VaderAI (VADER) is a decentralized platform that allows users to join various DAOs managed by AI agents or humans. 

 are currently among the hottest assets in the crypto market, with the 

 niche featuring particularly impressive growth rates. Crypto assets that power AI agents — smart entities that carry out complex tasks online, and on web3 platforms — are a subsector widely expected to expand its footprint in the industry over the coming years. 

 (VIRTUAL) has been particularly notable for its recent strong performance. It enables users to launch autonomous AI agents for various use cases, and is home to numerous tokens and solutions focused on specific applications of AI agent technology.

Among the leading assets on the Virtuals Protocol is VaderAI (VADER), whose users invest via AI agent– and human-managed 

 (VADER) is a decentralized platform that allows users to join various DAOs managed by AI agents or humans. 

These DAOs are currently focused on the investment and trading spheres, although managed DAOs in other fields are also envisioned. By investing in a DAO on the platform, users can expect returns generated via trading activities of the DAO's AI agent or human investment manager. Many VaderAI DAOs are based on tracking an index of multiple cryptocurrencies.

The VaderAI platform carefully curates each AI agent– or human-managed DAO to minimize risk for users.

VaderAI is one of the AI agent–focused solutions leveraging the 

 (VIRTUAL), a platform designed to let users easily create and deploy autonomous AI agents.

The platform has its own AI agent, VaderAI, that creates and manages several DAO-based investment indices. These are comprised of multi-token funds with different 

. Users who invest in the funds managed by the VaderAI investment agent can expect return levels commensurate with the token composition of each index. As of mid-January 2025, Vader AI offers two investment opportunities — VaderAI Small Cap and VaderAI Micro Cap. Another agent-managed index, VaderAI Mid Cap, is expected to be released soon.

Vader Fun, a component of the wider platform, lets users participate in various DAOs. It acts as the key orchestrator of the DAOs within the Vader ecosystem. There are two types of DAOs users can join on Vader Fun — passive DAOs and active DAOs. Both varieties are curated, but differ in terms of the investment strategies they pursue.

Passive DAOs focus on minimizing risk to DAO participants, while delivering consistent returns by tracking tokens that meet certain criteria in terms of their risk profiles. These DAOs meet specific criteria, such as limitation on the maximum exposure to a single token, minimum liquidity thresholds and a reference to an established benchmark. Such stipulations ensure that the tokens are highly liquid and easily tradable, making passive DAOs a safer, more stable option for participants.

In contrast, active DAOs provide more freedom to the DAO’s investment manager, whether an AI agent or a human, in terms of the strategies they might pursue.

 AI agent based on X (formerly Twitter) — VaderAI KOL. This agent regularly posts about the crypto market, provides investment insights and delivers news on the performance of the DAOs within the VaderAI ecosystem.

VaderAI KOL established an account on X in November 2024, and in just three months has gained nearly 30,000 followers. One intriguing feature of the VaderAI KOL agent is the functionality to programmatically tweet about coins airdropped into its wallet. This can be useful for token creators who want to feature their assets as sponsored posts. 

 (SOL)–based network addresses to receive token airdrops for sponsored tweets.

VaderAI’s native crypto, VADER, is a token issued on both the 

 chain and Solana. VADER is primarily used for 

, through which users can earn additional rewards and gain access to exclusive offers and opportunities.

VADER was issued in November 2024, with no supply lockup periods or other limitations on circulation. The token’s current total and circulating supply is 996,739,513, and its maximum supply is specified at 1 billion. While most of the supply is publicly available, 36% is reserved by the project's team for marketing and platform development purposes.

VaderAI is another innovative AI agent–focused platform launched via the increasingly popular Virtuals Protocol. Investment DAOs managed by curated AI agents are an intriguing concept that may find more adoption in the future, depending upon how successful these agents are at managing their DAO members' funds. 

If the investor community sees healthy returns from VaderAI's DAOs, the platform will establish itself as a significant AI-driven investment manager within web3. Additionally, as VaderAI develops, agent-driven DAOs may find use cases well beyond the crypto finance sphere, specializing in activities like gaming, social media community-building and more.

