From RGB to RGB++: The Development Path of CKB Empowering Bitcoin Ecological Asset Protocols

In the past few days, a sub-ecosystem around CKB in Bitcoin has attracted considerable attention.

This ecosystem mainly consists of three parts:

• RGB++ Protocol: A protocol for issuing Bitcoin assets
• Nervos: A second-layer scaling system for Bitcoin
• UTXO Stack: A system for building blockchain systems based on UTXO architecture.

RGB++ is an asset issuance protocol on the Bitcoin ecosystem, derived from the RGB protocol, but it addresses some of the challenges inherent in the RGB protocol itself, enabling the protocol to be implemented effectively.

Nervos is an early project that originally aimed to build a layer-one blockchain similar to Ethereum that could support a wide range of applications, but its operations over the years have not seen significant progress. It wasn't until the Bitcoin ecosystem was launched that the team shifted its focus entirely to becoming a second-layer scaling solution for Bitcoin, based on the homomorphic characteristics of its UTXO.

UTXO Stack has only recently begun to gain media exposure. The main advantage is that it has attracted capital from many institutions, primarily due to its "one-click chain issuance" feature. However, the goal of this feature is certainly not to create more layer-one UTXO blockchains, but rather to build a second-layer scaling system that is homomorphic with Bitcoin.

Overall, we can understand this ecosystem as follows:

Surrounding Bitcoin, it provides a complete set of infrastructure for users to issue assets (based on RGB++), build applications (based on CKB), and customize their own second-layer scaling (UTXO Stack).

Within this ecosystem framework, UTXO Stack is a distinguishing feature that sets it apart from other Bitcoin ecosystems.

We all know that Ethereum already has a fairly mature "one-click chain issuance" system, such as the toolkit for issuing second-layer scaling provided by Optimism—Base; Arbitrum offers a toolkit for issuing third-layer scaling—like XAI and the recently popular Degen Chain.

However, in the Bitcoin ecosystem, the current second-layer scaling systems are mostly operating independently, relying on teams to reconstruct them one by one, and there is no equivalent to the "one-click chain issuance" toolkit found in the Ethereum ecosystem. In my understanding, UTXO Stack seems to be the first project in this field within the Bitcoin ecosystem.

Overall, the design of this ecosystem framework is technically sound and has innovative points.

But I want to emphasize that ecosystem development is currently a more important aspect.

In the current market landscape, many second-layer scalings, such as Merlin, have attracted a large number of users to participate in system staking through token issuance expectations. Their second-layer scaling has already accumulated a remarkably impressive TVL, and there are expected ongoing actions in the future.

In addition, a large number of airdrops in the Rune ecosystem continue to attract users to increase their holdings of Rune-like assets.

Currently, user resources in the Bitcoin ecosystem are quite limited, and with these competitors ramping up efforts to attract users, how the CKB ecosystem can accelerate its development to attract more users is a challenge that cannot be overlooked.

Earlier, I mentioned a detail regarding user experience in an article or discussion:

I once tried to purchase CKB but found that I couldn't buy it on any exchanges that listed the coin; then I tried to see if I could buy Wrapped CKB on Ethereum, and found a wrapped token, but it wasn't on Ethereum, making it inconvenient to purchase.

No comparison, no harm: I bought a coin, AR, which is also inconvenient to purchase in its native form, but I can easily buy its wrapped token (WAR) on Ethereum.

In comparison, at least from this detail, CKB has considerable room for improvement in user experience.

Therefore, the urgent task for this ecosystem now is to significantly improve user experience and quickly attract users to participate in its ecosystem development.