StarkWare announced on April 7 that Starknet is entering its fourth phase, aiming to improve network speed, decentralization, and privacy. New features include support for the STRK20 framework for ERC20 privacy, the strkBTC asset for redeemable Bitcoin, decentralized block validation, and progress toward full decentralization of the network. In addition, Starknet is also researching Bitcoin bridging solutions and promoting DeFi development, working toward achieving comprehensive quantum security.

Gate News message, March 31, Starknet is expected to roll out STRK20s in late April, aiming to introduce privacy protection features for all tokens. The official statement says that it is currently working closely with various DeFi protocols and partners to ensure DeFi integration and a seamless user experience from day one after launch.

Gate News reports that on March 20, Ethereum Layer 2 network Starknet announced on the X platform that the STRK20 testnet will launch next week, with mainnet planned for late April. STRK20 aims to provide token-level privacy for assets on Starknet, supporting the issuance of privacy stablecoins and other privacy assets while balancing compliance requirements. The standard keeps transaction amounts and account balances confidential and is compatible with

Gate News, on March 18, Starknet mainnet will begin a planned upgrade starting at 17:10 (UTC+8) today, with an estimated downtime of approximately 12 minutes. Starknet stated that this upgrade is part of its move toward further decentralization, which will transfer the block hash calculation of Starknet blocks to decentralized Apollo nodes.

Gate News: On March 18, Starknet officially posted on X stating that its mainnet will temporarily shut down starting at 9:10 AM UTC today for a scheduled upgrade.

On March 17th, PolyBeats detected that a new address on Polymarket invested $38,700 to buy the option "Extended's FDV exceeds $300 million on its first day of listing," with a current probability of 36%. Extended is a non-custodial perpetual futures exchange based on Starknet, with core mechanisms including unified margin and multi-asset collateral. It previously raised $6.5 million in funding in April 2024.

Gate News reports that on March 12, Starknet released the STRK20s technical documentation, detailing its design architecture and core concepts. STRK20s can provide privacy capabilities for any ERC-20 token, supporting Bitcoin, stablecoins, Ethereum, and other ERC-20 tokens to achieve private balances, private transfers, and private DeFi interactions. Currently, Starknet has opened registration for cooperation intentions.

StarkWare introduces the STRK20 framework, providing built-in privacy features for digital assets like stablecoins while maintaining regulatory compliance. The framework is expected to be deployed in 2026, supporting various DeFi scenarios, optimizing transaction performance, aiding the development of privacy financial applications, and accelerating the adoption of stablecoins within the financial system.

Gate News Announcement, March 11, Starknet launched the STRK20 protocol-level privacy feature, supporting confidential balances and private transfers for any ERC-20 tokens, with an integrated compliance mechanism. Since its launch day, STRK20 has supported anonymous transactions on Ekubo Protocol, as well as anonymous staking of BTC and STRK.