SINGAPORE, Sept. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — HTX Ventures, the global investment division of HTX, today released its latest research analysing Bitcoin’s potential and challenges in the field of Bitcoin decentralized finance (BTCFI). The report, titled Exploring the BTCFI Rabbit Hole from the Perspective of Bitcoin’s Programmability, aims to help readers understand the BTCFI sector better, by exploring the evolutionary path of Bitcoin programming, delving into how Bitcoin programming can support various BTCFI applications, showcasing the current real-world BTCFI implementation scenarios, and explaining the underlying logic of BTCFI’s future growth and adoption.

HTX Ventures has been contributing to BTCFI for a long time. As stated in its 2024 Half-Year Investment Report, BTCFI is highlighted as one of HTX Ventures’ six key investment directions in 2024. Some of HTX Ventures’ portfolio companies in the BTCFI sector include Babylon, BounceBit, COREx, and more.

The new report once again shows HTX Ventures’ interest in BTCFI. It begins with the foundations of the Bitcoin contracts, which were laid fourteen years ago by Satoshi. Understanding the basics of Bitcoin programming involves several concepts, including Transaction Outputs (TXO), Unspent Transaction Output (UTXO), scriptSig, and Opcodes. “Bitcoin script programming is about programming money and enabling a specific amount of money to respond to particular input data. By designing the scriptPubKey, opcodes, and the interaction process between users, we can offer cryptographic guarantees for the key state transitions of Bitcoin contracts, ensuring the contracts’ proper execution,” the report points out.

There are some mechanisms to be used to enable the implementation of different types of transactions, including MultiSig, Timelocks, Hashlocks, Flow Control, and SIGHASH. The report explains, “the basic model of Bitcoin programming is where UTXO locking scripts specify verification conditions, unlocking scripts provide data, and opcodes in locking scripts indicate the verification program. The funds can be spent once the verification program is passed.”

There are some core limitations, however, such as only a few verification programs being available, Bitcoin scripts having no computational power, and UTXO unlocking conditions being completely independent.

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Unlike the computation-based Ethereum contracts, Bitcoin contracts are verification-based, which has brought many challenges in developing BTCFI products. Despite the difficulties,  “over the ten years of developing Bitcoin contracts, the ingenious use of cryptographic algorithms and signatures has significantly enhanced privacy, efficiency, and decentralization, making BTCFI products possible,” the report states, and starts introducing Bitcoin programming milestones. Innovative tools, such as the Discreet Log Contract (DLC), Partially Signed Bitcoin Transactions (PSBT), and MuSig2 bring new solutions to the problems in Bitcoin programming, driving the development of BTCFI.

The Taproot upgrade activated in November 2021 was revolutionary for the Bitcoin ecosystem, allowing Bitcoin to hold in custody large-scale smart contracts with tens of thousands of signatories while concealing all participants and maintaining the size of a single-signature transaction. This makes more complex on-chain BTCFI operations possible and significantly improves privacy and transaction efficiency.

Such technological innovations pave the way for BTCFI’s further development. Then in January 2023, Ordinals were proposed, which aimed to assign each sat a unique identifier and attribute, so as to transform it into a unique NFT. The creation and trading of Bitcoin NFTs were realized, not only expanding the uses of Bitcoin but also allowing users to directly create and trade digital assets on the Bitcoin blockchain. This led to the introduction of BRC-20, a token system for on-chain recording and off-chain processing that uses JSON data’s ordinal inscriptions to deploy token contracts, mint tokens, and transfer them.

The naissance of Ordinals and BRC-20 created trading demand and blue-chip assets for BTCFI. More importantly, they offered many BTCFI projects new ideas based on indexer programming that enhanced Bitcoin’s contract capabilities.

Bitcoin’s programmability has come a long way and made great progress, forming a thriving BTCFI ecosystem with more and more application scenarios of BTCFI arising. The report lastly lists some notable BTCFI implementations, including BTC staking provider Babylon, asset issuance platforms Unisat and Magic Eden, lending protocol Liquidium, BTCFI scaling solution Fractal Bitcoin, and more.

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The emergence of BTCFI applications indicates that its market potential is becoming evident. With Bitcoin becoming more and more mainstream, the market demand for BTCFI use cases will also increase, fostering a new financial ecosystem centered around Bitcoin. “The formation of this ecosystem will propel Bitcoin further beyond the ‘digital gold’ narrative, establishing it as an indispensable decentralized financial infrastructure in the global economic system,” the report concludes.

