Citrea‘s testnet is live on Bitcoin’s Testnet4, providing a platform for developers to build decentralized applications (dapps) without sacrificing Bitcoin’s self-sovereignty. The project introduces a trust-minimized approach using BitVM and the Clementine bridge, which will enable the secure bridging of bitcoin (BTC) for use in decentralized finance (defi).

By opening Bitcoin’s blockspace to EVM-compatible applications, Citrea aims to scale Bitcoin’s utility without relying on custodial solutions. Citrea’s infrastructure focuses on enhancing security and decentralization. The testnet supports multiple operator setups to mitigate risks associated with single points of failure. It also tests fraud-proof mechanisms to detect and prevent malicious operators.

Citrea’s bridge is designed for a 10 BTC fixed-amount bridging system, with ongoing development to improve accessibility and support third-party solutions like atomic swaps to facilitate more flexible transactions. “Developers have already started building third party solutions for swapping between BTC and cBTC (Bitcoin on Citrea),” the Citrea blog post states. “These third party solutions aim to make bridging to Citrea more accessible and feasible.”

The Citrea team sees this launch as a crucial milestone in developing a Bitcoin-backed economy. By enabling dapp developers to use BTC for settlement, the project aims to foster financial inclusion and independence in a non-custodial fashion. The ultimate goal of Citrea is to scale Bitcoin’s foundational principles, offering secure and censorship-resistant financial infrastructure for the global economy.