Author: dfmines

Sidechain developer StarkWare and Weizmann Institute of Science researchers claim to have created a workaround for multiple Bitcoin script limitations.According to a recent research paper, the new design claims to allow the deployment of complex smart contracts on Bitcoin in a more capital-efficient manner. The new system may also be vastly more efficient from a computing standpoint.ColliderVM is a protocol designed to enable stateful computation on Bitcoin, allowing multi-step processes to be securely executed over multiple transactions. Traditionally, Bitcoin script output is not accessible to other scripts, making complex calculations nearly impossible.The researchers argue that ColliderVM could allow the use of Scalable Transparent Arguments of Knowledge (STARKs) — a type of zero-knowledge proof — on Bitcoin without requiring consensus-level changes to the network. The architecture would let Bitcoin verify complex offchain computations with minimal onchain data.ColliderVM targets Bitcoin limitationsEach Bitcoin block can contain up to 4 million OPCodes (commands) across all transactions, and a single Bitcoin script can contain up to 1,000 stack elements (data entries). Furthermore, stateless execution means that each script executes without memory of previous state or intermediate computations from earlier transactions, making complex computations impractical.The BitVM implementation from a 2023 paper by Robin Linus from Bitcoin research firm ZeroSync allowed for complex smart contracts on Bitcoin but required fraud proofs. Fraud proofs are cryptographic proofs that prove a particular transaction or computation was performed incorrectly, possibly triggering corrective actions.Fraud-proof implementation typically requires operators to front capital for potential corrective actions. In BitVM, operators pay an advance to cover potentially fraudulent transactions, recovering the capital after the fraud-proof window closes.The new system is also more efficient from a computing point of view, compared with previous implementations, but still expensive. Previous implementations used cryptographic one-time signatures (Lamport and Winternitz) that were notably computationally heavy.ColliderVM draws from the November 2024 ColliderScript paper by researchers from StarkWare, web services firm Cloudflare and Bitcoin sidechain developer Blockstream. This system relies on a hash collision-based commitment setting a challenge to produce an input that, when run through a hash function, produces an output with pre-determined features.Related: A beginner’s guide to the Bitcoin Taproot upgradeThis setup requires significantly fewer computing resources from honest operators than from malicious actors.Computational resources needed by honest and malicious actors depending on collision difficulty. Source: ColliderVM paperHash, but no food or weedA hash is a non-reversible mathematical function that can be run on arbitrary data, producing a fixed-length alphanumeric string. Non-reversible means that it is impossible to run the computation in reverse to obtain the original data from a hash.This results in a sort of data ID identifying data to the bit, without containing any underlying data.Hash function examples. Source: WikimediaThis system — somewhat resembling Bitcoin (BTC) mining — requires significantly fewer hash operations compared to BitVM, reducing both script size and processing time. ColliderVM researchers claim to have reduced the number of those operations even further, by at least a factor of 10,000.The researchers seemingly suggest that this implementation is nearly making a STARKs-based Bitcoin sidechain practical. The paper reads:“We estimate that the Bitcoin script length for STARK proof verification becomes nearly practical, allowing it to be used alongside other, pairing-based proof systems common today in applications.”STARKs are a ZK-proof system recognized for their scalability and trustless nature (no trusted setup is needed). ZK-proofs are a cryptographic system that allows users to prove a particular feature of a piece of data without revealing the underlying data.Many early ZK-proof systems necessitated a one-time secure setup that relied on “toxic waste” data. If a party were to keep hold of the toxic waste, it would allow them to forge signatures and generate fraudulent proofs. STARKs do not rely on such a setup, making them trustless.Traditional implementation of STARK verifiers would require scripts that exceed Bitcoin’s limits. Now, researchers behind ColliderVM argue that their more efficient system approaches make an onchain verification script for STARK-proofs “nearly practical.”Related: Bitcoin sidechains will drive BTCfi growthBitcoin-based trustless sidechains?Bitcoin is widely considered the most secure and reliable blockchain, but its critics raise issues with its feature set being significantly more limited when compared to many altcoins. Sidechains such as Blockstream’s Liquid exist, but are not trustless.Director of research at blockchain firm Blockstream and mathematician Andrew Poelstra told Cointelegraph as far back as 2020 that ZK-proof-based systems are “one of the most exciting areas of development” in the cryptography space. Cypherpunk, a developer cited in the Bitcoin white paper and Blockstream founder, explained in a 2014 paper that more work was needed to implement trustless ZK-proof-based sidechains on Bitcoin.Still, even 10 years later, a system based on ColliderVM would be trust-minimized rather than trustless. This is because users would still need to trust that at least a minimal subset of network participants will act honestly to ensure the correct functioning of the system.The study’s lead authors include Eli Ben-Sasson, co-founder of StarkWare, along with researchers Lior Goldberg and Ben Fisch. Ben-Sasson is one of the original developers of STARKs and has long advocated for the use of zero-knowledge proofs to improve blockchain scalability.In a recent interview with Cointelegraph, StarkWare co-founder Ben-Sasson noted that a real Bitcoin layer-2 solution would need to have “the security of Bitcoin itself.” Instead, current solutions rely on trust in signers or fraud-proof-based economic incentives. Still, he recognized the Lightning Network:“We should also acknowledge there’s, of course, today, lightning networks, which have the security of Bitcoin.“Magazine: ‘Bitcoin layer 2s’ aren’t really L2s at all: Here’s why that matters