To read the full report, please visit: https://square.htx.com/htx-ventures-exploring-the-btcfi-rabbit-hole-from-the-perspective-of-bitcoins-programmability/

About HTX Ventures

HTX Ventures, the global investment division of HTX, integrates investment, incubation, and research to identify the best and brightest teams worldwide. With more than a decade-long history as an industry pioneer, HTX Ventures excels at identifying cutting-edge technologies and emerging business models within the sector. To foster growth within the blockchain ecosystem, we provide comprehensive support to projects, including financing, resources, and strategic advice.

HTX Ventures currently backs over 300 projects spanning multiple blockchain sectors, with select high-quality initiatives already trading on the HTX exchange. Furthermore, as one of the most active FOF (Fund of Funds) funds, HTX Ventures invests in 30 top global funds and collaborates with leading blockchain funds such as Polychain, Dragonfly, Bankless, Gitcoin, Figment, Nomad, Animoca, and Hack VC to jointly build a blockchain ecosystem. Visit us here.

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Feel free to contact us for investment and collaboration at [email protected]

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SINGAPORE, Sept. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — HTX, a global leading platform for digital assets, recently announced a strategic partnership with IBEX, a Fintech at the forefront of Bitcoin Lightning Network innovation that leverages the Bitcoin and Lightning Network protocols to offer global settlement solutions. Through the deep integration of Lightning Network technology, this collaboration aims to enhance the payments efficiency, reduce transaction costs on the HTX platform, explore emerging markets together and provide users with more diverse financial services.

IBEX Has Become a Key Advocate in Bitcoin Transactions

As a company dedicated to providing fintech solutions on the Bitcoin Lightning Network, IBEX focuses on reshaping the global payment ecosystem with its innovative crossborder instant settlement capabilities. Founded in 2018, IBEX aims to offer fast, secure, and low-cost settlement solutions through the technological advantages of the Bitcoin Lightning Network. Its platform provides modular API, helping enterprises easily integrate Bitcoin and Lightning Network functions to connect to the global financial network.

Its core advantages include:

• Instant settlement: IBEX’s Lightning settlement system allows global transactions to be completed within seconds, significantly reducing the confirmation time compared with tradfi and defi transactions. For this reason, it is particularly suitable for scenarios requiring instant payments, such as online shopping and international remittances.
• Low transaction fees: Through the Lightning Network, IBEX can substantially lower transaction costs, thus avoiding the high fees associated with traditional blockchain networks. This saves costs for both merchants and consumers.
• High security: IBEX employs advanced encryption technology and multi-factor authentication measures in its system to ensure transaction security and protect user data.

IBEX pays utmost attention to security, reliability, and compliance, offering one-stop solutions for companies operating under various legal frameworks. As the Lightning Network continues to evolve, IBEX has become a key partner for crossborder settlement solutions.

Lightning Network Integration: A New Upgrade for the HTX Platform

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As part of the partnership, HTX will integrate IBEX’s Lightning Network technology into its platform, which has entered the testing phase. The Lightning Network is a second-layer protocol designed for Bitcoin, aiming to increase the speed and scalability of Bitcoin transactions. Through this integration, users on the HTX platform will enjoy faster transaction confirmations and lower fees, so user experience and platform competitiveness will be remarkably enhanced.

Apart from technical collaboration, HTX and IBEX will jointly explore various application scenarios, including payments, transfers, and settlements. They also plan to offer deposit/withdrawal services for IBEX on the HTX platform. Both parties will gradually expand into other business areas, thus deepening and broadening their collaboration.

Both parties will also work closely in brand building, social media, campaigns, and marketing. In the future, HTX and IBEX will co-host various marketing campaigns, such as AMA events, press conferences, and other promotional activities to increase brand awareness and attract more users. The two parties will support each other in their respective advantageous markets, thus expanding their market influence globally.

Forge Powerful Alliance to Jointly Explore Emerging Markets

HTX and IBEX will jointly expand global markets, especially the Asian Latin American, and African markets which promise great potential. HTX will leverage its market penetration in these regions and combine it with IBEX’s Lightning settlement system so as to popularize cryptocurrency payments among local merchants and consumers. This will benefit both merchants and consumers with more convenient payment solutions and lower transaction costs.

