BitcoinOS Demo Sends BTC to Cardano and Back—Without a Cross-Chain Bridge

The demo transaction used BitcoinOS’ new token xBTC, and zero-knowledge proofs instead of custodial arrangements.

In brief

A demo transaction by BitcoinOS transferred BTC to the Cardano blockchain and back without a bridge.

BitcoinOS' new xBTC token extends how Bitcoin could be programmable, opening DeFi and cross-chain use.

The tech removes custodial risks associated with traditional bridge solutions, BitcoinOS claims.

In a demo transaction, developers from smart contract operating system BitcoinOS (BOS) claim to have sent 1 BTC from a Bitcoin wallet to a Cardano wallet and back without relying on traditional bridge infrastructure, touting it as the first "bridgeless cross-chain transfer."

"Crypto users don't use BTC beyond the existing functionality," not because they value simplicity, but because "they don't have any other options," Edan Yago, co-founder and core contributor at BOS, told Decrypt.

From Bitcoin to Cardano and back

Onchain transactions from Sunday shared by BitcoinOS and reviewed by Decrypt show the round-trip flight from Bitcoin to Cardano and back involved a number of steps.

First, 1 BTC was locked, wrapped, and minted "directly on the Bitcoin blockchain" and converted into xBTC, a new, fully programmable token developed by BOS. This token contained cryptographic proof of the original Bitcoin's existence and value.

Once wrapped, the xBTC token then made its way to the Cardano network, arriving first in hybrid Bitcoin and Cardano L2 Sundial Protocol's wallet.