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What is Arkade?

Arkade is a programmable execution layer for Bitcoin.

It enables fast, self-custodial financial applications on Bitcoin, including lending, smart wallets, and trading, without requiring consensus changes to the Bitcoin protocol.

With Arkade, you can:

  • Access lending protocols without giving up custody of your Bitcoin
  • Trade on decentralized exchanges without custodial intermediaries
  • Build smart wallets with embedded logic and recovery mechanisms
  • Deploy programmable payments and contracts

Operations execute offchain for speed, with users choosing when to anchor to Bitcoin for full security.

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What problem does Arkade solve?

Arkade adds financial logic to bitcoin payments.

Bitcoin is the world’s most secure monetary network, but its potential as programmable money remains largely untapped. While Bitcoin excels as a store of value, it lacks the ability to express advanced financial logic without custodial services or bridges to alternative chains.

Arkade delivers:

  • Programmability - add financial logic to payments
  • Self-custody - users retain unilateral exit control to Bitcoin L1
  • Parallel execution - scale Bitcoin payments horizontally
  • Dynamic settlement - users control their fund’s finality state 

Arkade enables a new era of programmable finance, directly anchored to the most secure monetary base ever created.

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Is Arkade a new blockchain?

No. Arkade is not a blockchain, sidechain, or rollup.

It is an offchain execution layer that operates over native Bitcoin UTXOs using Virtual Transaction Outputs (VTXOs), batch settlement, and presigned transaction paths.

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What is the Virtual Mempool?

The Virtual Mempool is Arkade’s offchain execution layer, a dynamic coordination environment for Bitcoin-native applications.

It powers real-time transaction flows that:

  • Emulate Bitcoin’s UTXO model through Virtual Transaction Outputs (VTXOs)
  • Execute in parallel without global state bottlenecks
  • Let users control when (and if) to anchor to the Bitcoin blockchain

Arkade’s execution layer is designed for scale. Transactions form a directed acyclic graph (DAG) that enables independent branches to execute simultaneously. Execution is instant, and settlement is batched onchain.

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Who is the Arkade Operator?

The Arkade Operator coordinates offchain activity through a modular architecture comprising several functions: transaction aggregation and validation, onchain batch creation and  liquidity provisioning.

The Operator:

  • Validates transactions in the Virtual Mempool
  • Issues preconfirmations for instant execution
  • Posts settlement batches to Bitcoin
  • Cannot control user funds — every VTXO includes presigned Bitcoin exit paths

For added security, critical roles like the Arkade Signer are separated from the operator and run independently within a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE), providing verifiable proof of correct behavior and preventing even the operator from accessing signing keys.

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What are VTXOs?

Virtual Transaction Outputs (VTXOs) are programmable, offchain objects that mirror Bitcoin’s UTXO structure while expanding their capabilities within Arkade’s virtual execution environment. Each VTXO contains two spending paths: the exit path (unilateral control) and a collaborative path (default operation) and is backed by a presigned Bitcoin transaction. 

VTXOs operate in three states:

  1. Preconfirmed: Validated and cosigned, can be spent immediately
  2. Bitcoin Finality: Anchored onchain through commitment transactions
  3. Expired: Subject to sweep if not swapped in time

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Are Arkade transactions real Bitcoin transactions?

Yes — and no.

Every Arkade transaction:

  • Is structured like a Bitcoin transaction (inputs, outputs, scripts)
  • Produces valid presigned Bitcoin exit paths
  • Can be anchored to Bitcoin via batch outputs

Arkade transactions are not immediately published to the Bitcoin chain. They execute instantly offchain with preconfirmations, then batch settle onchain. Arkade keeps this tradeoff explicit: users and applications control when to finalize to Bitcoin and reclaim full security guarantees.

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How does Arkade relate to the Ark protocol?

The Ark protocol introduces a method for offchain transaction batching and unilateral exits via presigned transactions.

Arkade builds on Ark as a foundational component:

  • Ark provides the anchoring and settlement layer
  • Arkade provides the execution and coordination layer

Arkade extends Ark beyond simple payments into a complete execution environment for programmable Bitcoin applications.

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What kind of applications can be built on Arkade?

Arkade enables composable, offchain financial logic anchored to Bitcoin:

  • Smart Wallets with embedded logic, spending limits, or recovery flows
  • Trustless Swaps across BTC and other assets
  • Programmable Payments for AI agents and automated systems
  • BTC-backed lending and borrowing
  • Decentralized Trading with sovereign vaults
  • Coordination Contracts with threshold access or a delegation
  • Virtual Channels for cost-effective payment channel deployment

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What is Arkade Script?

Arkade Script is Arkade’s enhanced scripting environment that extends Bitcoin Script with additional capabilities for programmable applications.

Key features:

  • Enhanced introspection — Scripts can examine transaction context and metadata
  • Advanced arithmetic — Comprehensive mathematical operations for financial logic
  • Complex logic — Multi-path execution and sophisticated conditional flows
  • Asset operations — Native handling of multi-asset flows and collateral tracking

Arkade Script is designed for expressiveness and safety while maintaining compatibility with Bitcoin settlement.

