutions and academic centres of excellence.
This positions FLock as a bridge between innovation and implementation, uniquely capable of translating decentralised AI from concept into real-world application at scale.
Institutional Recognition & Market Signals
One of the most notable external signals this quarter was the inclusion of FLOCK in Grayscale’s Q1 2026 Assets Under Consideration within the AI sector. This reflects growing institutional interest in decentralised AI as an investable category and positions FLock among a relatively small group of projects being evaluated at this level.
Additional contributions to industry research, including Animoca’s Digital Assets Outlook, and continued visibility in UNDP publications further strengthen this narrative.
These signals matter because they indicate that decentralised AI is no longer peripheral. It is beginning to enter mainstream investment and policy conversations, with FLock positioned early within that shift.
Outlook - Q2 2026
Looking ahead, Q2 will be focused on converting momentum into measurable adoption and revenue generation.
A key priority will be the continued expansion of FOMO, moving from early-stage demand into sustained usage and a growing base of Real Model Assets generating inference-driven revenue. At the same time, the transition of UNDP pilots into real-world deployments will provide tangible case studies of decentralised AI operating within public sector environments.
The growth of the agent economy will also play a central role. As integrations deepen and more applications are built on top of the FLock API, the platform is expected to solidify its position as core infrastructure for AI agents and multi-model applications.
