Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX is an MT5–based copy trading system that enables investors to replicate the trading strategies of experienced traders. Learn more.

Looking to enter the world of forex and commodities trading, but feeling overwhelmed by the complexity? Bybit's Copy Trading Gold&FX platform offers a solution that connects novice traders with experienced professionals on the 

This guide explains Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX in detail and describes how it works, its benefits and risks, and how it compares to other copy trading options. We'll also provide a detailed getting-started guide to help you decide if this platform is right for you.

Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX is a MetaTrader 5

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

With Master Traders earning additional income from their followers' successful trades, the platform serves as a bridge between those seeking to profit from traditional financial markets and experienced traders willing to share their expertise. 

How Does Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX Work?

Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX operates on a straightforward signal-copying mechanism whereby followers automatically replicate the trades of their chosen Master Traders. The platform uses the high water mark (HWM) principle for profit sharing, ensuring Master Traders are rewarded only when they exceed their previous performance peaks.

Let’s look at a detailed breakdown of how the system works for both parties.

To become a Master Trader, individuals must first apply using an eligible 

. Upon approval, an MT5 account is automatically created, enabling them to start trading. Master Traders need to 

 before they can execute trades, which will then be copied by their followers in real time.

Master Traders earn a profit-sharing fee ranging from 0% to 15%, based on the profits generated for their Followers. This profit-sharing process occurs weekly, specifically every Sunday at midnight, according to the MT5 server time. The HWM principle ensures that Master Traders only receive profit-sharing payments when their Followers’ accounts exceed previous high points. Additionally, a single Master Trader can manage up to 300 followers simultaneously.

To participate in Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX, Master Traders must use 

 as the margin for their trading positions. Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX is not available 24/7, and trading may be paused during non-trading hours or system maintenance. You can check notifications on the 

 for the latest updates. Master Traders also have the flexibility to adjust their profit-sharing ratios at any time, allowing them to fine-tune their earning strategies based on market conditions and follower engagement.

Followers can choose their preferred Master Traders from the leaderboard, allowing them to align with traders whose strategies match their investment goals. To start copy trading, Followers must invest a minimum of 100 USDT, while the maximum investment amount is capped at 1,000,000 USDT. Additionally, they can follow up to 10 different Master Traders at the same time, diversifying their trading exposure.

When a Follower subscribes to a Master Trader, their positions are copied proportionally based on the Follower's investment size. As opposed to traditional trading, Followers do not have the option to manually close positions. However, they can set 

 (SL) levels to manage risk. Exiting a position is only possible by either unfollowing the Master Trader, or when TP/SL thresholds are triggered.

The fund management process is designed to be seamless, with automatic fund transfers occurring when Followers initiate copy trading. If a Follower decides to stop copying a Master Trader, their funds are automatically returned to their Funding Account. Furthermore, Followers can manage their investment amounts through the 

, providing them with greater control over their capital allocation.

Benefits of Using Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX

Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX offers the compelling benefits listed below for both Master Traders looking to monetize their expertise, and Followers seeking professional trading strategies.

MT5 integration provides access to diverse markets, including forex pairs, commodities, and market indices, allowing traders to maximize earning potential. This exposure helps investors diversify their portfolios beyond cryptocurrency markets, optimizing asset allocation while minimizing risk through traditional finance markets.

Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX creates opportunities for 

 through the replication of expert strategies, without requiring Followers to have prior trading experience. Its automatic trade execution and position management system removes the complexity of manual trading, while clear performance metrics help evaluate Master Traders' performance and potential.

Master Traders can establish a consistent additional income stream by earning a profit share of up to 15% from their Followers' successful trades. With no initial performance requirements and a capacity for 300 Followers, experienced traders can quickly start monetizing their expertise while building a substantial trading community.

The platform leverages MetaTrader 5's robust infrastructure, offering fast execution speeds and comprehensive multi-asset trading support. 

 help traders make informed decisions, while transparent performance tracking ensures accountability. 

Risks of Using Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX

As with any trading platform, Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX comes with inherent risks that both Master Traders and Followers need to understand.

