what's citrea?
Citrea is the first ZK-Rollup for Bitcoin that makes Bitcoin programmable through zero-knowledge technology. The project enables the development of ₿apps (Bitcoin-native applications) that are non-custodial and inherit Bitcoin's security while being EVM-compatible. Citrea uses a BitVM-based trust-minimized bridge called "Clementine" and leverages Bitcoin as a data availability layer. The project completed one year of testnet operations, having posted over 1GB of testnet state directly to Bitcoin Testnet4. Citrea raised $14M in Series A funding led by Founders Fund, with notable investors including Balaji Srinivasan, Jameson Lopp, and Erik Voorhees. The ecosystem features over 30 live ₿apps including DEXs, lending platforms, and other DeFi applications. The project is preparing for mainnet launch with ongoing "Unfreeze ₿apps" campaigns and has conducted multiple hackathons with 120+ builders participating. Citrea combines Bitcoin's security with smart contract expressivity, featuring ZK proofs for transaction security, soft finality for fast confirmations, and cross-chain infrastructure capabilities.
Gabe Parker speaks on Bitcoin rollups/infrastructure at The Tie's Innovator Webinar Jan 14, 2026.
Links
x.com/citrea_xyzGabe Parker from Business Development is speaking at The Tie's Innovator Webinar on January 14, 2026 (12-1pm ET) about Bitcoin rollups and infrastructure.
Partners with Ledger to sponsor ETHGlobal's first Demo Day event on November 19 in Buenos Aires, featuring 10 teams from the ETHGlobal ecosystem.
Announces successful completion of Risc0-to-BitVM Trusted Setup Ceremony, the first trusted setup ceremony for ZK proofs verified by BitVM on Bitcoin.
KalqiX, a zk-based orderbook DEX, goes live on Citrea Testnet, offering privately computed and verifiably settled on-chain trades.
Mainnet launches without forced inclusion feature, preventing users from withdrawing funds if the sequencer censors their transactions, while the team works on designs for a Bitcoin shielded pool with privacy capabilities.
Tangelo, the final testnet fork before mainnet, launches today with all audit fixes incorporated and improvements to the fee mechanism.
TGE expected between now and end of year 2025, listed among Bitcoin network projects planning token launches.
Final ₿apper Session X Spaces with spineprotocol scheduled for October 30th at 1pm UTC about the Unfreeze ₿apps Campaign.
All audits for the Citrea rollup and Clementine BitVM-based bridge are complete, marking full completion of the audit phase ahead of mainnet launch.
signalswtf offers range-based BTC price prediction markets on Citrea.
Mainnet Day 1 is referenced in community engagement post, indicating mainnet launch is occurring or imminent.
Team schedules X Spaces with namoshi_xyz on October 24th at 1pm UTC to discuss the Unfreeze ₿apps Campaign.
Team hosts X Spaces with JuiceSwap on October 21st at 1pm UTC about the Unfreeze ₿apps Campaign.
BitVM bridge research competition concludes with $64,051.87 distributed to three researchers who reviewed Clementine, a BitVM-based two-way peg for trust-minimized BTC bridges.
Announces partnership with 0xPivot for Open Demo Day where ecosystem projects can apply to present to investors and Web3 founders, with applications due October 21st.
Alchemy integration is now live, offering developers enterprise-grade infrastructure and real-time WebSocket support.
Research competition concludes with $36,938 distributed across top three researchers who reviewed the ZK rollup on Bitcoin L1.
Hosts ₿apper Session #11 X Spaces with Elitra on October 16th at 4pm UTC to discuss the Unfreeze ₿apps Campaign.
Utilizes RISC Zero's zkVM and Bonsai proving service for trusted execution proofs.
Sponsored ETHGlobal New Delhi Hackathon from September 26-28, awarding $10k in prizes with 23 projects submitted and 4 winning bounties across 2 tracks, while hosting a workshop on building on the platform.
Announces partnership with ZentraFinance for Unfreeze ₿apps Campaign, hosting joint X Spaces discussion on October 1st at 1pm UTC.
Listed among Bitcoin network projects planning Token Generation Events in Q4, following previously announced mainnet launch for Token2049 period.
Testnet has posted 1GB+ of state data to Bitcoin Testnet4 and completed 5+ hackathons distributing $24K+ in total prizes.
Co-creator presents at ETH Istanbul on bringing Bitcoin liquidity to applications through Bitcoin bridge and secured application layer.
Sponsors BitVM Alliance Night in Istanbul alongside major Bitcoin Layer 2 projects including Fiamma Labs, BOB, Bitlayer Labs, and GOAT Rollup, targeting Bitcoin developers with keynotes and technical discussions.
Announces "Unfreeze Testnet" with 10 specific access codes for user participation and ₿apper Badge NFT rewards for testers.
Launches two new applications: privacy solution surpassing CoinJoin capabilities and miner-incentivizing system through bribing mechanism.
