The Information · iPhone · China · Bitcoin · CryptoSlate
Starknet published its privacy argument on Apr. 10, framing on-chain visibility as incompatible with real financial use
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By Apr. 20, v0.14.2 was live, with native in-protocol proof verification and the infrastructure layer for encrypted balances.
Key facts
- Bitcoin is -1.42% over the past 24 hours and currently sits at rank # 1 by market cap
- By Apr. 20, v0.14.2 was live, with native in-protocol proof verification and the infrastructure layer for encrypted balances
- Starknet launched strkBTC on May 12, locking BTC on Bitcoin's base layer to back an ERC-20 token that brings shielded balances into a smart contract environment at scale
- On May 7, it disclosed the five-member federation, and seven days later, the product went live
Summary
Starknet’s strkBTC launch highlights a broader Bitcoin privacy tradeoff, where the fastest way to shield BTC may be to move it into wrappers, sidechains or e-cash systems that add new trust assumptions. Starknet launched strkBTC on May 12, locking BTC on Bitcoin's base layer to back an ERC-20 token that brings shielded balances into a smart contract environment at scale. The token runs in the public mode, where it behaves like any other wrapped Bitcoin asset, and shielded mode, where users can hide selected balances and transfers from outside observers. Starknet routes viewing keys to an independent third-party auditor, preserving selective disclosure when regulators or counterparties require it. A five-member federation handles BTC movement between Bitcoin and Starknet, with its roadmap pointing to greater trust minimization.