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How does Arkade ensure self-custody?

VTXO ownership means being in control of a presigned Bitcoin transaction.

If the operator becomes unresponsive or malicious, users can simply broadcast their presigned transaction on Bitcoin.

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What is a “Batch Output” and how does onchain settlement work?

Arkade can batch thousands of offchain operations into a single Bitcoin transaction output.

The settlement process is as follows:

  1. Individual VTXOs get organized by the operator into a virtual transaction tree
  2. The virtual transaction tree is anchored via a batch output in a commitment transaction to Bitcoin
  3. An onchain confirmed commitment transaction gives all included VTXOs Bitcoin-level finality

Transaction batching dramatically reduces per-transaction costs while preserving individual control and Bitcoin security guarantees.

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What if the Operator disappears or acts maliciously?

Arkade is designed with fail-safe exits and minimal trust assumptions.

If the Operator goes offline:

  • Users can’t perform new transactions on Arkade  
  • Users can claim existing VTXOs as onchain funds using  their presigned transactions
  • Modular architecture enables rapid migration to alternative infrastructure

If the Operator misbehaves:

  • Misconduct like double-signing attempts are cryptographically provable
  • A Slashing mechanism enforces economic penalties
  • Censorship-attempts of individual transactions are prevented via E2E encryption. 

While a unilateral exit path is always enforceable, mass exits may face high onchain transaction cost

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What’s a TEE and how does Arkade use it?

A Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) is a secure hardware enclave that provides:

  • Isolated execution of sensitive code
  • Cryptographic attestation of software integrity
  • Hardware-backed security guarantees

Arkade uses TEEs for:

  • Arkade Signer: Protects signing keys from operator access
  • Remote attestation: Proves only authorized code is running
  • Encrypted communication: Enables private user-signer interaction

TEEs transform the “trust the operator” assumption into “verify the operator”.

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What about the fees?

Arkade uses a batched fee model optimized for cost efficiency.

Two fee types:

  • Execution fees covering offchain transactions in the Virtual Mempool
  • Settlement fees for anchoring onto Bitcoin (shared across all users)

Benefits:

  • Thousands of transactions bundle into a single Bitcoin output
  • Onchain fees split across all batch participants
  • Priority settlement available for faster confirmation

Fee alignment:

  • Operators earn from both fee types
  • Incentivizes efficient execution and fair settlement
  • All fees paid in Bitcoin

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Does Arkade require changes to Bitcoin?

No. Arkade does not require any changes to the Bitcoin protocol. 

How it works:

  • All activity happens offchain using standard Bitcoin transaction structures
  • Settlement uses normal Bitcoin transactions and Taproot outputs
  • Presigned exits preserve user custody

Arkade delivers programmability and scale today. Bitcoin remains the secure foundation while Arkade extends what’s possible above it.

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Does Arkade require a token?

No. Arkade is BTC-native with no governance tokens or wrapped assets.

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Is Arkade live?

Current status:

  • Closed beta on Bitcoin mainnet with select partners
  • Developer SDK available on GitHub for early builders

Roadmap:

  • Q3 2025: Public mainnet launch
  • Q4 2025: Expanded developer tools and additional financial primitives
  • Ongoing: Multi-asset support, advanced lending protocols, and yield opportunities

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How do I get started with Arkade?

Getting started with Arkade depends on your role and interests:

For Developers:

  • Explore the SDK — Check out the Wallet SDK on GitHub to understand integration patterns
  • Join developer beta — Apply for early access to build and test applications
  • Review documentation — Study the technical guides and integration examples
  • Connect with the team — Reach out via [email protected] for partnership discussions

For Users:

  • Wait for public launch — Mainnet will be available Q3 2025 for general users
  • Follow launch partners — Boltz, Breez, Mempool.space, and Maestro will offer Arkade-powered features
  • Wallet integration — Look for Arkade support in your favorite Bitcoin wallets post-launch

For Organizations:

  • Integration planning — Contact the team to discuss how Arkade fits your infrastructure needs
  • Partnership opportunities — Explore becoming a launch partner or operator
  • Pilot programs — Participate in closed beta testing for specific use cases

Stay updated: Follow development progress and announcements at ArkadeOS.com and through the developer community.

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Will Arkade work with existing Bitcoin infrastructure?

Yes. Arkade integrates seamlessly with existing Bitcoin infrastructure requiring no changes to the base layer.

Compatibility:

  • Wallets can support Arkade using lightweight SDKs alongside normal Bitcoin transactions
  • Nodes remain unchanged — operators run standard Bitcoin Core with Arkade software layered on top
  • Services like exchanges and payment processors connect via APIs that abstract Virtual Mempool complexity
  • Settlement uses standard Bitcoin transactions, fully compatible with existing tools

Everything appears as normal Bitcoin UTXOs onchain, ensuring complete compatibility with the existing ecosystem.