Cryptocurrency
Unlocking Bitcoin’s Potential: Introducing Merlin Chain, a Native L2 Solution

[PRESS RELEASE – NewYork, United States, January 31st, 2024]
This week, the much-anticipated Bitcoin L2 solution Merlin Chain went live on its testnet, while its mainnet is scheduled to be launching within a month as well.
Bitcoin’s Network Congestion Dilemma and Scaling Solutions
The evolution of Ordinals over the past year has brought the attention back to the Bitcoin ecosystem after a long period. While enhancing the excitement of the bitcoin ecosystem, it has also increased the exhaustion of network resources. The increasingly high cost of transactions, coupled with the rising price of Bitcoin itself, has added further congestion to the network and discouraged new users from becoming interested in Bitcoin.
(Bitcoin Daily Average Transaction Fee $: YCharts)
The idea of developing an EVM-compatible L2 network has been recognized as the one that would deliver the results first due to the simpleness of its implementation path.
Merlin Chain is also one of the EVM-compatible L2 chains, being developed by Bitmap Tech (formerly Recursiverse) , the team that built BRC-420 protocols and Bitmap.game, and is highly valued by the community due to the team’s past successes.
BRC-420
The BRC-420 protocol supports the combination/recursion of any file format to form a more complex inscription. Whether it’s a character image, a game script, a virtual machine or an AI model, it can become an asset on Bitcoin.
Its core asset, the Blue Box, has risen from an inscription cost of $0.15 to an ATH floor price of $26,000, and other assets such as Mineral and This Song About NFTs are among the most actively traded assets on the OKX market. It now has 1000+ developers and 600+ collections, and has been an excellent performer even during the bear market, the price only going up and never falling.
Bitmap.Game
Bitmap.Game is a fully on-chain, fully decentralized, fair-launch metaverse project. It is based on the Digital Matter Theory that underlies Bitcoin, and is open-sourced so that it can be run or verified by any client, reflecting the concept of “client agnosticism” in fully onchain games.
During this time, Bitmap’s market capitalization has risen from $3 million to a ATH of $290 million. With more than 30,000 holders, Bitmap has surpassed the Sandbox as the metaverse asset with the highest number of holders across all blockchains.
Unlocking Bitcoin’s Potential Through Innovative Magic
Merlin Chain believes that L2 of Bitcoin should not just be about transferring money inexpensively, or just about being able to have the DApps, but should be about further innovating to unlock the potential of Bitcoin through its native assets, users and protocols.
For example, as Bitmap is a completely decentralized asset, how to make games based on it, so that Bitmap users can enter various meta-universes at a low cost; or for the DeFi protocols based on BRC-420, how to give two-way empowerment to NFT and FT; and for minting inscriptions, how to mint L1 assets on L2 in a more cost-effective and flexible way. Only these “Bitcoin-native” innovations can continue to empower the ecosystem, rather than replicating the way Ethereum works.
So far, Merlin Chain has built a powerful DApp ecosystem, the liquidity concerns have been effectively addressed, and is planning for further expansion.
Leveraging ZK-Rollup for Efficient and Secure Scaling
The diverse ecosystem and assets also imply higher throughput requirements and some safety risks. To solve this problem, Merlin Chain has adopted ZK-Rollup which enables the compression of a large number of transaction proofs into a simple check-sum to improve transaction efficiency and scalability.
The sequencer nodes on Merlin Chain are responsible for collecting and batching transactions, generating compressed transaction data, ZK state roots, and proofs via zkEVM. The compressed transaction data and ZK Proofs are then uploaded via the decentralized Oracle network to the taproot on Bitcoin L1, which is available to the entire network to ensure transparency and security.
The decentralized Oracle network nodes will be required to stake $BTC to prevent improper activities. Users can initiate challenges to the ZK-Rollup based on compressed data, ZK state roots, and ZK Proof. Successful challenges result in a rollback to the last verified state, and the forfeiture of the Oracle node’s locked $BTC, ensuring the system’s security and trustworthiness.
Through the integration of these technologies, Merlin Chain has shown its superior technical capabilities and is on track to build an efficient, secure, and native Bitcoin L2 solution.
Native Integration – Merlin Chain’s Bitcoin-Centric Approach
Compared to other Bitcoin L2s that are making attempts at the moment, one of the key features of Merlin Chain is that it is “Bitcoin Native”.
