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Starting today, our fully open-source hardware wallet, Blockstream Jade supports Miniscript. 

Use timelocks and more complex multisig arrangements for greater peace of mind and planning by pairing Jade with the Liana Bitcoin wallet.

Full details.

https://blog.blockstream.com/blockstream-jade-adds-support-for-miniscript/
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✍️ Blockstream Jade Adds Support for Miniscript 🔒

In the latest from Blockstream Research, Andrew Poelstra summarizes the past six months of innovation in Bitcoin Script, including Miniscript, Lamport signatures, BitVM, OP_CAT and discusses where they intersect.

https://blog.blockstream.com/script-state-from-lamport-signatures/
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🔑 Script State From Lamport Signatures

Is OP_CAT happening?

The covenants proposal was recently assigned BIP 347, and now it's up to the community to decide. Blockstreamer Kiara Bickers breaks down the pros and cons and attempts to answer the question on most Bitcoiners' minds: Is it safe?

https://blog.blockstream.com/op_cat-the-purr-fect-solution-for-covenants/

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🐱 OP_CAT: THE PURR-FECT SOLUTION FOR COVENANTS?

The v24.05 release of Core Lightning, codenamed "The Infinitely Divisible Satoshi," is now final!

v24.05 focuses on stability and QoL improvements, as well as addressing pain points around the pay command and recent gossip updates. Other updates include:

⚡️renepay plugin refactored
⚡️file descriptor limit is now auto-increased
⚡️faster block processing while synchronizing
⚡️massive documentation overhaul for RPCs

See all updates in the latest release blog👇

https://blog.blockstream.com/core-lightning-v24-05-the-infinitely-divisible-satoshi/

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⚡️ Core Lightning v24.05 "The Infinitely Divisible Satoshi" ➗

In March, the European Bitcoin-only Relai app activated non-custodial Lightning transactions through Greenlight. Now, it has scaled its offering to over 100,000 users. Learn about the integration process, challenges, and solutions in this case study.

https://blog.blockstream.com/case-study-relais-integration-of-greenlight-by-blockstream/
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⚡️ Case Study: Relai's Integration of Greenlight by Blockstream

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As we enter a new era powered by Bitcoin, those who have historically been left behind could lead the charge in scaling financial trust (by disintermediating it) not just locally but on a global scale. In doing so, they would transform from their status as outsiders into outstanding examples for us all of how to build fairer and more inclusive financial systems.

The latest from the Blockstream BD team, which dissects the writings of Nick Szabo and others:
https://blog.blockstream.com/scaling-trust-bitcoins-role-in-bridging-the-global-digital-divide/

🌐 Scaling Trust: Bitcoin’s Role in Bridging the Global Digital Divide


Episode #40 of Blockstream Talk with Relai app CTO Adem Bilican is out now! Tune in as host Jesse Knutson discusses the integration of non-custodial Lightning for over 100K European customers utilizing Greenlight. 

🎧 Listen: https://tinyurl.com/blockstreamtalk40
📺 Watch: https://youtu.be/a2tVgHiY0f4

⛈️ Relai's Non-Custodial Lightning Integration with Greenlight - BT #40

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Grassroots outreach and action, especially through local Bitcoin meetups, have been instrumental in transforming Bitcoin from a niche technology into a permanent fixture in finance.

Bitcoin's narrative is not shaped, for example, by an official marketing department or spokesperson, but by the persistent efforts of everyday people like you. This is why we are launching Blockstream Local, a new initiative designed to empower communities with the necessary tools and support to carry forward the legacy of grassroots Bitcoin education.

By joining Blockstream Local, your meetup will receive curated education resources, early access to new Blockstream products, and the ability to create a revenue stream, all of which can significantly amplify impact in your local community.

Read more and learn how to register today:

https://blog.blockstream.com/blockstream-local-meetup-support-and-grassroots-bitcoin-education/

📍 Blockstream Local: Meetup Support and Grassroots Bitcoin Education

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As the Liquid Network's technical provider, Blockstream is committed to making it easier to build on Liquid and the broader L2 ecosystem. These recent development efforts have culminated in the new Liquid Wallet Kit (LWK), a collection of Rust tools to build Liquid wallets.