Mainnet launch planned for Token2049 period following successful testnet with 31.8K users and 9.3K completed quests.
First range-based prediction market Signals deploys on platform, featuring continuous outcome scoring mechanism
Expands ecosystem presence to Cosmos network, speaking alongside Turkish Government and major protocols at Cosmos Istanbul IV with 420+ registrants.
Expands presence beyond Bitcoin++ to multiple major crypto events including ETHIstanbul, Cryptist, and BitVM Alliance Night during Builders Week Istanbul (Sep 1-7).
New testnet campaign launches with ₿apper Badge NFT rewards for testing multiple Bitcoin DeFi applications, requiring completion of all app-specific tasks.
Secured major presence at Bitcoin++ Scaling Edition conference in Istanbul (Sep 3-5) as sponsor and technical workshop leader
Seven DeFi applications and four infrastructure partners confirmed ready on testnet, including lending protocol Nectra, ve(3,3) DEX Satsuma, and Swiss-licensed on/off ramp DFX.
New BTCFi ecosystem collaboration formed with Stacks Asia, Rootstock, and Dappio to promote Bitcoin productivity.
Protocol implements dual mechanism: op_return for BitVM challenges and inscriptions for rollup state updates.
LayerZero integration confirmed for mainnet, powering canonical USDT and USDC implementation.
Series A funding round of $14M led by Founders Fund completed in October 2024, bringing total raise to $16.7M with participation from Erik Voorhees and Balaji Srinivasan.
Public audit competition launches with $100K prize pool, running until August 15.
Testnet integrates with Leap Wallet (1M+ installs), enabling multi-chain asset management across 200+ chains.
Testnet access now restricted with invite codes no longer available. Entry limited to notable contributors only.
Bitcoin Light Client launches with SPV proof verification capabilities, enabling on-chain Bitcoin transaction verification and consensus-anchored applications.
Development roadmap reveals trusted setup ceremony for Risc0-to-BitVM and Bitcoin apps community campaign preceding mainnet launch.
$16.7M funding round secured from Founders Fund, Galaxy, DAO5, Mirana Ventures, and Maven11 Capital, with mainnet launch targeted for 2025 following audits and trusted setup.
Native liquidity layer Satsuma launches public testnet with swap, stake, and liquid staking capabilities.
New dVRF infrastructure goes live on testnet through Supra Labs partnership, enabling verifiable randomness for Bitcoin-powered applications.
First successful ZK proof verification achieved in single Bitcoin testnet transaction, enabling programmable layer capabilities.
Partners with RISC Zero/Boundless foundation for ZK infrastructure, joining ecosystem of 30+ teams including Taiko and Lido Finance.
Bitcoin-backed stablecoin protocol Nectra launches testnet and incentive program through Origins accelerator.
Structured BTC yield products launch on testnet through Caddy Finance partnership, introducing wcBTC vault with cBTC vault planned.
Four ₿apps have launched from stealth mode, indicating growing ecosystem adoption.
Bitcoin Research Day event announced for June 26 in NYC during Permissionless week.
New ₿apps hackathon launches with $10k grant pool, workshop scheduled for June 17
New partnership with KRNL Labs enables enhanced cross-chain development tools for ecosystem builders.
New Blake3 optimization improves BitVM proof verification efficiency, enhancing bridge operations and ZK proof generation.
New BitVM-based bridge called Clementine enables cross-chain functionality.
Four new applications launching on platform: Tanari (Bitcoin financial platform), SatsumaDEX (DEX), Nectra (stablecoin/loans), and Crest (trading app).
Celestia integration provides data availability solution for Bitcoin applications infrastructure.
First ZK rollup implementation enables smart contracts and DeFi functionality on Bitcoin without custodial risk, featuring account abstraction and social recovery capabilities.
Project requires specific Bitcoin Core relay policy features for transaction accessibility across all miners.
New atomic swap feature launches on testnet, enabling BTC-to-Citrea swaps through Garden Finance partnership.
RedStone price oracle integration goes live, providing price feeds for over 1,250 assets.
Whitepaper livestream featuring BitVM inventor and Babylon cofounder occurs in 2 hours.
First complete BitVM bridge design deploys on testnet with Tangerine upgrade activation.
Price prediction protocol 'Signals' achieves ETHGlobal finalist status, enabling accuracy-based rewards for Bitcoin price predictions.
Attending multiple events in APAC: EthTaipei, ETHGlobal, Web3 Festival in Hong Kong, ETH Seoul and EASYCON Seoul.
Bitcoin scaling solution using zk technology, EVM-compatible, focusing on Bitcoin DeFi ecosystem development.
Mentioned as a solution to risky cross-chain bridges. Team described as a "gold mine". Recent funding round completed.
Announced Series A funding round, working on making Bitcoin programmable using ZK technology powered by RISC Zero's zkVM.