Merlin Chain (MERL) is a Bitcoin‑centric Layer‑2 scaling solution built to expand Bitcoin’s capabilities beyond simple value transfer by enabling fast, low‑cost transactions and programmable smart contract activity while preserving Bitcoin’s security. It uses zero‑knowledge rollups (ZK‑Rollups) anchored to Bitcoin to batch and verify transactions off‑chain, significantly increasing throughput and reducing fees compared with native Bitcoin transactions.