what's Ark Labs?

Ark Labs is a company focused on scaling Bitcoin through the development of the Ark protocol, a layer-two solution designed for fast, low-cost, and seamless off-chain transactions. Ark leverages a shared UTXO model to enable anonymous payments without requiring initial setup, closely mirroring Bitcoin's native UTXO paradigm while differentiating from other solutions like Lightning Network. This approach allows users to make Bitcoin transactions efficiently, reducing fees and settlement times. The protocol introduces Virtual Transaction Outputs (VTXOs), which enhance Bitcoin scripting expressivity by lifting smart contracts off-chain into payment channels and trees. This enables advanced features such as instant settlement via Virtual Channels and tokenized VTXOs through integrations like Lightning's Taproot Assets. Ark's design emphasizes security and Bitcoin-native mechanics, opening possibilities for new financial applications on the network. Ark Labs also develops Arkade OS, a platform for building and interacting with Ark-enabled applications, further supporting the ecosystem's growth in Bitcoin infrastructure.

Ark Labs' Ecosystem Lead Alex Bergé will speak at ETHDenver 2026.