Bitlayer Teams Up with Antpool, F2Pool, and SpiderPool to Advance BitVM Technology
Bitlayer, a Bitcoin Layer 2 solution leveraging BitVM, has formed a groundbreaking alliance with three leading Bitcoin mining pools—Antpool, F2Pool, and SpiderPool. This collaboration aims to accelerate the adoption of BitVM, a revolutionary technology designed to enable Bitcoin-native decentralized finance (DeFi).
Bitcoin's ecosystem has historically trailed behind platforms like Ethereum due to technical constraints, particularly its inability to support Turing-complete smart contracts. BitVM bridges this gap by providing Bitcoin-equivalent security and Turing completeness without modifying Bitcoin's core protocol.
Why Miner Support Matters
Turning BitVM into reality requires the cooperation of miners—the entities responsible for validating transactions and creating new blocks. This partnership ensures that the three mining pools, collectively representing over 36% of Bitcoin's hashrate, will support Non-Standard Transactions (NSTs), a critical component of BitVM's challenge-response mechanism.
NSTs are transactions valid under Bitcoin’s consensus rules but not relayed by default Bitcoin Core software. Without miner cooperation, these transactions face difficulties getting confirmed on-chain.
Under this agreement, Antpool, F2Pool, and SpiderPool will act as guardians of the BitVM Bridge, ensuring NSTs are reliably included in blocks and recorded on Bitcoin’s immutable ledger.
The BitVM Bridge: Unlocking Bitcoin DeFi
The BitVM Bridge facilitates secure BTC transfers into other blockchain ecosystems—such as rollups, cross-chain protocols, and smart contracts—without relying on centralized intermediaries. This tool expands opportunities for Bitcoin DeFi while maintaining the network’s robust security.
👉 Discover how BitVM is transforming Bitcoin DeFi
Benefits for Miners
This partnership isn’t just a win for Bitlayer—it’s a strategic move for miners facing declining revenue due to Bitcoin’s halving events.
Andy, CEO of Antpool, highlighted Bitlayer’s potential to generate new fee-based income for miners:
"BitVM enables BTC to flow into DeFi and Layer 2 ecosystems, driving more transactions and long-term sustainability for miners."
Leon Liang, Chief Strategy Officer at F2Pool, emphasized the importance of innovation:
"We aim to support high-quality projects like Bitlayer that expand Bitcoin’s capabilities."
Kenway, CTO of SpiderPool, added:
"This collaboration unlocks new possibilities for Bitcoin DeFi, enhancing utility while reinforcing miners’ role in the ecosystem."
Growing Demand for Bitcoin DeFi
Bitlayer’s partnership follows recent integrations with major Layer 1 ecosystems, including Sui, Base, Arbitrum, and Starknet. These developments reflect rising demand for scalable, Bitcoin-native DeFi infrastructure.
Bitlayer continues onboarding validators and early adopters to secure and expand the BitVM Bridge—potentially shaping Bitcoin’s next evolution.
👉 Explore Bitcoin Layer 2 innovations
FAQs
What is BitVM?
BitVM is a technology that enables Turing-complete smart contracts on Bitcoin without modifying its core protocol, unlocking DeFi potential.
Why are miners critical to BitVM’s success?
Miners validate Non-Standard Transactions (NSTs), which are essential for BitVM’s challenge-response mechanism.
How does the BitVM Bridge work?
The bridge facilitates secure BTC transfers into other blockchain ecosystems, enabling Bitcoin-native DeFi applications.
What benefits does this partnership offer miners?
Miners gain new revenue streams from increased transaction fees and sustainable economic activity driven by Bitcoin DeFi.
Which mining pools are involved?
Antpool, F2Pool, and SpiderPool—representing over 36% of Bitcoin’s hashrate—are supporting BitVM adoption.
What’s next for Bitlayer?
Bitlayer is expanding its validator network and onboarding early adopters to scale the BitVM Bridge and Bitcoin DeFi ecosystem.