The technology underpinning bitcoin is set for major changes in 2018, with several projects scheduled. Bitcoin’s price has surged over the past year, but it remains a volatile asset that can fluctuate wildly from day to day. Since drivechains do need a soft-fork protocol upgrade, the contention does make the future of drivechains a bit more uncertain. Also expected is the launch of bitcoin's Lightning Network, offering secure, instant confirmations and near-free transfers, while privacy solutions ZeroLink and TumbleBit are set to make the network more secure. Activation of segwit will also make it easier to improve cryptographic signatures by facilitating the use of Schnorr signatures, which would reduce transaction costs and increase bitcoin's maximum capacity.
The technology underpinning bitcoin is set for major changes in 2018, with several projects scheduled. Bitcoin’s price has surged over the past year, but it remains a volatile asset that can fluctuate wildly from day to day. Also expected is the launch of bitcoin's Lightning Network, offering secure, instant confirmations and near-free transfers, while privacy solutions ZeroLink and TumbleBit are set to make the network more secure. Activation of segwit will also make it easier to improve cryptographic signatures by facilitating the use of Schnorr signatures, which would reduce transaction costs and increase bitcoin's maximum capacity.