Intermediate

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VaderAI by Virtuals (VADER): Orchestrating DAOs and AI Leadership

pSTAKE Finance is a BTC yield and liquid staking protocol offering two products — fixed-yield Earn for retail users and YBTC LSTs for institutions. Learn more.

 in crypto, but one major obstacle for many investors is the lack of liquidity for staked assets. Staked tokens are locked up, preventing users from accessing or using their holdings in other activities. pSTAKE Finance is changing this dynamic by enabling an innovative liquid staking solution for BTC. This article dives into pSTAKE Finance, how it enables Bitcoin liquid staking on Babylon and its potential as an investment opportunity.

 is a Bitcoin yield and liquid staking protocol that offers two products — fixed-yield Earn for retail users and YBTC for institutions. These two products address distinct user needs, enhancing accessibility for both segments.

pSTAKE Finance is designed to solve one of the most pressing challenges in the cryptocurrency staking ecosystem: making Bitcoin yield-generating with Bitcoin Staking. Traditionally, 

 requires users to lock their assets, thus preventing them from being used for other financial activities. pSTAKE addresses this limitation by providing tailored solutions for both retail and institutional users, enabling them to earn reliable Bitcoin yields while retaining flexibility.

 protocol designed to provide reliable Bitcoin yields through staking on 

. It addresses two core user groups — retail users and institutions — with tailored solutions that make Bitcoin staking secure, accessible and rewarding.

For Retail Users: Fixed-Yield Earn Product

Retail users can access a fixed-yield product similar to 

). By depositing BTC into the pSTAKE platform, users earn staking rewards through Babylon's secure infrastructure. This solution is designed to make Bitcoin staking straightforward and accessible, even for users new to 

 (DeFi). Rewards are boosted through PSTAKE incentives, enhancing the appeal of this option for retail participants seeking passive income.

For institutional users, pSTAKE provides a noncustodial Bitcoin 

 token is backed 1:1 by BTC and supports LayerZero 

, making it accessible across Ethereum, BNB Chain and 

. YBTC offers additional yield opportunities through advanced DeFi strategies, such as 

 and liquidity farming, ensuring flexibility and profitability for institutions managing large-scale Bitcoin holdings.

pSTAKE enables users to stake native BTC directly on the Bitcoin network, minimizing risks and eliminating the need for 

 or third-party custody. This design ensures security and simplicity in the staking process.

Institutions staking BTC receive YBTC, a liquid ERC-20 token that represents their staked assets. YBTC is fully backed by Bitcoin, maintaining liquidity and allowing holders to trade or deploy it in DeFi protocols for additional returns. pSTAKE empowers Institutions to generate yield on their Bitcoin while they maintain full custody over their assets, a key differentiator for Institutional Bitcoin Staking.

’s interoperability standard, YBTC can operate seamlessly across multiple chains. This functionality unifies BTCFi use cases and provides greater flexibility for DeFi integration.

pSTAKE relies on Babylon’s robust security-sharing protocol that leverages Bitcoin’s battle-tested 

 (PoW) network. By converting BTC into slashable assets, Babylon deters malicious behavior, ensuring the safety of staked assets.

The pSTAKE Finance team has achieved remarkable milestones, including several innovative solutions, and outlined the following ambitious plans for the future.

The year 2024 was a transformative one for pSTAKE, marked by significant achievements in both product innovation and ecosystem growth. The protocol launched its Bitcoin liquid staking solution on Babylon, becoming the first such platform to accept native BTC deposits. This was accompanied by the introduction of a noncustodial Bitcoin staking product tailored for institutions, reinforcing pSTAKE’s commitment to security and flexibility.

