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Bitcoin OP_CAT Proposal Gets Boost From Taproot Wizards' $30M Fundraise

Taproot Wizards will use the funding to build an ecosystem of applications using the OP_CAT Bitcoin improvement proposal

By Jamie Crawley
Feb 4, 2025, 9:03 p.m. 1 min read
TaprootWizards.com NFT (ordinals.com)
TaprootWizards.com NFT (ordinals.com)

What to know:

  • Taproot Wizards has raised $30 million with which it plans to build an ecosystem of applications using the OP_CAT Bitcoin improvement proposal.
  • OP_CAT is a feature that could bring Ethereum-like smart contract functionality to Bitcoin.
  • The Wizards have been attempting to "meme OP_CAT back into existence," the project said in an announcement.

Taproot Wizards has raised $30 million with which it plans to build an ecosystem of applications using the OP_CAT Bitcoin improvement proposal (BIP).

OP_CAT is a feature that Bitcoin's pseudonymous founder Satoshi Nakamoto included in the software's original code but which he/she/they removed out of concerns that it exposed it to risks such as denial-of-service (DoS) attack.

Many developers have expressed a concern in bringing it back.

The proposal could bring Ethereum-like smart contract functionality to Bitcoin through introducing "covenants," or rules that determine how a specific transaction will function.

Taproot Wizards, whose vision is to "make Bitcoin magical again," sold a collection of 3,000 non-fungible token (NFT)-like pieces of digital art called "Quantum Cats" to drum up support for OP_CAT one year ago.

The Wizards have been attempting to "meme OP_CAT back into existence," according to an emailed announcement on Tuesday.

Co-founder Udi Werthimer describes OP_CAT as "the missing piece" to attaining "permissionless programmability for bitcoin, allowing lending, trading and smart contracts without giving up self custody," in Tuesday's announcement.

The $30 million funding round was led by Standard Crypto.

Taproot wizardsBitcoin NewsBIPFunding Rounds

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