Latest Bitcoin TLDR Newsletters

Jul 28 - Aug 3, 2025

Calvin Kim, alongside Tadge Dryja and Davidson Souza, proposed three Bitcoin Improvement Proposals (BIPs) focusing on Utreexo, aimed at enhancing Bitcoin's efficiency and scalability by enabling transactions verification without the entire Unspent Transaction Output (UTXO) set. The BIPs, still in the conceptual phase, are available for community feedback on [GitHub](https://github.com/utreexo/biptreexo), highlighting the collaborative effort toward improving Bitcoin's infrastructure and potentially lowering barriers to operating full nodes. Gloria Zhao announced the release candidate for Bitcoin Core version v29.1rc1, a significant step in the cryptocurrency's development, available for testing with binaries from [Bitcoin Core's official website](https://bitcoincore.org/bin/bitcoin-core-29.1/test.rc1/) and source code on [GitHub](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/tree/v29.1rc1). This version aims to enhance software reliability and stability, with community feedback playing a crucial role in identifying issues before the final release, emphasizing the importance of community involvement in Bitcoin's ongoing development. Christopher Allen highlighted Blockchain Commons' integration of FROST signing with Bitcoin transactions, improving multisignature processes and resilience. A demonstration will be showcased at the Gordian meeting, accessible via a Zoom link, with a focus on addressing challenges in integrating FROST with Bitcoin's Taproot. The initiative aligns with Blockchain Commons' educational goals, extending learning to FROST and BDK technologies, and emphasizes community engagement for navigating architectural and security complexities. In a discussion led by glozow, a proposal to lower Bitcoin Core's minimum relay feerate was outlined, motivated by observations of low-fee transactions being mined and concerns over block relay and network DoS attack prevention. The discussion on [GitHub](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/33106) invites further insights into balancing network robustness with accessibility, reflecting ongoing efforts to adapt Bitcoin's infrastructure to evolving transaction patterns and market conditions.

Jul 21 - Jul 26, 2025

Tim Ruffing announces the release of libsecp256k1 version 0.7.0, highlighting significant updates aimed at enhancing the library's stability, efficiency, and type safety, including the transition of constant context objects to constant pointers and the full support for CMake as a build system. This version also streamlines the API by deprecating old function aliases for private key operations, promoting a more consistent naming convention that benefits developers within the Bitcoin ecosystem. The comprehensive changelog is accessible for developers seeking detailed insights into the improvements ([GitHub page](https://github.com/bitcoin-core/secp256k1/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md)). Josh Doman explores the potential benefits and considerations of adding P256 support to Bitcoin, emphasizing the technology's widespread adoption across the internet and mobile devices which could significantly enhance user experience and security. The introduction of P256 could facilitate self-custody through secure enclaves, like those in Apple iCloud Keychain and Android Keystore, while also potentially lowering costs for collaborative multi-signatures, despite historical concerns regarding NIST's involvement. Technical adjustments, such as those proposed in BIP341 and the distinction between key types in Tapscript, could mitigate P256's slower validation speeds, underscoring the opportunity for improved onboarding and hot wallet security without compromising the use of secp256k1 for cold storage ([source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/8fbe1fe3-425d-4056-8387-993f6ecc1been@googlegroups.com/T/#u#mca69ad88296255cb304bb3f4c79e85cde6424d81)). A recent study published in the Cryptology ePrint Archive by Tim Ruffing et al., examines the post-quantum security of Bitcoin's Taproot, suggesting that with script-path spending and under certain assumptions, it remains secure against quantum attacks. The research proposes a softfork upgrade path incorporating post-quantum signatures to enhance Bitcoin's scripting language, which could be implemented before the widespread advent of quantum computing to disable vulnerable Schnorr and ECDSA signatures, ensuring Bitcoin's long-term security ([research paper](https://eprint.iacr.org/2025/1307)). A novel approach to Proof of Work (PoW), detailed in a groundbreaking paper shared by zawy, introduces a method to utilize global computational resources for matrix multiplication to "merge mine" a new blockchain coin. This Proof of Useful Work (PoUW) concept challenges traditional PoW models by suggesting a more efficient and secure consensus mechanism without the need for high energy consumption, potentially offering a sustainable and revolutionary alternative to Bitcoin's mining paradigm ([new paper](https://x.com/hashdag/status/1933544298810622335)).