Key integrations with Binance, Bybit, OKX and Bitget have enabled seamless Bitcoin staking through pSTAKE’s 

 wallets, while support for both UniSat Wallet and Leather Bitcoin wallet has further expanded accessibility. These efforts have fueled remarkable development, with pSTAKE achieving 9X growth in 

The PSTAKE token also reached new heights, debuting on 

 and Blast. The “Stake PSTAKE, Earn BTC” feature launched on Base L2, with over 6.4 million tokens staked, showcasing strong user engagement. Additionally, PSTAKE became the first BTCFi token to launch on Binance Alpha, setting a benchmark for the sector.

Looking ahead, pSTAKE is poised to solidify its leadership in the BTCFi ecosystem with a product-led growth strategy. The focus will be on offering two distinct solutions: a simple fixed-yield product for retail users, and a tailored Bitcoin LST for institutions and 

. This approach ensures that pSTAKE can address diverse user needs while still driving sustainable growth. Key objectives for 2025 include the following.

With its clear vision and ambitious road map, pSTAKE is well-positioned to lead the BTCFi revolution, empowering users to unlock the full potential of their Bitcoin assets.

The PSTAKE token drives governance and incentives within the pSTAKE protocol. By holding and staking PSTAKE, users play an active role in guiding the protocol's future, thereby contributing to its security and long-term success. The token also rewards core contributors for their efforts while discouraging harmful actions that could undermine the system.

Launched with a total supply of 500 million tokens, PSTAKE's distribution is carefully designed to prioritize decentralized governance and provide fair incentives for key contributors who drive the protocol forward.

 $0.12611 by 2025, $0.079072 by 2026 and $0.156502 by 2030, indicating a promising rise over the long term. DigitalCoinPrice is slightly more optimistic, 

 of $0.0981 by 2025, $0.12 by 2026 and $0.25 by 2030. 

However, Gate.io is weighing in with more conservative estimates, forecasting an average price of $0.0479 for 2025, $0.05197 for 2026 and $0.10 by 2030. These outlooks reflect the different factors considered by each platform, but all of them signal that PSTAKE could see steady growth in the years ahead.

While these projections offer a range of perspectives, several fundamental drivers could influence PSTAKE's future value:

Looking to trade pSTAKE Finance tokens? Bybit now offers the PSTAKE/USDT Spot trading pair. To get started, simply create an account on Bybit, fund it with cryptocurrency and navigate to the 

PSTAKE Finance presents a unique solution by enabling liquid staking across multiple blockchains. Backed by Binance Labs and supported by major investors like Sequoia Capital, DeFiance Capital and Galaxy Digital, the protocol aims to address the liquidity issues associated with staking by issuing YBTC, which can be traded or used in DeFi applications. This innovation allows every day retail users and institutions to generate yield on their Bitcoin, positioning pSTAKE as a key player in BTCFi. Its road map includes further integrations , TVL growth, and increased accessibility to the PSTAKE Token and its staking utility, adding to its growing appeal.

Price forecasts for PSTAKE show potential long-term growth, with estimates ranging from $0.0479 in 2025 to $0.25 by 2030. The protocol’s solid partnerships and decentralized governance model further strengthen its prospects. Its strategic approach to tokenomics and its expansion into key blockchain ecosystems firmly position PSTAKE to become an essential tool for crypto investors looking to maximize their returns while maintaining flexibility. 

However, as with any investment, there are inherent risks, and past performance isn’t indicative of future results. Investors should carefully consider their risk tolerance and 

pSTAKE Finance champions the solution of BTCFi yields with Bitcoin Staking on Babylon across various blockchains. Its future-focused road map and strong partnerships make it an intriguing option for investors seeking passive income in the crypto space. However, as with any investment, investors should tread with caution.

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pSTAKE Finance (PSTAKE): Higher Yields With BTC Liquid Staking

Dive into Story, a Layer 1 blockchain built to tokenize global intellectual property (IP), a multitrillion-dollar industry.

