Cryptocurrency
tBTC Launches on Starknet: Expanding Bitcoin’s Role in Multi-Chain DeFi

[PRESS RELEASE – Texas, United States, June 11th, 2025]
Bitcoin holders can now trade, borrow, and execute complex DeFi strategies for just $0.01 per transaction, following Threshold Network’s launch of tBTC on Starknet. This trust-minimized protocol transforms Bitcoin into functional DeFi capital while preserving full user custody.
tBTC is now available for direct minting on Starknet via the Threshold UI, allowing users to seamlessly bring native BTC onchain without custodians or intermediaries.
With Bitcoin’s average transaction fee at $1.49 (7-day moving average, June 2025), it’s no match for Starknet’s ultra-low costs, where the same Bitcoin, via tBTC, can be traded, lent, or deployed in complex DeFi strategies for just $0.01 per transaction.
“BTC on Bitcoin Mainnet is like gold bars in a vault: valuable but unusable,” said MacLane Wilkison, Co-Founder of Threshold Labs. “At just $0.01 per transaction on Starknet, Bitcoin becomes more than a store of value — it can now be used for small to large-scale trades, executed hundreds of times a day, and as a source of capital to lend or even borrow against. This is Bitcoin as it was meant to be used.”
The Numbers: Why Bitcoin DeFi Struggles
Current Bitcoin mainnet reality (June 2025 data):
- Average transaction fee: $1.49 (7-day moving average)
- Recent peak during congestion: $91.89 (April 2024)
- Confirmation time: 10-60 minutes
Result: Complex DeFi operations become uneconomical: even at $1.49, a $100 trade costs 1.5% in fees.
tBTC on Starknet changes the economics:
- Transaction fees: $0.01
- Confirmation: Instant
- Throughput: 857 TPS (achieved in testing)
Result: Bitcoin becomes a working capital, operating at minimal cost.
What’s Coming Next for tBTC x Starknet
With the launch of tBTC on Starknet, Threshold Network is building the foundation for a Bitcoin-Ethereum economy within a scalable, zero-knowledge environment. tBTC is integrating with Starknet’s most prominent protocols to bring trust-minimized Bitcoin liquidity to trading, borrowing, and beyond.
- Live on Launch: DEX Trading on Ekubo – Native Starknet DEXs enable deep, efficient trading of tBTC against select pairs. Users can deploy capital with minimal slippage and explore high-frequency strategies at a much lower cost.
- Coming Soon: tBTC Lending on Vesu – Soon, users can borrow against their tBTC positions without relinquishing custody, via Vesu. This integration mirrors the success of tBTC on Ethereum, where over 25% of the supply is locked in Aave.
What Can Users Do with tBTC on Starknet
- Execute on Select Trading and Borrowing Strategies
- Provide liquidity at minimal rebalancing costs
- Use Bitcoin as collateral without selling
- Manage positions freely on DEXs
- Trade tBTC or explore staking pairs
Enabling New Application Use Cases:
- Streaming Payments: Enables Bitcoin-backed payments to be sent on a per-second basis.
- Automated Strategies: Allows BTC to function within smart contract systems while minimizing gas overheads that could reduce returns.
- Bitcoin-Powered Gaming: Facilitates microtransactions through low-cost, instant Bitcoin-backed transfers, making them viable in gaming environments.
What’s Coming Next
- Perpetuals & CDPs: Upcoming integrations with perp DEXs and collateralized debt protocols will expand risk-managed leverage options and allow BTC to power more complex DeFi tools.
- Yield Vaults: Future integrations with automated vaults will simplify liquidity management for users and unlock more opportunities with BTC on DeFi.
- Oracles & Liquidity Infrastructure: Collaborations with major liquidity providers and oracle networks will ensure accurate price feeds and optimal capital deployment.
“This fundamentally changes Bitcoin’s role in DeFi,” said Damian Chen, Head of Growth at the Starknet Foundation. “We’re seeing developers revisit ideas killed by high fees. Bitcoin at scale is finally possible on Starknet.”
Security Without Compromise
Unlike other wrapped Bitcoins that require corporate custody, tBTC uses threshold cryptography. Multiple independent nodes secure Bitcoin deposits, ensuring that no single entity controls funds. No KYC is required, and users maintain Bitcoin sovereignty while accessing DeFi.
Starknet’s zero-knowledge proofs provide the scaling. STARK cryptography compresses thousands of transactions into one proof, achieving 857 TPS in testing while maintaining Ethereum’s security guarantees.
