Controversial Bitcoin upgrade BIP-119 may be decided by end of year

Key Points

1. BIP-119, also known as OP_CHECKTEMPLATEVERIFY (CTV), aims to improve Bitcoin's layer-2 protocols like the Lightning Network and Ark, offering safer and more practical solutions for users.

2. Prominent Bitcoin developers and firms, including Jameson Lopp and Andrew Poelstra, support BIP-119, with progress toward consensus being noted by industry leaders.

3. If approved, BIP-119 could enable features like Eltoo-style channels, making Lightning Network transactions more practical and secure, and introduce smart vaults for better BTC custody.

4. Bitcoin upgrades like BIP-119 face challenges due to the decentralized nature of the network, requiring broad consensus among miners or nodes, but momentum for BIP-119 is growing.

5. BIP-119 could also facilitate new protocols and bridges, such as those connecting Bitcoin with Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-based systems, potentially attracting more developers and users to the Bitcoin ecosystem.