The aim of LWK is to provide all the necessary building blocks for Liquid wallet applications development and simplify the life of developers by addressing common pain points of the current tooling. We want LWK to be a reference tool that can help reduce friction for Liquid integration, define ecosystem standards and productionize Liquid innovation.

Read more about what you can build with LWK today:

https://blog.blockstream.com/lwk-liquid-wallett-kit/

🧰 LWK: Liquid Wallets Made Easy 🌊

Check out episode #39 of Blockstream Talk! Host Jesse Knutson chats with Andrew Howard and Raúl Velasquez from JAN3 about Aqua wallet's innovative approach to Tether and Bitcoin. Discover JAN3 Financial's role in driving institutional adoption and its influence on global policies. Plus, get the scoop on Aqua's upcoming BTCmap integration and collaboration with Botev Plovdiv.

🎧 Listen: https://tinyurl.com/blockstreamtalk39
📺 Watch: https://youtu.be/i1kxB7JnX84

🎧 Streamlining BTC Layer-2 Payments Using Liquid and Lightning On Aqua Wallet

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Calling all developers! We're on a mission to refine our SDKs, libraries and dev resources. Share your experiences in our quick survey. Your insights drive our improvements! ⬇️

https://community.corelightning.org/c/developers/feedback-for-blockstream-sdks-libraries-dev-resources

📝 Feedback for Blockstream SDKs, Libraries & Dev resources 

We've just released episode #38 of Blockstream Talk, featuring insights from Blockstream Liquid Engineer Byron Hambly. We delve deep into Bitcoin's scalability, the development of layer-2 solutions and explore crucial topics like the blockchain trilemma and covenants on Bitcoin. We also discuss the significance of interoperability between the Lightning and Liquid networks for the global south.

📺 Watch: https://youtu.be/Jn-XKKcQ-NA
🎧 Listen: http://tinyurl.com/blockstreamtalk38

Beating the Bitcoin Blockchain Trilemma with Layer-2s - Blockstream Talk #38

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Last year, we improved upon Green's security and privacy fundamentals by wholly redesigning the mobile wallet for a more refined self-custody experience. In the latest 2.0.0 release of Green Desktop, users will get this same refreshed experience, including a more user-friendly interface for hardware wallet users, the ability to have one recovery phrase for both your Bitcoin and Liquid accounts, an all-new dashboard with Bitcoin price and fees, and much more!

https://blog.blockstream.com/blockstream-green-2-0-a-new-accessible-experience-for-bitcoin-desktop-wallets/

Blockstream Green 2.0: A New, Accessible Experience for Bitcoin Desktop Wallets


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Yesterday, we joined forces with leading digital assets platform Bitfinex Securities for the launch of ‘Bitcoin Capital,’ a new virtual roundtable series designed to explore the dynamic intersection of blockchain technology and traditional finance.

The first hour-long session featured legendary cryptographer and Bitcoin pioneer Dr. Adam Back, CEO and co-founder of Blockstream, and Paolo Ardoino, CTO of Bitfinex Securities. Together, they explored a range of topics, touching on everything from the projected impact of the recent Bitcoin ETF approvals to the role of tokenization in transforming the issuance of traditional financial instruments like securities, bonds, and even mortgages.

Get the recap below:

https://blog.blockstream.com/blockstream-and-bitfinex-securities-launch-new-bitcoin-capital-virtual-roundtable-series/

Blockstream & BFXSecurities Launch ‘Bitcoin Capital’ Virtual Roundtable Series

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After three months and 418 commits submitted by 36 contributors, the latest release of Core Lightning, v24.02, codenamed "Uint Needs Signature," is now out!

While mainly a maintenance release, there are numerous changes that node operators will love, as well as some under-the-hood improvements that will make it simpler and more affordable for users to run CLN, including:

⚡️Testnet fix
⚡️New recovery plugin for greater reliability
⚡️Optimization of block process (now >50% faster)
⚡️The gossip_store file can now be shared among multiple nodes
⚡️Bonus: Dual funding has officially been added to the Lightning spec!

