2026-01-30 –, BTrust
Ark is a Bitcoin-native transaction batching technique that enables scalable, near-instant payments without sacrificing self-custody or Bitcoin finality. It uses a shared UTXO model coordinated by an always-on operator, where most payments are executed offchain and periodically anchored to Bitcoin via onchain settlement.
This workshop introduces the core concepts behind Ark, including Virtual UTXOs (VTXOs), commitment transactions, transaction trees, and unilateral exits. Participants gain an intuitive understanding of Ark’s trust model, how atomicity between batches is enforced without covenants, and where Ark fits into the broader Bitcoin scaling landscape alongside the Lightning Network.
This workshop introduces Ark, a Bitcoin-native transaction batching technique designed to improve scalability while preserving self-custody and Bitcoin finality. Ark uses a shared UTXO model coordinated by an always-on operator, enabling near-instant offchain payments with periodic onchain settlement.
Participants will learn how Virtual UTXOs (VTXOs) represent user-controlled claims on shared onchain outputs, and how Ark enables unilateral exits using presigned transactions, CSV delays, Taproot scripts, and MuSig2—without requiring covenants. The session explains how commitment transactions anchor virtual balances to Bitcoin, and how connector and forfeit transactions ensure atomicity between batches without requiring trust in the operator.
The workshop also explores Ark’s trust model, including offchain preconfirmation versus onchain finality, its relationship to the Lightning Network, and current research challenges such as exit costs, operator decentralization, liquidity provision, and scalability under mass exits.
This session is suitable for researchers, developers, and technically curious Bitcoiners interested in L2 design and scaling tradeoffs.
Veronika Kütt is a researcher and strategist with a long-term focus on Bitcoin. With a background in mathematics and a strong analytical approach, she studies and designs Bitcoin-native Layer 2 protocols and their implications for the future of digital economies. She takes a holistic approach to exploring new ways of living together and alternative governance models, thinking about the future of human systems through the lens of technology and longevity. Veronika currently contributes to Ark Labs, where she researches Arkade, an execution layer built on Ark, to advance Bitcoin toward programmable money.