What Is Rootstock?
Rootstock is a Bitcoin Layer 2 solution that brings smart contract functionality to Bitcoin, enabling fast, cheap, and scalable decentralized applications (DApps) while maintaining Bitcoin’s security.
Rootstock is secured by over 80% of Bitcoin’s hash power through merge mining, ensuring that every transaction benefits from the same proof-of-work security as Bitcoin itself. Unlike the Lightning Network, which is optimized for fast payments, Rootstock is Bitcoin’s DeFi Layer, allowing developers to build everything from lending protocols to decentralized exchanges while using Bitcoin as collateral.
Thanks to Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility, Rootstock supports Solidity-based smart contracts and popular Ethereum tools, making it easy for developers to migrate their applications from Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, and other EVM-compatible networks. Rootstock’s first whitepaper was published in 2015, and the network went live in 2018.
What Is rBTC?
Rootstock’s ecosystem runs on rBTC, a 1:1 BTC-pegged token that powers transactions and smart contract execution on the network. Users can bridge BTC into Rootstock, converting it into rBTC via the PoWPeg, a secure, permissionless bridge to Bitcoin. Once on Rootstock, Bitcoin can be used in DeFi applications like LayerBank, Uniswap, and SushiSwap, allowing holders to earn yield without selling their BTC.
As of March 2025, over 2,500 BTC have been bridged into Rootstock, fueling its growing DeFi ecosystem.
RootstockCollective DAO: Empowering Bitcoin Builders
The RootstockCollective DAO is a decentralized organization dedicated to scaling Bitcoin DeFi through community-driven governance, funding, and rewards.
Through stRIF staking, contributors can propose and vote on initiatives that drive Rootstock’s growth.
network’s success.
