Botanix, an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible Bitcoin sidechain, has unveiled its yield-bearing Bitcoin standard, stBTC.
Through stBTC, users can stake and earn instantly redeemable Bitcoin generated from the chain’s Bitcoin-denominated transaction fees. The yield rate is dependent on activity on the Botanix network.
Yields are set to go live tomorrow, Sept. 18, with projections of up to 30% APY, according to a release shared with the Defiant. The activation will debut with Botanix’s liquid staking Genesis Vault, which will be a capped first-come-first-served Bitcoin deposit vault that opens on Sept. 25. The vault cap aims to reward early Botanix users with more generous yields.
“With stBTC, Bitcoin in means more Bitcoin out, earned directly from network usage rather than speculative farming. This model creates intrinsic yield that is sustainable, transparent, and instantly redeemable,” said Willem Schroe, the co-founder and CEO of Botanix Labs.
Botanix’s total value locked (TVL) has been growing slowly but steadily since its mainnet launch, and is at $13.8 million, a 91% increase since the beginning of September.
Botanix TVL – DeFiLlama
Native BTC yield aims to provide Bitcoin holders with a return while maintaining full utility of their Bitcoin holdings in the growing Bitcoin DeFi sector. stBTC can be used in additional yield opportunities, or as collateral in supported protocols on Botanix.
“The idea of Bitcoin earning Bitcoin, without introducing third-party risk, is something the market has waited over a decade for…Botanix is one of the first L2s to introduce real, native Bitcoin yield and the first to repurpose transaction fees as a sustainable yield source” said Dan Held, General Partner at digital investment firm Asymmetric.