Past performance does not guarantee future results in financial markets. Even experienced Master Traders with strong track records can experience losses, and Followers should carefully evaluate their 

 before committing capital to copy trading strategies.

Followers may experience different entry prices from their Master Traders, due to market conditions, network delays or timing differences. These price discrepancies can impact profitability and yield, varying returns between Master Traders and their Followers.

The profit-sharing model follows the aforementioned HWM principle, meaning Master Traders must exceed their previous performance peaks to earn profit shares. This could potentially influence trading behavior and risk management decisions as traders attempt to surpass their previous high-water marks.

Copy Trading Gold&FX vs. Copy Trading Classic vs. Copy Trading Pro

Let's compare Bybit's three copy trading products and their unique features to help you choose the one that best matches your trading goals.

Copy Trading Gold&FX specializes in traditional financial markets, offering access to forex, indices and commodities via MT5. In contrast, Copy Trading Classic focuses on USDT Perpetual contracts, while Copy Trading Pro encompasses Spot trading and both USDT and USDC Perpetual contracts.

For Copy Trading Gold&FX, Followers cannot manually close positions, and must rely on TP/SL orders (or completely unfollow the Master Trader) to exit trades. Copy Trading Classic offers flexibility, allowing Followers to set various parameters, including leverage and margin mode. Copy Trading Pro represents the other end of the spectrum, whereby Pro Masters have complete control over investors' funds.

Each platform implements different profit-sharing mechanisms. Copy Trading Gold&FX uses the HWM principle, with profit shares ranging from 0–15%. Copy Trading Classic follows a similar range, but with daily profit deductions. Finally, Copy Trading Pro offers the highest potential returns for professional traders, with profit-sharing of up to 30% of gains.

Copy Trading Gold&FX has no specific performance requirements for Master Traders, though MT5 trading expertise is essential. Copy Trading Pro maintains the strictest standards, requiring Pro Masters to meet specific trading criteria and maintain minimum balance requirements. Meanwhile, Copy Trading Classic remains the most accessible option, with no performance prerequisites for Master Traders.

How to Get Started With Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX

: To begin, make sure you’re logged into your Bybit Subaccount. If you don't have a Subaccount, log in to your Bybit Main Account and click on 

 that a Gold&FX (MT5) Account must not previously have been created using the Subaccount. Full instructions on how to create a Subaccount can be found 

: Read through the specification, confirm you’ve read the 

Copy Trading Gold&FX Terms and Conditions, and click on 

I have understood and agreed to the above agreement

 Now, submit your personal information. After doing so, check the boxes to confirm you’ve agreed to the Bybit MT5 Terms and Conditions and

 to create an MT5 Account using your current account, and then sign up as a Copy Trading Gold&FX Master Trader.

 and wait for approval. Once you’re approved, an MT5 account will automatically be created for you. 

Applications are typically reviewed and processed within one hour.

: Install MetaTrader 5 on your device and launch the application.

. Toggle between the options to find a Master Trader who aligns with your financial goals and risk tolerance.

to begin the process of following a Master Trader.

: Enter your investment amount (minimum 100 USDT). Note that you cannot exceed 1,000,000 USDT per Master Trader.

: Set your take profit and stop loss levels by clicking on 

: Monitor your copied positions through the 

Should You Try Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX?

Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX is worth considering if you:

Before participating, carefully evaluate your trading goals and risk tolerance. New traders should choose Master Traders based on consistent performance, rather than just high returns, while experienced traders should ensure they're comfortable with MT5 before applying to become Master Traders.

Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX bridges traditional finance and modern copy trading, making forex and commodities markets more accessible to diverse traders. While it offers significant opportunities for both followers and Master Traders, success requires careful selection of trading partners and an understanding of the platform's features.

Intermediate

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Bybit Copy Trading Gold&FX: Master MT5 With Expert-Led Strategies

Prom is a layer-2 blockchain built on the Polygon CDK that leverages zkEVM technology to enable secure, fast and cost-efficient transactions across multiple Layer 1 networks. Learn more now!

 is an intuitive blockchain platform built on the 

 technology to enable secure, fast and cost-efficient transactions across multiple 

 (ZKPs) to validate transactions off-chain using ZK-rollups, ensuring scalability, privacy and compatibility with 

This article explores what makes Prom unique, from its zkEVM 

 foundation to its role in bridging blockchain silos. We’ll also delve into Prom’s ecosystem, partnerships and practical applications to show why it’s a game-changer as a multichain solution in the blockchain space.