Despite the fact that global intangible assets' value 

 in 2023, existing blockchains aren’t suitable for efficiently handling intellectual property (IP) management. Story aims to change this with the world's first 

 (L1) chain that’s been specifically built for IP. In this article, you’ll learn what Story is, who founded and invested in the project, how it works and what its ecosystem looks like. Let's get started!

 is a Layer 1 blockchain network built purposely for intellectual property (IP). Tapping into a multitrillion-dollar industry, it tokenizes IP, such as 

, AI models, songs and image rights, and embeds attributions, royalty agreements and usage terms directly into its chain. As a decentralized and transparent solution for intellectual property management, Story offers IP holders enhanced IP protection, seamless collaboration and access to new revenue opportunities. The project's intentional blockchain comes in especially handy in today's increasingly AI-powered economy.

The Story protocol aims to provide an effective solution to the lack of rightful compensation for IP owners who share their work online. Even if their works become valuable and popular, original creators are not fairly rewarded or even credited for their ideas. Artificial intelligence (AI) models are trained on (and produce) copyrighted data, yet the current IP system can't keep up with the massive popularity of AI-generated media. To avoid discouraging creators from sharing their ideas with the world, Story has implemented built-in protections in its L1 chain to automatically credit IP owners, and to ensure they receive fair compensation for their work.

Story was founded in 2022 by Jason Levy, Jason Zhao and Seung Yoon Lee to address the growing challenges between IP, creativity and AI.

To date, Story has raised $134.3 million in funds across three rounds. Its most notable investors include Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Samsung Next, Mirana, Polychain Capital and Endeavor. Among these backers, a16z has played the most significant role, with the venture capital fund leading all three of the IP blockchain's funding rounds.

 software development kit (SDK) and is fully compatible with the 

. Its purpose-built blockchain leverages the unique 

 to enable anyone to on-ramp their IP to Story. Once registered on-chain, IP Assets (IPAs) are represented in the form of blockchain-based ERC-721 NFTs. If intellectual property resides in the off-chain world, owners can first mint their NFTs and then register them afterward. Each IPA consists of an on-chain NFT and an associated IP account in 

Despite being on-chain, Story enforces IPA terms and minted License Tokens via an off-chain legal contract called the 

 (PIL). Together with the Proof-of-Creativity protocol, PIL makes all registered IP programmable, enabling automated licensing and rights management via Story. It’s a real, off-chain legal contract that defines specific license terms for the legal licensing of IP Assets.

Story uses a wide range of modules for managing and enforcing IP rights, including the following.

You can find out more about how Story works by visiting the project's 

 of the Agent Transaction Control Protocol for Intellectual Property (Agent TCP/IP). It’s an experimental framework that enables agents to trade IP with each other. Examples include training data, investment strategies, creative style and more, which agents can exchange and monetize autonomously. Born as the result of a weeklong sprint at Story's skunkworks AI Agent Lab, Agent TCP/IP was developed in collaboration with organizations and individuals, such as Virtuals, Zerebro's ZerePy and ai16z's Eliza.

Story's ever-growing ecosystem includes numerous partners and participants. With use cases ranging from art and AI models to storytelling and fashion, some of the most notable players in Story's network are the AI storytelling platform Sekai, the Mahojin Remix AI Layer , the Color IP marketplace and the intellectual property-focused Telegram Koni Story mini app. You can learn more about Story's ecosystem 

Story takes a unique approach to intellectual property management, addressing key challenges in attribution, licensing and fair compensation in an AI-driven economy. With its purpose-built Layer 1 blockchain, the platform enables creators to tokenize and protect their IP while unlocking new revenue opportunities.

Backed by nearly $135 million in funding and supported by major investors like a16z crypto and Samsung Next, Story is well-positioned to take a leading role in the evolution of digital rights management. As it moves toward its mainnet launch in Q1 2025, Story’s innovative features and ever-growing ecosystem are set to redefine the way we create, license and monetize intellectual property.

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Story: The World's First IP Blockchain

Experienced traders who become Copy Trading Gold&FX Master Traders share their trading expertise, allowing Followers to automatically copy their positions.

Want to monetize your trading expertise and build a following in the forex and commodities markets? Bybit's Copy Trading Gold&FX platform enables skilled traders to earn profit-sharing rewards by letting others automatically copy their trading strategies.

