Blockchain: Public vs Private, Layers and Bridges

Blockchain infrastructure: public vs private, layers and bridges

Overview

What blockchain infrastructure do enterprises need? In this MERGE Madrid panel, the Ethereum Foundation, the BSV Association, Izertis and Alastria debate one of the sector's big topics: public versus private (and permissioned) blockchains, layer 1 and layer 2 scalability, bridges and interoperability, and the central role of governance and compliance.

What you'll learn

• Public vs private: why enterprises value governance and audit
• Permissioned: public-to-read, permissioned-to-write infrastructures
• Scalability: the layer 2 approach versus scaling on layer 1
• Bridges: security risks and cross-chain interoperability
• Identity and compliance: eIDAS 2, GDPR and legal traceability
• The future: the convergence of public and private for the user

Session summary

Public vs private: Izertis and Alastria explain that many enterprises and governments work with public-permissioned infrastructures (public to read, permissioned to write) and that what matters most is not only decentralization or scalability, but governance, audit and compliance.

Ethereum's approach: the Ethereum Foundation defends the public chain's leadership for its resilience, censorship resistance and credible neutrality, and how the roadmap (scaling the L1, scaling “blobs” for L2s and improving UX) opens the door to institutions.

BSV's approach: the BSV Association bets on scaling on layer 1 (with the Teranode upgrade and a cited target of one million transactions per second, according to the talk), arguing that enterprises prefer a single “cheap, fast and secure” chain that is compliant.

Bridges and interoperability: the panel agrees security is the big challenge for bridges (with hacks as an example); Ethereum highlights the importance of canonical L1-L2 bridges and the “escape hatch,” and Izertis stresses that bridges must be stricter on compliance and put the user and digital identity at the center.

Scalability and governance: the multi-layer model (L2/L3 for specific use cases) and L1 scaling are contrasted, noting that scaling for institutions means more actors, more trust registries and, above all, more governance challenges.

The future: the panelists foresee a convergence of public and private (hybrid chains, shared settlement layers) in which blockchain will be transparent to the end user.

Watch the full talk

Watch the full recording on MERGE's YouTube channel, with the Ethereum Foundation, the BSV Association, Izertis and Alastria on blockchain infrastructure.

FAQs

Public or private for enterprises?
According to the talk, many choose public-permissioned infrastructures, prioritizing governance, audit and compliance over pure decentralization.

Why are bridges risky?
According to the talk, because of security: they have suffered hacks and raise complex legal and liability problems.

How is a blockchain scaled?
According to the talk, there are two approaches: scaling via layer 2 (Ethereum's case) or scaling directly on layer 1 (BSV's case).

Is this legal or investment advice?
No. This content is informational and summarizes what was presented in the panel; it does not constitute legal or investment advice. Consult a professional for your specific situation.