The field of blockchain research is rapidly advancing, with a focus on improving scalability and security. Recent developments have led to the creation of more efficient consensus protocols, such as prefix consensus, which enables high-performance and robust state machine replication. Additionally, novel architectures, including hierarchical consensus and rebalancing mechanisms, have been proposed to enhance the scalability and reliability of blockchain systems. Notable papers in this area include A Composable Game-Theoretic Framework for Blockchains, which introduces a framework for analyzing incentive compatibility in blockchain protocols, and Raptr: Prefix Consensus for Robust High-Performance BFT, which presents a Byzantine fault-tolerant protocol that achieves near-optimal latency. Other notable papers include Redefining Hybrid Blockchains: A Balanced Architecture, which proposes a novel hybrid blockchain architecture, and Starfish: Rebalancing Multi-Party Off-Chain Payment Channels, which introduces a rebalancing approach for payment channel networks.