Consumer Apps Find Home on Starknet with Lower Costs

A roadmap for Bitcoin DeFi (BTCFi) infrastructure is taking shape, moving from today's wrapped asset model toward fully trustless solutions. **Current State:** - BTCFi currently relies on wrapped Bitcoin assets - Trust assumptions remain a limitation **The Path Forward:** - **Near-term:** Trust-minimized Bitcoin bridges (like Bitlayer's BitVM Bridge) - **Mid-term:** ColliderVM-powered infrastructure - **Endgame:** Fully trustless BTCFi through OP_CAT or similar secure implementations Bitlayer's BitVM Bridge represents a step toward this vision, enabling Peg-BTC - a 1:1 Bitcoin asset usable across DeFi protocols without custodians. The approach focuses on trust-minimization rather than wrapped tokens, allowing users to borrow, lend, and earn yield with actual Bitcoin. Ankr provides the infrastructure backbone with scalable RPC and global performance. [Read Bitlayer's technical deep dive](https://blog.bitlayer.org/introducing_bitvm_bridge/)

Starknet has released its privacy plan for 2026, marking a significant development in the Layer 2 ecosystem's approach to user confidentiality. **Key Points:** - The roadmap outlines new privacy features and implementations planned for the coming year - Builds on previous privacy improvements noted in late 2025 - Represents a notable shift in Starknet's technical direction The announcement has generated attention within the developer community, though specific technical details of the implementation remain to be fully disclosed. This follows positive sentiment around Starknet's privacy landscape from October 2025. For those interested in Layer 2 privacy solutions, reviewing the full plan may provide insights into upcoming changes in the ecosystem.

Extended App has announced the addition of copper trading to its platform. This expansion follows the platform's recent listing on Coinbase, broadening its commodity trading offerings beyond its existing products. The move signals Extended's continued growth in traditional asset tokenization and trading infrastructure.

**Interoperability Breakthrough** Starknet integrated LayerZero, connecting to 160+ ecosystems and enabling cross-chain functionality. STRK is now tradable on Solana's DeFi ecosystem, while AVNU launched cross-chain swaps supporting 200+ assets from 10+ networks. **Key Infrastructure Updates** - StarkGate and Stargate Finance bridges now support SolvBTC and wBTC transfers between Ethereum and Starknet - S-two proving stack is now fully open-source with EVM verification support - Ethereum Foundation's Open Intents Framework is compatible with CairoVM on testnet **Ecosystem Developments** - Bitwise filed a STRK ETF application - Ekubo Protocol switched to swap fees, quadrupling revenue - AVNU v2 launched with gas-free UX and unified product view - Extended listed Silver, offering 6 TradFi assets onchain - Uncap Finance added tBTC and SolvBTC collateral support - Privacy Pools went live on mainnet - Cartridge acquired gaming platform Playmint Multiple protocols raised funding rounds while new vaults and pools expanded DeFi options across the network.

The **Starknet Foundation** is hosting an online hackathon focused on privacy, Bitcoin, and zero-knowledge (ZK) technology. **Key Details:** - Start date: February 1 - Prize pool: $21,500 - Focus areas: Privacy, Bitcoin integration, and ZK proofs - Registration still open for a few more days The hackathon invites developers to build applications leveraging Starknet's ZK-rollup technology. Participants can explore privacy-preserving solutions and Bitcoin-related projects using zero-knowledge cryptography. Interested developers should register soon as the event begins February 1st.