Ah, the tBTC! A bridge, they say, but not just any bridge—this one is decentralized and trust-minimized, as if it were built by a committee of philosophers pondering the meaning of life. Now, it has taken a bold leap into the realm of Starknet, a place where Ethereum Layer 2 networks frolic under the watchful eye of ZK-rollup technology.
With this grand launch, Bitcoin holders can now mint tBTC directly on Starknet, as if they were plucking ripe fruit from a tree, bypassing the tedious journey through Ethereum. This delightful shortcut brings the full security and transparency of a 1:1 BTC peg right into the Starknet ecosystem. In a recent episode of the TopMob Podcast, the illustrious MacLane Wilkison of tLabs and the ever-enthusiastic Benjamin Sturisky of Starknet discussed this momentous occasion.
https://open.spotify.com/watch?v=episode/1QFUlAqhRwWprENcPLKY62
MacLane, the CEO of tLabs and a co-founder of Threshold, reminisced about the old days of tBTC: “Historically, if you wanted to use tBTC on a chain… You first had to bridge your native Bitcoin to ETH Layer 1 through tBTC, then you would have to bridge it again to whatever your destination ecosystem is.” Ah, the complexities of yesteryear, like trying to navigate a labyrinth blindfolded!
But fear not! With this new integration, he proclaimed, “In the case of Starknet, we’re not only launching tBTC as an asset — we’re also launching a way to go directly from native Bitcoin to Starknet without having to worry about that interim stop in the middle.” A direct route! How refreshing, like a cool breeze on a hot summer day.
Benjamin Sturisky, the Growth guru at Starknet Foundation, shared his fondness for Threshold, stating, “I am particularly fond of Threshold because they also work to be as trust-minimized as possible.” A match made in decentralized heaven, where trust is as scarce as a good cup of coffee at a bad diner.
With over $547M in TVL and more than 11,000 daily users, Starknet is swiftly becoming the belle of the Layer 2 ball. The integration with tBTC elevates Bitcoin to a first-class citizen in this vibrant ecosystem—ready for trading, lending, and building across Starknet-native protocols. MacLane further noted, “We are focused on cross-chain expansion. We want to meet users where they are — we don’t want to tell them where they should be using their Bitcoin.” A noble sentiment, indeed!
tBTC is now strutting its stuff across 8 chains, with integrations on Ekubo for DEX trading and Vesu (coming soon) for decentralized lending. Tune in to hear more about this thrilling development and what it means for the future of decentralized finance. Spoiler alert: it’s exciting! 🎉
About Our Guests
MacLane Wilkison, a luminary in the blockchain industry, is known for co-founding NuCypher. With a background in investment banking at Morgan Stanley, he transitioned into blockchain in 2012, driven by a passion for Bitcoin and decentralized technologies. He is a leading contributor to Threshold, home to tBTC. Wilkison’s expertise spans both traditional finance and cutting-edge blockchain innovations, making him a great voice on the future of decentralized finance and privacy in the digital age.
Benjamin, a member of the Growth team at the Starknet Foundation, is dedicated to providing educational programs, grants, and support to visionary developers and founders. His mission? To make Starknet the leading rollup for both Bitcoin and Ethereum, ensuring the network has the technical capacity and liquidity to be the go-to place for builders using either BTC or ETH.
The TopMob podcast features interviews with the most interesting leaders, founders, and investors in the world of Cryptocurrency, Decentralized Finance (DeFi), NFTs, and the Metaverse. Follow us on iTunes or Spotify.
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2025-06-17 18:27