1/ 🍋 Part 2 — zk-primitives & DeFi

In Part 1, we looked at the basics - apps like escrows and swaps that already work on Citrea’s UTXO + zk design.

Now we’re moving deeper into what really makes Citrea different.

Let’s talk about zk primitives and Bitcoin-aligned DeFi.

2/zk-native primitives

zk isn’t an addon in Citrea - it’s foundational.

This unlocks use cases that feel native to the system itself.

3/Some of this is already live or being prototyped

• zkID is being explored inside @CitreaOrigins programs
• Private transfer flows are tested by community devs
• @chainway_xyz has shown zkML demos using their stack
• A simple zk-voting demo is live on testnet

4/ Bitcoin-aligned DeFi

Citrea won’t give you clones of Aave or Curve.

But it opens the door to:

• BTC-backed lending 
• zkDEX with BTC pairs 
• BTC-collateralized stablecoins 
• Derivatives with zk-verified collateral

zk is native, not optional. Which means apps for privacy, identity, and BTC-backed finance feel like they belong here.

It’s not a fork. It’s a rethink from first principles

Early signs:
• @citrea_xyz has released tooling for BTC-backed stablecoins 
• zkDEX mechanics are being tested by contributors
• zk-collateral verification flows work in testnet

5/ This isn’t copy-paste DeFi.

You’ll have to design from scratch - no global state, no accounts, no Solidity.

But that’s where the fun starts.

6/ Citrea isn’t EVM-compatible by default - and that’s a feature.