Blockstream

Core Lightning 26.06.7 is out and recommended for every node runner. It fixes vulnerabilities reported over the past three weeks, during a sharp rise in AI-generated reports across open source Bitcoin. Details stay under embargo for two weeks, then all published. https://blog.blockstream.com/core-lightning-26-06-7/

Jade firmware 1.0.41 is out. It contains security updates and every user should upgrade as soon as they safely can. Jade is not affected by the Coldcard random number vulnerability. The reasoning, and everything we changed, is in the post. https://blog.blockstream.com/reflections-on-the-coldcard-fallout/

Your Jade never has to touch the computer. QR Connect and air-gapped signing land in the desktop app, so Jade pairs, unlocks and signs entirely over QR codes. Lightning arrives too, in Beta. Switch it on in settings, no second app to run. https://blog.blockstream.com/blockstream-app-desktop-3-5-0/

A popular concern says post-quantum signatures cannot run on the hardware wallets people already own. Blockstream Research implemented hash-based schemes on four popular devices. All four signed. SLH-DSA, the NIST standard, in about two minutes at worst. https://blog.blockstream.com/hardware-wallets-post-quantum-signatures/

Jade doesn’t use a physical secure element. We just published a full post on how the Virtual Secure Element works: https://blog.blockstream.com/jade-virtual-secure-element/

Beta access: https://blockstream.typeform.com/to/y1L5wyZT

Announcing Blockstream Swaps. Trustless atomic swaps for Bitcoin, Liquid, and Lightning. Hold BTC or LBTC and pay Lightning invoices without managing channels or inbound liquidity. Reach Lightning from cold storage while keeping full control of your funds. Built as a complementary service to strengthen ecosystem resilience and redundancy. Currently in beta. Full announcement: https://blog.blockstream.com/announcing-blockstream-swaps/

Post-quantum signatures aren't one-size-fits-all, and now developers can find the SHRINCS setup that fits theirs. Blockstream Research's explorer lets you tune signature size, signing cost, and verification cost to match your wallet, node, or miner. Their sweep of 25,935 candidates found a fallback signature about 2 KB smaller than NIST's SLH-DSA, and 28% cheaper to verify. https://blog.blockstream.com/searching-for-shrincs-parameters/

Jade is unaffected by the recently disclosed RNG vulnerability affecting other hardware wallets. Every Blockstream Jade recovery phrase comes from multiple independent entropy sources. On an affected device? Here's how to migrate calmly, step by step: https://blog.blockstream.com/jade-unaffected-coldcard-vulnerability/

The Blockstream Jade lineup (Jade Classic, Jade Core, and Jade Plus) is unaffected by the recently reported RNG issue with another company. We are preparing a blog post outlining best practices for anyone moving bitcoin to a new wallet, including how to generate fresh keys, verify addresses, conduct a test transaction and securely retire an old recovery phrase. Frontier LLMs are uncovering previously overlooked vulnerabilities, and Blockstream is using the same tools to strengthen the QA reviews of our product suite. But AI is not a substitute for open source: transparent hardware and firmware enable independent scrutiny, faster disclosure and quicker fixes. This is why Blockstream Jade continues to champion both open source software and hardware. https://x.com/Blockstream/status/2083030032927306010

Simplicity has been live on Liquid mainnet for nearly a year. Now the full developer toolchain is here. Build high-assurance Bitcoin contracts in a zero-friction environment with autocomplete, instant testing, post-quantum signatures, and a finalized lending template. Here's what builders can ship today and what's coming next. https://blog.blockstream.com/building-on-simplicity-what-ships-today-what-is-coming-next/

New 0-conf infrastructure for Liquid and other Elements-based deployments is here. Swap services, exchanges and applications that accept Liquid payments now have access to near-instant transfer times. Details in the technical explainer below. https://blog.blockstream.com/0-conf-for-elements-and-liquid-a-technical-explainer/

Simplicity's site just got a full redesign. Simplicity lets you prove exactly how a contract behaves before it goes live. No surprise fees, no transactions failing mid-execution. The security guarantees are part of the language, not bolted on after. Live on Liquid mainnet, running real financial contracts, and built for the developers and institutions building high-assurance Bitcoin applications. https://blog.blockstream.com/welcome-to-the-new-simplicity/

When you run a Bitcoin node, you can prove the 21 million cap yourself. Every block. No trust required. The Zcash Orchard bug, undetected for four years, is a reminder of what you give up when supply verifiability is traded for privacy. The Liquid Network shows there is another way. Strong privacy with publicly verifiable supply. https://blog.blockstream.com/what-the-zcash-orchard-bug-reveals-about-verifiable-supply/

Core Lightning 26.06 "Quantum-Resistant Lightning Channel" has shipped. Graceful shutdowns, precise send amounts, smarter payment retries, and enhanced payment privacy. Your Lightning node runs cleaner and your payments stay harder to observe. ⚡ The big architectural shift in this release is bwatch, a new block-watching plugin that fundamentally changes how CLN interacts with the Bitcoin blockchain. No more 30-second polling loops. Near-instant catch-ups on startup. Crash-resistant and built to scale. Legacy pay is now deprecated. The xpay evolution is here. 42 days. 236 commits. 19 contributors including Sangbida Chaudhuri and Rusty Russell, who designed bwatch from the ground up. Lightweight, customisable, spec-focused Lightning. That's what this community keeps building. ⚡ https://blog.blockstream.com/core-lightning-26-06-quantum-resistant-lightning-channel/?ref=blockstream-newsletter

The results are in from the Blockstream Turin Simplicity Hackathon! 20 developers spent a weekend building real smart contracts on Simplicity covenant DEXs, inheritance tools, post-quantum wallets, and more. First place goes to: PQ Liquid Wallet, taking home $3,000 in bitcoin: PQ Liquid Wallet is the first wallet to test Blockstream's research on protecting Bitcoin from future quantum computers. Second and third place each take home a Blockstream Jade for every team member. Full breakdown of all six submissions on the blog. https://blog.blockstream.com/simplicity-developers-show-off-at-the-turin-hackathon/

There is no concrete post-quantum signature scheme for Bitcoin today. But over the last year Blockstream Research has been working on exactly this. Director Jonas Nick lays out the proposal: OP_CHECKSHRINCS, a hash-based signature opcode for post-quantum Bitcoin. SHRINCS reaches up to 3 TPS on the compact path. 580-byte signatures from a dedicated signing device. A stateless fallback always available. Already demonstrated on Liquid. The C++ implementation, Simplicity verifier, and draft spec are all on GitHub. https://blog.blockstream.com/op_checkshrincs-a-hash-based-signature-opcode-for-post-quantum-bitcoin/

As the Liquid Network’s technical provider, Blockstream is sharing an updated roadmap for the core development workstreams it leads. 0-conf payments, quantum readiness, BitVM bridge exploration, institutional custody, Simplicity-based DeFi infrastructure, and much more are in development. Details. 👇 https://blog.blockstream.com/liquid-network-roadmap-0-conf-quantum-readiness-and-bitvm/

Built for exchanges, custodians, and teams running mission-critical Bitcoin infrastructure. Blockstream Explorer API 26.03 is out. Complete visibility into API usage patterns. Optimized performance for high-volume applications. Flexible security controls for enterprise workflows. What's new: historical analytics, faster query response, customizable token expiration, and production-grade rate limiting across free and paid tiers. Full release notes: https://blog.blockstream.com/enhanced-analytics-and-infrastructure-improvements-for-the-blockstream-explorer-api/