Jul 14 - Jul 20, 2025

Ava Chow's analysis reveals a marked increase in productivity and engagement within the Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) process following the introduction of new BIP Editors, underscoring both the positive impact of this change and the emerging challenges related to workload distribution among the editors. This development suggests a potential need for reevaluation of roles to maintain the BIP process's efficiency ([source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/8285fb0c-119b-42b8-a530-194650b87ebe@achow101.com/T/#u#m7f9a4ce8f164664e3f2a6e37326db8db7e879875)). Ethan Heilman highlights Ava Chow's proposal for allocating Witness Versions based on mnemonic significance rather than numerical order to enhance user understanding and safety in Bitcoin transactions, reflecting a thoughtful consideration of usability and security within the cryptocurrency space ([source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/d5b68a7e-0eea-465d-95f5-9cb6557697d8@achow101.com/T/#m85ff10bc45c57c63caf3bb3bffc08d6ce02735b1)). Block's open-sourcing of its Bitcoin fee estimation library, Augur, represents a significant contribution to the Bitcoin development community, offering a novel, real-time approach to transaction fee estimation based on live mempool data. This initiative, alongside the development of a benchmarking tool for performance assessment, highlights Block's commitment to improving the accuracy and efficiency of Bitcoin fee estimation ([source](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/augur-block-s-open-source-bitcoin-fee-estimation-library/1848)). Concurrently, advancements in cryptographic structures, as discussed by Jesse Posner and others, suggest a promising compatibility between lattice-based mechanisms and existing Bitcoin Improvement Proposals, indicating a significant potential for enhancing blockchain security and privacy in the face of quantum computing threats ([source](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/post-quantum-hd-wallets-silent-payments-key-aggregation-and-threshold-signatures/1854)).

Jul 7 - Jul 13, 2025

Recent discussions in the Bitcoin development community have highlighted key advancements and proposals aimed at enhancing the network's functionality and security. Ethan Heilman's contributions to the Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 360 (BIP-360) focus on fortifying Bitcoin against quantum computing threats by adapting Pay to Quantum Resistant Hash (P2QRH) into a taproot format, excluding quantum-vulnerable key-spend paths. This adjustment aims to integrate seamlessly with the existing taproot infrastructure, enhancing protection against potential quantum attacks without necessitating immediate consensus changes for emergency interventions [GitHub](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/pull/1670). Greg Sanders, alongside Antoine Poinsot and Steven Roose, has introduced a technical proposal to improve Bitcoin's infrastructure through functionalities like the "Next transaction" feature, signature verification, and taproot internal key enhancements. Their proposal, incorporating `OP_TEMPLATEHASH`, is designed to be Taproot native, simplifying the implementation process and enhancing efficiency and security within the Bitcoin network [GitHub](https://github.com/instagibbs/bips/blob/bip_op_templatehash/bip-templatehash-csfs-ik.md). On another front, the RGB project, led by Maxim Orlovsky, has achieved a significant milestone with the stable release of its consensus layer, RGB-I-0, after years of development. This release marks a crucial step in client-side validation technology, aiming to provide a stable foundation for contract developers and issuers to deploy contracts on both Bitcoin mainnet and testnet. The release includes integration of zk-STARK support, enhancing the protocol's functionality, and signifies the beginning of forward compatibility for contracts, reducing issues related to backward compatibility due to consensus-level changes [RGB-6 document](https://github.com/RGB-WG/RFC/blob/master/RGB-6.md). These discussions and developments underscore the ongoing efforts within the Bitcoin community to address potential threats, improve network infrastructure, and enhance the security and functionality of the Bitcoin ecosystem.