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Strategically, this collaboration between HTX and IBEX will focus on the application of the Lightning Network within HTX and its ecosystem. IBEX will support HTX in exploring the potential of the Latin American and African markets, particularly in areas like deposit/withdrawal channels, local exchange partners, and Opinion Leaders. In addition, HTX will assist IBEX in brand and business expansion in the Asian market, further increasing its global influence.

An HTX spokesperson stated, “Through this strategic partnership, HTX and IBEX will jointly promote the application and popularization of Bitcoin and Lightning Network technology worldwide, providing users with more efficient, secure, and convenient digital asset trading services.”

Ry Sterling, Head of New Markets, EMEA for IBEX also said “The partnership between HTX and IBEX is the first step to connecting the Global South and Asia via the Lightning Network. We look forward to expanding HTX’s LN features as well as opening channels to new markets and to local IBEX LN partners across Asia, Latin America and Africa.”

About IBEX

IBEX offers fintech solutions on the Bitcoin Lightning Network, focusing on real-time global settlement, scalability and regulatory compliance. Their platform provides modular APIs for integrating Bitcoin and Lightning functionalities, allowing businesses to connect to a global financial network. They emphasize security, reliability, and regulatory features, making their services suitable for companies operating under various legal frameworks. The site also highlights the growing adoption and capacity of the Lightning Network, reflecting its increasing role in Bitcoin transactions.

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For more details, visit IBEX

About HTX

Founded in 2013, HTX has evolved over a decade from a simple cryptocurrency exchange to a comprehensive blockchain business ecosystem. This expansion covers a wide range of services including digital asset trading, financial derivatives, wallets, research, investments, incubation, and more. As a world-leading portal to Web 3.0, HTX is committed to a growth strategy focused on global expansion, ecological prosperity, wealth effect, and safety and compliance. This approach enables us to offer comprehensive, safe, and reliable services and value to virtual currency enthusiasts around the world, reinforcing our position as a global gateway to Web3.

Contact Details
Ruder Finn Asia
[email protected]

Company Website
https://www.htx.com

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New expansion to Nomic is the first step to building a decentralized onramp for moving Bitcoin onto new blockchain networks

GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, Sept. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Nomic DAO Foundation announced today the launch of Ethereum support on Nomic’s decentralized custody engine for Bitcoin. This will enable seamless BTC on-and-off-ramping into Ethereum, bringing Bitcoin to the largest ecosystem in decentralized finance (DeFi). Starting with a testnet released today, Nomic will facilitate native Bitcoin deposits and withdrawals on Ethereum, without relying on centralized custodians.

Traditionally, to use BTC on Ethereum, users have had to obtain wrapped bitcoin (WBTC), an ERC-20 token on the Ethereum blockchain that is pegged to real Bitcoin. Each WBTC is backed 1:1 with Bitcoin, which is held in reserve by a centralized custodian. Recently, amid centralization concerns with custodians holding all the keys to the multisig for WBTC worth $9.2 billion, the broader DeFi community has pushed for users to consider new decentralized alternatives.

“Bitcoin is the highest-value crypto asset, and Ethereum is the highest-value DeFi ecosystem. I’m excited to see Nomic bring its products to Ethereum, including the native and decentralized nBTC asset, and seamless one-step BTC deposits,” said Matt Bell, CEO of Turbofish, Nomic’s founders and core contributors. “It’s time to move beyond the current centralized and clunky BTC-on-Ethereum offerings, and start truly bringing Bitcoin into DeFi.”

In addition to bringing Bitcoin into Ethereum through nBTC, this upgrade introduces a new framework for protocols to leverage Nomic’s decentralized custody engine. Previously, to build Bitcoin DeFi solutions, protocol developers had to rely on centralized MPC providers or basic multisig setups to hold BTC, which presented trust and decentralization challenges. Now, with Nomic’s decentralized custody engine, protocols can easily create Bitcoin-backed assets at a lower cost, providing a trust-minimized solution to accelerate Bitcoin DeFi growth on Ethereum and other EVM chains.

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This upgrade also paves the way for future bridging to other EVM-based chains, expanding the reach and utility of nBTC across ecosystems that represent more than $46 billion in total value locked (TVL).

To learn more, visit https://www.nomic.io/.

About the Nomic DAO Foundation

The Nomic DAO Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to the growth and integration of the Nomic ecosystem. The Foundation supports the goals and objectives of the Nomic DAO (decentralized autonomous organization), is the initial steward of the Nomic blockchain, and will support and grow the Nomic DAO until it becomes self-sufficient.

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