Cardano’s Charles Hoskinson reacts with surprise as a Bitcoin developer unveils a seamless bridge between Bitcoin and Cardano apps.

A Bitcoin developer, known as elraulito, has announced a breakthrough in blockchain interoperability, revealing a seamless bridge between Bitcoin and Cardano applications.

The developer showcased a smart contract on Plutus V3, allowing Bitcoin wallets to interact directly with Cardano’s ecosystem. This enables users to send ADA, manage tokens, and stake in Cardano pools without requiring a new wallet.

Notably, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson reacted with surprise as the innovation could mark a new phase in cross-chain connectivity.

https://t.co/5kd1OA6t8O pic.twitter.com/Be7ElbBOnj

— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) September 22, 2024

Smart Contract Capabilities Explained

The developer detailed how the smart contract was built using a combination of tools and protocols. Notably, the contract employs aiken, a Cardano smart contract language, and CIP69, which enhances the address’s programmability.

A multivalidator enables transactions, delegations, and reward withdrawals, while MeshJS manages off-chain transactions. Mesh, an open-source library, supports Web3 app development and currently offers one of the few implementations compatible with Plutus V3.

This bridge allows Bitcoin users to engage in Cardano’s ecosystem without additional software, providing a straightforward onboarding process. As the developer noted, these capabilities could potentially extend to every EVM chain, broadening blockchain usability and functionality.

Community Reactions and Technical Insights

The announcement generated questions among enthusiasts, eager to understand the mechanics and applications of the new bridge. One user asked how Cardano actions could be sent from a Bitcoin wallet, to which the developer responded that Bitcoin users can sign Cardano actions from their existing wallets.

If the signature is verified, the action is executed by Cardano nodes. This functionality opens doors to onboarding users from outside the Cardano ecosystem, facilitating interactions like airdrops and liquid staking without changing wallets.

Further discussions focused on the validation process. The contract validates the signature by checking the UTXO, receiver, amount, and asset details against its outputs. This validation ensures that transactions align with predefined rules set within the smart contract, providing secure cross-chain operations.