This article is part of the series “Real stories, Real builders” where we’ll share stories from developers who have built on Rootstock—what they created, why they chose it, how their projects are growing, and their advice for developers.
Developers around the world are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible on Bitcoin, and Rootstock is taking its rightful place as the hub for innovation on Bitcoin. As an EVM-compatible Bitcoin layer secured by proof-of-work via merged mining, Rootstock is the ideal platform for builders to create innovative applications while leveraging Bitcoin’s security and liquidity.
One such project is AnonMarket, a privacy-first prediction market developed by a team of students at ETHGlobal Bangkok 2024. By leveraging Alice’s Ring signatures, AnonMarket ensures full anonymity for users placing bets on events like Bitcoin’s price movements or political outcomes. Their goal? To make decentralized prediction markets both transparent and private.
In this article, we explore:
- Why privacy matters in prediction markets
- Why AnonMarket chose Rootstock for its security, EVM compatibility, and decentralized infrastructure
- Lessons from the builders to help future developers succeed
AnonMarket
Privacy-first prediction market platform
Meet Charles-André Goichot, Ewan Hamon, Mathis Sergent, Mathieu Laruelle, and Marc Bertholat— an innovative team of students from Paris. They joined forces at ETHGlobal Bangkok 2024 to develop AnonMarket, a privacy-first prediction market platform that leverages Alice’s Ring signatures to ensure user anonymity.
With AnonMarket, users can securely and anonymously bet on outcomes like Bitcoin’s price in two months or the next U.S. president, combining transparency and privacy. As Charles-André explained, “The goal is that your interaction with the prediction market is anonymous. We know you interacted, but we don’t know which market you bet on or the side you took.”
Why is privacy important in prediction markets?
User privacy is crucial in prediction markets to prevent manipulation, protect participants from retaliation, and ensure unbiased forecasting. If identities and trading positions are exposed, powerful entities could influence market outcomes or target users based on their predictions. Privacy also encourages broader participation, especially in politically sensitive or high-stakes markets, ensuring more accurate and reliable forecasts. Blockchain-based markets often use cryptographic techniques like zero-knowledge proofs to enhance privacy while maintaining transparency.
Choosing to build on Rootstock
Rootstock is the first and most secure Bitcoin layer, combining Bitcoin’s security with smart contract capabilities, making it ideal for privacy-first prediction markets, such as
- Merged Mining – Secured by Bitcoin miners without extra effort, ensuring decentralization and resilience.
- EVM Compatibility – Supports Solidity smart contracts, enabling developers to build advanced applications.
- Privacy Features – Integrates zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) for private transactions and bet settlements.
- Low Fees & Fast Transactions – More efficient than Bitcoin’s main chain, with reduced costs and quicker confirmations.
- RBTC (Bitcoin-Pegged Asset) – The native token of the Rootstock network, used to pay for gas and allowing markets to operate using Bitcoin’s liquidity.
- Decentralized Oracles – Provides reliable, tamper-proof external data for market outcomes.
- Censorship Resistance – Fully decentralized, trustless, and permissionless infrastructure for secure prediction markets.
With these capabilities, Rootstock offers a secure, private, and efficient foundation for decentralized prediction markets.
According to the AnonMarket team, they chose to build on Rootstock for its robust security and compatibility with Ethereum tools, which made their development process smooth. “The EVM compatibility meant we weren’t lost—we could use tools we already knew, like deploying and verifying contracts,” they shared. Despite the intense 36-hour hackathon, the team enjoyed moments of camaraderie and creativity, fueled by sleepless nights and shared determination.
For those inspired by AnonMarket, more details can be found on the ETHGlobal Project Page, and the source code is available on the AnonMarket GitHub Repository.
Advice for developers
Their advice for future participants? “Brainstorm your idea with your team before the hackathon so you can focus on building when it starts. And don’t hesitate to talk to the sponsor teams—they’re always there to help,” Ewan suggested.
Join the crowd
Want to see other builders in Rootstock?
- Read the story of Blinkz, another ETH Global hackathon winner building a web3 plugin and generator on Rootstock.
- Explore the journey of QSTN, a Rootstock grant winner, building a Web3 version of Google Forms
Feeling inspired to build something new?
Check out what you can do on Rootstock with tools like:
Want to be more than just a builder?
Rootstock is more than just a building platform, it’s an entire ecosystem shaping the future of Bitcoin.
With the RootstockCollective DAO now fully launched, join the Collective Rewards program so you can get funding and support for building better on Bitcoin.
