BitcoinOS announces "Charms," the first programmable & portable token standard for Bitcoin.

Table of Contents* 1. BitcoinOS announces Charms

• 2. Charms (チャームズ) What are they?

BitcoinOS Announces Charms

"BitcoinOS," which is developing enhancements to Bitcoin (BTC), announced on May 22, 2025, the first programmable and portable token standard for Bitcoin, 'Charms'.

BitcoinOS (BOS) is an operating system (OS) that leverages a technology called zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) to achieve programmability, interoperability, and scalability without altering the core protocol of Bitcoin. It brings smart contracts that can execute automatically to Bitcoin and develops technologies that allow for the construction of attractive applications on the Bitcoin network.

The company garnered attention by announcing on May 5, 2025, that it had successfully achieved the first bridge-less (without intermediaries) BTC transfer between the Bitcoin and Cardano mainnets. This time, a new protocol called Charms has been announced, along with the release of its white paper.

BOSes - we present you with "Charms." 💎@CharmsDev is the first programmable, portable token standard for Bitcoin—enchanting UTXOs with smart assets that move freely between chains.

No bridges. No indexers. No compromise. 🟧🧙‍♂️

A new era for the UTXO Brotherhood has begun.🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/94CLtOcLPY

— BitcoinOS (@BTC_OS) May 22, 2025

Hello everyone at BOS — Here comes Charms!

Charms is the first programmable and portable token standard for Bitcoin. It applies the magic of smart assets to UTXO, allowing them to move freely across chains.

No bridge needed. No indexer needed. No compromises. 🟧🧙‍♂️

A new era has begun for the UTXO Brotherhood. 🧵👇

Charms

Charms is an innovative protocol that enables the issuance, transfer, and operation of smart assets (programmable assets) that were previously impossible, while leveraging the Bitcoin transaction model (UTXO).

The cryptocurrency issued by Charms is independent of the chain and can be seamlessly transferred directly to other blockchains that adopt the UTXO model without the need for bridging, wrapping, or custody.

This protocol is developed inspired by Bitcoin's pioneering meta-protocols and Cardano's (Cardano/ADA) EUTXO model, and like Ordinals and Runes, it is built on the Bitcoin blockchain, but its features are more powerful and flexible, equipped with characteristics such as the following.

• Completely Programmable Can be written in common languages such as JavaScript (TypeScript) and Rust.
• Cross-chain compatible Native transfers are also possible on UTXO chains other than Bitcoin, such as Cardano.
• No Bridge Custody Required Eliminating centralized trust with client-side verification using zero-knowledge proof technology.
• Chain transfers without the need for a wrap bridge Transferable between chains while maintaining smart contract logic without the need for wrapped tokens or bridges.
• Each UTXO is a canvas for the asset You can embed smart asset logic into any UTXO.

By utilizing Charms, it is possible to build various Web3 functionalities such as FT (fungible tokens), NFT (non-fungible tokens), lending protocols, and decentralized exchanges (DEX) on Bitcoin without compromising complete decentralization. This has attracted attention as it enables asset management that was previously only possible on other chains like Ethereum to be realized on Bitcoin.

This protocol has garnered attention as a "system that realizes a fully autonomous smart token based on UTXO that transcends blockchain," and in the official announcement, it is commented that 'the era of wrapped tokens is over, and a new era is beginning where Bitcoin is fully integrated into the programmable Web3 economy.'

The "bridge" that has been used for asset transfers between blockchains has often become a security weakness, with reports of hacking damages amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars in the past. However, with the Charms token, direct transfers between UTXO chains are now possible, which is expected to enhance security.

Bitcoin is gaining attention as "digital gold" and "a store of value," but it is also noted that in the future, Bitcoin may evolve into a large-scale platform that plays a part in the Web3 economy.

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source: BitcoinOS announcement

Writing and Translation: BITTIMES Editorial Department

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