New York, USA, July 28th, 2026, FinanceWire
Alpen Testnet III has launched on Bitcoin Signet, marking the beginning of Alpen's partner integration phase ahead of mainnet.
More than 21 launch partners across infrastructure, applications, and distribution are preparing to integrate on Testnet III ahead of Alpen mainnet. The launch moves Alpen from core infrastructure development into shared ecosystem preparation, giving partners a persistent public environment to run under mainnet-like constraints without real BTC at risk.
Wallets and exchanges looking to pilot Bitcoin-native financial products will integrate existing infrastructure with Testnet III through Bitcoin Signet. Swap providers and bridge operators will test the plumbing between Alpen, its Strata bridge, and existing Bitcoin Signet infrastructure. Application and infrastructure teams will have a broader surface for integration work.
Alpen on Bitcoin Signet
Testnet III brings Alpen onto Bitcoin Signet, a Bitcoin public ecosystem testnet.
Alpen now operates alongside existing Signet activity in shared public blockspace. The network is exposed to public testnet conditions, including variable fees, block congestion, reorgs, and a rich ecosystem of Bitcoin protocols. Testnet III is Alpen's most realistic operational environment to date.
Earlier Alpen testnets tested core functionality in more controlled settings. Testnet III brings full Alpen functionality into a public Bitcoin test environment, giving partners a shared place to prepare against conditions closer to the network's long-term operating model.
A New Verifier Architecture
Testnet III introduces the first garbled circuit-based verifier that is usable by the general public for Bitcoin applications. This verifier is at the core of Alpen's glock-based bridge architecture and incorporates the latest iteration of Mosaic. It represents a major step forward from Alpen Labs' earlier BitVM-based designs, with a significantly smaller onchain footprint.
A lower onchain footprint reduces the cost of staking, making participation more accessible to a greater number of operators securing the protocol while also resulting in lower fees for users. The reduction in cost follows from the significant reduction in verification complexity that must be handled on Bitcoin itself.
Testnet III also introduces an evolved orchestration layer and upgradeability to the network. Alpen and Strata are now decoupled and upgradeable, enabling future consensus updates without requiring a network regenesis. Alongside work on a new type of account system on Strata, this architecture makes it possible to deploy additional rollups and other provable programs on Strata alongside Alpen, all sharing access to the same Strata bridge.
Preparing for Bitcoin-Native Financial Markets
Alpen's purpose is to make Bitcoin-native financial markets possible. Testnet III is a rehearsal for market formation: a shared environment where operators, applications, liquidity, and distribution can begin moving together before mainnet.
With a persistent public Bitcoin environment, institutional operators, more than 21 launch partners preparing across the ecosystem, and a new verifier architecture, Alpen is entering its final major stage of validation ahead of mainnet.
Bitcoin-native financial markets will form around credible infrastructure. Testnet III is where that infrastructure starts meeting the ecosystem around it.
About Alpen
Alpen is the home for Bitcoin-native financial markets. Alpen enables finance on Bitcoin by providing the rails for deeper markets, financial products, and end-user utility around BTC.
Alpen Labs is the research team and company behind Alpen.
Links
- Announcement: alpen.org/blog/partner-integration-testnet-iii
- Documentation: docs.alpen.org
Contact
Siddant Basnesiddant@alpenlabs.io
Disclaimer. This is a paid press release.