New Taproot Assets protocol: a boost to Bitcoin blockchain scalability?

Over the past couple of months, BRC-20 tokens and ordinals have gained plenty of attention in the Bitcoin community. Some have suggested the developments could raise gas fees and take up unnecessary space on the blockchain. In contrast, others have hailed both as being among the most incredible innovations since Satoshi published Bitcoin's whitepaper in 2008.

Many believe the key to greater Bitcoin adoption is scalability, and thankfully, the Bitcoin community has some of the most passionate and knowledgeable developers to help achieve this goal. One major advancement from the developer community was Taproot.

This innovative Bitcoin upgrade arrived in late 2021 to enhance privacy by simplifying complex transactions, improve scalability by harvesting multiple transactions into a single "smart contract," and introduce advanced smart contract capabilities for more sophisticated spending conditions. It helps to make Bitcoin more secure, scalable, and adaptable to complex transactions.

Now, to address some of the challenges raised by BRC-20 tokens and ordinals, Lightning Labs, a major contributor to the Lightning Network, recently announced the Taproot Assets protocol.

What is the Taproot Assets protocol?

Originally called Taro, Lightning Labs rebranded it as Taproot Assets. The protocol was designed to operate off-chain to avoid blockchain congestion. It allows unlimited assets to be minted and moved in a single on-chain transaction. This design enables asset minters and transactors to use the Bitcoin blockchain without scalability issues.

Users can integrate their BRC-20 assets into the Lightning Network for fast, high-volume, and low-fee transactions. This leverages existing networks, such as wallets, exchanges, and merchants, instead of creating a new ecosystem.

Here are some of the features Taproot Assets offers:

Efficient client support

Taproot Assets is designed to work well for lightweight client applications. It only requires a few resources to verify transactions and can operate even when accessing untrusted Bitcoin transactions.

Partial blockchain awareness

The Taproot Assets protocol doesn't need to know everything about the Bitcoin blockchain. It can function without requiring complete knowledge of the blockchain's history, making it more practical and resource-friendly.

Unique and non-unique assets

Taproot Assets can handle different types of assets. Some assets are unique, meaning there's only one of each (e.g. special edition digital artwork). In contrast, others can be non-unique, allowing for multiple instances of the same asset (e.g. in-game tokens).

Multi-signature and co-signatory arrangements

Taproot Assets provides flexibility for advanced security setups. It allows users to produce creative arrangements where multiple parties can control an asset. This can involve multiple signatures or co-signatories, enhancing the protocol's security and control of assets.

The anonymous developer behind BRC-20, Domos, believed there would be better design choices and optimization improvements around BRC-20. Domos has also praised Taproot Assets as a better alternative for minting new Bitcoin assets than methods like JavaScript Object Notation (JSON).

The final word

In its early stages, Taproot Assets shows great potential with its promises of maximizing chain-space efficiency and offering stability and scalability improvements for BRC-20 through multi-asset mints, sends, and receives.

Further advancements to the Lightning Network may follow to reduce complexity and further improve scalability of blockchain networks. For now, Taproot Assets is the latest important step forward.

Don't forget: with the OKX Wallet, you can view and transfer ordinals and trade BRC-20 tokens.

