BitVM Bridge: A "one in one out" from BTC to YBTC
#Bitlayer What is it doing?
BitVM Bridge allows you to securely lock your L1 Bitcoin and mint the corresponding asset YBTC on Bitlayer (BTC Rollup); later, if you want to return to L1, just burn YBTC on L2, go through the challenge/verification process to confirm correctness, and you can retrieve the original BTC. The core design is "minimum trust": anchoring security in the finality and verifiability of Bitcoin rather than relying on a single custodian.
@BitlayerLabs
1. Operation Process (Mint → Unmint)
a. Prepare the environment: Install supported wallets, switch to the Bitlayer network, and ensure you can see BTC and Gas in your wallet.
b. Lock L1 BTC: Transfer BTC into the BitVM smart contract through the official entry point to generate a corresponding cross-chain request.
c. Mint YBTC on Rollup: Once the request is approved, Bitlayer will mint the equivalent YBTC, and the asset will appear in your EVM wallet (official documents also provide YBTC contract address and verification steps).
d. Redeem (Unmint): Burn YBTC on L2, and after the challenge/verification, the L1 contract releases the equivalent BTC back to your address.
e. Official entry and instructions: BitVM Bridge homepage and documents (including the process of "how to mint/unmint on mainnet")
3. Actual impact on general users
🚀 Turning BTC into "usable assets": YBTC allows you to participate in market making, lending, yield aggregation, and other strategies on Bitlayer, maintaining BTC price exposure while seeking on-chain returns (actual returns depend on protocols and market conditions)
🚀 More friendly fees and speed: Rollup aggregates calculations, and rewriting L1 ensures finality, usually balancing lower fees and better throughput
🚀 Cross-chain extensibility: BitVM Bridge supports multi-chain integration scenarios, and YBTC can bring BTC liquidity to other ecosystems, but UX and liquidation rhythms are more complex, so be sure to validate with small amounts first
4. How is it different from custodial packaging (e.g., #WBTC )?
Trust model: Custodial relies on centralized custody and auditing; YBTC reduces external trust assumptions through BitVM-style challenge/verification and L1 authoritative finality.
Risk vectors: Custodian and compliance vs. bridging/contracts/data availability; neither has absolute advantages or disadvantages, depending on your preferences and risk tolerance.
In this way, your $BTC is even more valuable!