Prom is a zkEVM Layer 2 platform designed to overcome the limitations of Ethereum's distributed ledger technology (DLT) 

: how to simultaneously provide sufficient scalability, security and decentralization. By emulating the EVM, Prom duplicates all EVM opcodes, enabling seamless integration of existing Ethereum 

. Its zero-knowledge rollups (ZK-rollups) significantly enhance Ethereum's scalability, transaction speed and cost efficiency.

Prom bridges the gap between EVM and non-EVM compatible chains, breaking blockchain silos and fostering 

. Developers can deploy their smart contracts effortlessly, while users can transfer assets securely for off-chain operations. By verifying off-chain computations with ZKPs, Prom ensures transparency and the security of user funds, harmonizing scalability with Ethereum’s trusted security framework.

, introduced after Prom’s mainnet launch. This innovative governance structure empowers PROM token holders to actively participate in decision-making, ranging from contract upgrades to performance enhancements.

The role-based hierarchy within Prom DAO ensures efficiency and transparency. Token holders can assign voting power to delegates who represent their interests, while validators scrutinize and validate proposals. Economic incentives, such as sharing 32% of network fees, reward active participants and drive community engagement.

While the team behind Prom remains semi-anonymous, the platform’s governance-driven structure reflects a community-focused approach to development and network evolution, ensuring Prom’s adaptability and long-term success. Find more info on the team at 

Prom uses the following three key components to achieve its multichain solution.

As stated above, Prom operates as a zkEVM Layer 2 network, leveraging ZKPs to enhance privacy, scalability and security. Transactions are batched off-chain and validated through ZKPs before being finalized on Ethereum Layer 1. 

 is a core component that facilitates this process by managing transaction sequencing, state synchronization and proof aggregation while maintaining the integrity of the network’s state.

Prom is designed to be more than just an Ethereum-compatible Layer 2. Its multichain bridge connects both EVM and non-EVM chains, including networks like Bitcoin and Solana. This broad interoperability enables transfers of assets on multiple chains, fostering liquidity and utility across ecosystems. 

 technology for optimized speed and efficiency, supporting a wide range of tokens, 

Prom’s modular architecture is key to its adaptability. The network’s zkNode software allows trusted Sequencer, Aggregator and remote procedure call (RPC) 

 to operate independently or in tailored configurations. This modularity supports efficient resource allocation and ensures flexibility in connecting various blockchains. 

Additionally, Prom’s compatibility with standard Ethereum tools like MetaMask and Solidity means developers can migrate DApps or deploy smart contracts without any learning curve. This modularity also extends to its database layers, enabling the seamless synchronization of states and transactions across multiple chains.

Prom’s network has strategically positioned itself as a scalable, multichain solution by leveraging partnerships and collaborations that enhance its ecosystem. One notable partnership is with DWF Labs, a significant contributor to Prom’s growth and adoption. DWF Labs also participated in a previous funding round and also gave advisory support, bolstering Prom's technical and community development. You can find all associated ventures, RWA and 

In addition, Prom actively pursues alliances with other blockchain projects and platforms. These partnerships aim to integrate Prom's zkEVM capabilities across ecosystems, creating a bridge between EVM compatible and non–EVM compatible chains. This multichain focus positions Prom as a unifying force in the blockchain space, fostering decentralization and interoperability.

Prom’s Use Cases and Practical Applications

The introduction of Prom's zkEVM is essential to achieving scalability and privacy. By enabling asset and data movement across chains without intermediaries, Prom reduces reliance on centralized bridges, thereby enhancing security and efficiency. Developers and users benefit from lower fees and faster transactions, creating an ideal environment for DeFi, 

zkEVM’s ability to batch transactions reduces gas costs significantly, spreading Layer 1 fees across multiple operations. This makes it especially suitable for applications requiring frequent interactions, such as payments and real-time gaming.

