Data Story: Merkle Tree & Proof-Of-Reserves (PoR)

A Merkle Tree is an important part of the Proof of Reserves verification process. After Bitget verifies reserve wallet ownership and takes a snapshot of user balances, the system hashes each user’s ID and balance to generate the Merkle Tree. Understanding this step helps you see how you can independently confirm that your assets were included in a specific Bitget PoR snapshot—without exposing your personal account information.

Merkle Tree Basics

The short description of Merkle Tree is: A data structure that serves as a summary of all the transactions in a block.

A Merkle Tree can be understood as a verification tree for user-asset data.

It starts with user-asset records at the bottom and processes them layer by layer to produce one unique final value: the Merkle Root, also known as the root hash. For users, there is no need to understand every technical calculation. If your asset record can be verified within the tree, it means your assets were included in that Proof of Reserves (PoR) snapshot.

More importantly, a Merkle Tree is not an ordinary asset list that can be changed without detection. Every layer of data contributes to the calculation of the next layer. If even one record changes, the final Merkle Root changes as well. This makes it possible to verify whether snapshot data has been altered after it was generated.

Simply put:

• Finding your asset record means your assets were included in the PoR snapshot.

• The Merkle Tree structure makes the snapshot independently verifiable and resistant to undetected changes.

This allows Bitget to provide personal Proof of Assets verification while protecting our user privacy.

Why We Need Proof of Reserves

Proof of Reserves is a transparency mechanism that shows the relationship between a platform’s disclosed reserves and covered user assets at a specific point in time.

A reserve ratio of 100% represents 1:1 coverage of covered user assets. In other words, the disclosed reserves equal the total covered user-asset balance.

Bitget Is Committed to Transparency

Bitget has published our PoR reports monthly since December 2022. As of September 30, 2026, Bitget released the 47th consecutive PoR update. The platform’s reserve ratio has remained above 120% on average, exceeding the minimum 1:1 coverage standard.

Bitget always places user asset safety and transparency at the forefront. Through continuously updated Proof of Reserves reports, we publish reserve ratios and related asset data each month, enabling users to stay informed about reserve conditions. Users can also independently review relevant information through publicly available PoR data and verification mechanisms.

Our 19 major assets addresses are publicised here and the open-source code for Bitget’s solvency program has been updated to Github. That means everyone, literally everyone, with or without a technical background has 24/7 access to Bitget’s Proof of Reserves.

A detailed asset-verification guide is also available to help you check your account records when needed. You can access monthly snapshots, use Merkle Tree verification, and download relevant data for further inspection. Through these tools, we aim to make reserve transparency not only visible, but independently verifiable.

See Bitget Reserves Certificate for yourself!