Computing on Bitcoin #89
May 15, 2026 - Week 20
Welcome to a new edition of Computing on Bitcoin News!
Here’s a roundup of recent developments shaping the broader computing-on-Bitcoin landscape.
Let's dive in!
A new announcement from Alpen Labs introduces Mosaic, a fault-proof verifier based on garbled circuits designed for optimistic verification on Bitcoin..
alpenlabs.io/blog
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Introducing Mosaic: Glock's final piece
The problem with cut-and-choose on Bitcoin is cost. Each saved copy normally requires its own set of signatures posted onchain to authorize evaluation, and Bitcoin charges permanent blockspace for every byte.
A new blog post by Sergio Demian Lerner analyzes the proposed Ecash chain and its drivechain-based architecture. The article compares drivechains with BitVM-style systems as approaches for trust-minimized Bitcoin sidechains.
rootstocklabs.com/blog
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Forkdropping: Why the eCash Chain Harms the Bitcoin Ecosystem
Drivechains, more precisely described as hashrate escrows or hashrate locks, are one of the approaches proposed to enable more decentralized sidechains. Paul Sztorc invented the idea of drivechains in 2015 and in 2016, I introduced an early drivechain proposal based on the COUNT_ACKS opcode.
A new roadmap update from Blockstream outlines upcoming work for the Liquid Network, including 0-conf payments, quantum-resistance research, and a BitVM-based bridge design
blog.blockstream.com
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Liquid Network Roadmap: 0-Conf, Quantum Readiness and BitVM
Over the last several years, Liquid has become an increasingly important part of how bitcoin is used every day, powering payments, asset issuance and programmable financial applications, often behind the scenes.
As the network’s technical provider, we are sharing an updated roadmap across the core development workstreams Blockstream believes will define Liquid’s next phase of growth.
A new report from Unchained Crypto covers the launch of strkBTC on Starknet. The roadmap includes future BitVM integration to reduce bridge trust assumptions, alongside longer-term plans for a trustless Bitcoin bridge enabled by OP_CAT.
unchainedcrypto.com
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Starknet Launches strkBTC, a Privacy-Enabled Bitcoin Wrapper Built on STRK20
The token is backed 1:1 by BTC locked on the Bitcoin base layer and redeemable at any time. STRK20 lets users toggle between a public mode, which behaves like any other ERC20 on Starknet, and a shielded mode, which hides balances and transfer amounts using zero-knowledge proofs. Users can move between the two states from within their wallet, with Xverse and Ready among the first wallets to support the asset.
Thanks for reading!
We’ll keep following the ideas and builders advancing this new generation of Bitcoin infrastructure.
Until next week,
The Fairgate Team