Check it out BOSes: we just made Bitcoin history – again.
For the first time, BitcoinOS technology has been used to cryptographically move BTC from Bitcoin L1 to Merlin Chain – an EVM-compatible Bitcoin Layer 2 – on testnet.
With this milestone, ZK bridging with Bitcoin is no longer a theory, but a reality. BOSes like Merlin are now one step closer to becoming true Bitcoin L2s, and integrity is being restored to Bitcoin’s application layer.
Bitcoin ZK Bridge: Part 1 Complete
Here’s what happened.
Funds on Bitcoin L1 were sent to an address controlled by BitSNARK – the ZK verification protocol at the core of BitcoinOS. Once those coins were locked in the address, a proof was created causing a smart contract on Merlin to mint BTC tokens representing the coins on L1.
This is just one-half of the BOS Grail bridge which allows assets to be moved to other blockchains without needing a centralized custodian. Traditional bridging solutions have required storing Bitcoin in a multi-signature wallet where most key holders must be trusted to stay honest and secure.
Grail, by contrast, is an “optimistic” bridging solution. It uses cryptography to secure users’ assets, ensuring that only one of many operators maintaining the bridge must behave honestly to keep the system intact. Those operators can include anybody – including yourself!
Once completed, the next half of the bridge will allow Merlin users to settle their BTC-pegged tokens back to L1 by proving that the tokens were burned on L2. At this point, Bitcoin’s first bi-directional ZK bridge will be born.
The Art Of Extending Bitcoin
Bringing zero-knowledge cryptography to the bridging process restores integrity to Bitcoin’s scaling journey. It brings us closer Satoshi’s original vision of the network that he articulated in the Bitcoin whitepaper: “an electronic payment system based on cryptographic proof instead of trust.”
For 15 years, ZK was the missing link preventing us from building “true L2s” that are full, decentralized extensions of Bitcoin’s best elements. Through Grail and the rest of the BOS stack, chains like Merlin can fulfill that vision, carving a pathway to infinitely upgrade Bitcoin through a network of interoperable L2s - without forking its code.
Investors today trust the Bitcoin network to secure $1.9 trillion of value. The technology to bridge that technology to its extended blockchain ecosystem – including Merlin, Sovryn, Cardano, B² Network, and Aeternity – is just around the corner.
Check out BitcoinOS on X and YouTube for the latest Bitcoin Alpha, and join the Discord and Telegram to get to know the community.
For more information about BitcoinOS’s game-changing technology, see the BitSNARK and Grail Whitepaper.
Don’t forget to follow Merlin Chain on X and Discord.
