Bitcoin DeFi
Bitcoin DeFi on Rootstock is lending, borrowing, yield, and liquidity built with rBTC and other on-chain assets, with EVM-compatible smart contracts secured by over 85% of Bitcoin's hash power through merge mining.
This hub helps builders integrate vault flows, lending patterns, strategies, and external market protocols.
Foundations
Before you integrate vault or lending flows, review token standards, security patterns, and protocol basics in the Rootstock DeFi developer guide. Oracle and AMM walkthroughs in that guide link to related use case tutorials.
Core pillars
| Pillar | Description | Where to go |
|---|---|---|
| Vaults SDK | ERC-4626 style flows for the USDRIF vault on Rootstock. | Integrate USDRIF Vault. Install and API details stay in the Vaults SDK README. |
| Stable units of account | USD-pegged assets such as USDRIF for pricing and debt. | RIF On Chain |
| Liquidity and credit | Lending and borrowing markets on top of rBTC and stable assets. | Protocol documentation for the venues you integrate (for example Tropykus, Money on Chain) |
Key Concepts
1. rBTC (Bitcoin-pegged gas and collateral)
rBTC is the native asset on Rootstock. It is pegged 1:1 with BTC through the PowPeg. When you peg in, BTC is locked on Bitcoin and rBTC is available on Rootstock. You pay gas in rBTC and use it as collateral in DeFi protocols.
2. USDRIF and stablecoins
Bitcoin is volatile, so many apps need a stable unit of account. USDRIF is a decentralized, USD-pegged asset with Bitcoin-backed collateral. Read the issuer and pool documentation before you integrate it in production.
3. Liquid staking (LSTs)
Some protocols issue receipt tokens when you stake rBTC (for example st-rBTC). Behavior, rewards, and risk depend on each protocol. Read the contract and liquidation rules before you treat an LST as collateral elsewhere.
Tools developers use
- Vaults SDK: Yield and vault UX on Rootstock.
- Money on Chain: Bitcoin-backed stablecoins and leverage products.
- Tropykus: Lending and borrowing markets.
Implementation guides
Explore the guides below to integrate vault flows, cross-chain lending, and yield patterns on Rootstock.