ENFR

Off-Chain Media articles

Reporting and explainers on Bitcoin, its tools and its protocols.

BitcoinJuly 18th, 20266 min read

Bull Bitcoin drags DAC8 before the Conseil d’État to have it canceled and draws a line in the sand

Bull Bitcoin announces that it has brought the French decree transposing DAC8 before the Conseil d’État, even though the company has just obtained its MiCA authorization. Behind this apparent paradox, Théo Mogenet, Managing Director of Bull Bitcoin Europe, defends a simple line. A Bitcoin platform can accept entering the European framework, without accepting that compliance becomes the systematic collection of sensitive data.

More stories
BitcoinMay 29th, 202621 min read

What Is Bitcoin? The Digital Currency Challenging Gold and Central Banks

Bitcoin is often treated as a speculative asset, but its purpose is more structural: to offer a scarce, verifiable digital currency without a central issuer. Here's how it works, what problem it solves, and why it matters beyond ETFs and exchanges.

Layer 2May 8th, 20265 min read

What is Citrea? The Bitcoin rollup powered by BitVM?

While Bitcoin still concentrates most of the liquidity in the crypto market, its use remains largely limited to value transfer and long-term holding. This contrasts with other ecosystems where on-chain financial applications have expanded significantly. It is within this context that Citrea emerges, aiming to make Bitcoin programmable without modifying its base protocol.

LightningMay 8th 20265 min read

What Is E-Cash? David Chaum’s Confidential Transaction Protocol on Bitcoin

E-Cash is making a comeback in the Bitcoin ecosystem through protocols like Cashu and Fedimint. At its core lies an older idea: enabling digital payments that are as private as physical cash, without exposing every transaction to a public ledger or a centralized intermediary.

Layer 2May 7th, 20265 min read

What is Rootstock? The Bitcoin sidechain for smart contracts

Bitcoin was designed as a monetary system, not as a programmable platform. Yet over the past few years, several solutions have attempted to extend its capabilities without modifying its core protocol. Rootstock fits into this trend: a sidechain aiming to bring smart contracts to the Bitcoin ecosystem.

Layer 2May 7th, 2026

What is the Liquid Network? Bitcoin’s private and scalable sidechain?

Bitcoin was designed as a robust monetary system, but with intentionally limited capacity. To address these constraints, several solutions have emerged to improve its usability. Among them, the Liquid Network takes a different approach: a sidechain focused on speed, privacy, and asset issuance.

Layer 2May 6th, 20265 min read

What are Ordinals, Runes, and other inscriptions on Bitcoin?

Since 2023, a new practice has emerged on Bitcoin: inscriptions. Images, text, tokens, and various files can now be recorded directly on the blockchain. Behind this shift, several protocols, Ordinals, BRC-20, and later Runes, have emerged in succession. Their appearance has expanded Bitcoin's possible use cases while reigniting a long-standing debate about the network's purpose.

Layer 2May 6th, 20265 min read

What is RGB, the ultra-scalable and highly confidential Bitcoin Layer 2?

Bitcoin was designed as a robust and decentralized monetary system, but its architecture naturally limits the complexity of applications built directly on its blockchain. For several years, different solutions have attempted to extend its capabilities without modifying its core rules. The RGB protocol follows this approach, with a radically different design: moving contract execution off-chain while preserving Bitcoin's security.

Layer 2May 5h, 20265 min read

What is BitVM? The protocol that enables Layer 2 rollups on Bitcoin

Since its inception, Bitcoin has been designed as a simple, robust monetary system with intentionally limited programmability. Unlike blockchains such as Ethereum, it does not natively support complex smart contracts. Yet, the demand for more advanced applications on Bitcoin continues to grow, pushing developers to explore new approaches. This is where BitVM comes in.

BitcoinApril 3rd, 20263 min read

Bitcoin in El Salvador – Historic Adoption or Imposed Decision?

In 2021, El Salvador became the first country in the world to grant Bitcoin the status of legal tender. Four years later, the decision remains one of the most debated in the ecosystem. To understand the reality on the ground, Off-Chain Media went to the country to find out for itself.