StarkWare CEO Eli Ben Sasson anticipates the implementation of OP_CAT, a significant enhancement to the Bitcoin network, within the next year. This upgrade, as explained at Devcon 2024, will introduce new features like covenants, ZK-rollups, and layer-2 networks to Bitcoin. OP_CAT will make Starknet the first layer-2 network to settle on both Bitcoin and Ethereum. Despite its complexity, Ben Sasson simplifies OP_CAT as adding a button to concatenate strings on a scientific calculator. Originally proposed by Satoshi Nakamoto, OP_CAT was removed in 2010 due to security concerns. However, a recent proposal aims to reintroduce it through a soft fork. The ultimate goal is to enable Bitcoin to function as a cost-effective payment network, potentially surpassing Ethereum in decentralized finance. While Bitcoin sidechains have gained popularity, they lack the security and innovation required for true layer-2 networks according to experts. Read more AI-generated news on: https://app.chaingpt.org/news