But what exactly is a Master Trader, and how can you get started? This guide breaks down what Gold&FX Master Trading is, its benefits, key requirements, how to apply — and whether it's the right path for your trading career.

–based copy trading system that enables investors to automatically replicate the trading strategies of experienced traders across forex, commodities and market indices.

With MT5's professional infrastructure, Master Traders can execute positions that are automatically copied by their Followers while earning up to 15% profit share from successful trades. This creates a mutually beneficial environment in which expertise is rewarded while newer traders access established strategies.

Who Is a Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX Master Trader?

A Gold&FX Master Trader is an experienced trader who shares their trading expertise on Bybit's MT5 platform, allowing Followers to automatically copy their positions in forex, indices and commodities markets. Master Traders can earn up to 15% profit share from their Followers' successful trades, with shares distributed weekly.

Benefits of Being a Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX Master Trader

Master Traders on Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX can earn the following benefits.

Master Traders are able to monetize their expertise by earning up to 15% profit share from their Followers' trades. Since success and Follower growth directly increase earning potential, this creates opportunities for substantial passive income.

The platform implements a High water mark (HWM) principle for profit distribution, releasing rewards only when trading results surpass previous performance peaks. Profit shares are calculated weekly and distributed every Sunday at midnight (MT5 server time, which is UTC+3 during DST, UTC+2 during Standard Time).

Master Traders have access to a comprehensive suite of traditional financial markets, including forex pairs, commodities and indices. This diverse range of trading instruments enables them to diversify strategies and broaden trading opportunities across multiple asset classes.

Master Traders can start with one Follower, and scale up to 300 concurrent Followers as they demonstrate consistent performance. This progression allows Master Traders to build their reputations, increasing profit-sharing income as they prove their expertise.

The MetaTrader 5 platform delivers institutional-grade infrastructure with 

, comprehensive market analysis features and high-speed execution capabilities. This trading environment enables Master Traders to execute strategies and analyze market opportunities with professional precision.

Master Traders can adjust their profit-sharing ratio at any time to optimize strategies based on market conditions and Follower engagement. The platform handles all technical aspects of 

, allowing Master Traders to fully focus on executing trading strategies.

What to Know Before Applying to Be a Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX Master Trader

Following are the key requirements and considerations for becoming a Master Trader.

How to Apply to Become a Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX Master Trader

The application process consists of two main phases: submitting your application, and setting up your MT5 account. Carefully follow the steps below to become a Master Trader.

 and log in to your Bybit account. If you don’t have a Bybit Subaccount, click on the profile icon, select 

and create a new Subaccount, following the on-screen instructions.

: After you’ve created a Subaccount, hover your cursor over the 

. This will take you to the Master Trader application page.

: Read the Master Trader Agreement carefully, and check the box stating 

I have understood and agreed to the above agreement

: Fill in the following required information:

: Review all information, and check (✓) the box to agree to MT5 Terms and Conditions. Then, click on 

: In the confirmation window, review the information and click on 

: Once your application is successful, you’ll receive an approval email. Open it, and click on the 

 link in the email to create a new password.

 to set your MT5 Account password. If you haven’t already done so, set up Google Authentication on your Gold&FX Master Trader Subaccount by following this 

: Select the type of password you’d like to reset. The pop-up window has two options:

 and click on the download icon to install MT5 on your device. 

: Set up Google Authentication for your Gold&FX Master Trader Subaccount (if you haven’t already done so). Then, follow the security setup guide provided by Bybit.

: Once you’ve successfully downloaded MT5, launch the application, and log in with your credentials. Then, verify access to trading features.

Congratulations! You are now a Gold&FX Master Trader. Switch to your Gold&FX Master Trader Subaccount and MT5 Account to start Copy Trading.

Should You Apply to Be a Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX Master Trader?

Applying to become a Gold&FX Master Trader is worth considering if you:

Before applying, carefully evaluate your trading experience and commitment level. While no prior performance record is required, your success as a Master Trader will depend upon maintaining consistent returns and building trust with your Followers.

Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX transforms trading expertise into a scalable business opportunity through its Master Trader program. With detailed platform resources, profit-sharing potential and room for growth, Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX provides a clear path to building a meaningful presence in traditional financial markets.

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Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX Master Trader: Your Path to Elite Earnings

Bybit Learn

Bitcoin

Explainers

Altcoins

Rootstock (RBTC) is an EVM- and smart contract–capable Layer 2 sidechain for Bitcoin designed for DeFi use cases.

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 (DeFi) sector back in 2017 is firmly associated with the 

 (ETH) blockchain. It was Ethereum that introduced the concept of 

, and the first prominent DeFi protocols were all born on this blockchain. For a while, it seemed like 

 (BTC) stayed away from the emerging DeFi phenomenon. It’s only in the past few years that the Bitcoin DeFi ecosystem, dubbed BTCFi, seemingly started to show the first signs of life. This impression is, however, not entirely correct. As early as January 2018, the first DeFi-focused 

 solution for Bitcoin — the Rootstock (RBTC) sidechain — celebrated its mainnet debut.

Rootstock remains the oldest and longest-running Layer 2 platform for the Bitcoin ecosystem. It’s smart contract-capable and highly compatible with the 

 (EVM). While the platform can support all kinds of 

 (DApps), it specifically focuses on the DeFi niche, with nearly all of its leading apps dedicated to crypto finance use cases. Along with smart contract functionality, Rootstock enjoys the famed security of Bitcoin, thanks to its merged mining with the world's largest chain. The sidechain also features superior scalability and lower transaction fees than Bitcoin’s 

With this combination of benefits, it’s no wonder that the Rootstock sidechain has managed to keep a leading position in the fast-developing BTCFi field all these years.

 (RBTC) is a smart contract–capable Layer 2 sidechain designed for Bitcoin DeFi applications. Rootstock's native cryptocurrency, RBTC, is an asset pegged to BTC at a 1:1 ratio.

 Users can transfer their BTC funds to the sidechain, where their coins are converted to RBTC. From then on, users are free to use the RBTC crypto to make use of Rootstock's extensive ecosystem of DeFi apps and tools. Rootstock represents a major way for Bitcoin holders to enjoy smart contract–powered DeFi applications without having to move their assets and activity to Ethereum or other smart contract chains.

Since the Bitcoin network has virtually no smart contract capabilities, many DeFi-minded BTC holders have to convert their funds to Ether or other smart contract chain coins to enjoy crypto finance opportunities on those blockchains. While Ethereum, 

 (ADA) and other prominent smart contract chains offer a diverse array of DeFi solutions, the problem with converting BTC to these coins is the loss of peg; e.g., by exchanging BTC to ETH, you’re decoupling your funds from the world's largest cryptocurrency, well regarded by many investors as the gold standard in crypto investment.

Rootstock solves this issue by offering a BTC-pegged asset, RBTC, that can be swapped back for BTC at any time and returned to the Bitcoin Layer 1 environment. The platform essentially lets you enjoy a plethora of DeFi opportunities while keeping your overall funds tightly pegged to BTC.

Rootstock features EVM compatibility through its Rootstock virtual machine (RVM). This makes porting Ethereum DApps to the sidechain a breeze. The platform also enjoys the security of Bitcoin through a merged mining procedure, whereby miners can use the hash power contributed to securing the Bitcoin network to simultaneously mine blocks on Rootstock as well.

Rootstock's block production time is just 30 seconds, twenty times as frequent as Bitcoin's 10-minute intervals. This allows for fast and efficient transaction processing. At the same time, to ensure complete security of operations, Rootstock normally requires that each transaction go through a minimum of 12 confirmations, which takes the total time for complete transaction finalization to six minutes.

 difficulty is considerably lower than Bitcoin's, and its network congestion isn't anywhere near the levels of Bitcoin or Ethereum. As a result, gas fees on the chain are notably lower than on Bitcoin and Ethereum, with an average transaction fee of around five cents.