Jun 30 - Jul 6, 2025

Antoine Poinsot highlighted concerns over the potential denial-of-service (DoS) risks associated with activating BIP54 in Bitcoin, given the existence of 2500 legacy signature operations that could be invalidated and lead to non-compliance under current standards. This scenario underscores the fragility in the network's defenses against DoS attacks by unupgraded miners. To mitigate these risks, a proposal has been made to deem such transactions as non-standard, delaying BIP54's activation until there is significant assurance of network-wide hash rate support. This cautious approach, captured in Bitcoin Core PR 32521, aims for inclusion in the upcoming 30.0 release, reflecting a proactive stance on network security and stability. [More details](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/49dyqqkf5NqGlGdinp6SELIoxzE_ONh3UIj6-EB8S804Id5yROq-b1uGK8DUru66eIlWuhb5R3nhRRutwuYjemiuOOBS2FQ4KWDnEh0wLuA=@protonmail.com/T/#u#mef6b7bfe28a931d7674bf5be6ce9ae6c1293e5c4) In another discussion, a 16-year-old Bitcoin enthusiast, referred to as BitMan, proposed developing a fully open-source, community-driven satellite communication system akin to Elon Musk's Starlink for Bitcoin. This ambitious project aims to allow users to broadcast transactions and update the blockchain independently of centralized internet service providers, enhancing Bitcoin's resilience and censorship resistance. Despite acknowledging the significant financial and technical hurdles, the proposal is driven by a vision of true decentralization and global accessibility for Bitcoin, striving for operation almost entirely off-grid. [Read more](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/09feeb35-5ce8-4198-ba70-5d63698796ban@googlegroups.com/T/#u#m998e9310efb497fef2387ef6733124fe5b83d1b1) Lastly, Josh introduced a new library inspired by a comment from @sjors on a Bitcoin pull request, aimed at reducing QR code sizes for wallets by 30-40% through more efficient encoding of descriptors, including those with private keys. This advancement enhances QR and NFC communication reliability, facilitating easier sharing and storage of complex multisig configurations. The library, which supports a wide range of descriptors and features a straightforward API for encoding and decoding, signifies a step forward in making Bitcoin wallet coordination more efficient and user-friendly. The encoder's development is a testament to the community's ongoing efforts to improve Bitcoin's usability and accessibility, with further information and documentation available on GitHub and docs.rs. [Explore the library](https://github.com/joshdoman/descriptor-codec)

Jun 24 - Jun 30, 2025

Ava Chow announced the release of Bitcoin Core 28.2, which introduces new features, bug fixes, and performance enhancements, aiming to make the software more accessible globally. This version, available for download on the [Bitcoin Core website](https://bitcoincore.org/bin/bitcoin-core-28.2/), maintains compatibility with older wallet versions and supports a wide range of operating systems. It emphasizes the importance of community contributions, acknowledging individuals like 0xB10C, achow101, and Sjors Provoost for their roles in the development process. Significant changes include improved build processes, compatibility adjustments, and documentation updates, with detailed instructions provided for upgrading from older versions. In a separate discussion, roasbeef proposes reimagining onion messaging within the Lightning Network (LN) to address limitations of the current model by establishing an overlay layer bootstrapped using the LN gossip layer. This approach aims to enhance deployment speed, privacy, and payment efficiency by reducing reliance on the channel graph, allowing for incremental adoption and facilitating key management improvements. The technical foundation for the overlay involves a series of TLV-based handshake messages for secure onion messaging link establishment, promising better scalability, flexibility, and innovation in LN communications. The proposal, detailed at [Delving Bitcoin](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/reimagining-onion-messages-as-an-overlay-layer/1799), highlights the potential for a more efficient and private messaging infrastructure within the LN ecosystem.

May 26 - May 28, 2025

Recent discussions among the Bitcoin developer community have spotlighted several pivotal issues and proposed innovations aimed at enhancing the network's resilience and user experience. Peter Todd highlighted an ongoing sybil attack on Libre Relay nodes, revealing a sophisticated effort to obstruct transactions and elevate operational costs for genuine nodes. This situation underscores the evolving challenges in securing transaction relay mechanisms against malicious activities ([source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/CAHTn92zkmfw2KwZCTRyGhnYPASWBUoLaxV65ASYpPeBUpX1SWw@mail.gmail.com/T/#mb7e09e4cf5025afb55251e57fadd6eaba37fd471)). In another vein, Aviv Bar-el introduced a "Well-Known Bitcoin Identity Endpoint," aimed at streamlining Bitcoin transactions by facilitating the discovery of payment and contact information through a simple HTTPS protocol. This initiative seeks to extend the utility of Lightning Addresses, highlighting a stride towards more efficient and user-friendly transaction processes ([source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/CAEbZFSsA49mnsVia7L-0k9S=oa93nCN4KudHdK8ZnSbboenohw@mail.gmail.com/T/#u#m6ee6a01d2cfe8842946e0812a9726d7213b45d74)). The conversation also touched upon the imperative of fortifying Bitcoin against quantum computing threats. Tadge Dryja discussed the potential of implementing post-quantum cryptography within the Bitcoin protocol to counter the advancements in quantum computing that could compromise the current cryptographic safeguards. This debate underscores the critical need for forward-thinking strategies to ensure the long-term security and viability of Bitcoin in the face of evolving technological landscapes ([source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/CAFC_Vt6gqV-8aoTKt2it1p9LAnvaADueHnC1cM6LQojZf6fjCw@mail.gmail.com/T/#m0085c639b6b596d9aecdc731d3afa917208fb8d4)). In summary, these discussions reflect the Bitcoin community's ongoing efforts to address both immediate and future challenges through technical innovation and strategic planning. The community's proactive approach to tackling issues related to security, usability, and quantum computing demonstrates a commitment to maintaining Bitcoin's integrity and functionality amidst a rapidly changing technological environment.