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Crypto analyst Kevin (@Kev_Capital_TA) has shared a chart that overlays the Global Liquidity Index (yellow, plotted above) on top of Dogecoin’s price action (candlesticks in purple, plotted below). The visual comparison highlights a number of parallel channels and key trend lines that have previously aligned with turning points in Dogecoin’s trajectory. Explosive Dogecoin Setup Amid Liquidity Shift While the Global Liquidity Index has traded within a downward sloping channel – its lower boundary repeatedly capturing local lows marked by orange circles – the price of Dogecoin itself has broken out and retested a long-term sloping trend line that stretches back to its explosive price run in early 2021. The chart shows Dogecoin’s dramatic rise from less than a cent in 2020 to its all-time high of around $0.74 in 2021, before retreating to what appears to be significant support around $0.15. The analyst’s Fib retracement overlay shows the 0.382 level at around $0.14225, an area of technical importance that has attracted renewed attention. The current price action is depicted as settling around a zone where the multi-year descending trend line (yellow) retest meets the 0.382 Fib level, circled on the chart as a potential turning point. Related Reading: Dogecoin Bullish Divergence Plays Out, Analyst Maps Next Price Targets Meanwhile, the Global Liquidity Index at the top of the image has shifted within a downward price channel of its own, suggesting a broader contraction in available market liquidity over the past year. As can be seen, each contact with the lower boundary of the channel has coincided with a notable turning point in Dogecoin’s price movement. The repeated circular markers emphasize moments where the liquidity curve dipped and Dogecoin subsequently carved out local or macro bottoms. This synchronization, argues Kevin, should prompt traders to pay attention because it may herald a rebound if liquidity inflows stabilize or begin to rise again. Related Reading: Dogecoin Whales Offload Over 1.32 Billion DOGE In 48 Hours – Risk-Off Or Panic Selling? Why does the Global Liquidity Index matter for Dogecoin? In general, high liquidity levels can signal greater capital flowing into risk-on assets, especially memecoins like DOGE. When the Global Liquidity Index trends lower, it often reflects tighter financial conditions worldwide. Historically, Dogecoin’s most explosive moves—such as the meteoric rally of 2021—emerged when broader liquidity was on the rise, fostering an environment that helped accelerate trading volumes across the crypto landscape. Kevin’s chart offers no guarantees, but it does underscore an area where Dogecoin’s historic support lines, fib retracement levels, and a bottoming global liquidity channel all converge. Whether this confluence will serve as a catalyst for the next Dogecoin rally remains to be seen, but the chart makes a compelling case to monitor how the Global Liquidity Index evolves—and what it might mean for the ever-popular meme-inspired cryptocurrency. At press time, DOGE traded at $0.15723. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com

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XRP is currently priced at $2.003 to $2.011 over the last hour, supported by a market capitalization of $117 billion and a 24-hour trading volume of $3.60 billion. Trading activity has remained concentrated within an intraday range of $1.93 to $2.03, as technical indicators across multiple timeframes show signs of possible reversal or continuation setups […]

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Even with the Ethereum price struggling amid the market downturn, there are still some who remain bullish on the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap. One of those is pseudonymous crypto analyst NotWojak, who took to the TradingView website to share a rather bullish prediction for the Ethereum price that goes contrary to the current market sentiment. Bearish Ethereum Price Downtrend Coming To An End The Ethereum price is still stuck in an apparent downtrend. However, according to the crypto analyst, this could be ending anytime soon with two supply zones coming up. So far, there have been multiple liquidity sweeps across major levels, sending the Ethereum price towards lower lows. Nevertheless, this could turn bullish soon as they could suggest a reversal is coming for the cryptocurrency. Related Reading: This Crypto Analyst Predicted The Bitcoin Price Crash At $97,000, He Just Released Another Forecast Currently, the two supply zones called out by the analyst are the $1,425 and $1,600 level. As they explain, the $1,425 level has already been mitigated during the latest retracement. So, this leaves only the $1,600 level unmitigated. As such, this could easily turn this level into resistance in the event of an uptrend. Despite sellers still dominating currently with high volumes pouring into the market, the crypto analyst puts the bottom before $1,350. In this case, this level could be potential support and the breakout could begin from here. The target for this major breakout has been placed 20% above the current level, with the analyst setting a high $1,835 target. This could lead to further upside, especially if resistances are easily cleared from here. ETH On-Chain Ethereum’s profitability has plummeted with the price decline as only 32% of all investors are seeing any profit on their positions. On the other side, 65% of all holders are in losses and only 2% are sitting at breakeven price, according to data from the on-chain data aggregation website, IntoTheBlock. Related Reading: XRP Price Forms Rounded Bottom Within Descending Channel, Target Set Above $3 Ethereum whales have also been very active during this time and this could mean that large investors have been behind the selling that has crashed the ETH price. Large transactions rose from $4.8 billion to $6.48 billion by April 9 as the Ethernet price dropped back below $1,500. Average transaction size also grew during the this time from $4,048 to $5,415. This suggests that investors are moving more coins at the time, which could explain the increased selling that has plagued the cryptocurrency. If this continues, then the ETH price could see further crashes from here. At the time of writing, the Ethereum price was trending at $1,544, down 4.56% in the last day. Featured image from Dall.E, chart from TradingView.com