How to Access tBTC on Starknet
Access tBTC on Starknet via 2 ways:
With $547 million in TVL, 193 active protocols, and over 11,000 daily users, Starknet has rapidly emerged as a hub for scalable, composable DeFi.
Starknet users can now directly mint tBTC — a fully backed, 1:1 representation of native Bitcoin — through the Threshold UI, providing them with seamless access to Bitcoin’s value without intermediaries and with full self-custody.
Additionally, users can bridge existing tBTC from Ethereum L1 to Starknet via the official StarkGate bridge, offering even more flexibility for Bitcoin holders to participate in Starknet DeFi.
Market Context
Despite a $2.1 trillion market cap, Bitcoin’s presence in DeFi remains minimal, with just $6.3 billion (under 0.3%) locked in decentralized protocols, according to DefiLlama data from June 2025. As transaction costs decline and access barriers are removed, the Bitcoin DeFi market has the potential to grow 10–15x, unlocking new utility beyond passive holding and into active, composable participation across DeFi.
tBTC has operated since 2020 as the leading trust-minimized Bitcoin protocol. Combined with Starknet’s proven 857 TPS capacity, Bitcoin DeFi can finally scale.
About Threshold Network
Threshold Network powers tBTC, the leading decentralized, 1:1 Bitcoin-backed asset for DeFi. Secured by a 51-of-100 threshold signer model, tBTC enables BTC to move across multiple chains—including Ethereum, Solana, Arbitrum, and BOB—without requiring custodians or compromising security. With $450M+ in TVL and $3.6B in bridge volume since 2020, Threshold delivers the most robust trust-minimized Bitcoin infrastructure in DeFi.
About Starknet
Starknet is a permissionless, decentralized zero-knowledge (ZK) rollup that offers high scalability, low fees, and fast finality. Powered by STARK proofs and developed by StarkWare, Starknet is designed for long-term composability, security, and developer flexibility.
Disclaimer: This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those discussed. Nothing in this press release should be considered investment advice.
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Cryptocurrency
Ethereum Price Analysis: Is ETH Gearing Up for a Surge to $4K?

Ethereum continues to show strong momentum as the price hovers just under a key level, supported by sustained bullish structure and growing market interest. With spot prices holding above major moving averages and an aggressive rally from June lows, all eyes are on whether ETH can break above the $4,107 level.
Technical Analysis
By ShayanMarkets
The Daily Chart
On the daily chart, Ethereum is respecting its bullish structure, having flipped the $3,300 zone from resistance into support. The 100-day and 200-day have also created a bullish crossover, providing additional confirmation of the trend.
Moreover, the RSI, which recently entered overbought territory, has slightly cooled down but remains elevated, suggesting that momentum might be overheated. Yet, the clean sweep and reclaim of prior highs around $3,300 reflect strength and commitment from buyers, and as long as this level holds, the bulls are in control.
This structure is a classic sign of trend continuation, especially when supported by strong volume and momentum indicators. If the price begins to expand again from this consolidation range, the next upside target would likely be the $4,400 region, where Ethereum topped during previous cycles.
Conversely, a break below $3,300 would raise concerns of a deeper retracement, but for now, that scenario seems less likely unless broader market weakness emerges.
The 4-Hour Chart
The 4H chart further supports the bullish case with a clearly defined ascending trendline holding the price. The asset continues to respect the trendline, and each dip has been met with strong buying interest, signaling that bulls are still active and defending the uptrend.
However, some caution is warranted in the short term, mainly due to the overbought conditions on the daily chart. If ETH fails to hold above the $3,700 zone or loses the ascending trendline, a short-term correction toward $3,500 would be a healthy reset. This level also aligns with the daily support block, making it a logical area for buyers to step in again if tested.
On-Chain Analysis
Ethereum Open Interest
On the sentiment side, Ethereum’s open interest across all exchanges has surged to over $27 billion, marking its highest point in years. This indicates a massive influx of leveraged positions and reflects growing speculative appetite in the market. Historically, rising open interest in tandem with rising price signals confidence and trend strength, but it also increases the risk of a long squeeze if the market turns.
What’s notable, however, is that despite the elevated OI, funding rates remain at relatively moderate levels. This suggests that the majority of traders are not excessively over-leveraged, and we are not yet seeing the kind of euphoria typically associated with major tops.
