The Summer Launch 2025 event unveiled Bitlayer's BitVM Bridge on mainnet, a revolutionary infrastructure upgrade for Bitcoin DeFi. This trust-minimized bridge uses optimistic challenges and pre-signed covenants to enable secure BTC transfers without intermediaries, marking the first real-world BitVM implementation.
Bitlayer's network architecture now includes this bridge as a core component, allowing users to lock BTC and mint YBTC, a 1:1 pegged asset for programmable environments. The infrastructure supports multichain integrations with Sui, Arbitrum, and Base, unlocking Bitcoin's liquidity for DeFi protocols. Partnerships with mining pools like Antpool (30% hashrate) ensure efficient NST processing.
$BTR incentivizes bridge operations: staking $BTR secures validators, while $BTR rewards successful challenges. $BTR governance evolves protocols for better scalability. The bridge's beta phase has processed test transactions, proving low latency and high security.
Detailed features include escape mechanisms for fund recovery and ZK-STARK verification for privacy. Combined with the rollup design, it achieves sub-second finality, ideal for high-stakes applications. TVL has climbed to $448 million post-launch, with gas fees at $0.1.
The bridge addresses past vulnerabilities in cross-chain tech, minimizing trust assumptions. It enables yield-bearing BTC in lending and staking, transforming Bitcoin from static to productive. Roadmap phases include full user access and more chain integrations.
@BitlayerLabs ' innovation sets new standards, making Bitcoin DeFi accessible and secure.