Bit Layer Brings Bitcoin Into DeFi: Interview with Charlie Hu

When Bitcoin first emerged, its mission was simple and that was to create a decentralized alternative to traditional finance. Over time, it became the world’s most trusted store of value, but not without limits. While DeFi exploded across other blockchains, Bitcoin largely remained on the sidelines. At Korea Blockchain Week 2025, Bit Layer stood out as one of the projects aiming to change that.

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In this interview, we sat down with Charlie Hu, a key figure in the Bitcoin ecosystem and one of the driving forces behind Bit Layer, a project redefining how Bitcoin connects with the rest of the blockchain world.

Introduction To Bit Layer

As Bitcoin continues to dominate the conversation around store-of-value assets, a new wave of builders is emerging to unlock what’s next. Bit Layer sits at the forefront of this movement, reimagining how Bitcoin can interact with the broader DeFi landscape. By introducing a framework that enables Bitcoin liquidity to flow seamlessly across ecosystems, the project aims to empower users to do more than just hold.

Charlie Hu is one of the key founding members of the BV alliance and has been building BVM innovations since 2023. With partners with major ecosystems such as Ethereum and Solana, Charlie is bridging the gap between Bitcoin maxis and yield opportunities.
“We’ve been trying to activate a lot of Bitcoiners to explore yield opportunities on chain with DeFi.”

Charlie Hu, Founding Member of the BV Alliance
How Bit Layer Is Offering Sustainable Yield On Bitcoin

When chasing yield in crypto, the first question every serious investor should ask is simple. Where is the yield actually coming from? For years, unsustainable models and inflated reward systems have plagued the industry, often relying on token emissions or short-term hype rather than real economic activity. Bit Layer takes a fundamentally different approach.

To achieve this, Bit Layer strategically partners with some of the most trusted and efficient DeFi protocols across ecosystems. This approach allows them to find a sweet spot, where Bitcoiners are genuinely incentivized to stake, but without the unrealistic, sky-high APYs that often raise red flags. Instead of chasing inflated returns, users can earn steady, transparent rewards powered by real usage and productive liquidity.
“We built two products, the YBDC as Bitcoin yield bearing assets and we’re seeking a lot of blue chip DeFi yield from the top lending and top AMM DEXs.”

Charlie Hu, Founding Member of the BV Alliance
At the heart of every cross-chain ecosystem lies one of the most critical and often misunderstood components in crypto: the bridge. A bridge allows digital assets to move from one blockchain to another, unlocking access to new protocols, liquidity pools, and yield opportunities. But with that flexibility comes risk. Poorly designed bridges have historically been some of the biggest attack vectors in crypto, leading to billions in lost funds across the industry.

Bit Layer approaches bridging with security as its first principle. Rather than rushing to enable every possible connection, the team has focused on building a robust framework that protects users’ Bitcoin at every stage of the process. By integrating with proven DeFi infrastructures and enforcing strict validation mechanisms, Bit Layer ensures that every cross-chain transaction is both verifiable and tamper-resistant.

Exciting Developments Coming For Bit Layer

As the conversation began to wrap up, Charlie was excited to announce some upcoming developments for Bit Layer. To start, he shared that they are working with one of the largest Bitcoin treasury companies in the United States This partnership validates their yield bearing approach and more major companies are expected to follow soon. It’s a small pilot project but definitely a move forward in the right direction.
“We are officially working with one of the largest Bitcoin treasury companies in the United States.”

Charlie Hu, Founding Member of the BV Alliance
As Bit Layer continues to scale its infrastructure and expand cross-chain integrations, Charlie shares that the team is preparing for another round of investors to help accelerate development. The goal isn’t just capital. It’s strategic alignment. Bit Layer is looking to bring in partners who understand the long game of building sustainable yield systems around Bitcoin and who can contribute both technical expertise and ecosystem reach.

With this next phase of funding, the team plans to strengthen its partnerships across DeFi networks, refine security layers within its bridging protocol, and onboard more Bitcoin holders into productive on-chain use cases. It’s a continuation of the same vision that started it all which is connecting Bitcoin’s unmatched trust with the innovation and opportunity of decentralized finance.

It’s still early days for the Bitcoin ecosystem, and Bit Layer is positioned to lead this next chapter of growth. As more builders, investors, and users recognize the potential of unlocking Bitcoin’s liquidity through secure, yield-driven infrastructure, Bit Layer stands ready to guide that transition. By combining deep technical innovation with a pragmatic approach to sustainability, the team is laying the groundwork for Bitcoin’s evolution from a passive store of value into a truly active player within the DeFi economy.

Final Thoughts

For years, Bitcoin has remained the gold standard of decentralized finance for being secure, trusted, and immovable. However, its isolation from the rest of the blockchain world has long been a barrier to innovation. The question has never been about Bitcoin’s value, but about its utility.

That’s where Bit Layer steps in. By unlocking access to DeFi without compromising Bitcoin’s core integrity, the team is solving one of crypto’s most persistent challenges: how to put idle BTC to work safely and efficiently. Through modular infrastructure and strategic collaboration with leading ecosystems, Bit Layer transforms Bitcoin from a static asset into a dynamic participant in decentralized finance.

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