New York, NY, United States, July 8th, 2026, Chainwire
Stacking DAO today announced stBTC, a liquid staked version of Bitcoin built for Stacks’ upcoming Bitcoin Staking release. stBTC will let Bitcoin holders earn yield through staking while keeping their capital liquid and ready to move across the rest of the Stacks ecosystem.
Bitcoin is the largest pool of capital in the digital economy, and most of it sits idle. Only a small fraction of Bitcoin’s supply is deployed in on-chain finance today, while the rest stays parked in custody, exchange-traded funds, and treasuries. Stacking DAO built stBTC to close that gap and give Bitcoin holders a native path to put their capital to work.
stBTC is the missing bridge between earning Bitcoin yield and putting Bitcoin capital to work. A holder will be able to stake Bitcoin and participate in Bitcoin-native finance at the same time, rather than choosing between the two.
“Bitcoin has never had a true staking economy of its own, and stBTC for Bitcoin staking on Stacks is our answer to that gap,” said Tycho Onnasch, Core Contributor, Stacking DAO. “Holders can earn Bitcoin yield while keeping their capital liquid, and they get an asset they can keep using across Stacks for additional returns.”
stBTC represents BTC bonded to Stacks’ Bitcoin Staking system, where it earns a base yield expected to launch around 3% under the protocol’s initial parameters. The underlying Bitcoin remains locked in the bond, secured entirely by Bitcoin, while stBTC itself stays liquid and transferable.
That liquidity is the point. A holder can stake and stop there, earning the base yield on Bitcoin they still hold. From that floor, stBTC can flow into the financial applications already live on Stacks, including lending platforms like Zest Protocol and trading pools like BitFlow, with the base yield continuing to accrue underneath. Capital already actively deployed across Stacks protocols sits at $121 million, led by Zest Protocol, Granite, and Stacking DAO, according to DeFiLlama. stBTC gives that stack a new entry point for fresh Bitcoin capital.
stBTC is also Bitcoin-native by design. The Stacks network settles activity on Bitcoin through Proof of Transfer, backed by 100% of Bitcoin’s hashpower, and reads Bitcoin’s state directly with no oracle or trusted relay. This stands apart from past attempts to bring Bitcoin into DeFi by wrapping it onto other chains and routing it through centralized custodians. stBTC keeps the decentralization, settlement, and the security of Bitcoin itself.
The yield model is designed to outlast its own bootstrap phase. Economic activity across Stacks, powered by STX, generates fees that fund miner rewards. Miners spend Bitcoin to win those fees and secure the network, and that Bitcoin flows back into the staker pool, where the base yield originates. As more capital moves through the ecosystem, the yield shifts from relying on emissions to running on real economic activity.
Stacking DAO is well positioned to bring stBTC to market. The team has run STX Stacking infrastructure for over 2 years, managing over $150m of peak staked capital for 40,000+ stakers without a security incident. That track record is what makes Stacking DAO the team building the liquid staking layer for Bitcoin on Stacks now.
stBTC is expected to launch just before Stacks’ Bitcoin Staking release. Bitcoin holders will be able to stake BTC, receive stBTC, and begin earning yield directly through Stacking DAO at stackingdao.com.
About Stacking DAO
Stacking DAO is the STX Stacking infrastructure powerhouse for the most prominent Bitcoin L2. Users can learn more at stackingdao.com
About Stacks
Stacks is the leading Bitcoin layer by BTC deployed, providing infrastructure for a growing range of Bitcoin-native applications. The network enables Bitcoin-native financial applications, from lending and borrowing to autonomous AI agents, all settled with Bitcoin finality. Users can learn more at stacks.co
Contact
PR & Events
Shannon Voight
Stacks Labs
press@stackslabs.com
This article is not intended as financial advice. Educational purposes only.
