What BitcoinOS does

BitcoinOS is a zero-knowledge proof (ZKP)-based layer two protocol that brings smart contract capabilities, programmable tokens, and trustless bridging to the Bitcoin network without requiring consensus changes. Its core technology stack includes BitSNARK — an optimized zkSNARK verification library with only 3 instructions versus BitVM's 55 — which underlies Grail, a Bitcoin rollup bridge that achieves a 1-of-n honest operator trust model, and Grail Pro, an institutional-grade version enabling custodians to mint zkBTC (a 1:1 programmable BTC-backed token). The company also maintains Charms, a universal token metaprotocol enabling programmable assets across UTXO chains, and SLAM nodes for cross-chain verification, with MerkleMesh aggregating data back to Bitcoin's proof-of-work security. The first ZK-proof on Bitcoin mainnet was verified at block 853626 in July 2024.

The company serves institutional Bitcoin holders (custodians, hedge funds, Bitcoin treasury companies) seeking to deploy BTC in DeFi without relinquishing custody, alongside developers building cross-chain applications and tokenized securities issuers. Its go-to-market is hybrid: a product-led growth motion distributing the $BOS token via major exchanges (Binance Alpha, Kraken, KuCoin, Bitget, MEXC, Gate) and community channels, combined with enterprise field sales for Grail Pro targeting institutional custodians. Revenue mechanics are token-native rather than conventional — apps and integrated chains pay BTC for compute and verification, with proceeds used to buy and burn $BOS tokens; transaction fees on zkBTC cross-chain transfers and a fee-market for priority withdrawals form additional revenue streams. The company is venture-backed with $10M raised in October 2025 led by Greenfield Capital, employs approximately 11 people, and operates as a private for-profit entity with sub-$1M in conventional revenue and a $BOS token FDV that has declined materially from its $200M launch valuation.

Name

BitcoinOS

Legal name

BitcoinOS

Website

https://bitcoinos.build

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BitcoinOS builds a zero-knowledge proof layer-two protocol for Bitcoin, offering BitSNARK verification, trustless Grail bridges, zkBTC programmable BTC tokens, and the Charms universal token standard to serve institutional custodians, developers, and Bitcoin treasury companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Blockchain Infrastructure

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Layer 1 Base Protocols & Consensus (execution, consensus, security, clients) (FSAPAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Stablecoins & On-Chain Money (fiat-backed, crypto-backed, algorithmic; issuance/redemption) (FSAPAEAB), Stablecoin Issuers (Fiat-Backed) (FSADADAA), Stablecoin Payment Rails & Settlement Networks (Issuer-Led) (FSADADAF), Smart Contract Developer Platforms & Tooling (SDKs, APIs, frameworks, indexing) (FSAPAAAH)

Keywords

• Zero-knowledge proofs
• Bitcoin layer two
• Trustless bridging
• Institutional DeFi
• ZkSNARK verification

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Token Burn Mechanism: Apps and integrated chains pay BTC for compute and verification. BTC revenues are routed to buy BOS on the open market and permanently burn it, reducing circulating supply as network activity grows. As more chains bundle computation to Bitcoin via BOS, aggregate compute demand drives more BTC-denominated fees, more BOS buy-pressure, and more burns.
2. Service Provider Earnings: Service providers that generate proofs, monitor integrity, and offer verification earn BOS for their work, aligning incentives for performance and decentralization. SLAM node operators, validators, merge-miners receive BOS allocations.
3. zkBTC Transaction Fees: Institutions deploying zkBTC in DeFi pay fees for cross-chain transactions. Cross-chain transactions take approximately 1 Bitcoin block (~10 minutes) with associated gas costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

BitcoinOS builds a zero-knowledge proof-based layer two protocol stack for Bitcoin, enabling smart contract capability, trustless BTC bridging, and institutional-grade DeFi without requiring Bitcoin consensus changes. Its flagship products include BitSNARK (zkSNARK verification library), Grail/Grail Pro (BTC rollup bridges), Charms (programmable token standard), zkBTC (1:1 BTC-backed token for institutional DeFi), and the $BOS utility token supporting a buy-and-burn fee mechanism.

