Starknet

The **Starknet track** at the Zypherpunk Hackathon received a significant boost, with prize money increasing from $10,000 to **$35,000**. **Key Details:** - Prize pool tripled for Starknet developers - Referral program offers up to **$1,000 per team** that reaches Top 3 - Builders can join via Telegram community **Participation:** - Full track details available in [Google Doc](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bU5_l7RcOkU64wkxdAcm-dm6lC5NFddr7rtJCAOAado/edit?usp=sharing) - [Telegram group](https://t.me/+R5ZUrnFTyNFjOWI1) for connecting with other developers This follows Starknet's previous hackathon efforts, including the Re{ignite} event that offered $33K+ in prizes plus follow-on funding opportunities. *Ready to build on Starknet? Join the hackathon and connect with the developer community.*

Starknet's core development team conducted their 39th full nodes call meeting on November 20, 2025. The meeting brought together developers working on Starknet's infrastructure to discuss technical updates and coordination. **Key Details:** - Meeting #39 in the ongoing series of core developer calls - Focus on full node operations and development - Part of regular coordination efforts for Starknet's technical progress These developer calls serve as important coordination points for maintaining and improving Starknet's network infrastructure. [Watch the meeting](https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1vOGwdOvkmqJB)

**Starknet's BTCFi era is gaining momentum** with over 1,000 BTC already bridged to the network in just three weeks. **Major infrastructure improvements are rolling out:** - Native USDC implementation via burn-and-mint model - LayerZero integration for enhanced interoperability - Stargate and CCTP v2 deployment - Privacy features in development **Stablecoin adoption hits new records** with $143M+ total value, representing 70% growth in 30 days. The shift from bridged USDC (USDC.e) to native USDC will eliminate wrapped tokens and reduce counterparty risk. **Benefits for users include:** - Unified liquidity across chains - Simplified user experience - Lower transaction costs - Direct institutional access via Circle Mint New DeFi products are launching weekly as the ecosystem expands beyond basic functionality into Bitcoin-focused financial services.

**BTCFi reaches major milestone** with over 1,000 BTC now bridged to Starknet in just three weeks. The integration represents early progress in bringing Bitcoin DeFi capabilities to the Ethereum Layer 2 network. - 1,000+ BTC successfully bridged to Starknet - Three-week timeframe shows rapid adoption - Additional products and use cases in development Starknet positions this as the beginning of their "BTCFi era" with more functionality planned for Bitcoin-based decentralized finance applications.

A significant DeFi development is coming to Starknet with a new perpetual DEX launching tomorrow. Built by former Revolut team members, it will introduce: - Leverage trading capabilities - Traditional finance asset pairs - Yield farming opportunities In other news: - Layer Akira adds 8 new tokens with $10k lottery campaign - RocketX now bridges ~180 chains to Starknet - Cartridge Controller adds Gmail login support - Byte Beasts integrates Worldcoin verification - New NFT collection Schizodio sells out in under 24 hours [Full weekly recap](https://starknetresearch.substack.com/p/starknet-roundup-182)

Starknet announces version 0.13.6, scheduled for Testnet on June 30 and Mainnet on July 8. This update lays groundwork for S-Two, StarkWare's next-gen STARK prover. Key improvements: - S-Two will cut proving time from 24 to 3 minutes for 2B L2 gas blocks - Proving costs expected to reduce by 50% or more - Resource counting enabled - Transaction costs and UX remain unchanged *Note*: Cairo Native temporarily disabled on Testnet, planned reintegration in Q3. [Full release notes](https://community.starknet.io/t/sn-v0-13-6-pre-release-notes/115680)

Asset Runes technology is enabling direct stablecoin trading on Bitcoin for the first time, eliminating the need for cross-chain bridges or wrapped tokens. The development is being implemented through @dot_swap's platform. - Trading is powered by an onchain orderbook - Features Full Mempool Protection - Currently in beta phase - Supports BTC to Rune swaps - Rune to BTC swaps being gradually implemented This marks a significant step toward native Bitcoin DeFi functionality without requiring users to leave the Bitcoin network.

Starknet is positioning itself as a unified development platform that allows builders to create applications that can leverage both Bitcoin and Ethereum networks simultaneously. Key ecosystem partners supporting development include: - OpenZeppelin - The Graph Protocol - Nethermind - OnlyDust - StarkWare - Starknet Foundation This cross-chain development capability represents a significant step toward blockchain interoperability, allowing developers to harness the unique strengths of both leading networks.

StarkWare has released a breakthrough research paper introducing ColliderVM, a new approach to scale Bitcoin that doesn't require OP_CAT. The technology enables stateful computation on Bitcoin without fraud proofs, potentially allowing Starknet to scale Bitcoin with or without OP_CAT implementation. In other key updates: - STRK staking v2 is now live on testnet with new validator parameters - DeFi Spring incentives launched for wBTC on Vesu - Braavos released a new Bitcoin vault product for bridging and yield generation - Multiple gaming projects advancing including Crimson Fate beta launch - Request Finance adds Starknet support for crypto/fiat operations

Starknet introduces Garaga SDK, enabling Noir developers to verify ZK proofs on Starknet without writing Cairo code. This collaboration between Aztec Network, StarkWare, and Starknet Foundation brings new capabilities: - Automatic generation of Cairo-based verifiers for Noir proofs - Simple two-step deployment process - Support for ZKML, L2/L3 appchains, and privacy-preserving dApps The integration expands Starknet's ZK toolkit and welcomes developers from multiple languages. Developers can now leverage Starknet's efficient proof verification while working in their preferred language. Learn more: [Noir on Starknet](https://www.starknet.io/blog/noir-on-starknet/)