Hero
Arkade introduces a set of core components that reimagine Bitcoin transaction execution through virtualization. These components work together to provide instant execution, trust-minimized settlement, and scalable programmability without modifying the Bitcoin protocol. Arkade is built on top of the Ark protocol, which introduced foundational primitives like VTXOs, transaction batching and batch swaps. Arkade extends Ark’s capabilities into a full virtual execution layer where transactional flows occur in the virtual mempool which provides the environment for advanced, scalable financial applications. Bitcoin’s base layer is intentionally constrained to preserve decentralization and security. Arkade complements it by enabling advanced application logic such as trading, lending, payments, on a scalable offchain layer, while preserving self-custody and settlement finality.

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What Makes Arkade Different

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Parallel Execution

Arkade mirrors Bitcoin’s mempool with an offchain virtual mempool, enabling independent VTXO-based transactions to execute in parallel. This eliminates global contention and unlocks horizontal scalability for Bitcoin applications.

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Bitcoin-Native Programmability

Arkade makes Bitcoin truly programmable. Developers can write contracts using Arkade Script, a stateful, expressive scripting language that compiles into Bitcoin-compatible execution flows. Contracts are tied directly to Bitcoin outputs, ensuring unilateral enforceability.

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Efficient Batch Settlement

A vast number of Arkade transactions can be compressed into a single batch output as part of a commitment transaction. This significantly reduces individual settlement costs while preserving the onchain enforceability of each VTXO through presigned exit paths.

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Self-Custodial Security

VTXOs grant users unilateral exit rights, enforced through presigned Bitcoin transactions. All contracts are auditable, and users retain full control over their assets at all times.

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Verifiable Trust

Transactions receive instant offchain preconfirmation by the Arkade Signer which is a signing entity running inside a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE). This environment cryptographically attests to correct execution and provide integrity guarantees. Transaction finality can be achieved by anchoring offchain VTXOs to the Bitcoin blockchain through settlement when desired.

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Use Arkade To Build:

  • Smart Wallets with programmable spending conditions leveraging secure enclaves of modern smartphones and laptops
  • Lending Protocols using natively collateralized BTC with verifiable liquidation rules.
  • Decentralized Exchanges with high frequency cross-chain swaps
  • AI Payments enabling autonomous machine-to-machine economies and programmable task execution
  • Margin Trading with Bitcoin with configurable leverage, without giving up self-custody of the margin collateral
Arkade brings cloud-like scale to Bitcoin apps. Programmable money. Instantly executed. Anything you wished to build on Bitcoin but was not possible due to its limitations.

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Get Started

Learn the Basics

Understand the core concepts behind Arkade and how it enhances Bitcoin

Grok Arkade's Architecture

Learn about the core architecture of Arkade

Set Up a Wallet

Create your first Arkade wallet and start building

Send Payments

Learn how to send Bitcoin payments with Arkade

Advanced Contracts

Build complex financial applications on Arkade

API Layer

Get familiar with arkd, Arkade tx workflows and the associated API Layer