Update Jul 18, 10:00 am UTC: This article has been updated to quote Eli Ben-Sasson.

StarkWare has achieved a historic milestone by successfully verifying its first zero-knowledge (ZK) proof using its new STARK verifier on the Bitcoin Signet network.

The development follows three months of firm exploration of the possibilities of “OP_CAT,” the technical proposal aimed at expanding the capabilities of the Bitcoin blockchain.

The verifier lays the foundation for developing ZK-based layer-2 (L2) solutions to improve Bitcoin scalability and push forward toward global payment opportunities.

Related: Starknet staking will hit mainnet in Q4 — EthCC

“OP_CAT” proposal

The “OP_CAT” proposal introduces smart contract functionality to the Bitcoin network, and while still undergoing the approval process, it is currently available on the testnet, Bitcoin Signet.

StarkWare’s ZK verifier is the first large-scale practical application of the proposal’s opcode on testnet. Its successful implementation on the Bitcoin Signet network carries several implications.

Speaking with Cointelegraph, Weikeng Chen, research partner at L2 Iterative Venture and contributor, explained that the ZK verifier “is something that [has] never been done before.”

“Many building blocks are needed, but [the] Bitcoin community has never built any of these building blocks before.”

Speaking with Cointelegraph, Eli Ben-Sasson explained that the speed with which this verifier technology reaches the BTC mainnet is “in the hands of the Bitcoin community.” 

Related: New open-source ZK-proof slashes SQL query times

Proof-of-concept and accessibility

The proof-of-concept for the STARK verifier involved solving a mathematical problem, verifying the 32nd number in the Fibonacci squared sequence.

According to Chen, the process took “tremendous effort” and a “significant amount of time.” With no information on ZK-proof use on Bitcoin, the team “started with nothing.”

Chen told Cointelegraph that it took the team “several months to write the building blocks from the very beginning.”

“We are basically the only team that actually implements the ZK verifier in Bitcoin. As we can confirm from different parties that we know, this is the first time that a ZK-proof has been verified.”

Unlike other Bitcoin scaling solutions that rely on fraud proofs or liveness, it is the first STARK-based solution publicly available to developers, with the code accessible on GitHub.

Related: StarkWare launches $1M research fund for ZK Bitcoin scaling

Starknet staking to hit mainnet in Q4

On July 10, at EthCC, StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson announced the company’s plans to introduce staking to Starknet by the end of 2024 .

Proposed through a Starknet improvement proposal (SNIP), the community approval would lead to new staking features that allow stakers to “gradually receive more responsibilities.”

Approval of the SNIP would allow users to become stakers provided they hold the minimum staking amount or delegate their holdings to an existing staker.

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