The Rootstock sidechain was first conceptualized in 2015 by a group of Argentinian software engineers from RSK Labs. It was officially launched in January 2018, making it the oldest existing Bitcoin Layer 2 solution. In its earlier years of operation, the platform was known as the RSK blockchain, but rebranded to Rootstock in 2022. The project's co-founders are Diego Gutiérrez Zaldívar, Adriȧn Eidelman, Gabriel Kurman and Sergio Demian Lerner.

Rootstock uses an address system compatible with and similar to Ethereum's, with 40 alphanumeric characters and an account-based model. This differs from the 

 (UTXO) model employed for Bitcoin transactions. Transactions on the sidechain directly modify account balances, similar to Ethereum, rather than adjusting unspent output amounts.

This account-based address system ensures adherence to EVM compatibility and easy accommodation of DApps ported from EVM chains.

, known previously as the RSK virtual machine, is a processing engine used by the sidechain. It's EVM-compatible, allowing developers to easily port and adapt Ethereum smart contracts and DApps to the Rootstock environment. Additionally, developers can use Solidity, the primary programming language used within the Ethereum ecosystem, to build Rootstock-based applications.

The project's team tries to maintain compatibility between RVM and EVM carefully. Around once a year, the Ethereum developer community performs a 

 of the blockchain, upgrading it to a new version. The key goals of these upgrades are to introduce new functionality, address security concerns and improve existing features. If the new features introduced by Ethereum align with the ethos and goals of the Rootstock project, the team initiates a corresponding hard fork upgrade to the sidechain and RVM in order to maintain the snug compatibility between the processing engines of the two chains.

Rootstock's security mechanism is well protected, thanks to 

 with Bitcoin. Like Bitcoin's Layer 1, Rootstock uses the 

 (PoW) block generation procedure. Miners can merge-mine RBTC using the same 

 power they contribute to mining Bitcoin. This provides an excellent way for miners to earn additional crypto income without the need to contribute more computing capacity. Merged mining is also a key way for PoW blockchains to reduce their environmental impact.

Since the average block time on the Rootstock blockchain is only 30 seconds, miners can expect more frequent rewards from their block generation activity. In general, Rootstock's mining difficulty is lower than Bitcoin's, allowing less powerful mining machines to still generate income on the network.

Rootstock's mining rewards are paid out in RBTC, the BTC-pegged asset that we'll cover in more detail later in the article.

 is Rootstock's system to ensure a peg between BTC and RBTC and the secure transfer of assets between the sidechain and Bitcoin Layer 1. The Rootstock PowPeg allows anyone to lock BTC on the Bitcoin chain and get securely issued RBTC on the Rootstock side. PowPeg also facilitates the process of burning RBTC on Rootstock and receiving the requisite amount of BTC on Layer 1.

Rootstock PowPeg uses Bitcoin's PoW to maintain the security and integrity of the peg in conjunction with institutional nodes running specialized 

 devices. PowHSMs securely sign transactions involving the transfer of assets between Rootstock and Bitcoin. The group of nodes running PowHSMs, called the PowPeg Federation, is currently made up of nine reputable organizations in the blockchain sphere — BlockVenture, Luxor, Сollider, Сonstata, Mycointainer, pNetwork, Sovryn, Xapo and RootstockLabs.

Rootstock Smart Bitcoin (RBTC), previously known as RSK Bitcoin, is the platform's main cryptocurrency. RBTC is pegged to BTC at a ratio of 1:1 through the securely enabled PowPeg mechanism covered above. Like BTC on the Bitcoin blockchain, RBTC is used to pay transaction fees and reward miners on the Rootstock network. However, unlike BTC, RBTC can also be used within DApps for functions like collateral provision, lending, borrowing and more.

