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13 articles

Lightning

LightningJune 2nd, 202620 min read

What is Spark? The Bitcoin Layer 2 behind the new wave of self-custodial wallets

Spark is a Bitcoin Layer 2 based on statechains and shared signing. It gives wallets a way to offer a Lightning-like payment experience without taking direct custody, but its self-custody guarantees are weaker than holding bitcoin directly on L1.

Layer 2May 31th, 202615 min read

What is the Ark protocol? The missing piece to make Bitcoin a scalable everyday currency

Bitcoin is often described as a store of value, a form of “digital gold” meant to be held rather than spent. Yet, to function as a true monetary system, it must also enable payments that are fast, simple, and accessible. While solutions like the Lightning Network have significantly improved this aspect, they still introduce a level of complexity that limits adoption. It is in this context that the Ark protocol emerges.

LightningMay 30st, 202620 min read

What Is the Lightning Network? Bitcoin's Payment Layer Explained

The Lightning Network is Bitcoin's payment layer, enabling instant, low-cost transactions without compromising decentralization. Discover why it exists, how it solves Bitcoin's scaling limits, and whether it is a viable long-term solution or just an intermediate step in Bitcoin's evolving monetary infrastructure.

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, 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 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 2April 2nd, 20263 min read

Ark Makes Its Mainnet Debut – Is Arkade the Perfect Bitcoin Layer 2?

At Baltic HoneyBadger 2025 in Riga, Arkade completed its first live demonstration on the Bitcoin mainnet. As the first implementation of the Ark protocol, this second-layer infrastructure aims to make Bitcoin programmable without touching its protocol or relying on the wrapped tokens that have long undermined competing solutions.

BitcoinDecember 30, 20255 min read

Is Bitcoin (BTC) Really a Currency?

Often labeled as “digital gold” or dismissed as a speculative asset, Bitcoin (BTC) is already used by many as a tool for payments, saving, and protection against inflation. But does that make it real money?

SovereigntyFebruary 4, 202514 min read

What is Nostr? Everything you need to know about this protocol dedicated to decentralized social networks

Nostr is a truly decentralized protocol that serves as the foundation for a new kind of social network. Thanks to an innovative architecture, this protocol allows users to control their data and resist censorship, without relying on centralized servers. What Web3 promised but didn’t deliver, Nostr achieves. Discover how it works.

Layer 224th August 202412 min read

Covenants, OP_CAT, and OP_CTV: Everything You Need to Know About Bitcoin's Upcoming Update

Bitcoin is gearing up for a new evolution with the potential introduction of covenants through opcodes like OP_CAT and OP_CTV. This update could profoundly change Bitcoin’s programming capabilities. Discover the implications of this innovation for Bitcoin and BTC.