Starknet Phase 4 Is Here: Shinobi Upgrade Brings Native Privacy and Bitcoin Support to Mainnet

TLDR:

• Starknet’s Shinobi upgrade is live on Mainnet, enabling protocol-level native privacy for the first time. 
• strkBTC brings Bitcoin into Starknet with privacy support, backed by two governance votes closing May 7. 
• Eight new projects launched on Starknet Mainnet, including Privily, the first privacy-focused L3 neobank. 
• Loot Survivor hit 100 million onchain transactions, ranking ninth among the most active Ethereum ecosystem apps.

Starknet is entering a new chapter known as Phase 4, marking a strategic shift for both the network and StarkWare. After years of building infrastructure, the focus now turns to what that infrastructure can actually produce.

StarkWare has adjusted its strategy accordingly, cutting low-signal activities and directing resources toward products, adoption, and economic alignment. The change signals a maturing ecosystem ready to deliver real-world utility.

Native Privacy Infrastructure Is Now Live on Starknet

The Shinobi upgrade is now live on Starknet Mainnet, introducing protocol-level changes that make native privacy possible.

This is not a third-party bolt-on solution — it is built directly into the protocol. The upgrade lays the groundwork for a new class of applications that were previously not feasible on public blockchains.

The first major use case enabled by Shinobi is STRK20s, which brings privacy to all ERC-20 assets on the network. Among the assets covered is Bitcoin, through strkBTC — a new Bitcoin wrapper developed by the Starknet Foundation and StarkWare. This gives Bitcoin holders a privacy-preserving entry point into the Starknet ecosystem.

Two governance votes tied to strkBTC are currently live and close on May 7. As shared by StarkWare on X: “The vote to validate the strkBTC bridge structure and signers is live and ends on May 7. The vote to make strkBTC eligible for Bitcoin staking is also live and ends on May 7.” Community participation in these votes shapes how the bridge operates going forward.

Private transactions are already accessible through Paymaster and private swaps via Avnu. Cross-chain private swaps to and from Starknet are also live through RocketX, expanding the network’s reach beyond its own ecosystem.

Ecosystem Growth Continues With New Projects and Strong Metrics

Eight new projects have launched on Mainnet: Privily, YieldStark, Nums, Abyss, Midgard, Armored_MMA, Lil Duckies, and GuessMyNFT.

Privily, the first L3 built on Starknet, is now live in beta as a privacy-focused neobank. Ready also launched USD Prime, giving users access to Ethereum yield strategies without leaving Starknet.

On the developer side, Starknet currently holds the top position in the Ethereum ecosystem for onchain developer activity.

The latest Re{define} Hackathon attracted 248 project submissions. Starkzap crossed 4,000 downloads, and Loot Survivor has generated 100 million onchain transactions — making it the ninth most active app across Ethereum.

Financial activity on the network is also growing. Ready Card users have spent $50 million in real-world transactions.

Extended has roughly 30 TradFi markets live, covering equities, commodities, ETFs, and forex. Vesu continues to record consistent usage growth, with its metrics trending upward.

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