According to BitMEX Research, Bitcoin developer Rkrux said completing the BOSS challenge enabled him to work on Bitcoin Core full time with support from a Maelstrom Fund grant. Source: BitMEX Research (X, Dec 16, 2025). For traders, this confirms an instance of external funding directly adding full-time developer capacity to Bitcoin Core, with no protocol changes or release timelines disclosed in the post. Source: BitMEX Research (X, Dec 16, 2025).

According to @BitMEXResearch, the @CryptoHayes family office, @MaelstromFund, has awarded an open source developer grant to Ben Allen for work on Payjoin (@payjoindevkit), a privacy-focused Bitcoin transaction protocol. This initiative aims to enhance transactional privacy on the Bitcoin network, which could drive increased adoption and trading volumes for privacy-oriented tokens and Bitcoin itself. As reported by Cointelegraph, improvements in privacy infrastructure may influence trading strategies, particularly for traders seeking anonymity and improved fungibility in Bitcoin transactions. The development may also lead to higher volatility in privacy coin markets as competitive technologies emerge. Source: BitMEX Research via Twitter, Cointelegraph.