As a strong believer in Bitcoin for many years, Merlin Chain is extremely committed to the development of the Bitcoin ecosystem, and seeks to bring more users and assets to Bitcoin through their work, rather than serving other ecosystems in the name of Bitcoin. As such, Merlin Chain places a high value on the native bitcoin nature of its ecosystem’s projects and users.
Merlin Chain supports bitcoin-native wallets. Empowered by the Particle Network’s account abstraction, users can use their bitcoin wallets to seamlessly switch between L1 and L2 . Users can also experience $BTC swaps with other tokens, such as stablecoins, at any time without having to switch to an EVM wallet.
In addition, Merlin Chain will support most of the major protocols on Bitcoin L1, including, but not limited to, BRC-20, Bitmap, BRC-420, Atomicals, SRC20, and Pipe. All inscriptions on L1 will be automatically whitelisted by Merlin Chain, allowing users to safely and affordably trade on it.
In line with its pursuit of “Bitcoin Native”, Merlin Chain plans to adopt BRC-20 as its governance token. This makes a lot more sense than other Bitcoin L2s that are currently using Ethereum standard tokens as governance tokens. The token will be released through a fair launch, with the exception of a small portion that will be distributed to VCs and the team, which will be given a 48-month release period that will not start within two years, demonstrating the team’s and investors’ confidence in Merlin Chain.
Bridging the Gap – Simplifying Bitcoin Adoption and Fuel Growth
Another tricky issue for the builders in the Bitcoin ecosystem is the lack of new users and new money coming in. While the Ordinals things have continued to be on fire, the number of active address has not seen significant growth. It is just the same group of people involved in different projects. A very fundamental reason for this is the complexity of Bitcoin. As well as the need to download a Bitcoin wallet, inscribing is also not very easy to understand, and users will need to spend at least two blocks of their time inscribing, as well as three blocks of their time for confirmation, which is complicated and time-consuming.
(Daily Active Bitcoin Address: Glassnode)
Merlin Chain will solve this problem. Currently, Merlin Chain has been connected to 40 Ethereum chains, so for those users who are not familiar with Bitcoin, they can use their familiar wallets, such as MetaMask, and their familiar assets, such as stablecoins, $ETH, $BNB, etc. to interact on Merlin Chain. Users don’t need to know the principles behind Bitcoin, or even what BRC-20 and Atomicals are, before they can experience Bitcoin in its native manner in their familiar way.
For this purpose, Merlin Chain is going to integrate the first multi-chain inscription DApp, which will allow users to inscribe assets on other layers, including Bitcoin L1, on Merlin Chain. It will only take one block to wait for. At the same time, a launchpad will also be available on Merlin Chain, with a mechanism that allows every inscription launched on it to be valued at 100,000 FDV, allowing more users to easily purchase assets such as the BRC-20/ BRC-420/ Atomicals/ Runes at a very low price. Additionally, as part of its commitment to decentralization, Merlin Chain is going to release most of its governance tokens to the community.
Users can stay tuned for the upcoming mainnet launch – the future of Bitcoin is about to unfold with Merlin Chain at the helm.
About Merlin Chain
Merlin Chain is a Bitcoin Layer2 that integrates ZK-Rollup network, decentralized oracle network, and on-chain BTC fraud proof modules. Merlin Chain is committed to empowering Bitcoin’s native assets, protocols, and products on Layer1 through its Layer2 network, to Make Bitcoin Fun Again. Merlin Chainis a subsidiary product line of Bitmap Tech, a premier OG team boasting an overall market cap exceeding $500 million. The BRC-420 “Blue Box” collection under Bitmap Tech has become one of the hottest assets on Ordinals.
Users can start following Merlin Chain’s Twitter for more updates.
Contact
Jeff
Merlin Chain
bitmap@bitmap.tech
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Cryptocurrency
Rise Surpasses $500 Million in Total Payroll Volume, Solidifying Its Leadership in Hybrid Payroll

[PRESS RELEASE – Please Read Disclaimer]
Rise, the leading hybrid payroll and contractor payment platform is proud to announce its major milestone: surpassing $500 million in total payroll volume paid out to global teams.
This comes only six months after hitting the $300M milestone in September of 2024, highlighting Rise’s rapid growth, trust from businesses worldwide, and its commitment to revolutionizing payroll for the modern, global economy.
