Computing on Bitcoin #59
October 03, 2025 - Week 40
Welcome to a new edition of Computing on Bitcoin News.
This week, we’re reporting from BTC++ Berlin, focusing on Bitcoin Payments and Lightning, critical building blocks for scaling and driving broader adoption.
As always, we bring you the latest breakthroughs and emerging ideas on programmable and scalable Bitcoin.
Let’s dive in.
The BitVMX team released the open source Protocol Builder, a library for designing Bitcoin protocol flows as transaction graphs. It automates construction, signing, and validation of pre-signed transactions while supporting Taproot, timelocks, CPFP, and multi-signature schemes.
bitvmx.org/knowledge
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New BitVMX Open Source Components Delivery: Introducing the BitVMX Protocol Builder – Graph-Based Transaction Design for Bitcoin
This component enables developers to define, simulate, and manage Bitcoin protocol flows as directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) of pre-signed transactions. It abstracts away the complexity of crafting multi-step Bitcoin interactions, allowing protocols to be built from composable, auditable, and broadcast-ready units.
GOAT Network launched the BitVM2 Beta, a public testnet for what it calls the first ZK rollup directly on Bitcoin.
goat.network/blog
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GOAT Network Bets on Fast ZK Proofs to Capture Bitcoin Layer 2 Yield
Its new testnet uses a distributed system of GPU-powered nodes that process blocks, aggregation, and Groth16 proofs, in parallel. According to GOAT, this setup eliminates bottlenecks and allows for near-instant withdrawals.
Rootstock has activated the Reed upgrade, strengthening its PowPeg, cutting peg-out costs by 60%, and paving the way for more decentralized bridging. Reed also lays the foundation for the upcoming Union Bridge, a trust-minimized design powered by BitVMX, set to become one of the most secure Bitcoin bridges to date.
rootstock.io/blog
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Developer Resources: Reed Network Upgrade
Reed will allow for a new PowPeg composition change that activates Segregated Witness (Segwit) support for the PowPeg, cutting BTC peg-out costs by 60%. This makes Rootstock more accessible and capital-efficient, reducing the cost of moving Bitcoin back to mainnet and improving the user experience across BTCFi applications.
Horizen Labs has launched zkVerify, a dedicated L1 blockchain for zero-knowledge proof verification. By offloading heavy computation from apps and other chains, zkVerify aims to cut verification costs by over 90% while supporting multiple proof types and multichain attestations.
cointelegraph.com/news
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New zkVerify L1 blockchain wants to speed up and lower cost of crypto ZK-proofs
According to zkVerify, ZKP verification on networks like Ethereum can cost up to $60 per proof during high congestion, with verification consuming up to 300,000 gas units. zkVerify promises to enable cost reduction of at least 90% compared to verifying directly on L1s.
“Heavy math instead of original app or chain”
To cut verification costs, zkVerify provides a dedicated verification layer by separating proof verification from settlement on L1s.
Thanks for tuning in to this week’s Computing on Bitcoin News.
We’ll return next Friday with more insights, tools, and stories from across the decentralized stack.
The Fairgate Team