$BTR is what? Elevating Bitcoin with the power of BitVM.
Bitcoin was primarily designed for the storage and transfer of value, with limited programmability. To expand this potential, Bitlayer was born as the first Layer-2 solution on Bitcoin built on BitVM technology – a Turing-complete virtual machine that allows for the deployment of complex smart contracts while maintaining the security level of the underlying network.
BitVM plays a core role, enabling Bitcoin to efficiently handle smart contract logic and decentralized applications (dApps).
On this platform, Bitlayer applies Layered VM architecture, separating the logic processing part and the proof generation part, allowing for the integration of various verification mechanisms such as ZK-proof or optimistic verification. This way, Bitlayer optimizes performance while reducing transaction costs.
The Bitlayer system includes three main components:
Sequencer: collects and organizes transactions on Layer-2.
Prover and Challenger: create and verify valid proofs of transactions.
Bridge: a secure bridge between Bitcoin Layer-1 and Bitlayer.
A notable point is the BitVM Bridge – a new generation bridge that allows users to lock BTC on the Bitcoin network and receive YBTC (Peg-BTC) tokens at a 1:1 ratio to use in DeFi applications. This model is designed to be 'trust-minimized', meaning that only one honest participant is needed to ensure safety, eliminating dependence on traditional multisig structures. In mid-July 2025, Bitlayer officially launched the BitVM Bridge Mainnet, marking an important step in bringing BTC into the DeFi ecosystem transparently and securely.
Just after a short time, has attracted about 550 million USD TVL, with over 300 active Bitcoin projects and a community of more than 700,000 users. This ecosystem has also connected Bitcoin with many other networks such as Sui, Base, Arbitrum, and is continuing to integrate Starknet, Plume Network, Sonic, opening up vast DeFi potential.
With the combination of Bitcoin's security and BitVM's programming power, Bitlayer is gradually transforming Bitcoin from a 'digital gold' into a powerful decentralized financial platform, contributing to shaping the future of Web3.
