The true 'underlying upgrade' of the Bitcoin ecosystem is not BRC20 or ordinals, but Rootstock, which has been quietly working as an OG foundation layer for 6 years BTCFi has been very hot lately, and everyone keeps saying 'Bitcoin DeFi is starting to run', but if you ask deeper: why can Bitcoin run DeFi? By what? Who is providing the foundation? Most people cannot answer, but Rootstock has been doing it for a long time: the Bitcoin DeFi Layer, which was launched in 2018, has surpassed the entire BTC ecosystem in terms of security, history, and runtime. ==Rootstock: The Programmable Engine for Bitcoin== The biggest problem with BTC in the past was that it couldn't run programs and wanted to do lending DEX、 Smart finance is simply impossible. Rootstock is not telling stories, but bringing BTC directly into the EVM world and making BTC programmable. Technically, it has several key highlights: Merge mining → Over 80% of Bitcoin's computing power is protected BTC as gas → Transaction fees are directly refunded to Bitcoin miners EVM 100% compatibility → Developers can directly bring Ethereum tools over to use PoWPeg bridging mechanism → rBTC is a 1:1 "programmable BTC" Rootstock=the security of Bitcoin+the programmability of Ethereum. For many DeFi developers, it's like copying the entire ETH ecosystem onto BTC security. ==Recent update: This chain is undergoing a full speed upgrade== Rootstock is not "waiting for popularity to upgrade", it has been pushing all the way: Gas fee reduced by 60% The fastest support for block generation will be 5 seconds (from 30 seconds to 5 seconds) LayerZero integration (can communicate with 100+chains) • Join Foundry mining pool (directly consume the maximum computing power of Bitcoin) 2024 Q4 TVL hits a historic high of 254.9M Annual revenue YoY+220% These are not 'seemingly impressive' updates, but rather the underlying stability that the entire BTCFi ecosystem truly needs. ==RIF: Bitcoin DeFi Accelerator== If Rootstock is the programmable layer of BTC, then RIF is the driving force behind the entire ecosystem. • Provide ecological rewards and governance Provide builders with resources, incentives, and support • Supporting infrastructure: stablecoins USDRIF, RNS (Wallet Naming System) Make the Web3 world accessible to Bitcoin DeFi RIF is the core fuel driving the growth of Rootstock ecosystem. ==Rootstock Collective: DAO Center for Bitcoin Builders== This DAO is a place where 'builder incentives' are institutionalized: • 10M treasury 2M Grants (for early builders) 6M Rewards (for builders+backers) Nearly 15M stRIF (governance staking) Reward cycle every two weeks (RIF+rBTC) DeFi、L2、 What do I think is the most lacking for successful ecological expansion? There are truly people who are willing to build, incentivize, have money, govern, and give back. Rootstock Collective is filling the most lacking part of the Bitcoin ecosystem: sustained, institutionalized incentives for construction. ==My own viewpoint== Now the entire BTCFi is increasingly moving in one direction: who can turn Bitcoin into a 'usable capital layer' When it comes to this matter, I think there are only three core issues: Who can turn BTC into a programmable asset? (Not just coinage) 2. Who can provide a truly usable underlying layer? (Safe, stable, and able to run DeFi) Who can attract builders to stay and build for a long time? Perhaps RootStock can achieve these, and I am really looking forward to the day when BTCFi will flourish. @rootstock_io @RootstockCN