News Heat Trend
Project Overview
StarkWare is an Ethereum layer-2 scaling protocol and one of the main zk-rollup solutions. It builds StarkNet, a permissionless decentralized ZK-Rollup, and StarkEx, a standalone permissioned Validity-Rollup, both of which are layer-2 scaling solutions for Ethereum using zero-knowledge rollup technology.
On-chain perpetual futures exchange Extended completes $12.5 million strategic funding round, led by eToro
on-chain perpetual futures exchange Extended has completed a $12.5 million strategic funding round, led by eToro, with participation from Jump Crypto.The project primarily operates an on-chain perpetual futures exchange built on StarkWare's StarkEx scaling engine. Founded by former Revolut employees, Extended opened for trading at the end of 2024. (financefeeds)
On-chain perpetual futures exchange Extended completes $12.5 million funding round, led by eToro
According to The Block, trading platform eToro announced on July 2 local time that it led a $12.5 million strategic financing round for the on-chain perpetual futures exchange Extended, with Jump Crypto also participating in this investment. This financing is closely tied to a strategic partnership with Zengo, eToro's self-custody wallet. Both parties will jointly explore the integration of traditional financial assets and decentralized trading environments, expanding on-chain access channels to global financial markets. Extended was founded by former Revolut employees, launched trading at the end of 2024, and is built on StarkWare's on-chain scaling engine StarkEx.
StarkWare 推出隐私 KYC 方案应对数据泄露
StarkWare 推出 STRK20 隐私代币标准，允许用户隐藏链上余额和交易详情，同时保留合规审查和监管披露机制。
Starknet launches strkBTC, bringing zero-knowledge privacy Bitcoin to Ethereum Layer 2
Odaily Planet Daily reported that Starknet, the Ethereum Layer 2 network developed by StarkWare, has officially launched strkBTC. This is a new Bitcoin-based asset designed to achieve private balances and anonymous transfers through zero-knowledge proof (ZK) technology while maintaining composability with DeFi applications. After its launch, strkBTC supports "re-anonymization," allowing assets to be bridged back to entirely new, unlinked Bitcoin addresses, and also provides compliance audit and asset screening features. (The Block)
Research teams including the Ethereum Foundation use AI to optimize algorithms, reducing the resource threshold for quantum cracking of BTC and ETH by 50%
Odaily News: Researchers from institutions including the Ethereum Foundation, Theta Labs, and StarkWare have jointly published a paper, using AI coding agents to deeply optimize the core operations of Shor's algorithm. The computing resources required for a potential quantum attack on Bitcoin and Ethereum (secp256k1 cryptographic system) have been reduced by more than 50% compared to Google's benchmark in March of this year. The number of logical qubits required for the circuit has been compressed to 1,151, and later versions have even been reduced to 813. Although current quantum hardware still cannot directly break public chains, the research shows that pure algorithmic optimization is significantly narrowing the time window for the quantum threat. The researchers emphasize that quantum-resistant upgrades take a long time and cannot be applied retroactively, and the industry needs to prepare defenses in advance. (Coindesk)
StarkWare Completes First Quantum-Resistant Bitcoin Transaction, Says Protocol-Level Upgrades Still Needed
According to The Block, StarkWare announced it has successfully executed the first post-quantum Bitcoin transaction. Avihu Levy, Head of Applications, used a "signature grinding" approach to repeatedly generate millions of candidate signatures before the transaction entered the Bitcoin mempool, thereby avoiding the exposure of mathematical data related to public keys that could be exploited by future quantum computers to forge signatures. This method incurs significant computational costs, with a single transaction potentially taking several hours. Because the transaction format is unrecognized by standard Bitcoin nodes, it bypassed the public mempool and was submitted directly to miners for inclusion via MARA’s Slipstream service. StarkWare noted that while this technique can serve as a transitional safeguard, Bitcoin will still require protocol-level upgrades or a hard fork to systematically mitigate quantum computing threats.
