Stacks Asia partners with HEX Trust for $180B Bitcoin DeFi opportunity

As a seasoned analyst with over two decades of experience in the financial industry, I find myself increasingly intrigued by the burgeoning intersection between traditional finance and decentralized technologies. The partnership between Hex Trust and Stacks Asia Foundation is a testament to this growing symbiosis, particularly within the Bitcoin ecosystem that presents an $180 billion market opportunity.


Hex Trust, a reliable digital asset service company, has joined forces with the Stacks Asia Foundation to tap into the potential $180 billion market associated with the Bitcoin network.

In the context of our alliance, the custody system is set to incorporate the Stacks blockchain layer and its associated digital assets, as well as develop future avenues for integrating decentralized finance (DeFi) tools.

As a researcher exploring the realm of decentralized finance (DeFi), I’ve noticed a significant surge in institutional involvement and industry maturity within Bitcoin-centric DeFi, based on insights shared by Kyle Ellicott, Investor Relations Lead at Stacks. In a conversation with CryptoMoon, he highlighted this trend.

Ellicott shared with CryptoMoon that the arrival of Hex Trust implies a surge in Asian consumer interest for Bitcoin-related services and solutions.

In a written statement, Calvin Shen, Hex Trust’s chief commercial officer, noted that the collaboration could boost “the monetary value Bitcoin offers to our institutional clients.

Stacks Asia partners with HEX Trust for $180B Bitcoin DeFi opportunity

Integrating similar functionalities could enhance the functionality of the Bitcoin network, in a rapidly expanding concept called Bitcoin Decentralized Finance (DeFi) or BTCFi. To start with, one of the initial integrations will incorporate SIP-010 support, which is the standard for fungible tokens on Stacks. This allows for easy tracking and transfer of tokens.

Since the Bitcoin halving in 2024, there’s been an increasing curiosity about creating DeFi functionalities within the Bitcoin network. This is particularly due to the introduction of the Runes protocol, marking the debut of the first standard for fungible tokens on the Bitcoin blockchain.

Institutional crypto demand is on the rise in Asia

The demand for institutional cryptocurrency has been escalating significantly in the Asian markets, as indicated by Stacks’ Ellicott, who stated that it has been increasing “at an annual exponential rate.

Ellicott noted that the increasing attention from institutions played a significant role in Stacks’ ability to establish partnerships with service providers throughout the continent who were attracted by institutional deals, as he put it.

“The Asian markets have been foundational for crypto since its early inception, and the institutional demand grows exponentially each year. The rise of the Bitcoin Ecosystem which has since much of its development in Asia…”

Many other initiatives are enhancing Bitcoin’s functionality, such as Hermetica, which recently introduced the first Bitcoin-linked artificial dollar, USDh. This innovative product made its entrance offering a 25% return to investors.

In simpler terms, Hermetica represents a decentralized finance (DeFi) system specifically designed for Bitcoin, built on its native Stacks platform. The company’s leader, Jakob Schillinger, believes that decentralized finance opportunities based on Bitcoin could potentially be the next major breakthrough in the crypto industry.

As a crypto investor, I firmly anticipate that Bitcoin DeFi will not only catch up to but surpass the scale of Ethereum DeFi within the next five years. This prediction is based on my observations and understanding of the dynamic crypto landscape.

“We’re already seeing months where Ordinals trading volumes are higher than volumes for Ethereum and Solana NFTs combined. With over $1 [trillion] in latent BTC capital, Bitcoin DeFi is primed for explosive growth.”

In partnership with Binance Labs and Tim Draper, Zest Protocol has introduced a token based on Bitcoin, offering staking rewards to its holders.

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2024-10-29 18:14