The project aims to broaden how Bitcoin is used beyond long-term holding by introducing a programmable environment that allows financial activity to remain anchored to BTC as the settlement layer. According to the announcement, Citrea is built to enable institutions and individual users to interact with Bitcoin-native capital markets.

A core component of the launch is Citrea BTC (cBTC), a representation of bitcoin designed to operate within Citrea’s application layer while remaining verifiable through Bitcoin. The system uses zero-knowledge proofs and BitVM-based mechanisms to facilitate movement between layers and support onchain activity.

Citrea also introduced ctUSD, a dollar-pegged stablecoin intended to provide native liquidity for Bitcoin-based financial applications. Issued by Moonpay and powered by the M0 network, ctUSD is designed to connect on-chain bitcoin collateral with off-chain fiat systems and is available to users in the United States, excluding New York, and more than 160 other countries.

At launch, the Citrea ecosystem includes tools for bridging assets, trading, and liquidity provision, with additional services scheduled to roll out in stages. Early integrations include decentralized exchanges and liquidity platforms, while lending and prediction-based applications are expected to follow.

Jameson Lopp weighed in with his perspective on the Citrea launch, offering his take on the project’s debut. He is also listed as an angel investor in Citrea’s $14 million Series A funding round.

The network debuted with more than 30 Bitcoin-secured applications, or ₿apps, aimed at increasing participation in Bitcoin-based financial activity. These applications are designed to operate within Citrea’s framework while settling outcomes back to the Bitcoin network.

Citrea also launched a user dashboard that allows participants to track activity across categories such as bridging, trading, and liquidity provision. The dashboard is intended to serve as a central interface for onboarding and engagement as additional applications are introduced.

Also read: Tether Unveils USAT Stablecoin for US Institutions Under GENIUS Act Rules

According to the project’s documentation, Citrea’s initial rollout prioritizes infrastructure readiness, with ecosystem depth and liquidity expected to develop over the coming weeks. Some dashboard features will reflect user activity retroactively as systems mature.

The mainnet launch places Citrea among a growing group of projects attempting to expand Bitcoin’s functional scope without moving activity entirely off-chain. Developers across the sector continue to experiment with approaches that balance programmability, settlement finality, and capital efficiency.

For now, Citrea’s debut represents another step in Bitcoin’s ongoing evolution from a settlement network into a broader financial foundation, with its long-term impact likely shaped by adoption, application growth, and sustained network usage.

• What is Citrea?
  Citrea is a Bitcoin-focused application layer designed to support trading, lending, and settlement activity tied to the Bitcoin network.
• What launched with the Citrea mainnet?
  The launch includes cBTC, ctUSD, a user dashboard, and early Bitcoin-based applications.
• What is cBTC?
  cBTC is a bitcoin-linked asset designed to operate within Citrea’s programmable application layer.
• What is ctUSD?
  ctUSD is a dollar-pegged stablecoin intended to provide native liquidity for Bitcoin-based financial applications.

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