StarkWare Releases Starknet Quantum Resistance Roadmap
zero-knowledge scaling company StarkWare has released a Starknet quantum resistance roadmap, stating that the roadmap is divided into three phases to address the risk of future quantum computing attacks. StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson stated that Starknet can leverage its architectural advantages to achieve quantum resistance, as its underlying cryptography is based on zero-knowledge STARK proofs. According to reports, the first phase of the roadmap includes replacing part of the existing secure mathematical mechanism, Pedersen hash, with a quantum-resistant version, and adding quantum-resistant signatures; the second phase focuses on migration tools, upgrading existing smart contracts without requiring developers to manually rebuild applications; the third phase involves dependencies that Starknet cannot solve alone, primarily relying on Ethereum's quantum upgrade roadmap. Circle, Ethereum, Solana, Tezos, and Algorand have all proposed quantum resistance roadmaps. (Cointelegraph)
StarkWare Researcher Proposes Bitcoin Post-Quantum Transaction Scheme Without Soft Fork
According to The Block, Avihu Levy, a researcher at StarkWare, published a paper proposing the Quantum Safe Bitcoin (QSB) scheme, claiming it enables quantum-resistant transactions under Bitcoin’s existing script rules—without requiring a soft fork. This scheme replaces elliptic-curve cryptography with the RIPEMD-160 hash function via a “hash-to-signature” puzzle, thereby enhancing resilience against quantum attacks. The paper notes that QSB’s current per-transaction cost ranges from $75 to $150—significantly higher than today’s average transaction fee—and involves complex user experience; thus, it is recommended only as a “last resort.” The scheme remains constrained by script opcodes and size limits, and does not yet support all use cases—such as the Lightning Network. Compared to BIP-360—which requires protocol-level changes—QSB needs no modifications to the Bitcoin protocol, but remains experimental.
Starknet Community Votes Over 93.5% in Favor of Researching Transition to Independent Post-Quantum Layer 1; Whitepaper Expected in November
According to The Block, the Starknet community supported researching a transition from Ethereum Layer 2 to an independent quantum-resistant Layer 1 with over 93.5% of voting power in a seven-day Snapshot governance vote, with more than 2,800 wallets participating. StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson stated that the team plans to release a whitepaper draft for public review in November.
Starknet Launches Vote to Explore Transition to Independent Post-Quantum L1 Network
On October 8, StarkWare announced that it is actively exploring the possibility of Starknet evolving into an independent post-quantum L1 to gain greater control over its own security. The community has launched a non-binding poll to assess whether STRK holders support further research in this direction.
Starknet Considers Transitioning to an Independent L1, Aims to Become the First Fully Quantum-Resistant Network by 2027, STRK Up About 20% in 24 Hours
Odaily News: Starknet, the Ethereum scaling network built by StarkWare, has stated that it is actively considering transitioning into an independent Layer 1 (L1) network and has set 2027 as its target for becoming the first fully quantum-resistant network. STRK was trading at approximately $0.073 on Friday, up about 20% in 24 hours and more than double its price of around $0.03 in April.StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson said that after becoming an L1, Starknet would be able to control security upgrades on its own without waiting for Ethereum to advance related work. As a Layer 2 (L2) network, Starknet currently relies on Ethereum for security; after transitioning to an L1, it will validate and secure transactions itself.Eli Ben-Sasson pointed out that quantum computers may in the future break the elliptic curve cryptography used by Bitcoin and Ethereum, and that AI's development in mathematics also poses another risk. Ethereum's roadmap is expected to complete core quantum-resistant infrastructure around 2029, while Starknet plans to move that up to 2027; currently, no quantum computer is capable of breaking these systems. (Decrypt)
No soft fork required: StarkWare verifies quantum-safe locking scheme on Bitcoin mainnet, but it is not yet suitable for large-scale use
Starknet has published an introduction to its Quantum-Safe Bitcoin (QSB) scheme, stating that StarkWare researchers have verified a quantum-safe locking mechanism on the Bitcoin mainnet that requires no soft fork, no new opcodes, and no changes to consensus rules. The first QSB output was spent on August 26, 2026, in Bitcoin mainnet block 964,199, with the associated GPU computation cost reduced from approximately $320 to about $50. QSB builds its locking mechanism through hash computation, but each transaction still requires substantial computation, and moving assets into the scheme still requires a traditional transaction that carries quantum risk. The transaction does not comply with Bitcoin Core's default relay rules, and there is currently no accompanying wallet, address format, or recovery process. StarkWare stated that QSB is an emergency research solution, and that the long-term solution still requires the introduction of post-quantum signature mechanisms via a soft fork. Starknet's full quantum resistance also depends on the progress of Ethereum's underlying upgrades.
Starknet considers transitioning to L1 to independently drive quantum-safe upgrades, potentially implementing them as early as 2027.
StarkWare Co-founder and CEO Eli Ben-Sasson stated that Starknet, which relies on Ethereum's underlying security as an L2, is currently considering multiple options including transitioning to an L1, in order to independently control its network's security transition and address cryptographic risks posed by quantum computing and AI.
