Zero-Knowledge Rollup Citrea Deploys BitVM Bridge on Bitcoin Testnet
Zero-knowledge rollup Citrea has successfully deployed its BitVM bridge on the Bitcoin testnet, marking a significant milestone in the integration of Ethereum-style smart contracts on the Bitcoin network. The bridge, named Clementine, leverages BitVM technology to enable advanced computing capabilities and pave the way for zero-knowledge computations.
Citrea, a Bitcoin-focused project that secured $2.7 million in seed funding led by Galaxy in February, aims to position Bitcoin as a fundamental layer for global finance. The deployment of the BitVM-based bridge Clementine underscores Citrea’s commitment to leveraging Bitcoin’s security and decentralization for innovative financial applications.
In a blog post published in March, the Citrea team detailed Clementine as a “trust-minimized two-way peg program,” enabling users to lock up Bitcoin on the main chain and mint equivalent Bitcoin tokens for use on Citrea. This process, which involves burning the token to withdraw Bitcoin on the main blockchain, ensures seamless interoperability between the two networks.
BitVM, conceptualized by Bitcoin developer Robin Linus, introduces a novel computing paradigm that enables Ethereum-style smart contracts on Bitcoin. This technology not only facilitates complex computations but also lays the foundation for zero-knowledge proofs, enhancing privacy and security on the network.
One of the key advantages of Citrea is its compatibility with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), allowing seamless migration of Ethereum applications to the Citrea platform. This interoperability simplifies the deployment of smart contracts and decentralized applications, enabling developers to leverage both Bitcoin’s security and Ethereum’s functionality.
BitVM serves as a crucial bridge connecting rollups to the Bitcoin network, enabling off-chain settlement of transactions to alleviate congestion and reduce fees. By compressing programs into sub-programs using cryptographic techniques, BitVM enables efficient execution of computations within Bitcoin transactions, as outlined in a white paper authored by Linus and his team.
For more insights on Bitcoin’s scalability solutions, check out our article on Bitcoin Layer 2 Rootstock Verifying Zero-Knowledge SNARK.