Since its launch, Rise has empowered global businesses to pay contractors and teams seamlessly in local currencies, stablecoins, and cryptocurrencies
By combining a variety of payment schedules, compliance-first solutions, and a seamless user experience, Rise has positioned itself as the go-to platform for companies looking to streamline payroll operations and navigate complex international hiring landscapes.
A New Era of Payroll: Fast, Compliant, and Crypto-Enabled
The acceleration toward borderless, hybrid payroll solutions has fueled Rise’s growth.
Key features driving this success include:
- Multi-Currency Flexibility – Employers can pay their teams in stablecoins and cryptocurrencies, along with 90+ fiat currencies.
- Global Compliance – Built-in KYC/AML verification ensures secure and compliant onboarding.
- Automated Onboarding – A seamless experience for businesses hiring and paying remote teams worldwide.
Rise’s Vision: Scaling to $1 Billion and Beyond
With $500M in payroll processed, Rise is setting its sights on $1 billion in total payouts, further expanding its global footprint and product capabilities.
The company is actively enhancing its platform with more payroll-related services such as Employer of Record, Direct Payroll, accounting, integrations, and expanded crypto payment options to meet the needs of fast-scaling businesses.
“As businesses continue to embrace global and hybrid payroll solutions, our mission remains clear: to provide a fast, compliant, and seamless way for companies to onboard and pay their teams worldwide,” said Hugo Finkelstein, CEO. “Reaching $500 million is just the beginning. As workforces start to demand hybrid payroll from their employers, Rise is uniquely positioned to meet their needs.”
About Rise
Rise is a hybrid payroll and international contractor payment platform that enables businesses to pay their teams in local currency, stablecoins, or cryptocurrency.
Designed for global teams with distributed workforces, Rise simplifies payroll & cross-border payments while ensuring compliance.
For more information, users can visit www.riseworks.io.
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Cryptocurrency
BTC Bull Token Rockets Past $1M in ICO Funding – Could It be the Hottest New Bitcoin Play?

A new Bitcoin-themed meme coin called BTC Bull Token just passed the $1 million mark in its ICO.
This project offers a unique way for holders to generate BTC rewards.
The big question is: Could BTC Bull Token (BTCBULL) help capitalize on the anticipated Bitcoin bull run?
Inside BTC Bull Token – A Meme Coin That Pays You in Bitcoin
So, what is BTC Bull Token, and how does it work?
It’s a meme coin built on the Ethereum blockchain, designed to act as a “bet” on Bitcoin’s price rising.
Instead of buying Bitcoin directly, you’re buying a coin that rewards you with actual BTC when Bitcoin hits specific price milestones.
For example, when Bitcoin reaches $150,000 or $200,000, BTCBULL holders get airdrops of BTC.
There’s no other project that offers this kind of reward structure.
BTC Bull Token also plans to burn some of its supply as Bitcoin climbs in $25,000 increments, starting at $125,000.
It’s like a company buying back its own stock – it reduces the total number of tokens available, potentially making those left worth more.
There’s even a staking app for BTCBULL, offering initial APYs of 349%.
Since this staking app went live, investors have locked up more than 300 million BTCBULL tokens.
BTCBULL Presale Passes $1M Mark as Some Analysts Expect Huge Growth Ahead
With all these features designed to capitalize on BTC’s movements, it’s no surprise that the BTC Bull Token presale is taking off.
The presale raised over $800,000 in the first 48 hours alone and has since reached the $1.1 million mark.
This early momentum has caught investors’ attention.
The current BTCBULL price is set at $0.00236, but it will increase incrementally as fundraising milestones are met.
Early investors get better prices, with the token price increasing as more funding rolls in.
It’s not just everyday investors that are getting involved.
BTC Bull Token is also gaining traction in the influencer community, with popular YouTuber NASS CRYPTO calling it an “unstoppable force.”
Given that he has over 1,000,000 YouTube subscribers, his endorsement has only added to the buzz around BTCBULL.
And it’s also helped the project build a sizable social media presence.
BTC Bull Token’s Twitter page and Telegram channel have exploded, plus BTCBULL has also been ranked highly on ICOBench.com.
Can Bitcoin’s Growth in 2025 Fuel BTC Bull Token’s Success?
