Dialogue with GOAT Network core contributor Kevin: From BitVM2 mainnet to institutional-grade BTC yields, revealing the next explosive cycle of Bitcoin Layer 2

Guest: Kevin, Core Contributor of GOAT Network
Interview: momo, ChainCatcher

"Do you think Bitcoin can really have its own 'OP moment' like Ethereum?"
Kevin smiled: "We are paving the way for that moment."

As public companies and institutions successively incorporate Bitcoin into their balance sheets, Bitcoin's "sleeping liquidity" is waiting to be awakened.

As the first native ZK Rollup in the Bitcoin ecosystem to achieve real-time proving, GOAT Network recently announced a complete roadmap following its TGE, with a clear core goal of making Bitcoin truly liquid.

The roadmap systematically outlines the strategic layout from Q4 2025 to 2026, focusing on three major directions: products, ecosystem, and institutional demand. In Q4 of this year, GOAT will focus on refining its product matrix and accelerating ecosystem development: in addition to the already launched zero-risk yield product Safebox, it will also introduce a DOGE native cross-chain bridge and complete the BitVM2 mainnet upgrade among other key milestones. On the ecosystem front, the project will establish a new ecosystem development fund to expand BTCFi applications, focusing on incubating perpetual contracts and prediction market applications, and promote ecosystem participation through a series of community activities.

Looking ahead to 2026, GOAT Network's goal is to "activate the sleeping BTC liquidity"—by building a secure and transparent yield structure, providing institutional investors with sustainable Bitcoin asset appreciation solutions.

With the advancement of this series of strategies, ChainCatcher invited GOAT Network core contributor Kevin for an in-depth dialogue. Kevin is also a co-founder of Metis, an important infrastructure in the Ethereum ecosystem, with rich practical experience in areas such as ZK and scalability.

In this interview, he will systematically explain how GOAT constructs a sustainable Bitcoin Layer2 ecosystem through a three-pronged approach of product, ecosystem, and institutional layout, and share his insights on key nodes for the industry's explosion and future trends.

Driving ZK Rollup from Experimentation to Production-Level Stage

1. ChainCatcher: Recently, GOAT Network completed its TGE. Looking back at the entire phase from project initiation to TGE, did the project development meet your expectations? What important milestones do you think you have achieved?

Kevin: Looking back at the two years from the initiation of GOAT Network to TGE, our overall progress has been slightly faster than expected. Especially under the parallel advancement of the underlying technology and economic model, we have maintained a steady pace and continuous delivery capability.

In the past two and a half years, we have achieved several key milestones:

We built the fastest production-level zkVM in the industry, centered around our self-developed zkMIPS (later renamed Ziren); in terms of the challenge model, we successfully explored and advanced the research and development of BitVM2, maintaining a leading position in this field and laying a feasible foundation for native BTC cross-layer interaction;

At the same time, we were the first to launch a decentralized Sequencer network in the Bitcoin ecosystem, and we are still the only one, allowing Layer2 to no longer rely on single-point operations, structurally inheriting the decentralized security of Bitcoin.

Additionally, we launched an incentive system priced in native BTC, allocating over 2 BTC and some USDT incentives to the community, with all rewards being real assets rather than virtual points. These achievements demonstrate that we have not only achieved technological innovation but also built a long-term sustainable system at the economic and community levels.

2. ChainCatcher: GOAT has always emphasized that it is the first native ZK Rollup to achieve real-time proving. Why can you say it is the first native ZK Rollup to achieve real-time proving? How did you achieve this? What does it mean after achieving it?

Kevin: We refer to GOAT as the first native ZK Rollup to achieve real-time proving because we have made the user withdrawal proof a real-time proof, strictly controlling the proof generation time to within 30 seconds (in the worst case). This "real-time proving" is a true breakthrough in ZK technology.

The key to this achievement lies in Ziren's high-performance architecture—it runs efficiently on the CPU, supports GPU hardware acceleration, parallel proving, and pipelined scheduling, and can scale a distributed proving network. Combined with BitVM2's challenge arbitration mechanism, we enable all proof results to have verifiability at the Bitcoin mainnet level.

For users, this means lower latency and faster finality, further enhancing the efficiency of their assets; for developers and ecosystem projects, this signifies that ZK Rollup has officially transitioned from the experimental stage to the production-level application stage.

Q4 Core Goal: Make Bitcoin Truly "Liquid"

3. ChainCatcher: The roadmap mentions that the technical upgrades and product releases in Q4 are very dense, such as the BitVM-GC testnet, BitVM2 Beta-Mainnet, Ziren GPU Prover open source, DOGE cross-chain bridge, etc. Can you explain the key objectives behind these upgrades? Which one do you consider the "highest priority"?

