VeChain is continuing to explain the technology behind its upcoming Interstellar upgrade, with a new focus on the cryptographic improvements included in VIP-255. While the broader upgrade is designed to bring VeChainThor closer to Ethereum Virtual Machine compatibility, the latest technical breakdown highlights features that could have more practical implications for users, developers and enterprises.
The second part of VeChain’s Interstellar explanation focuses on three groups of Ethereum Improvement Proposals, or EIPs. These include native support for the BLS12-381 cryptographic curve, secp256r1 signature verification and changes to the network’s modular exponentiation, or MODEXP, functionality.
Together, the changes could make certain cryptographic operations cheaper and easier to perform directly on VeChainThor. More importantly, they could support applications involving zero-knowledge proofs, cross-chain infrastructure and passkey-based wallet authentication.
The developments form part of VIP-255, the protocol upgrade behind Interstellar, which recently received stakeholder approval as part of the wider VeChain Renaissance roadmap.
BLS12-381 Could Expand Privacy and Verification Capabilities
One of the most technically significant additions is EIP-2537, which introduces native support for the BLS12-381 cryptographic curve.
BLS12-381 is widely associated with signature aggregation and zero-knowledge proof systems. These technologies can allow blockchain applications to verify that a statement or action is valid without necessarily exposing all of the underlying information.
That distinction could be particularly relevant to VeChain’s enterprise and sustainability ambitions.
Supply chains, for example, often involve commercially sensitive information. A company may want to prove that a product meets a specific sustainability standard or regulatory requirement without publicly revealing its suppliers, pricing arrangements or internal operational data.
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Native cryptographic support could make those types of applications more practical by reducing the cost of performing complex verification operations on-chain.
Previously, developers attempting to reproduce this functionality through smart contracts would face significantly higher computational costs. By integrating the functionality directly into the protocol, VeChainThor can perform these operations more efficiently.
The potential applications extend beyond sustainability reporting. Signature aggregation, cross-chain verification and zero-knowledge applications could also benefit from native BLS12-381 support.
For VeChain, this represents a shift toward blockchain infrastructure capable of verifying increasingly complex claims while allowing sensitive data to remain private.
Passkeys Could Change How Users Access VeChain Applications
Another major feature is EIP-7951, which introduces native verification for secp256r1, also known as the P-256 cryptographic curve.
Unlike many blockchain-specific signature systems, P-256 is already widely used in consumer hardware and security infrastructure. It is supported by smartphones, laptops, hardware security modules and modern authentication systems.
This creates an interesting possibility for blockchain wallets.
Instead of requiring users to manage a traditional seed phrase, applications could potentially use passkey-based authentication. A transaction could be authorised through hardware-backed security using biometric authentication, such as a fingerprint or facial recognition.
In practical terms, this could make blockchain interactions feel more familiar to mainstream users.
VeChain already supports account abstraction and fee delegation, which can allow applications or businesses to cover transaction costs on behalf of users. The addition of P-256 support could complement those features by simplifying authentication.
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A user could potentially interact with a blockchain application without immediately dealing with private keys, seed phrases or gas fees.
For enterprises, the implications could be equally important. P-256 aligns with authentication systems and FIDO2-based security infrastructure already used by many organisations. This could make it easier to integrate blockchain applications with existing corporate security systems.
The result could be a more familiar path between traditional digital identity infrastructure and blockchain-based applications.
MODEXP Changes Could Improve Security and Future Scalability
The third cryptographic update involves EIP-7823 and EIP-7883, which modify the network’s modular exponentiation precompile.
While the technical details are less visible to ordinary users, the changes address an important issue involving computational cost and potential resource consumption.
The upgrade introduces a maximum input size of 1,024 bytes and updates how the operation is priced, including a minimum gas cost and revised multiplier.
According to VeChain’s explanation, the previous configuration allowed unlimited input sizes while charging relatively low fees for potentially expensive computations.
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That combination can create challenges when a network attempts to increase capacity. If complex operations remain underpriced, an attacker or heavy user could consume disproportionate computing resources at relatively low cost.
Correcting the pricing and limiting input sizes helps create more predictable resource requirements.
Although this may not generate the same excitement as passkeys or zero-knowledge proofs, it could be important for VeChainThor’s long-term scalability. Networks need to balance higher throughput with protection against transactions that consume excessive computational resources.
The MODEXP changes are therefore part of the underlying infrastructure work needed to support future growth.
Interstellar Could Connect VeChain More Closely With the Wider Ethereum Ecosystem
The cryptographic improvements are part of a broader effort to increase compatibility between VeChainThor and Ethereum’s evolving technology stack.
Interstellar is the third major stage of the VeChain Renaissance roadmap, following earlier changes involving staking, governance, tokenomics and validator infrastructure.
VIP-255 packages multiple Ethereum-aligned improvements into a single protocol upgrade. The goal is not simply to copy Ethereum functionality, but to make it easier for developers and applications built around Ethereum standards to interact with VeChainThor.
The cryptographic precompiles demonstrate how that compatibility could translate into practical capabilities.
BLS12-381 could support privacy-preserving verification and advanced proof systems. P-256 could make passkey-based authentication possible. The MODEXP updates could improve computational pricing and help create a safer foundation for future capacity increases.
For users, the most visible change may eventually be the wallet experience. If developers adopt passkey-based authentication, interacting with blockchain applications could become closer to signing into a conventional digital service.
For enterprises, privacy-preserving verification may be equally significant. Businesses increasingly need systems that can demonstrate compliance, sustainability claims or product provenance without exposing confidential information.
VeChain has positioned itself around enterprise adoption, supply chains and sustainability applications for years. The new cryptographic functionality could provide additional technical tools for building those applications.
Interstellar is still part of a broader upgrade process, and the real impact will depend on how developers use the new capabilities after they become available.
However, the latest breakdown shows that VeChain’s VIP-255 is about more than EVM compatibility. The upgrade is also preparing VeChainThor for a future where blockchain applications may require stronger privacy, easier authentication and more efficient verification.
For $VET holders and the wider VeChain ecosystem, the key question will be whether these technical improvements translate into new applications, users and enterprise adoption once Interstellar reaches the network.
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