Polkadot’s First Trustless Wrapped Bitcoin PolkaBTC Coming in Early 2021

Bhushan Akolkar
October 15, 2020
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Polkadot Bitcoin

In a step towards creating a truly interoperable blockchain ecosystem, cross-chain bridge service provide Interlay has joined hands with Polkadot to bring the platform’s first trustless wrapped Bitcoin PolkaBTC by early 2021.

PlkaBTC is nothing but an official bridge between Bitcoin and Polkadot blockchains. The entire project is entirely funded by Polkadot’s parent Web 3 Foundation.

Reportedly, Interlay has successfully completed the pilot project and further plans to complete the BTC Parachain by Q1 2021. After successful deployment, users can mint 1:1 Bitcoin-backed assets on the Polkadot blockchain as PolkaBTC. This is a milestone achievement in extending the usability of Bitcoin.

The PolkaBTC will be used for a wide range of applications such as lending protocols, stablecoins, and decentralized exchanges (DEXs). Besides, it can also be used as a native asset on the Polkadot blockchain network.

BTC-Parachain Completely Trustless and Permissionless.

Parachains are nothing but shards running parallel to the Relay chain on the Polkadot blockchain. Here, the BTC Parachain implements a cross-chain framework dubbed XCLAIM that ensures that it remains completely permissionless, trustless, and resistant to any censorships. The announcement states:

The Interlay team is building a customized Substrate environment for PolkaBTC, optimized to verify Bitcoin payments. The BTC Parachain includes a Bitcoin cross-chain SPV client (BTC-Relay), integrations with secure price oracles and XCMP, as well as support for hardware wallets.

The BTC-Parachain will work on a completely decentralized network of individuals, companies, and community members. The BTC Parachain will also be completely open allowing anyone to participate and operate the bridge.

The wrapped Bitcoin PolkaBTC makes use of crypto-backed assets. Thus, BTC will be locked on the Bitcoin blockchain and unlocked on Polkadot in a 1:1asset dubbed PolkaBTC. Being native to the Polkadot ecosystem, PolkaBTC can also be transferred to other Polkadot parachains via XCMP/SPREE.

The Alpha testnet for BTC-parachain is scheduled for November next month. The Beta testnet showing all features will be available by January 2021.

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Investment disclaimer: The content reflects the author’s personal views and current market conditions. Please conduct your own research before investing in cryptocurrencies, as neither the author nor the publication is responsible for any financial losses.
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Why Trust CoinGape

CoinGape has covered the cryptocurrency industry since 2017, aiming to provide informative insights Read more…to our readers. Our journal analysts bring years of experience in market analysis and blockchain technology to ensure factual accuracy and balanced reporting. By following our Editorial Policy, our writers verify every source, fact-check each story, rely on reputable sources, and attribute quotes and media correctly. We also follow a rigorous Review Methodology when evaluating exchanges and tools. From emerging blockchain projects and coin launches to industry events and technical developments, we cover all facets of the digital asset space with unwavering commitment to timely, relevant information.

About Author
About Author
Bhushan is a seasoned crypto writer with over eight years of experience spanning more than 10,000 contributions across multiple platforms like CoinGape, CoinSpeaker, Bitcoinist, Crypto News Flash, and others. Being a Fintech enthusiast, he loves reporting across Crypto, Blockchain, DeFi, Global Macros with a keen understanding in financial markets. 

He is committed to continuous learning and stays motivated by sharing the knowledge he acquires. In his free time, Bhushan enjoys reading thriller fiction novels and occasionally explores his culinary skills. Bhushan has a bachelors degree in electronics engineering, however, his interest in finance and economics drives him to crypto and blockchain.
Investment disclaimer: The content reflects the author’s personal views and current market conditions. Please conduct your own research before investing in cryptocurrencies, as neither the author nor the publication is responsible for any financial losses.
Ad Disclosure: This site may feature sponsored content and affiliate links. All advertisements are clearly labeled, and ad partners have no influence over our editorial content.