May 19 - May 25, 2025

Recent discussions in the cryptographic and Bitcoin communities have highlighted several key developments and challenges. Bas Westerbaan's exploration into "jpeg resistance" across various signature schemes reveals a spectrum of vulnerability, with traditional hash-based signatures lacking resistance, whereas RFC 8391 XMSS introduces enhancements to counteract manipulation attempts. This discourse underscores the complexity of ensuring digital signature security against sophisticated attacks, necessitating ongoing innovation in cryptographic practices ([source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/CAMjbhoU=PCUwbhWFbqCbOdZc+ybmREJmmt1K1TuHrCTncKH6VA@mail.gmail.com/T/#me741815bcd4a23a7fe6fbb0c1938016b3683a47a)). Jonathan Voss and the Bitcoin community's debate over the network's use for non-monetary data transmission, particularly through Citrea's Clementine Bridge proposal, reflects the broader discussion on blockchain utility beyond financial transactions. The proposition of a configurable data blob relay service within the Bitcoin protocol suggests a pragmatic approach to balancing the original monetary purpose with emerging technological demands, aiming to ensure network efficiency and relevance ([source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/a2fde16d-5ddd-47ae-8b8f-6ca313d92b66n@googlegroups.com/T/#u#m818954f6c0bf0fbb079d57f94a7814796b3e6091)). In the realm of secure cryptocurrency wallets, the dialogue led by pithosian emphasizes the technical intricacies involved in generating airgapped wallets. The discussion sheds light on the critical importance of using alternative entropy sources and the role of specialized tools in enhancing security measures. This conversation mirrors the broader effort within the cryptocurrency development community to make advanced cryptographic tools more accessible while ensuring users are well-informed about security practices ([source](https://gnusha.org/pi/bitcoindev/4c376336-1fe3-4b1c-b13b-8dcc2075e758n@googlegroups.com/T/#mee90c7498624e29f71da681d6d1259741113b8ea)). Lastly, the LN spec meeting's focus on the privacy implications of HTLC hold times illustrates the intricate balance between user experience and privacy within the Lightning Network. The discussion on encoding hold times and the potential for protocol changes to enforce privacy-preserving practices reveals the ongoing challenge of aligning network efficiency with the need for robust privacy measures ([source](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/latency-and-privacy-in-lightning/1723)).

May 12 - May 17, 2025

Chris Stewart proposes a significant upgrade to Bitcoin's Script numerical capabilities, aiming to enhance precision and functionality by expanding the range of numeric operands and results for arithmetic operations. This proposal, documented on GitHub, seeks to lay the groundwork for future monetary amount integrations into Script, representing a potential leap forward for Bitcoin scripting capabilities ([GitHub repository](https://github.com/Christewart/bips/blob/2025-03-17-64bit-pt2/bip-XXXX.mediawiki)). The Bitcoin community is engaging in a vibrant debate over proposed changes to OP_RETURN limits and the management of mempools, highlighting concerns over spam transactions, blockchain bloat, and the implications for network health. These discussions underscore the community's commitment to scrutinizing potential modifications to Bitcoin's core code to ensure they align with the network's long-term interests, as evidenced by the extensive overview provided on Stacker News ([Stacker News Overview](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/a-comprehensive-op-return-limits-q-a-resource-to-combat-misinformation/1689)). Moonsettler's discussion draws attention to the inefficiency of peer-to-peer (P2P) value transfers in Bitcoin due to spam, questioning the effectiveness of traditional cost-based spam mitigation strategies. This skepticism is grounded in the observation that spammers derive more value from their activities compared to regular users, prompting a reevaluation of Bitcoin's design principles to better balance openness with spam resistance without compromising its core values ([Spam Problem Discussion](https://delvingbitcoin.org/t/the-spam-problem-of-bitcoin-and-unpermissioned-broadcast-networks-in-general/1692)). The introduction of bitcointap by jb55, leveraging the Rust programming language and Bitcoin Core's eBPF USDT tracepoints, represents an innovative tool for developers to analyze Bitcoin Core's runtime behavior without performance drawbacks. This development, inspired by @0xB10C's peer_observer project, is accompanied by a demonstration video and an open invitation for community feedback, highlighting the project's commitment to enhancing Bitcoin development tools and methodologies ([bitcointap on GitHub](https://github.com/jb55/bitcointap), [Demo Video](https://cdn.jb55.com/s/bitcointap-demo.mp4)).