Given RBTC's peg to BTC, it’s not surprising that its tokenomics borrows some critical parameters from Bitcoin. RBTC's total supply is specified at 21 million, matching the 

The Rootstock platform also has a second token, RIF, primarily designed to support DApps that are part of the 

 (RIF) protocol, a layer built on top of the Rootstock chain for apps designed for staking, lending, payments and other DeFi use cases. There are currently several RIF DApps on Rootstock that can use the RIF token.

 within these DApps. It can also be staked on Rootstock to open up the opportunity to participate in on-platform 

. By staking RIF, you’re issued stRIF tokens, which enable you to participate in governance votes via the 

. This is the platform's primary governance entity, through which community members — users and developers — can influence the future direction and improvements to the sidechain and its ecosystem.

For instance, during the early stages of the DAO's operation, community members can vote on the allocation of ecosystem grants. In the future, decision-making on other initiatives (e.g., rewarding developers contributing to the growth of Rootstock) will be implemented.

RIF is a supply-capped token, with a total and maximum supply of 1 billion. The token's overall supply allocation shares, as outlined in the project's white paper, are as follows:

As a leading Bitcoin sidechain capable of executing smart contracts, Rootstock boasts a thriving ecosystem of DApps, primarily in the DeFi domain. As of mid-December 2024, the total number of applications, utility tools, wallets and other smart contract–enabled solutions on Rootstock stands at close to 180.

One of the leading applications on the chain is Sovryn, a decentralized Bitcoin trading and lending platform. Another popular DeFi app is 

 (AMM) built on the Ethereum blockchain. In addition to a plethora of DeFi apps, Rootstock has solutions for 

The Rootstock Runes Mock Bridge project allows developers to create Rune tokens on the sidechain. Introduced in April 2024, the 

 has opened a way to efficiently create Bitcoin-based fungible tokens by leveraging the blockchain's native UTXO transaction model. Rootstock's Runes Mock Bridge supports the process of creating these tokens by first etching Runes on a Bitcoin, and then mirroring their representations to the sidechain. The replication of Bitcoin-based Runes tokens on Rootstock is enabled via the ERC-1155 token standard. This is a standard utilized on EVM-compatible chains to transfer blockchain assets of both fungible and non-fungible varieties efficiently.

Rootstock Token Bridge is a bridging solution designed to facilitate the transfer of ERC-20 assets between the Rootstock sidechain and Ethereum. Although Rootstock and Ethereum share the same address format and model, sending assets between these chains directly via your wallet may not work. Instead, to transfer assets, you are advised to use the Rootstock Token Bridge, which will convert the transferred tokens to a requisite format.

 projects active on the Rootstock chain. One of these, NFTs2Me, allows you to create NFTs with no coding skills required. The other project, coNFT, is a comprehensive multichain platform that offers users a wide variety of NFT-focused products and services — 

 name service, analytics and more. coNFT has access to data and NFT services across over 100 blockchain platforms.

The oldest Bitcoin sidechain in existence, Rootstock continues to play a key role in the development of Bitcoin-linked DeFi — BTCFi. The platform's EVM compatibility also positions it as a major bridge between the Ethereum and Bitcoin ecosystems — the blockchain environments of the world's two leading cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.

Over the years, Rootstock has accumulated a comprehensive arsenal of DeFi solutions — DEXs, liquidity management apps, 

 platforms, lending and borrowing protocols, NFT utilities and more. At the same time, RBTC's peg to BTC presents a unique way for crypto users to enjoy these DeFi protocols while holding an asset tightly coupled with Bitcoin's market price.

Developers can also enjoy a familiar environment, with the Solidity programming language and an EVM-compatible account model utilized by the sidechain.

Importantly, Rootstock offers efficient transaction processing — supported by its 30-second block intervals — and lower transaction fees than either Ethereum or Bitcoin. With gas fees a major concern for users on both of these Layer 1 chains, Rootstock is a platform that deserves close attention from both DeFi users and developers.

Rootstock (RBTC): Boosting Bitcoin DeFi With Smart Contracts

Grab Up to 5,000 USDT in Rewards

Grab Up to 5,000 USDT in Rewards