Moreover, ZKPs ensure user privacy by verifying transaction validity without exposing sensitive data. This feature is vital for enterprise applications whose data confidentiality is paramount. Combined with Prom's high throughput, the network can handle more transactions at lower costs than traditional Layer 1 solutions, setting a new standard for efficiency.

In 2024, Prom has proven itself as a potent zkEVM Layer 2 multichain platform, offering enhanced scalability, security and interoperability. Through its innovative use of zero-knowledge proofs and ZK-rollups, Prom has unlocked faster, more cost-efficient transactions while maintaining Ethereum compatibility. By bridging both EVM and non-EVM chains, Prom is not just enhancing the Ethereum ecosystem, but is fostering a more connected and decentralized multichain environment.

Looking ahead, Prom is set to solidify its position as a leading multichain solution. Key developments include expanding cross-chain compatibility, further enhancing its modular architecture and scaling the Prom DAO governance model to drive long-term, community-driven innovation. 

With an already vibrant ecosystem, strategic partnerships and a focus on real-world use cases, Prom is poised to leave its mark in the blockchain space, offering practical applications across DeFi, GameFi and beyond.

Beginner

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Prom: A zkEVM Layer 2 Multichain Platform

Discover the evolution from PARSIQ to Reactive Network, featuring RSCs—automated, cross-chain smart contracts that revolutionize blockchain automation.

The siloed nature of blockchain networks continues to hamper broader adoption of the technology. Many cross-chain 

 solutions have flooded the market in a rush to address this infamously well-known limitation of decentralized networks. However, manual bridging of assets from one network to another is still highly inefficient and costly.

Another drawback of modern blockchains is the functional limitation of 

 residing on them. Although smart contracts are capable of fairly sophisticated functionality, they need direct input from users in order for their code to execute. In other words, true automated reactivity isn’t part of their default behavior.

Reactive Network (REACT) is a blockchain initiative that aims to address both of these fundamental limitations. Acting as an 

 (EVM) – compatible execution layer, Reactive Network can support 

 (RSCs) — bits of programming code on blockchain that can listen to on-chain events and execute actions as a response to them. Importantly, Reactive's RSCs can do so across multiple blockchains, delivering true automated cross-chain responsiveness.

In its testnet mode as of early January 2025, Reactive Network traces its origins to an earlier blockchain project, PARSIQ (PRQ), founded in 2018 as a provider of 

 data monitoring and intelligence solutions. In early 2024, the PARSIQ team redirected its efforts to develop the Reactive Network platform, shifting focus from blockchain data solutions to cross-chain RSCs. 

Reactive isn’t just an EVM-based cross-chain project: it’s the first platform to widely implement RSCs, truly automated and responsive smart contracts. As such, the potential impact of this new project is nothing short of revolutionary for the entire blockchain industry.

In 2018, three blockchain entrepreneurs — Tom Tirman, Andre Kalinowski and Martin Best — founded the PARSIQ (PRQ) project to address the increasingly complex data management and analytics needs of web3 platforms. PARSIQ’s team launched the project’s first full-scale version in 2020, and in June 2021, its mainnet version went live.

PARSIQ’s data primarily targets web3 developers, providing a set of fundamental and advanced APIs to help web3 businesses integrate data monitoring and analytics services. The platform’s fundamentals include APIs for data logs, transaction blocks, individual transactions, smart contracts and intra-blockchain transfers. There are also advanced APIs for data on 

 (NFTs), address balances and real-time event notifications.

PARSIQ's customers are charged for accessing and querying data via the project's APIs in a standardized way via so-called computational units (CUs). These CUs are calculated based on the complexity of data queries and the blockchain network being accessed.

The platform's native token, PRQ, was launched with three key functions: payment for access to PARSIQ's data services, on-chain governance and staking.

In early 2024, the PARSIQ team announced Reactive Network, a platform featuring a truly groundbreaking innovation: RSCs. The PRQ token would eventually be migrated to Reactive Network's REACT token, marking a complete shift to the new initiative and indicating a possible retirement of the PARSIQ project.

