Hedera Developer Highlights February 2026
Hedera Team5 min read·Just now--
By Michiel Mulders
Hi there,
This is Michiel from Hashgraph, bringing you the February developer highlights.
First, you can still register for the final chapter of our hackathon series, Hedera Hello Future: Apex. If you have missed the opening ceremony, you can rewatch it here.
This edition features important announcements, including the migration of the AccountBalanceQuery. Further, catch the Hedera DevDay 2026 replay, explore enterprise key management with AWS KMS, and learn how emerging standards like x402 and OpenClaw are shaping agentic payments and on-chain AI infrastructure.
Let’s dive in!
Announcements
- 02.24.26: Updates to the Hiero JSON-RPC Relay Default Configuration for Ethereum-Style Alignment
- 02.24.26: Axelar Connects Hedera, Expanding the Gateway to Onchain Finance
- 02.13.26: Migrating from AccountBalanceQuery: What You Need to Know
Featured Media
Hedera DevDay 2026
Missed Hedera DevDay 2026? Catch the livestream replay to dive into the Hedera EVM, explore the cryptographic foundations of hashgraph consensus, and hear Richard Bair share his vision for the future of Hedera.
Developer Resources
Enterprise Key Management for Hedera: Signing with AWS KMS
This workshop walks through how to sign Hedera transactions using AWS KMS so private keys never live in env files or app memory. Nadine shows how to set up AWS CLI + IAM least-privilege policies, create a secp256k1 KMS key (compatible with Hedera), fetch the public key, create a Hedera account tied to that key, and sign an HBAR transfer via a custom KMS-backed signer, then verify both on HashScan and via CloudTrail audit logs.
Hedera and the x402 Payment Standard
The x402 standard enables native internet micropayments by using the HTTP 402 status code to trigger seamless, programmatic on-chain payments, without checkout flows or complex wallet interactions. With facilitators handling gas fees and settlement, apps and AI agents can automatically pay for APIs, data, and services in real time. It provides a lightweight, programmable payment layer designed for autonomous AI and internet-scale monetization.
Bringing Clawdbot Onchain
The stream explores how Clawdbot (now OpenClaw) brings AI agents into practical use. OpenClaw runs locally as a persistent, 24/7 assistant that can operate through Telegram or the terminal and execute real tasks. The team demos this by integrating it with the Hiero CLI to create accounts, mint tokens, and perform transfers on Hedera. Also, Hashgraph Online introduces its “registry of registries” concept, aimed at verifying agents (including Maltbook agents) and enabling secure agent-to-agent communication via XMTP.
Featured Community Projects
W·Panel by WhataLab
WhataLab has launched W·Panel, an evolution of its verification dashboard into a full operational infrastructure for managing Web3 and corporate communities using tokenized roles and permissions. Its first live use case powers verification and role assignment for the Hedera Builder Program, enabling streamlined access control and on-chain community management.
Building DePIN, IoT and Edge Networks on Hedera, using Neuron
The stream introduces Neuron’s Hedera hackathon bounty: a DePIN network where devices discover each other via Hedera and exchange data through encrypted peer-to-peer connections. Its aviation demo (“For The Sky”) lets sensors sell aircraft data without a central server. The challenge is to use multilateration to calculate plane positions when GPS data is missing and visualize the results live.
Hedera Improvement Proposals
HIP-1334: Private Message Box Standard for Hiero Accounts (Last Call)
HIP-1334 defines a standard private “message box” for Hiero accounts using HCS topics as encrypted inboxes. Accounts advertise their inbox via a discoverable tag like [HIP-1334:<topic-id>] in their account memo, senders resolve the topic through Mirror Node, fetch the recipient’s public key from the first topic message, and publish end-to-end encrypted messages to that topic. This creates a decentralized and censorship-resistant messaging layer for wallets, dApps, and enterprises.
HIP-1341: Support for Ethereum Pectra Release (Last Call)
This HIP defines how Hiero adopts Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade to maintain EVM compatibility, specifying which EIPs apply to the Smart Contract Service and which do not. Hiero will implement EIP-2537 (BLS12–381 precompiles for efficient cryptography), EIP-7623 (updated calldata gas cost rules for EVM equivalence), and EIP-7702 (allowing EOAs to set and execute code, enabling batching, sponsorship, and improved wallet UX).
HIP-1383: Enhanced Error Responses (In Review)
This HIP adds a backward-compatible Outcome message to all Hiero API responses to provide clearer, more actionable error details. In addition to the existing response code, APIs will return a high-level status (success, client error, server error), a detailed sub-error code, and structured retry guidance. An accompanying error code dictionary enables SDKs to surface user-friendly messages, improving debugging, automation, and overall developer experience without breaking existing integrations.
Developer Events
Stay informed about upcoming Hedera developer events with our public events calendar at hedera.com/events.