Kevin: The Q4 roadmap can be said to be our most intensive season to date, with the core goal of making Bitcoin truly "liquid." All upgrades and product releases revolve around three directions:

First, to make cross-layer transactions of native BTC faster and safer; second, to reduce the cost and latency of ZK proving to a level that can support large-scale applications; third, to improve the decentralized structure of the Sequencer, ensuring it is auditable, verifiable, and participatory. If I had to choose the highest priority among these tasks, it would undoubtedly be the launch of BitVM2 Beta-Mainnet. It determines the ultimate security of our BTC cross-layer interaction and is key to whether the entire ecosystem can truly achieve the free flow of native assets.

4. ChainCatcher: Specifically, what do the releases of the BitVM-GC white paper and testnet, as well as the open-source release of Ziren GPU Prover, signify?

Kevin: The release of the BitVM-GC white paper and testnet marks our systematic optimization and engineering implementation of the complex "challenge and arbitration mechanism" through cutting-edge technology research.

The openness of the white paper means that the community and other development teams can conduct standardized security audits and functional reproductions based on it, thereby lowering the entry threshold for Bitcoin Layer2.

The open-sourcing of Ziren GPU Prover has taken the efficiency and cost control of ZK proof generation to a new height. Open-sourcing is not only about technology sharing but also a signal—we hope to encourage more developers to participate in performance optimization and collaboratively improve the zero-knowledge proof infrastructure for Bitcoin.

5. ChainCatcher: As the already launched "zero-risk" native Bitcoin yield product, can you elaborate on the source of its yield? How can it achieve "zero risk"?

Kevin: SafeBox is currently the first product in the market to achieve native BTC yield with "zero risk."

It can achieve "zero risk" because it 1) relies on the time-lock script of the Bitcoin mainnet, allowing users to control their own assets; 2) does not participate in any external re-staking or high-risk strategies, but generates yield based on the endogenous economic cycle of the GOAT network itself.

Specifically, the yield mainly comes from three parts: distribution of network transaction gas fees, sharing of MEV (maximum extractable value) income, and ecological returns linked to miner incentives. All these revenues are achieved through on-chain verifiable rules, without relying on secondary market token inflation, thus having extremely low risk exposure.

6. ChainCatcher: The roadmap mentions that there will also be upgrades for user incentives. You emphasized in your open letter that GOAT is providing real incentives and has allocated 2 BTC. Can you share what unique methods you have adopted to achieve real incentives?

Kevin: We have always emphasized "real incentives," meaning that what is distributed to users and contributors are real assets, not virtual points or non-redeemable tokens.

So far, we have distributed over 2 BTC and several USDT to community contributors for rewarding community activities, volunteers, moderators, and ambassadors.

At the same time, we have established a settlement mechanism linking contribution levels to rewards, ensuring that incentives are proportional to actual ecological contributions. Through this model, we have enhanced community trust and established a sustainable incentive loop.

Launching an Ecosystem Development Fund, Focusing on BTCFi Applications

7. ChainCatcher: GOAT has previously established an ecosystem pilot fund of 34 BTC, and a new ecosystem development fund will be established in Q4. What are the differences in the focus of incentives between these two funds? You also mentioned that the latter will incentivize the expansion of BTCFi application scenarios. What qualities do you prioritize when selecting and supporting projects?

Kevin: The 34 BTC ecosystem pilot fund mainly serves the role of "igniting" early-stage ecological projects, focusing on user education, liquidity introduction, and similar directions.

The ecosystem development fund we will establish in Q4 will focus more on the expansion of BTCFi applications, especially projects that can generate sustainable cash flow and real trading demand, such as perpetual contracts, prediction markets, and stable asset protocols.

When selecting projects, we prioritize three dimensions: security and audit traceability, unit incentive efficiency (the ratio of incentive input to TVL or trading volume output), and the long-termism and transparency of the team.

8. ChainCatcher: What are the existing application scenarios that have been implemented in the GOAT ecosystem? Which BTCFi application directions do you see potential in?

Kevin: Currently, our ecosystem has implemented applications in three major usage scenarios: "Earn, Trade, Play."

For example, in the Earn aspect, there are SafeBox, Artemis Staking, StableJack, and Summer, which are yield products aimed at users with different risk preferences, and they can also form looping strategies for advanced users to arbitrage;

In the Trade aspect, basic DEXs include OKU, GOATSwap, and the latest Perps GOATUP;

In the Play aspect, products like One Piece activities, Lucky Draw lottery system, and GOATRocket provide users with many play-and-earn opportunities. Looking ahead, we are most optimistic about the BTCFi direction, especially derivatives trading, prediction markets, liquidation, and stable asset protocols. These directions not only have clear business models but also bring higher trading activity and network security.

9. ChainCatcher: The roadmap emphasizes prioritizing the incubation of perpetual contracts and prediction markets. Why these two directions? What unique advantages or opportunities do you think they have on Bitcoin Layer2 compared to Ethereum or other chains?

Kevin: We prioritize perpetual contracts and prediction markets because they are the scenarios that best reflect the advantages of Layer2 technology. Perpetual contracts require extremely high settlement speed and capital efficiency, while prediction markets have very high requirements for real-time performance and security. On chains like Ethereum, these applications are often limited by high gas fees and slow confirmations.