Read more on the official Blockstream blog:

https://blog.blockstream.com/core-lightning-v24-02-uint-needs-signature/

⚡️ Core Lightning v24.02 Uint Needs Signature

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Join the inaugural Bitcoin Capital livestream with Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream, & Paolo Ardoino CTO of Bitfinex Securities, as we dive into Bitcoin's impact on the institutional landscape. Bridging academia, tech, and finance, we're exploring the future of finance, including:

🎫 Tokenized bonds
💰 Bitcoin layer-2s
💻 Digital securities

Hosted by Jesse Knutson, Head of Operations at Bitfinex Securities. Register for the livestream happening on February 27th at 5:00 PM CET. ⬇️

https://blockstream.com/bitcoin-capital/

Bitcoin Capital #1 with Adam Back and Paolo Ardoino

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A proposed solution to #Bitcoin scalability and lack of expressivity is the addition of new covenant opcodes. Each proposal has its own advantages, disadvantages, and trade-offs, but all include a certain level of Miner Extractable Value (MEV) risk. Given these inherent traits in the nature of programmable money, what level of risk is acceptable?

We explore this question by examining MEV and the limitations of Bitcoin Script. We also look at some of the covenant proposals, such as CAT + CSFS and CTV, as well as the new Simplicity blockchain language, an alternative to Bitcoin Script that is more expressive with static analysis and formal verification.

The latest from Blockstream Research:

https://blog.blockstream.com/miner-extractable-value-mev-and-programmable-money-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/

Miner Extractable Value (MEV) & Programmable Money: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

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We've just shipped Blockstream Talk #37 featuring one of the most important contributors to the open-source Liquid and Elements projects, and the Co-Founder of Vulpem Ventures, Marco Argentieri.

Jesse Knutson and Marco delve into Bitcoin layer-2 scaling solutions, from Liquid to Lightning and Ark, and discuss the incredible tools Marco has developed on Liquid, such as Marina Wallet, Fuji Money, and Tdex. They also cover covenants, sharing UTXOs, and bitcoin atomic swaps with Vulpem's latest offering, Banco. Dive into this conversation now to stay at the forefront of Bitcoin development.

🎧 Listen: https://blockstream-talk-23225031.simplecast.com/episodes/developing-bitcoin-commerce-with-layer-2s-and-vulpem-ventures-featuring-marco-argentieri-blockstream-talk-37
📺 Watch: https://youtu.be/RObIWrDmH7U

🎧 Developing BTC Commerce with Layer-2s and Vulpem Ventures ft Marco Argentieri

We’ve just dropped Blockstream Talk episode #36 featuring Samson Mow​, CEO of JAN3​, the new team behind the Aqua Bitcoin Wallet! Samson and host Jesse Knutson smash Liquid FUD, talk about how to nudge nation states towards #Bitcoin adoption, and explore the layer-2 tools needed to get them there.

🎧 Listen: http://tinyurl.com/blockstreamtalk36
📺 Watch: https://youtu.be/c_4yOGMJv44

⚡️ 🌊 Driving Global Adoption Using Bitcoin Layer-2s: Lightning and Liquid 

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The idea of advancing Bitcoin’s smart contract functionality is undeniably promising and exciting. But it’s important to acknowledge that each new proposal carries some degree of MEV risk—albeit likely not to the extent that we see on other chains. As we think about bringing more programmable money to Bitcoin, there are questions we have to ask:

- Can we build a protocol with zero MEV risk, or is this an unattainable ideal?
- Given the inherent risks of MEV in many proposals, what level of MEV risk is acceptable?
- And finally, what represents the simplest proposal that offers the greatest degree of expressivity?

Read more about the intersection of MEV and programmable money in our latest in Bitcoin Magazine:

https://bitcoinmagazine.com/technical/miner-extractable-value-mev-and-programmable-money-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly


MINER EXTRACTABLE VALUE & PROGRAMMABLE MONEY: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

https://youtu.be/9tVyApgoLZ4

On Bitcoin’s 15th birthday, we celebrate a tremendous year in Bitcoin development. We formalized the Blockstream Research team, revamped the Blockstream Green UX, and built out Blockstream Jade to service a planetary scale.

We launched the Greenlight Lightning-as-a-Service, fully open-sourced the Liquid Network functionary code, and helped integrate splicing to the Lightning Network spec through the Core Lightning development process.

We’re grateful to all of you who HODL’d alongside us throughout the journey. Thank you for engaging with our content, sharing your feedback, contributing to the open-source projects we maintain, and always challenging us to make Bitcoin infrastructure better and more accessible.

We’re excited to keep pushing towards hyperbitcoinization in 2024, and we hope you’ll join us for the ride! 📈