 (REACT) is a decentralized protocol that powers RSCs across multiple EVM-compatible blockchains. The project's testnet was launched in April 2024, and as of mid-January 2025, its mainnet has yet to be launched.

Reactive’s execution layer hosts reactive smart contracts (RSCs), a variation of smart contract technology with one important distinction: RSCs are capable of listening to on-chain events across different networks and reacting to these events by executing predefined actions. This is a significant improvement over standard blockchain smart contracts, which require user input in order for the contracts’ code to execute.

Reactive Network and its RSCs create a plethora of innovative use cases across different web3 verticals. One area is 

 (DeFi), in which these contracts can support automated trading strategies and real-time asset monitoring. Dynamic NFTs — particularly within gaming environments — are another promising application of the technology. For instance, gaming NFTs’ properties could be modified, e.g., upgraded to new levels, in real time in unison with the players’ achievements.

On-chain governance voting and implementation can also benefit from the integration of RSCs. As a platform’s governance community casts their votes and the number of votes achieves certain quotas, predefined platform rule changes built into RSCs can be executed automatically. Further application areas may also include supply chain management and fraud detection. In essence, RSCs might be applicable in any environment in which standard smart contracts operate, but with the added benefit of better automation and autonomous execution.

A key advantage of RSCs is that they’re not limited to a single blockchain environment. Reactive’s RSCs can trigger automated actions across different blockchains, something that’s painfully difficult with standard smart contracts: just ask any blockchain programmer who’s worked on a typical project that required interoperability between two or more platforms.

Thanks to Reactive’s RSCs, developers can now build and launch self-adapting 

 (DApps), complete solutions and protocols that adjust their behavior and execution patterns based on real-time monitoring of on-chain events.

Reactive Network’s EVM-compatible execution layer employs parallelized processing to achieve high throughput and lower the computation load required to execute RSCs. Reactive's RSCs operate in two kinds of blockchain environments: origin chains and destination chains. An origin chain is where a certain event that RSCs listen to occurs, while a destination chain is a blockchain where RSCs make the necessary state changes based on an event. As such, Reactive Network supports the execution of actions on a chain different from the one on which the event trigger originated.

The table below indicates which platforms can act as origins and destinations for Reactive Network’s RSCs, and the Ethereum Sepolia entry at the top is one of the most popular testnets of the 

Reactive’s RSC technology is based on a software design principle called 

 (IoC). In its essence, IoC transfers the control of a program’s execution flow to an external environment or system. Instead of executing functions based on internal specifications, the program calls external objects or functions and executes code based on the inputs from these external sources.

With standard smart contracts, the programming code is executed when users — such as individuals controlling their wallets or bots — interact with the contract, triggering some action specified in the code. Unlike traditional smart contracts, RSCs invert this control flow and automatically execute their code based on external events occurring on blockchains. Instead of being driven by users and blockchain bots, RSCs drive actions autonomously.

As noted above, Reactive Network’s RSCs can process and execute actions across different origin and destination chains. Relayer Network, a decentralized network of relayer nodes responsible for transmitting event data across blockchains, supports the platform's ability to process these cross-chain activities.

RSCs, the core innovative feature of Reactive Network’s platform, possess the unique ability to react to on-chain events and execute programming code automatically, without input from a user, bot or DApp. They can also operate seamlessly across multiple chains, which enables sophisticated cross-chain executions.

Reactive Network can be described as the pioneer of this kind of blockchain technology.

 (LINK) is often considered the first project to implement a high degree of smart contract automation via its Chainlink Keepers network, Keepers rely on a mix of off-chain and on-chain infrastructure to support blockchain oracles. In contrast, Reactive Network's fully on-chain RSCs have a much broader spectrum of use cases in the web3 industry. Some of these include automated trading strategies that respond to market changes in real time, and dynamic NFTs that evolve as a player progresses within games.

 (DEX), in November 2024 is a prime example of how its RSC feature can be used. QuickSwap can integrate the Reactive Network’s RSCs to automate cross-chain liquidity pool workflows.

