Bitget Boosts Reserve Transparency with Merkle-Tree Verification
Bitget, a major cryptocurrency trading venue, has built a robust framework to ensure reserve transparency and custody separation for its institutional clients. The platform's Proof of Reserves (PoR) program combines monthly reserve reporting with Merkle-tree verification and a separate Protection Fund.
The PoR report published on August 27, 2026, showed a total reserve ratio of 122%, indicating that Bitget's reserves exceeded reported user assets by 22%. This marked the platform's 45th consecutive monthly PoR update since the program began in December 2022. The consistency of reporting matters for institutions, as it creates a stronger transparency framework and allows risk teams to monitor reserve coverage over time.
Bitget's Merkle-tree verification system enables users to cryptographically verify that their own balances were included in the reported user-asset snapshot. This is done by using a cryptographic data structure that organizes user asset information into hashed leaf nodes, allowing users to independently verify their balance inclusion and ensuring the integrity of the dataset.
The Protection Fund, which currently holds 5,500 BTC, provides an additional financial protection layer for eligible circumstances involving user assets. The fund's average valuation in July 2026 was approximately $351 million, exceeding Bitget's original commitment of $300 million.