Computing on Bitcoin #55
September 05, 2025 - Week 36
Welcome to another edition of the Computing on Bitcoin Newsletter. This week we're at BTC++ Istanbul, one of the most relevant events on Bitcoin scailing.
Here, we shared BitVMX updates, discussed about Bitcoin programmability and scalability, and presented our latest protocols: FLEX and WISCH, both designed to push Bitcoin’s efficiency forward.
As builders, we aim to address critical challenges in Bitcoin interoperability and data efficiency, making complex systems cost-effective and practical to deploy.
We hope you enjoy this week's selected articles. Let's dive in.
Rootstock has announced the upcoming Reed 8.0.0 upgrade. Alongside peg-out cost reductions and expanded PowPeg decentralization, Reed introduces new Secp256k1 precompiles that lay the foundation for the Union Bridge — a trust-minimized, verifiable bridge powered by BitVMX.
rootstock.io/blog
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Reed 8.0.0
Rootstock Reed 8.0.0 will activate in Mainnet at block 8,052,200. According to the current conditions of the network, activation is likely to occur on October, 1st, 2025, at around 5 pm UTC. In the case of Rootstock Testnet, the upgrade will happen at block 6,835,700, which is expected to occur on September 17th, at around 6 pm UTC.
A new post by BOB announces the next phase of its BitVM Bridge testnet, introducing fraud proofs for security and using Fairgate's Transfer of Ownership Protocol (TOOP) to reduce the need for operators to front capital. The upgrade will open-source the bridge code in Q4.
gobob.xyz/blog
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BOB BitVM Bridge Testnet Upgrade
In traditional BitVM2/3, the BitVM instances specify during setup which parties can receive the BTC - these recipients are the operators. Operators can only withdraw from a BitVM instance after sending users an equivalent amount of BTC (minus fees) from their own wallets. TOOP removes this requirement entirely.
A new post highlights BitVM creator Robin Linus, who argues that “Bitcoin’s purpose is payments—store of value is just a neat byproduct.”
coinmarketcal.com
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Bitcoin is for payments; store of value is ‘just a neat byproduct’: BitVM creator
The dominant narrative around Bitcoin has shifted heavily toward “digital gold” and institutional investment, and many influential voices, like Dorsey and Linus, argue this misses the project’s original spirit and shortchanges its long-term relevance.
“The cypherpunk vision was clearly electronic cash for private, peer-to-peer payments. The ‘digital asset’ narrative came later from others. Strange that this is even controversial”.
That’s all for this week’s Computing on Bitcoin News.
Thanks for following along as the Bitcoin ecosystem grows more secure, and decentralized.
We’ll be back next Friday with more stories from the frontier.
—The Fairgate Team