Ark Protocol Original concept: Burak (2023, posted to bitcoin-dev as ). Mainnet implementation: ARKADE (Ark Labs, public beta launched 2025-2026). Reference impl (Second). Ark virtualizes Bitcoin's UTXO layer into VTXOs (Virtual Transaction Outputs) that are batched and settled periodically on chain. Mechanism Round-based architecture - An ASP (Ark Service Provider) runs periodic rounds (e.g., every few minutes / hours). - During each round, users send/receive funds via VTXOs. - At round end, ASP commits the round state on chain via a single pool tx. - Each user's VTXO is included in the pool…