Welcome to the 2nd edition of our exciting new series, dubbed the ‘X Talks Bitcoin’ series. This is not just another industry discussion. It’s a unique opportunity for the pSTAKE community and Bitcoin enthusiasts to gain exclusive insights into Bitcoin, the emerging BTCfi industry, and potential yield-generating strategies.
Our series will feature expert opinions, providing invaluable insights into the future of Bitcoin and how we can all best position ourselves. These discussions are not just relevant but crucial to all our readers, offering a “not-to-be-missed” and “thought-provoking” perspective on what’s coming next for Bitcoin.
We spoke to Speicherx (Mantle) in the previous edition about Exploring BTC beyond a Store of Value. Today, Peter Watson (CMO at Velar) shares his candid thoughts on BTC as a financial leveler, an inevitable BTCfi summer, and what to keep in mind while building for Bitcoin.
Velar enables seamless swapping, trading, and launching assets on premier Bitcoin L2s, providing unparalleled liquidity and flexibility.
1) How does BTCfi level the world’s playing ground for finance?
“BTCfi levels the playing field for finance globally by allowing access to financial services and opportunities to even the most remote and disconnected nations and communities.
Since BTCfi is built on top of the permissionless and decentralized Bitcoin network, anyone with an internet connection can participate, regardless of their geographic location or traditional financial status.
This enables financial inclusion for populations that have been historically underserved or excluded from traditional finance.”
2) Looking at the capital and development happening in the yields, scaling infra, and security niche of the Bitcoin Ecosystem, where are we compared to the ETH DeFi Summer? Is a BTCfi Summer inevitable?
“Looking at the significant capital flowing into projects focused on yields, scaling infrastructure, and security solutions for the Bitcoin ecosystem, along with the influx of builders and developers, it does appear that we are heading towards a potential “BTCfi Summer” akin to Ethereum’s DeFi summer.
Yes, money is flowing to solve key issues and attract talent to this space, and where capital goes, broader attention and interest tend to follow. While the Ethereum DeFi ecosystem had a head start, the momentum behind Bitcoin DeFi is undeniable.
If this trajectory continues with meaningful technical progress on scaling, user experience, and real-world utility, a true “BTCfi Summer” of accelerated growth and innovation does seem increasingly inevitable.”
3) What are some things every Bitcoin Builder should keep in mind to solve the complexity problem for BTC holders to adopt BTCfi?
“Some key things for Bitcoin builders to keep in mind to drive broader adoption of BTCfi:
- Focus on clear user benefits and simple user experiences, abstracting away technical complexity where possible
- Prioritize security, trustlessness, and decentralization aligned with Bitcoin’s core values.
- Build robust scaling solutions that can handle significant transaction volumes cost-effectively.
- Ensure adequate privacy preserving features given Bitcoin’s transparency.
- Explore secure methods for composability between DeFi applications.
- Educate and build awareness among the broader Bitcoin community.
- Solving the complexity challenge for end-users while maintaining Bitcoin’s core properties will be critical for mainstream BTCfi adoption.”