Product overview

BitcoinOS is a unified operating system that integrates Bitcoin with the broader internet through zero-knowledge proof technology, enabling smart contract capabilities and DeFi applications without requiring Bitcoin consensus changes. The product portfolio consists of BitSNARK (optimized zkSNARK verification library for Bitcoin), Grail/Grail Pro (trustless rollup bridges for BTC), Charms (universal token metaprotocol for programmable assets across UTXO chains), zkBTC (1:1 programmable Bitcoin token), and the $BOS token (staking, fee payment, and buy-and-burn deflationary mechanism). SLAM nodes enable cross-chain verification while MerkleMesh provides data aggregation to Bitcoin. The ecosystem spans multiple L2 networks (Arbitrum, Merlin Chain, Mode) and L1 chains (Cardano, Litecoin) all leveraging BOS for trustless Bitcoin connectivity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• $BOS Token: The native utility token of the BitcoinOS ecosystem, used for network security, performance, and decentralization incentives.
• BitSNARK
• Grail Pro
• Charms
• zkBTC
• MerkleMesh

Products and services

• BitSNARK A software library optimized for verifying zkSNARK proofs on the Bitcoin blockchain, enabling Bitcoin rollups without requiring consensus changes. Uses only 3 instructions (addmod, andbit, equal) compared to BitVM's 55 RISC-V instructions, providing order-of-magnitude improvement in program size.
• Grail A Bitcoin rollup bridge implementation using BitSNARK that enables trustless transfer of assets between Bitcoin L1 and L2 networks with a 1-of-n operator security model where only a single honest participant is needed for security.
• Grail Pro Institutional-grade version of Grail enabling custodians to mint zkBTC without third parties. Uses TEE protection, distributed custody with 16+ operators requiring supermajority (e.g., 12 of 16) for withdrawals.
• Charms The universal token metaprotocol for programmable assets on Bitcoin and UTXO blockchains. Enables fungible and non-fungible tokens with asset-centric logic for staking, governance, and issuance, portable across chains without bridges and validated client-side without indexers.
• zkBTC A 1:1 programmable Bitcoin token backed by native BTC, minted through Grail Pro and secured by Charms standard. Allows institutions to deploy BTC in DeFi (lending, trading, yield) while maintaining custody.
• $BOS Token The native token of the BitcoinOS network with 21 billion total supply and 12-year emission schedule. Used for staking SLAM nodes, paying for compute verification, and a buy-and-burn deflationary mechanism where BTC-denominated compute fees route to buy and permanently burn BOS tokens.
• SLAM Nodes Cross-chain verification nodes that process ZK proofs, manage multichain vaults, operate token indexing, facilitate atomic swaps, and process cross-chain messages across integrated chains.
• MerkleMesh Data aggregation layer that aggregates data from interoperable virtual machines and verifies it back to Bitcoin's proof-of-work security, enabling advanced crypto networks to piggyback on Bitcoin's security.

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and supporting.

• CardanocoreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2024Cardano will leverage BOS to become a specialized DeFi layer for Bitcoin with academic rigor. Partnership integrated BOS Grail bridge to provide access to Bitcoin's capital using Zero-Knowledge proofs. First BTC-ADA atomic swap completed March 2025.
• LitecoincoreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2024Bitcoin's faster sibling using BOS to support its first L2 rollups and programmable tokens to unlock native smart token economy and cross-chain mobility between Litecoin and Bitcoin.
• ArbitrumkeyTechnology or IntegrationOne of Ethereum's dominant L2 networks becoming a hybrid rollup on both Ethereum and Bitcoin, bringing 40,000 TPS scalability and established DeFi ecosystem to Bitcoin users through trustless bridging.
• Merlin ChainkeyTechnology or IntegrationBitcoin L2 with $2.5B in assets that was first to demonstrate BOS's trustless bridging capabilities on testnet, setting an early standard for Bitcoin rollup architecture.
• ModekeyTechnology or IntegrationEthereum L2 focused on AI agents and automated DeFi strategies that will use BOS to give AI systems direct access to Bitcoin's massive liquidity pool.
• BIMA LabskeyTechnology or IntegrationProtocol for bitcoin-backed stablecoins using BOS's Grail vault system to create USDB, enabling the first truly decentralized dollar-pegged asset secured by Bitcoin.
• NubitsupportingTechnology or IntegrationBitcoin-native data availability layer working with BOS to provide scalable off-chain storage for Bitcoin rollups and applications.
• B² NetworksupportingTechnology or IntegrationRollup platform emphasizing institutional-grade infrastructure using BOS to provide professional-level custody and bridging solutions for Bitcoin.
• AeternitysupportingTechnology or IntegrationBlockchain platform focused on scalable smart contracts integrating with BOS to bring Bitcoin interoperability to its network of hyperchains.
• RiscZero BoundlesssupportingTechnology or IntegrationUniversal verifiable compute protocol with battle-tested zkVM technology integrating with BitSNARK to enable Ethereum-style programmability and Rust applications on Bitcoin.
• SovryncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOG Bitcoin DeFi platform, world's most active DAO, and the kickstarter and incubator of BitcoinOS. Founder Edan Yago previously founded Sovryn. Sovryn represents 10% of founding entity token allocation.
• Sundial ProtocolsupportingTechnology or IntegrationCollaborated with BitcoinOS on demo of first bridgeless transfer between Bitcoin and Cardano in May 2025 using unchained token standard.
• adahandlesupportingTechnology or IntegrationParticipated in first bridgeless transfer demo between Bitcoin and Cardano, enabling the transfer using any handle token.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Stacks: Stacks is a Bitcoin L2 that adds smart contract functionality (via Clarity) and enables DeFi and tokenized assets on Bitcoin — directly competing with BOS for the Bitcoin L2/smart-contract narrative and developer mindshare.
• Bitlayer: Bitlayer is a Bitcoin L2 with EVM compatibility targeting Bitcoin DeFi and rollup infrastructure; BOS's Head of Ecosystems previously led ecosystem at Bitlayer, underscoring direct competition for Bitcoin L2 integrations and BTCFi developer talent.
• Merlin Chain: Merlin Chain is a Bitcoin L2 with ~$2.5B in bridged assets that uses BOS's Grail bridge; it is both an integration partner and a direct competitor for institutional BTCFi volume and ecosystem share.
• Citrea: Citrea is a Bitcoin ZK rollup using BitVM-family verification — competing head-to-head with BOS on the same cryptographic primitives and the same institutional BTCFi use case.
• Rootstock: Rootstock is the longest-running Bitcoin sidechain with EVM-compatible smart contracts; it shares BOS's history via Sovryn and competes directly for Bitcoin DeFi and developer mindshare.
• BOB (Build on Bitcoin): BOB is a hybrid Bitcoin L2 combining Bitcoin security with EVM compatibility, targeting BTCFi and institutional use cases — directly overlapping with BOS's Grail Pro / zkBTC positioning.
• Liquid Network: Liquid is a Bitcoin sidechain focused on fast settlement, asset issuance, and institutional trading — competing with BOS for institutional Bitcoin liquidity and tokenization rails.

Emerging players

• Babylon: Babylon is a Bitcoin staking protocol enabling BTC to be used as economic security for other chains — adjacent to BOS's BTCFi thesis and competing for the same institutional BTC capital that BOS wants to put to work via zkBTC.
• Sovryn: Sovryn is a Bitcoin-native DeFi platform that incubated BitcoinOS and shares co-founder Edan Yago; it is both a partner and a competing application layer targeting the same BTCFi users.

Broad incumbents

• StarkWare: StarkWare is the leading zk-STARK rollup technology provider with massive institutional adoption; it represents the broader ZK-rollup competitive landscape and a potential alternative path for Bitcoin L2 infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BTC_OS
• GitHubgithub.com/bitcoinOS/bitcoinOS

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors10 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BitcoinOS