On GOAT, thanks to real-time proving and low-latency Sequencer architecture, we can achieve near-instant settlement while ensuring the native-level security of BTC. Moreover, these two types of applications are also the core engines that stimulate liquidity in the BTC ecosystem, bringing real trading momentum to BTCFi, as users can genuinely earn Bitcoin, which is not achievable in other ecosystems.

Completing Three Major Challenges, Bitcoin Ecosystem Will Welcome "OP Moment"

10. ChainCatcher: How do you view the trend of public companies building Bitcoin treasury? What impact will it have on your construction of BTCFi? Will it generate new demands?

Kevin: An increasing number of public companies and institutions are incorporating Bitcoin into their balance sheets, which is an irreversible trend. It not only indicates that Bitcoin's status as a reserve asset is being strengthened but also means that these holders will generate new demands—how to generate yield from BTC without increasing risk.

GOAT was born for this purpose. Through decentralized Sequencer, transparent yield models, and an economic system priced in native BTC, we provide institutions with an auditable, traceable, and compliant BTCFi foundational layer. This will help them achieve asset appreciation within a secure boundary.

11. ChainCatcher: GOAT mentioned the need to activate the "sleeping BTC" held by ETFs and sovereign funds, but large institutions are also the most cautious group. Can you share some specific demands they have for BTCFi? How is GOAT overcoming these institutions' trust barriers? What key collaborations have been achieved so far?

Kevin: Institutions' concerns mainly focus on technical security, yield sustainability, and compliance. To address this, we are tackling it from three aspects: technically, we are fully open-sourcing key components and introducing third-party security audits; economically, we are replacing inflation incentives with endogenous cash flow centered around gas, MEV, and miner incentives; and in terms of compliance, we are connecting with custodians and risk control institutions to provide reportable and verifiable data interfaces. Currently, we have already conducted solution validation and interface connections with multiple custodial and trading institutions, and we will gradually disclose specific collaboration results in the next phase.

12. ChainCatcher: If we count from 2012 when Vitalik proposed the concept of colored coins, the crypto community has been experimenting with "unlocking" the liquidity of Bitcoin assets for over a decade. What do you think are the real advancements in the Bitcoin ecosystem? What has changed the most in the past two years?

Kevin: Since Vitalik proposed the concept of colored coins in 2012, the Bitcoin ecosystem has undergone over a decade of exploration. The real advancements are that "verifiable cross-layer interaction" and "production-level zero-knowledge infrastructure" are gradually becoming a reality.

In the past two years, the biggest change is that Bitcoin Layer2 has finally transitioned from the experimental stage to engineering: the maturity of BitVM2 and the ZK proof system has enabled Layer2 to operate at low cost and high security; at the same time, the increase in institutional holdings has made the demand for "BTC yield generation" urgent, providing fertile ground for the development of BTCFi.

13. ChainCatcher: Currently, the Bitcoin ecosystem is in a relatively low-profile period, with many BTC Layer2 projects fading from view, and some turning to AI. What pressures do BTC Layer2 generally face during this phase? How is GOAT overcoming these?

Kevin: Currently, the entire Bitcoin ecosystem is in a relatively low-profile period, with some projects choosing to turn to AI or other hot directions. However, we believe that true Layer2 infrastructure must be invested in for the long term and cannot be shaken by short-term market fluctuations.

GOAT has chosen the most challenging but valuable path: we continue to refine the underlying technology, improve Ziren zkVM and BitVM2 mainnet, while adhering to real incentives and a native economic model to ensure the sustainable development of the ecosystem. This long-termism is our fundamental way to withstand market cycles.

Of course, this is inseparable from the strong support of the community. Over the past two years of GOAT Network's development, we have deeply felt the love and support from the community, investors, and partners, which is also our motivation to keep moving forward. We are determined to become the flagship brand of Bitcoin L2.

14. ChainCatcher: GOAT mentioned in previous interviews that Bitcoin Layer2 needs to welcome its "OP" moment like Ethereum. When do you expect Bitcoin Layer2's "OP" moment to arrive? What key challenges need to be overcome before that?

Kevin: I believe that Bitcoin's "OP moment" will arrive when native BTC can smoothly transition to Layer2, real-time proving technology is widely applied, Sequencer is truly decentralized, and institutions begin to incorporate BTCFi into their asset allocation.

To achieve this moment, we still need to overcome several key challenges: first, to improve the challenge and arbitration mechanism of BitVM2; second, to further reduce the cost and latency of ZK proving; third, to achieve true decentralization and incentive balance of the Sequencer network; and finally, to promote the comprehensive landing of compliance, custody, and application ecosystems. When these links are connected one by one, the Bitcoin Layer2 ecosystem will undergo a qualitative change, and GOAT will also become one of the core infrastructures of this new cycle.