StarkNet (STRK)

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Overview

What is StarkNet?

StarkNet is a Layer 2 network that scales Ethereum using zero‑knowledge cryptography. It batches many transactions off-chain, proves they are valid with STARK proofs, and posts a succinct proof to Ethereum for finality. This design keeps Ethereum’s security while making transactions faster and cheaper. The network runs a specialized virtual machine and smart contracts written in the Cairo language. As the StarkNet blockchain grows, its apps span StarkNet DeFi, NFTs, gaming, and now even Bitcoin‑aligned features. (docs.starknet.io)

What is STRK?

STRK is the native token of StarkNet. It is used to pay fees on StarkNet, to participate in governance, and, as staking rolls out in phases, to help secure the network. Users can already pay transaction fees in either ETH or STRK, with fee accounting handled at the protocol level. Discussions and votes have also set the path for staking rewards and a move toward full proof‑of‑stake consensus as the network decentralizes. (docs.starknet.io)

Why StarkNet matters

• Scalability without sacrificing security by verifying proofs on Ethereum.
• Native account abstraction for better UX (social recovery, 2FA, paymasters).
• A fast‑evolving roadmap: new open‑source prover (Stwo), a distributed sequencer, and plans to settle on both Ethereum and Bitcoin. (starknet.io)

History & Team

Origins and founders

StarkNet is developed by StarkWare, an Israeli cryptography company founded in 2018 by Eli Ben‑Sasson, Uri Kolodny, Michael Riabzev, and Alessandro Chiesa—pioneers in zero‑knowledge proofs and early Zcash contributors. StarkWare raised a $30M Series A led by Paradigm (2018) and a $100M Series D in May 2022, reaching an $8B valuation. Major backers include Greenoaks, Coatue, Tiger Global, Sequoia, and Paradigm. (finsmes.com)

Foundation and governance

The StarkNet Foundation stewards decentralization, ecosystem growth, and governance. It has delegated large voting blocks to community delegates and introduced on‑chain votes (Snapshot X) that, among other things, set a minting curve for staking rewards. The Foundation is rolling out a tiered delegate system to broaden participation across ~1.7B STRK of delegated voting power. (starknet.io)

Technology & How It Works

Validity rollups with STARK proofs

StarkNet is a validity rollup (zk‑rollup). Transactions execute off‑chain; a prover generates a STARK proof that the block’s state transition is valid; Ethereum verifies that proof. STARKs are transparent (no trusted setup) and designed for robust security and scalability. This lets StarkNet inherit Ethereum’s security while offering much higher throughput. (docs.starknet.io)

Cairo, Sierra, and the VM

Smart contracts on StarkNet are written in Cairo, a Rust‑inspired language built for provable computation. Cairo 1.0 introduced Sierra, a safe intermediate layer that guarantees every program run is provable and enables features like fee collection on reverted transactions—important for protection against denial‑of‑service. (starknet.io)

Fees and data availability

Users can pay fees in ETH or STRK. The fee model accounts for L2 compute and L1 data costs (calldata or blobs) and is measured through Cairo resource usage or Sierra gas, with explicit resource bounds in newer transaction versions. Fees collected go to sequencers, which convert some STRK to ETH to cover L1 gas. (docs.starknet.io)

Bridges and interoperability

StarkGate is StarkNet’s canonical bridge between Ethereum and StarkNet. The 2.0 architecture unifies token bridges, maintains backward compatibility with legacy bridges, and exposes registry contracts to manage supported assets. Beyond Ethereum, StarkNet’s 2025 roadmap adds Bitcoin‑aligned features such as Lightning payments via wallet integrations and direct BTC→wBTC on StarkNet flows. (docs.starknet.io)

Decentralization roadmap

The path to full decentralization includes:

• Next‑gen Apollo sequencer and Stwo prover (open‑sourced).
• StarkNet v0.14: distributed sequencer architecture and fee market.
• Phased staking where validators progress from delegation to block attestation and, later, decentralized consensus.
• A long‑term plan to settle on both Ethereum and Bitcoin. (starknet.io)

Tokenomics & Utility

Supply and allocation

STRK has a fixed initial supply of 10 billion tokens (minted on‑chain in November 2022) allocated across early contributors, investors, StarkWare, grants, community provisions and rebates, Foundation reserves/treasury, and donations. Token allocations for investors and early contributors vest through a staged unlock that extends to March 2027 after a 2024 revision. (docs.starknet.io)

Unlock schedule

After community feedback, unlocks were smoothed:

• 0.64% monthly from Apr 15, 2024 to Mar 15, 2025.
• 1.27% monthly from Apr 15, 2025 to Mar 15, 2027.
  This staggered release replaced a large one‑time unlock and aims to align stakeholders over the long run. (binance.com)

Utility

• Fees: Pay L2 transaction fees in STRK (or ETH).
• Governance: Vote directly or via delegation in StarkNet governance.
• Staking: As decentralization increases, STRK powers staking phases where validators and delegators help secure the network and earn protocol rewards under a minting curve approved on‑chain. (docs.starknet.io)

Airdrops and community programs

In February 2024, the StarkNet Foundation launched Provisions—an airdrop program that made hundreds of millions of STRK available to eligible users, builders, and contributors across the wider Ethereum and StarkNet communities. The campaign sits alongside “DeFi Spring,” wherein protocols distributed STRK to bootstrap liquidity and activity. (starknet.io)

About STRK price

STRK price is driven by factors such as network usage, staking participation, token unlocks, and ecosystem growth. Live STRK price is displayed separately on this page.