ReactVM is an EVM-compatible self-contained execution engine designed to power RSCs. Unlike the EVM, ReactVM is capable of parallelized transaction processing. It’s a virtual, machine-like entity in the sense that many of these ReactVMs can be launched by a platform user. Normally, Reactive Network recommends that each RSC be powered by its own instance of ReactVM. Although developers can host multiple RSCs within the same ReactVM instance, this practice is 

Reactive Bridge is a cross-chain bridging solution that’s designed to facilitate the bidirectional transfer of tokens across chains. The bridge, just like the overall platform, uses RSCs to enable efficient asset transfers.

Reactive Network plans to issue its native 

 along with the introduction of its mainnet. REACT is envisioned to support several functions. First, it will be used for the payment of event log processing fees. Reactive Network continually monitors different blockchain events via event logs, which serve as triggers for RSCs. As such, event log processing fees paid by developers, charged in REACT tokens, are a critical revenue source and one element of a sustainable token economy for the project.

Transaction gas fees will also be paid in REACT. Additionally, validators will stake REACT to participate in securing the platform’s 

. REACT will have a total supply of 500 million. Its initial supply upon launch will be 310,256,872 (to match the current circulating supply of PARSIQ’s PRQ token). The project will support the seamless migration of PRQ tokens to REACT at a fixed ratio of 1:1.

Reactive Network is the first major initiative to deliver true automation to blockchain smart contracts. Additionally, its cross-chain nature will allow more networks to adopt this innovative feature. Popular networks like Ethereum (ETH), 

 (ARB) (along with a number of smaller platforms) are already within Reactive Network's reach. As the project develops, we can expect the expansion of RSC functionality to more blockchain networks. However all eyes are now set on Reactive Network's much-anticipated mainnet launch that will herald the arrival of a new generation of DApps 

 self-adapting, proactive and responsive at levels we haven't yet witnessed.

Advanced

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From PRQ to REACT: Exploring PARSIQ’s Evolution to Reactive Network

Vitalik Buterin announced ongoing changes to the Ethereum Foundation's leadership structure.

Daily Top Performer — Official Trump (TRUMP)

The S&P 500 rose 2.9% last week, boosted by strong earnings and softer inflation. Markets now await Trump’s policy announcements on tariffs, taxes, and more. Gold dipped to $2,695 as a stronger USD weighed on prices ahead of Trump’s inauguration. Coindesk Indices, an index measuring broader cryptocurrency market performance was down by 5.31%, with Bitcoin dropping by 0.18% and Ether rising by 0.89%, in the past 24 hours. Trade these markets and more with up to 500x leverage on Bybit MT5 using this 

Today's top performer is TRUMP, which surged 81.6% following the launch of the TRUMP memecoin amid the inauguration.

 by Donald Trump in January 2025 ahead of his inauguration, quickly gained attention and marked a shift toward his pro-crypto stance. With most of the supply held by Trump-affiliated entities, ethical concerns have been raised. Critics caution about its speculative nature and potential risks to the legitimacy of cryptocurrency, but its popularity highlights the significant influence of the Trump brand.

Check Out the Latest Prices, Charts, and Data of 

 ongoing changes to the Ethereum Foundation's leadership structure, aiming to enhance technical expertise, improve communication with ecosystem actors, attract fresh talent, support app builders, and reinforce Ethereum's core values like privacy and censorship resistance. He emphasized that the Foundation would not pivot ideologically, lobby regulators, serve vested interests, or become highly centralized.

Between January 13–17, 2025, BTC spot ETF activity showed a net outflow of $87.7M from GBTC, while non-GBTC saw a significant net inflow of $1,950.6M, resulting in an overall weekly inflow of $1,862.9M. Cumulatively, GBTC has experienced a total net outflow of $21,654M, whereas non-GBTC has recorded $59,741M in net inflows, bringing the overall net inflow to $38,087M.

 is now live, offering another chance to qualify for the upcoming airdrop. If you missed Season 1, you can start farming points to participate in Season 2's airdrop by completing free tasks. If you joined Season 1 with an email, make sure to connect an EVM wallet like MetaMask soon.

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Vitalik Buterin Outlines Ethereum Foundation Leadership Changes and Core Values

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 

Rootstock (RBTC): Boosting Bitcoin DeFi With Smart Contracts

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