Injective is as strong as its industry-leading counterparts. These partners contribute both technical expertise, in the form of validator services, and strategic value, such as governance operations, to the network
Today, we spotlight Informal Systems, the blockchain infrastructure powerhouse co-founded by Cosmos co-creator and CTO of Tendermint, Ethan Buchman that has been a cornerstone validator on Injective since November 2022, while simultaneously contributing core infrastructure and security services to the network.
What is Informal Systems?
Informal Systems is a premier partner in cross-chain infrastructure and protocol design with a mission to foster trust in software and money. As a member-driven worker's cooperative, the company builds software enabling close relationships between protocols and people to flourish.
With Buchman's background spanning cell biology, neuroscience, mathematics, machine learning, and distributed systems, Informal Systems approaches blockchain infrastructure with a scientific methodology that sets them apart in the industry. The company has been a leading contributor to the Cosmos ecosystem since its genesis, helping to secure over 20 Cosmos chains through their validation services, with Injective being one of them.
Informal Systems' Security Suite
Informal Systems' impact on the blockchain security landscape extends far beyond traditional validation services. The company has developed revolutionary formal verification tools that have become essential infrastructure for institutional-grade blockchain security:
Apalache Model Checker - A symbolic model checker for TLA+ that leverages SMT solvers for verification work, often succeeding where traditional model checkers fail due to time or memory constraints.
TLA+ Testing Framework - Informal Systems has pioneered the use of TLA+ specifications for model-based testing, creating infrastructure that generates hundreds of tests from formal models and runs them against real systems. This approach has proven particularly valuable for the Tendermint Light Client protocol and other critical blockchain components.
Verification Driven Development (VDD) - The company has developed comprehensive methodologies for verification-driven development, including requirements tracing tools like Themis Tracer that track compliance between specifications and implementations.
These tools represent Informal Systems' commitment to making formal verification capabilities more accessible to the broader blockchain development community.
Comprehensive Ecosystem Contribution Beyond Validation
Informal Systems' relationship with Injective extends well beyond their validator operations, encompassing multiple critical areas of ecosystem development:
Security Audits and Formal Verification - Informal Systems conducted a comprehensive audit of the Injective codebase and other Injective based ecosystem projects. Their unique approach leverages formal verification techniques and TLA+ specifications to create precise state representations of protocols.
Governance Leadership - Informal Systems maintains an active role in Injective's governance operations, with their governance lead reviewing proposals and consulting with teams possessing relevant knowledge. They also consider delegator and community preferences before casting votes, ensuring representative participation in network decisions.
Validator Performance and Network Contribution
Informal Systems' validator performance on Injective demonstrates their commitment to network security and reliability, marking their current position as the second-largest validator by stake:
- Current Stake: 4.59M INJ (~$51.5M USD)
- Commission Rate: 5% (0% for new delegations until July 27th, 2025)
- Uptime: 99.75% (based on recent monitoring)
Recognition Through the Validator Rebate Campaign
Informal Systems' dedication to the Injective ecosystem marks their inclusion in the first cohort of the Injective Validator Rebate Campaign. This strategic initiative, running from May 27th to July 27th, 2025, is designed to incentivize delegators with idle or inactive INJ to stake with validators who have consistently demonstrated their commitment to the ecosystem.
New delegations to Informal Systems during the campaign period will receive rebates on any commissions collected, with the company offering 0% commission for new delegations until July 27th, 2025. For those interested in participating, staking is available through Injective Hub with a minimum delegation of just 1 INJ.
Building the Future of Institutional-Grade DeFi
The synergies between Injective and Informal Systems represents more than just validator operations—it's a strategic collaboration that strengthens the entire ecosystem's security posture while advancing institutional adoption of DeFi.
As Injective continues onboarding institutional participants, maintaining validators with Informal Systems' caliber of security expertise and formal verification capabilities becomes increasingly critical. Their combination of academic rigor, practical blockchain development experience, and commitment to open-source public goods positions them as an aligned partner for Injective's mission of bringing institutional-grade infrastructure to DeFi.
The collaboration exemplifies Injective's community-driven approach to network growth, with Informal Systems representing entities that don't just validate transactions but actively shape the ecosystem's technical and strategic direction. Through their cutting edge work on formal verification, debt clearing protocols, and core blockchain infrastructure, Informal Systems continues to push the boundaries of what's possible in decentralized finance.
About Injective
Injective is a lightning fast interoperable layer one blockchain optimized for building the premier Web3 finance applications. Injective provides developers with powerful plug-and-play modules for creating unmatched dApps. INJ is the native asset that powers Injective and its rapidly growing ecosystem. Injective is incubated by Binance and is backed by prominent investors such as Jump Crypto, Pantera and Mark Cuban.
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