Research teams including the Ethereum Foundation use AI to optimize algorithms, reducing the resource threshold for quantum cracking of BTC and ETH by 50%
Odaily News: Researchers from institutions including the Ethereum Foundation, Theta Labs, and StarkWare have jointly published a paper, using AI coding agents to deeply optimize the core operations of Shor's algorithm. The computing resources required for a potential quantum attack on Bitcoin and Ethereum (secp256k1 cryptographic system) have been reduced by more than 50% compared to Google's benchmark in March of this year. The number of logical qubits required for the circuit has been compressed to 1,151, and later versions have even been reduced to 813. Although current quantum hardware still cannot directly break public chains, the research shows that pure algorithmic optimization is significantly narrowing the time window for the quantum threat. The researchers emphasize that quantum-resistant upgrades take a long time and cannot be applied retroactively, and the industry needs to prepare defenses in advance. (Coindesk)
Related news
Abdel Bakhta, Head of AI at StarkWare, Announces Departure to Focus on AI Security
Abdel Bakhta, Head of Applied AI and Verifiable Intelligence at StarkWare, announced his departure from StarkWare in a post, stating that AI security has become his primary focus over the past year. He believes AI security is one of the critical challenges facing humanity, and that disciplines like mathematics and cryptography will play a pivotal role in addressing it, prompting him to shift the focus of his future work to this area.
Starknet Community Votes Over 93.5% in Favor of Researching Transition to Independent Post-Quantum Layer 1; Whitepaper Expected in November
According to The Block, the Starknet community supported researching a transition from Ethereum Layer 2 to an independent quantum-resistant Layer 1 with over 93.5% of voting power in a seven-day Snapshot governance vote, with more than 2,800 wallets participating. StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson stated that the team plans to release a whitepaper draft for public review in November.
Starknet Launches Vote to Explore Transition to Independent Post-Quantum L1 Network
On October 8, StarkWare announced that it is actively exploring the possibility of Starknet evolving into an independent post-quantum L1 to gain greater control over its own security. The community has launched a non-binding poll to assess whether STRK holders support further research in this direction.
StarkWare Launches OffMarket, Polymarket Users Can Trade Anonymously
According to The Block, StarkWare has officially launched the OffMarket privacy trading service to the public, allowing users to trade on Polymarket without publicly linking their account identities. Since August this year, the service has entered a limited beta testing phase. Built on Starknet zero-knowledge technology and operating via a shared privacy pool, the pool currently holds approximately $1.5 million in assets and has recorded around 17,000 cumulative deposits. The current maximum deposit per account is 1,000 USDC, which StarkWare stated will be dynamically adjusted based on demand. OffMarket operates on a fully non-custodial model where users retain control of their own keys. Orders are executed on Polymarket's native markets under identical pricing and fee structures, with private trades taking approximately one minute to execute and withdrawals requiring a few minutes. Notably, OffMarket is not an official Polymarket product, nor does it have a formal partnership with the platform, and it also explicitly prohibits access for US users.
Starknet Considers Transitioning to an Independent L1, Aims to Become the First Fully Quantum-Resistant Network by 2027, STRK Up About 20% in 24 Hours
Odaily News: Starknet, the Ethereum scaling network built by StarkWare, has stated that it is actively considering transitioning into an independent Layer 1 (L1) network and has set 2027 as its target for becoming the first fully quantum-resistant network. STRK was trading at approximately $0.073 on Friday, up about 20% in 24 hours and more than double its price of around $0.03 in April.StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson said that after becoming an L1, Starknet would be able to control security upgrades on its own without waiting for Ethereum to advance related work. As a Layer 2 (L2) network, Starknet currently relies on Ethereum for security; after transitioning to an L1, it will validate and secure transactions itself.Eli Ben-Sasson pointed out that quantum computers may in the future break the elliptic curve cryptography used by Bitcoin and Ethereum, and that AI's development in mathematics also poses another risk. Ethereum's roadmap is expected to complete core quantum-resistant infrastructure around 2029, while Starknet plans to move that up to 2027; currently, no quantum computer is capable of breaking these systems. (Decrypt)
No soft fork required: StarkWare verifies quantum-safe locking scheme on Bitcoin mainnet, but it is not yet suitable for large-scale use
Starknet has published an introduction to its Quantum-Safe Bitcoin (QSB) scheme, stating that StarkWare researchers have verified a quantum-safe locking mechanism on the Bitcoin mainnet that requires no soft fork, no new opcodes, and no changes to consensus rules. The first QSB output was spent on August 26, 2026, in Bitcoin mainnet block 964,199, with the associated GPU computation cost reduced from approximately $320 to about $50. QSB builds its locking mechanism through hash computation, but each transaction still requires substantial computation, and moving assets into the scheme still requires a traditional transaction that carries quantum risk. The transaction does not comply with Bitcoin Core's default relay rules, and there is currently no accompanying wallet, address format, or recovery process. StarkWare stated that QSB is an emergency research solution, and that the long-term solution still requires the introduction of post-quantum signature mechanisms via a soft fork. Starknet's full quantum resistance also depends on the progress of Ethereum's underlying upgrades.