Can Zcash’s rise revive the Bitcoin OP_CAT discussion?

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Whereas the Winklevoss twins, Naval Ravikant and Balaji Srinivasan help the adoption of Zcash (ZEC), its success might spur the Bitcoin ecosystem to push for extra privateness options by rethinking the reactivation of OP_CAT, in accordance with Eli Ben-Sasson, founding father of StarkWare and a famend mathematician who helped pioneer zero-knowledge proofs.

Zcash was impressed by Bitcoin

In 2014, Ben-Sasson and his co-authors revealed ‘Zerocash: Decentralized Nameless Funds from Bitcoin’.

The White Paper was the results of six years of theoretical work. Beginning in 2008, Ben-Sasson and his collaborators labored on common zero-knowledge proof know-how. Though that they had no use case, they knew the know-how was extremely highly effective.

Zcash has been trending on Crypto Twitter for months.

Not many individuals know the backstory behind the most important cryptocurrency when it comes to privateness.

We speak to @EliBenSasson concerning the historical past of @Zcash and the ZK know-how behind it.

Be a part of me and @rkbaggs dwell! https://t.co/ZRh96OzBD7

— Gareth Jenkinson (@gazza_jenks) November 10, 2025

“We knew that zero-knowledge proofs remedy two issues: scalability and privateness. They supply integrity. They’ll principally persuade you that the appropriate factor was executed even while you’re not trying and even when you do not see all the small print,” Ben-Sasson instructed Cointelegraph’s Chain Response dwell present on X.

Every thing modified in 2013 when Ben-Sasson gave a chat on ZK at one of many first editions of the Bitcoin convention.

“I stepped off the stage and a few very influential Bitcoin OGs like Greg Maxwell and Mike Hearn got here up and mentioned, ‘Okay, the place is the know-how? When can we use the code?’ And I requested them, ‘Why do you want it?’

Associated: Fact behind the comeback of privacy-focused protocol Zcash in 2025

These early Bitcoin (BTC) builders and proponents outlined a number of methods Bitcoin may benefit from the brand new methodology. All of a sudden ZK-proofs had discovered their nice use case.

“So we have been working actually arduous to publish one thing that reveals how this know-how can remedy one of many key issues of blockchains, which is the truth that while you make a Bitcoin transaction, anybody can see the quantity and just about work out who paid who and the way a lot.”

This transparency, whereas inherent by design, means that there’s an inescapable aspect of transparency when utilizing Bitcoin. ZK proofs present an answer, however Bitcoin’s code doesn’t enable their inclusion resulting from a choice Satoshi Nakamoto made a few years in the past.

Why OP_CAT is the important thing to privateness on Bitcoin

Ben-Sasson mentioned Bitcoin might nonetheless have native privateness and infinite scalability if builders agree to revive OP_CAT, a Satoshi-era OP_Code that Bitcoin’s creator disabled in 2010.

He additionally famous that Zcash’s revival in 2025 might function a possible catalyst for Bitcoin’s push for privateness.

There are rumors going round that Bitcoin hodlers are buying and selling BTC for Zcash 🤔🔏

Why? As a result of some Bitcoiners need to have the ability to conduct transactions with extra privateness.

BUT Bitcoin can nonetheless have NATIVE privateness and scale. @EliBenSasson explains how ZK-proofs and OP_CAT maintain the important thing 🗝️👇

We caught… pic.twitter.com/UTwb6U2hbg

— Gareth Jenkinson (@gazza_jenks) November 12, 2025

“I hope one consequence of this could be that the Bitcoin group might be extra open to issues like OP_CAT and OP_STARK in order that they will have post-quantum safety, privateness, scale and programmability for this stunning arduous asset that’s Bitcoin,” Ben-Sasson mentioned.

“The know-how is prepared. All you want is a comfortable fork that provides 9 strains of code, which Satoshi really launched. It is referred to as OP_CAT. It’s totally, very straightforward. If there is a will, there is a approach. On this case, it is a quite simple strategy to give all that good to Bitcoin itself.”

Associated: Leap Therapeutics Soars 170% After $50 Million Zcash Buy Backed by Winklevoss

Outstanding Bitcoiners on social media have largely stayed out of the Zcash story, and there has but to be an actual dialog about methods to enhance privateness when utilizing Bitcoin for funds.

Cointelegraph additionally spoke completely with Gemini co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss at Bitcoin Amsterdam, who defined their perception in Zcash’s potential to enrich Bitcoin.

The twins made headlines after saying the launch of Cypherpunk Applied sciences, a ZEC-based treasury firm, following the acquisition and rebranding of Nasdaq-listed Leap Therapeutics in November.

Journal: 2026 is the yr of pragmatic privateness in crypto: Canton, Zcash and extra