إخلاء المسؤولية
هذا المحتوى مُقدَّم لأغراض إعلامية فقط وقد يغطّي منتجات غير متاحة في منطقتك. وليس الغرض منه تقديم (1) نصيحة أو توصية استثمارية، (2) أو عرض أو التماس لشراء الأصول أو العملات الرقمية أو بيعها أو الاحتفاظ بها، أو (3) استشارة مالية أو محاسبية أو قانونية أو ضريبية. عمليات الاحتفاظ بالعملات الرقمية أو الأصول الرقمية، بما فيها العملات المستقرة وعملات NFT تنطوي على درجة عالية من المخاطرة، ويمكن أن تشهد تقلّبًا كبيرًا في قيمتها. لذا، ينبغي التفكير جيدًا فيما إذا كان تداول العملات الرقمية أو الأصول الرقمية أو الاحتفاظ بها مناسبًا لك حسب وضعك المالي. يُرجى استشارة خبير الشؤون القانونية أو الضرائب أو الاستثمار لديك بخصوص أي أسئلة مُتعلِّقة بظروفك الخاصة. المعلومات (بما في ذلك بيانات السوق والمعلومات الإحصائية، إن وجدت) الموجودة في هذا المنشور معروضة كمعلومات عامة فقط. قد يتم إنشاء بعض المحتوى أو مساعدته بواسطة أدوات الذكاء الاصطناعي (AI). وعلى الرغم من كل العناية المعقولة التي تم بذلها في إعداد هذه البيانات والرسوم البيانية، لا نتحمَّل أي مسؤولية أو التزام عن أي أخطاء في الحقائق أو سهو فيها. لا تُقدِّم منصة OKX للتداول محفظة OKX Web3 وخدماتها الإضافية وتخضع لشروط الخدمة الموضحة في شروط خدمة نظام OKX Web3 المتكامل.

المقالات ذات الصلة

عرض المزيد
hard wallet
Security
Wallets
Self-custody

A complete guide to 2024's best hardware wallets

Have you ever considered the most secure method to store your cryptocurrency? A hardware wallet provides an essential safeguard solution for your cryptocurrency assets by keeping them offline. Unlike hot wallets, which can be susceptible to cyber-attacks, hardware wallets securely contain the private keys you need to gain access to your digital assets.
‏29 يوليو 2025
المبتدئين
‏‎30‏
NFTs generic
Blockchain
Ethereum
Protocols

All about Ethscriptions: the Ethereum protocol rivaling Bitcoin ordinals

Bitcoin ordinals took the Web3 world by storm following their introduction in January 2023. The adoption of ordinals has been massive, with millions of inscriptions being created in the few months since launch.
‏23 يوليو 2025
‏‎2‏
UPI and Web3 wallets India
Wallets

UPI and Web3 wallets: India's digital payment platform

Does India's adoption of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) signify the start of a new digital payment revolution? The potential is there. Web3 decentralized protocols and technologies offer individuals more control over their data, identities, and transactions, which could be the next step in the evolution of the internet. With India's evolving digital payment infrastructure, the country is well-positioned to take advantage of the possibilities of decentralization.
‏23 يوليو 2025
‏‎2‏
OKX Bot Trading
Trading guide
Blockchain
Trading basics

A beginner’s guide to IPOs: how cryptocurrency firms can go public

An initial public offering (IPO) is the process of a private company offering its shares to the public for the first time, allowing anyone to buy a stake in the company. This usually occurs when a company is looking to raise capital to fund its growth and expansion plans. IPOs have become increasingly popular among cryptocurrency firms in recent years, as they seek to gain mainstream recognition and credibility. This beginner’s guide will explore the IPO process and provide insights into how cryptocurrency firms can go public.
‏15 يوليو 2025
المبتدئين
‏‎7‏
Friend.tech Learn banner
Ethereum

Decoding Friend.tech: a guide to the latest big thing in crypto SocialFi

In the 21st century, social media underwent a revolution. Platforms like Friendster, MySpace, and later Meta reshaped how we connected and shared online. As the years went by, the trend shifted towards mobile-centric platforms like Instagram, X, Snapchat, and TikTok, further expanding the boundaries of online interaction.
‏15 يوليو 2025
المبتدئين
trade-academy-beginner-4
Mining
Bitcoin
Blockchain

The 9 best ASIC miners for mining cryptocurrency in 2024

Cryptocurrency mining is an essential process that secures and verifies transactions within a blockchain network. Miners use computational power to solve complex mathematical problems, validate transa
‏15 يوليو 2025
‏‎5‏
عرض المزيد