Ecosystem & Use Cases

DeFi on StarkNet

The DeFi stack includes AMMs, DEX aggregators, money markets, and oracles. Ekubo has grown into a dominant AMM on StarkNet, with most volume routed through it by aggregators like AVNU. Pragma provides native oracles. Recent incentive programs such as DeFi Spring accelerated liquidity and user on‑ramping. (starknet.io)

NFTs and identity

Identity projects like Starknet.id let users claim .stark names and build portable on‑chain profiles used across apps. This ENS‑like naming and identity layer supports social verification, profile pictures, and cross‑chain address mapping. (starknet.id)

Gaming and autonomous worlds

Dojo is a provable, StarkNet‑native game engine and toolchain that powers on‑chain games and “autonomous worlds” (e.g., Realms, Influence). Tooling like Sozo, Torii, and Katana helps teams ship games quickly while keeping state and logic verifiable. (starknet.io)

Bitcoin‑aligned features

In 2025, StarkNet began rolling out integrations that bring Bitcoin utility to L2. With the Braavos wallet and Atomiq, users can convert BTC↔wBTC trustlessly and even pay Bitcoin Lightning invoices using STRK in‑app—no separate Lightning setup required. This supports a vision of StarkNet as an execution layer unifying Bitcoin and Ethereum. (starknet.io)

Developer experience

Cairo 1.0 and Sierra make smart‑contract development safer and more ergonomic. Native account abstraction enables features like multisig‑style approvals, session keys, and paymasters for gas sponsorship or paying fees with other tokens—key for mainstream‑friendly UX. (starknet.io)

Advantages & Challenges

Advantages

• High throughput with Ethereum‑level security via STARK proofs.
• Fee payments in STRK and ETH; sub‑cent fees targeted as prover efficiency improves.
• Native account abstraction for better UX (2FA, social recovery, gas in various tokens).
• Strong research pipeline and open‑source components like Stwo and the next‑gen sequencer. (starknet.io)

Challenges

• Learning curve: Cairo and provable programming are new to many EVM developers (though Kakarot brings EVM compatibility closer).
• Ongoing decentralization: moving from a single sequencer to distributed consensus is a multi‑stage process.
• Competitive L2 landscape and evolving token unlocks that the market watches closely. (cointelegraph.com)

Where to Buy & Wallets

Where to buy STRK

You can find where to buy STRK on major centralized exchanges that list it, including Binance, OKX, and Kraken. Each has published listing or trading announcements for STRK. Availability may vary by region and account status. (binance.com)

Wallets and bridging

• Smart contract wallets: Argent X (Ready Wallet) and Braavos are the primary StarkNet wallets, supporting features like multisig‑style approvals, hardware‑wallet connections, and paymasters. (support.argent.xyz)
• Hardware wallets: Ledger supports StarkNet through integrations with Braavos and Ready/Argent. (ledger.com)
• Bridging: Use the StarkGate bridge to move assets between Ethereum and StarkNet (ERC‑20s like ETH, USDC, and others). Follow the StarkGate registry and UI to confirm supported tokens. (docs.starknet.io)

Regulatory & Compliance

StarkNet regulatory status in key regions

• European Union (MiCA): MiCA fully applies from December 30, 2024 (with stablecoin rules live since June 2024). Utility‑style tokens that are neither e‑money tokens nor asset‑referenced tokens fall under the “other crypto‑assets” category. STRK’s core uses—fees, governance, staking for protocol security—generally align with utility‑token functions under MiCA frameworks, subject to issuer and CASP obligations. (eur-lex.europa.eu)
• United States: STRK trades on global venues that serve U.S. users (e.g., Kraken), but no specific U.S. federal classification unique to STRK has been announced. U.S. compliance for exchanges and custodians typically involves KYC/AML and other applicable rules. (blog.kraken.com)

Halal/Shariah perspective

Is StarkNet halal? Many Islamic‑finance reviewers consider blockchain infrastructure like StarkNet to be permissible because it is a technology layer and does not inherently involve riba or gambling. Moreover, staking on proof‑of‑stake networks is often analyzed as a form of profit‑sharing for network service rather than interest. On that basis, many view STRK shariah compliant in principle, while specific use cases (for example, lending arrangements that resemble interest) can change the ruling at the application level. (islamicfinanceguru.com)

Future Outlook

Roadmap highlights

Over the next phases, expect:

• Wider adoption of the distributed sequencer and a maturing fee market.
• More open‑source proving (Stwo) and Cairo Native execution to cut costs and latency.
• Expanded Bitcoin integrations—bridges, Lightning‑based flows, and BTC‑backed DeFi—alongside Ethereum settlement.
• Staking “v2/v3/v4” steps that add validator responsibilities and move toward decentralized block attestation and consensus. (starknet.io)

Ecosystem growth drivers

• Cairo 1.0/Sierra safety and tooling attract new developers.
• Strong DeFi/NFT/gaming momentum, including identity and on‑chain games via Dojo.
• Programs like Provisions and DeFi Spring that onboard users and deepen liquidity.
• Exchange connectivity and wallet UX improvements (e.g., paymasters, hardware‑wallet support). (starknet.io)

Summary

StarkNet is a general‑purpose zk‑rollup that pushes Ethereum’s scalability forward using STARK proofs, Cairo smart contracts, and a roadmap aimed at full decentralization. The STRK token anchors the network’s economy: users can pay fees in STRK, vote in governance, and increasingly participate in staking as consensus becomes more distributed. With a growing ecosystem in StarkNet DeFi, NFTs, gaming, and new Bitcoin‑aligned capabilities, StarkNet is positioning itself as a high‑performance execution layer that connects the largest crypto economies. As adoption and tooling expand, STRK price will track fundamentals like usage, staking, and developer momentum, while StarkNet tokenomics and unlocks remain key elements to watch. (docs.starknet.io)