This new feature aims to increase block production speed and capacity, ultimately improving support for complex Web3 applications. As a result, the native cryptocurrency DOT has recently experienced a price increase and analysts predict it could potentially rise to the $10-$15 range in the near future.

Polkadot recently announced the activation of Asynchronous Backing on their network. This mechanism optimizes how parachain blocks are validated by the Relay Chain, which is crucial to the overall functioning of Polkadot.

With this upgrade, blocks are now produced twice as fast and blockspace has been expanded by 6-10 times. This advancement also allows for more extrinsic per block and higher utilization of parachain blocks, ultimately boosting throughput by 8x without compromising security. This will better support Web3 applications, particularly in areas like gaming and DeFi.

In addition to this update, Polkadot has released the Join-Accumulate Machine (JAM) Gray Paper, combining elements of Polkadot and Ethereum to provide a global singleton permissionless object environment.

The recent improvements in the network, combined with other factors, are expected to drive up the price of Polkadot's native cryptocurrency, DOT. Currently trading around $7 with a 5% weekly increase, many analysts predict a bull run in the coming months, with some foreseeing the price reaching the $10-$15 range. Notably, Michael van de Poppe has expressed his bullishness on DOT, adding the asset to his personal portfolio and highlighting Polkadot's fundamental progress.