It gives Ethereum more room to push higher without the immediate threat of a sharp deleveraging event. For now, positioning remains optimistic but not overheated, keeping the path open for a potential breakout above $4,100.
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Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. See Disclaimer for more information.
Cryptocurrency charts by TradingView.
Cryptocurrency
Trump’s EU Trade Deal Sparks Crypto Surge: BTC Nears $120K, BNB Breaks ATH

Just a few weeks after announcing new 30% tariffs against the European Union and Mexico, US President Donald Trump sat down with the former’s leader to discuss deal terms.
The meeting between Ursula von der Leyen and Trump in Turnberry, Scotland, appeared to be productive, as both parties said they reached a framework for a trade deal.
According to details shared by CNN, the EU has agreed to purchase $750 billion worth of energy from the US, as well as invest an additional $600 billion.
The initial 30% tariffs on almost all goods, aside from steel and aluminum, which will be set at 50%, were announced two weeks ago and were supposed to be enforced starting on August 1.
Although the EU will invest the aforementioned billions in different US-related initiatives, Trump said he could not lower the tariffs any further than a 15% across-the-board taxation.
Tariff news typically impacts the cryptocurrency market, although the effects have diminished in recent months. Back in April, the entire market tumbled as Trump announced tariffs against essentially all other countries.
Now, though, any new threats or announcements lead to less volatility. Still, a few digital assets began to chart gains after the news of the new deal was released.
BNB is among the top performers in the past few hours, which resulted in a price pump to a new all-time high of over $825 minutes ago. BNB has reclaimed its spot as the fifth-largest cryptocurrency from SOL.
BTC has also risen slightly and now trades above $119,000. ETH is up by over 3% on a daily scale and sits close to $3,850.
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Cryptocurrency
Here’s Why Base Is Crushing Other Ethereum Layer 2s in Revenue

Base, the Coinbase-incubated Ethereum Layer 2 network, has emerged as the most profitable rollup in the ecosystem, as it generated an average of $185,291 in daily revenue over the past six months.
With the latest figure, Base has far outpaced Arbitrum’s $55,025 and the combined $46,742 of 14 other top Layer 2s.
Base Captures Majority of L2 Market Share
In its latest analysis, Galaxy Digital explained that Base’s lead is supported by its EIP-1559-inspired fee model, which enables “dynamic” auction-based priority fee collection rather than strict first-come-first-served (FCFS) ordering.
The sequencer prioritizes transactions based on the highest priority fee per unit of gas and allows users to pay premiums for urgent execution. This enables Base to monetize block space demand efficiently.
Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade, which reduced Layer 1 posting costs via blob-enabled data submission, has further improved Base’s efficiency in monetizing block space while maintaining low transaction fees.
While Arbitrum introduced Timeboost in April 2025 to enable slot-bidding for express execution, it remains a predictive, fixed-rate system that is less reactive than Base’s per-transaction bidding. This makes the former less effective at capturing sudden spikes in user demand.
Over the past six months, priority fees alone have averaged $156,138 per day for Base. The chain accounted for about 86% of its daily revenue. Transactions occupying the top slot of each block contributed 30%-45% of daily revenue year-to-date in 2025, while the top 10 slots have accounted for between 50%-80% of daily revenue over the same period.
Meanwhile, “Flashblocks,” which was implemented on the Layer 2 network on July 16, introduced sub-block confirmations that allow high-priority transactions to land in lower slots while still receiving near-instant execution. This has resulted in a more even distribution of priority fees across block slots without reducing overall fee generation. Such a system in place has helped Base maintain strong revenue capture despite changes in slot allocation.
Base’s Revenue Engine
It is important to note that Base’s dominance in decentralized exchange (DEX) activity has been a major driver of its revenue. The network has consistently captured 50%-65% of Layer 2 DEX volume and holds the highest DEX TVL among Layer 2s, excluding perpetual DEX platforms.
Historically, priority fees tied to DEX swaps contributed 50%-70% of daily fees paid to Base. However, this share has declined to around 34% in recent weeks and reflects increased base fees and growing non-DEX competition for block space across the network. Despite this dip, DEX swaps have been observed to be a primary contributor to Base’s fee generation, especially in time-sensitive trades and maximum extractable value (MEV) strategies.
Data also indicates that a small cohort of users dominates priority fee payments, with 250 addresses accounting for nearly 65% of all priority fees paid over the past year.
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