DeFi News Official TheBitTimes.com

Zero-knowledge proofs have powered the development of Ethereum layer 2s — and now they’re coming to Bitcoin. Bitcoin (BTC) users will soon be able to make use of zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) to expedite the process of verifying individual blocks and, eventually, the entire blockchain.  Swiss-based nonprofit ZeroSync Association is developing tooling which allows users to validate the state of the Bitcoin network without having to download the blockchain or trust a third party for verification. ZeroSync Association is an organization that was formed to develop and maintain open-source software that enables succinct zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) on the Bitcoin blockchain. The group makes use of StarkWare’s proprietary zero-knowledge Scalable Transparent Argument of Knowledge (zk-STARK) validity proofs to generate ZKPs for the Bitcoin network. The tool promises to overhaul the process of verifying the Bitcoin blockchain, which still requires node operators to download a large amount of d...

SEC’s acting chief accountant Paul Munter said that investors shouldn't place too much confidence in a company holding up a proof-of-reserves audit. A senior official from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission has warned investors to be “very wary” about relying on a crypto company’s “ proof -of- reserve s.” “We’re warning investors to be very wary of some of the claims that are being made by crypto companies,” said SEC’s acting chief accountant Paul Munter in a Dec. 22 interview with The Wall Street Journal. A number of crypto firms have commissioned “proof-of-reserves” audits since the collapse of crypto exchange FTX, aiming to quell concerns over their own exchange’s financial soundness. However, Munter said the results of these audits isn’t necessarily an indicator that the company is in a good financial position. “Investors should not place too much confidence in the mere fact a company says it’s got a proof-of-reserves from an audit firm.” He further added ...