Ark Labs launches the public beta of Arkade, introducing a new native Layer 2 based on Bitcoin

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, after two years of development, Ark Labs, supported by investors such as Draper Associates, Axiom, and Fulgur Ventures, has officially launched the public beta of Arkade------it is introduced as the most advanced native Layer 2 solution for Bitcoin since the advent of the Lightning Network nearly a decade ago.

Arkade is built on the Ark protocol specification first proposed in 2023, and this release marks the first mainnet realization of that vision. It achieves the virtualization of the Bitcoin transaction layer through virtual transaction outputs (VTXOs)------an off-chain representation of Bitcoin's native unspent transaction outputs (UTXOs). Importantly, Arkade operates entirely within Bitcoin's existing security framework without requiring changes to its consensus rules.

This public beta marks the beginning of Arkade's broader promotion, with Ark Labs planning to add enhanced scripting tools, additional security features, and support for more advanced financial applications in the coming months. In addition to the mainnet launch, Ark Labs also introduced Arkade Assets on Tuesday, a new framework that extends Arkade's virtualization model to support various asset types, including stablecoins and other tokens.