What does the bigger picture look like for Bitcoin itself?
Most analysts are optimistic about Bitcoin in 2025, with claims ranging from $150,000 to $200,000 – and some even stretching to $250,000.
Several factors are driving this optimism.
These include growing institutional interest (mainly thanks to the spot BTC ETFs), the continued after-effects of last year’s halving, and even potential pro-crypto policies in the U.S.
If these factors play out, it’s good news for Bitcoin – and BTCBULL.
As BTC’s price climbs and hits more milestones, it directly triggers the rewards and token burns built into BTC Bull Token’s ecosystem.
More demand for BTC translates to more BTC rewards for holders, and the burns could increase BTCBULL’s price over time.
While the potential looks promising, there are risks to consider.
Bitcoin’s price could drop, and unexpected events (like geopolitical tensions) may throw a wrench in the works.
But for those who believe in Bitcoin’s long-term potential, BTC Bull Token offers an interesting way to potentially amplify those gains – or at least gain exposure in a unique way.
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Cryptocurrency
Figment Joins Blockchain Association to Advance U.S. Crypto Policy and Institutional Staking Adoption

[PRESS RELEASE – Please Read Disclaimer]
Today, Figment, the leading independent staking infrastructure provider with over $15B in staked assets, announced it is joining the Blockchain Association, the leading trade association for the cryptocurrency industry in the United States. Joining forces with the country’s preeminent exchanges, venture capital firms, infrastructure, and service providers emphasizes Figment’s continued leadership role in shaping regulation that facilitates institutional crypto adoption.
As institutional interest in protocol staking continues to grow, Figment’s membership in the Blockchain Association reinforces its commitment to working with policymakers and regulators to establish clear guidelines for the staking ecosystem in particular. This collaboration comes at a crucial time as the industry seeks regulatory clarity, particularly regarding the treatment of protocol staking in exchange-traded products.
“We are excited to welcome Figment as a member of the Blockchain Association. As the U.S. moves into a new era for digital assets, establishing regulatory clarity around staking will be critical. We look forward to the Figment team lending their expertise to these policy conversations in DC”, states Kristin Smith, CEO at Blockchain Association.
Through the Association, Figment will focus on key educational and advocacy initiatives, including:
- Protocol staking in ETPs
- Development of staking regulatory frameworks
- Education on the distinction between protocol staking and yield products
- Cross-jurisdictional policy alignment
As a member of the Blockchain Association, Figment strengthens its position as a trusted voice in shaping the future of digital asset infrastructure. This membership enhances the company’s ability to serve its 700+ institutional clients while contributing to the development of responsible industry standards.
Figment continues to educate American policymakers on staking’s critical importance in securing and decentralizing Proof-of-Stake (PoS) networks. Having reached a $633 billion market cap, PoS networks are noteworthy for offering a more sustainable alternative to energy-intensive Proof-of-Work mining. The approval of Ethereum in ETFs in May 2024 marked another significant milestone for Proof-of-Stake networks.
The entire Figment team is energized to bring its staking expertise to the Blockchain Association’s agenda at this critical moment for the future of the nation’s crypto policy. Beyond navigating the hopeful addition of staking to ETPs, Figment is also helping traditional banks and brokerages navigate the opportunities of staking within regulated financial institutions made possible through SAB 122.
“Protocol staking is the backbone of blockchain security, ensuring network integrity and decentralization,” adds Jennie Levin, Chief Regulatory & Strategy Officer. “Figment is thrilled to join the Blockchain Association, to align with industry leaders to further this message and advocate for a thriving, secure, and decentralized future.”
About Blockchain Association
The Blockchain Association is the unified voice of the cryptocurrency industry. Their members include the sector’s leading investors, companies, projects, and protocols, working together to support a future-forward, pro-innovation national policy and regulatory framework for the crypto economy. For more information, users can visit the blockchainassociation.org.
About Figment
Figment is the leading provider of staking infrastructure. Figment provides the complete staking solution for over 700 institutional clients, including asset managers, exchanges, wallets, foundations, custodians, and large token holders, to earn rewards on their digital assets. On Ethereum, Figment is the largest non-custodial staking provider of staked ETH. Institutional staking services from Figment include seamless point-and-click staking, portfolio reward tracking, API integrations, audited infrastructure, and slashing protection. To learn more about Figment, users can visit figment.io.
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