StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson anticipates the OP_CAT upgrade to Bitcoin within a year, promising new functionalities like covenants and ZK-rollups. Speaking at Devcon 2024 in Thailand, he highlighted OP_CAT as a simple yet transformative addition, likening it to a new button on a scientific calculator. Initially removed by Satoshi Nakamoto due to security concerns, OP_CAT is being reconsidered through a proposed soft fork. This upgrade aims to make Bitcoin a more affordable payment network, potentially boosting its decentralized finance activity and challenging Ethereum's dominance.