Key Notes
- The Starknet Foundation has awarded a grant to Alpen Labs to accelerate the development of a shared verifier for the broader Bitcoin ecosystem.
- Glock technology uses garbled circuits and claims up to a 1000x reduction in on-chain verification costs compared to previous models like BitVM.
- The initiative aims to unlock BTCFi use cases, such as native staking and borrowing, without relying on less secure wrapped assets or multisig setups.
Starknet is collaborating with Bitcoin BTC $110 614 24h volatility: 1.8% Market cap: $2.21 T Vol. 24h: $73.91 B research firm Alpen Labs to build a highly secure, trust-minimized bridge connecting the two networks.
The partnership, confirmed on October 15, aims to unlock advanced decentralized finance (DeFi) capabilities for native Bitcoin holders directly on the Starknet platform.
1/ Wrapped BTC paved the way, but it’s time for the next evolution.
Together with @AlpenLabs , we’re building the most trust-minimized bridge possible between Bitcoin and DeFi.
No honest majorities. No wrappers. Just pure, verifiable BTC on Starknet 🧵 pic.twitter.com/a1bWzrgZgW
— Starknet (BTCFi arc) (@Starknet) October 15, 2025
A New Security Model to Protect Bitcoin
This initiative moves away from traditional bridging models that often introduce significant security vulnerabilities.
According to details in the project’s announcement and technical whitepaper , many existing solutions rely on trusted multisignature setups where signers could collude to steal funds.
To avoid this, Glock uses a two-party computation protocol based on garbled circuits. This design allows for complex verification without revealing private inputs from either chain, removing the need for trusted intermediaries.
Starknet’s Strategy to Become a Bitcoin Hub
The collaboration is a key part of Starknet’s stated commitment to scaling Bitcoin, a plan first detailed in March 2025 as part of its broader “BTCFi on Starknet” initiative.
Furthering this goal, the Starknet Foundation awarded a grant to Alpen Labs for the development and audit of a shared Glock verifier, which is intended to be a public good for the wider Bitcoin ecosystem.
The push is backed by a 100 million STRK incentives program designed to boost development on the network. Alpen Labs claims its technology is highly efficient, with specific Glock25 variants achieving over 430-550x efficiency versus models like BitVM2.
The new bridge will allow users to stake and borrow their Bitcoin without wrapping the asset, and the announcement was met with a positive reaction from the crypto community.
This development arrives as the broader Bitcoin market navigates turbulence. The ecosystem recently experienced a heavy drawdown, underscored by market volatility that led to over $19.35 billion in liquidations .
Despite these challenges, institutional conviction appears to remain, as exemplified by Strategy Inc.’s ongoing corporate accumulation of 220 BTC .
