StarkNet, a layer 2 solution for Ethereum, announced through its X account that it will activate bitcoin (BTC) staking on its main network on September 30, 2025.
The move will allow BTC holders to participate in network security and earn rewards using wrapped assets (which represent bitcoin on another network, but are not BTC) such as WBTC, LBTC, tBTC, and SolvBTC, the message published on September 11 detailed.
Through governance, users will be able to add other tokens that represent BTC to the StarkNet chain.
StarkNet is a second layer (L2) of Ethereum, so its validation and staking system works similarly to that of its base network. In this sense, StarkNet's statement clarifies that the system will assign a weight of 0.25 to BTC staking in the consensus mechanism, representing 25% of the decision-making power, while the remaining 75% will be held by the STRK token.
Additionally, the unstaking period (the time to withdraw locked coins) will be reduced from 21 to 7 days, offering greater agility to users and delegators.
To implement this update, StarkNet advises that staking contracts will be paused for a few hours on September 15th, starting at 10:00 a.m. GMT+3, to accommodate the new mechanism.
Following the upgrade, validators and developers will be able to deploy BTC delegation pools and begin integrating with the protocol. Rewards will begin on September 30th.
StarkNet Team, Ethereum L2.
On the one hand, this move expands the DeFi possibilities on other networks for Bitcoin holders. This launch is a testament to the latent potential that Charles Hoskinson, creator of Cardano, has described as a "sleeping giant" in the context of Bitcoin and DeFi, and reveals that the intention to power decentralized finance with BTC isn't limited to Cardano alone.
