DFINITY Basis, the not-for-profit group contributing to the event of the Web Laptop (IC) — a high-speed, internet-scale public blockchain — has introduced at this time the Web Laptop’s mainnet integration with Bitcoin, bringing sensible contract performance to the cryptocurrency.
Now, the Web Laptop can function a layer-2 for Bitcoin the place sensible contracts on the Web Laptop can maintain, ship and obtain bitcoin natively, with out the necessity for bridges or different Third-parties. This gives a trustless basis for various DeFi and web3 functions looking for to code Bitcoin.
“Blockchains are like walled gardens, incapable of interplay between each other. When this involves Bitcoin, functions, corresponding to DeFi functions, that might profit most from interacting with the world’s largest cryptocurrency would not have the flexibility to take action. The Web Laptop’s integration with Bitcoin is a real game-changer for the business, lastly bringing sensible contract performance to Bitcoin and enabling a complete new panorama of DeFi and dapp improvement by no means earlier than potential utilizing BTC.”
– Manu Drijvers, Director of Engineering on the DFINITY Basis
With IC integration, bitcoin can be utilized for DeFi actions like yield farming, lending, funds, and extra…
That is achieved via the Web Laptop’s enhanced Chain-key cryptography. The direct integration with Bitcoin averts the necessity for bridged and wrapped Bitcoin, a way used to facilitate interplay between totally different blockchains, however one that’s error-prone and sometimes hacked.
To allow quick bitcoin transactions between sensible contracts on the Web Laptop, the DFINITY Basis is now engaged on Chain-Key Bitcoin (ckBTC). Right here, ckBTC will act as an area ledger facilitating quick transactions with low charges and solely settle transactions on the Bitcoin community when crucial.
Advantages / Builders
The Web Laptop’s integration with Bitcoin additionally gives a safer different to centralized bridges within the type of threshold ECDSA (Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm). The implementation of ECDSA empowers the Web Laptop’s canister sensible contracts, to immediately conduct bitcoin transactions with out an middleman or bridge.
ICP’s developer neighborhood has lengthy expressed a powerful demand for this characteristic…
DEX initiatives corresponding to Helix or IC Lighthouse are already constructing on the Bitcoin and Chain-Key signing options to supply bridgeless inter-chain token swaps. Furthermore, a number of ecosystem dApps are additionally able to launch some artistic use instances past DeFi.
Amongst them is the crowdfunding platform, CrowdfunNFT – which is able to settle for funding for initiatives in BTC. The goal is to develop the crowdfunding market total and herald a contemporary set of mission backers to crypto. Different examples of use instances in improvement are transactions in BTC on NFT marketplaces and peer-to-peer switch of BTC immediately on social media and messaging dApps.
Bringing new programmability to Bitcoin will open extra distinctive and imaginative use instances sooner or later.
