# Researchers Publish a Design for Shielded Bitcoin That Needs No Change to Bitcoin's Rules

The paper from the New York cryptography lab [alloc] init borrows Zcash's encrypted notes and nullifiers, but leaves no working way to move real BTC in or out.

- Published: 2026-09-27T05:54:44.199Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/crypto/2026-09-27/researchers-publish-a-design-for-shielded-bitcoin-that-needs
- Publisher: Polylog (Crypto desk)
- Section: crypto
- Sources: [CoinDesk](https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2026/09/25/bitcoin-could-soon-get-zcash-style-shielded-privacy-without-changing-its-rules), [Miden](https://miden.xyz/prifi-stack), [Miden (Bread wallet)](https://miden.xyz/blog/bread-is-privacy-baked-in)

Clara Shikhelman, Mikhail Komarov and Aleksei Moskvin, researchers at the New York cryptography lab [alloc] init, have released a design for private bitcoin-denominated transfers that runs alongside Bitcoin rather than inside it. Their syst…

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