What's happening in the Stacks ecosystem?

• Travala the number 1 crypto travel booking portal, integrates sBTC

• The upcoming Bitcoin lending protocol Granite has opened a early access whitelist

• Leather mobile is almost here, and they started a waitlist

This year we witnessed:

• sBTC and Nakamoto upgrade going live, bringing fast block and BTC liquidity

• Many DeFi app launches and TVL rise 3x in STX terms

• Increasing institutional adoption, highlighted by Grayscale STX Trust

2025 will be the year of Bitcoin L2s growth

Stacks was ranked among the 10 fastest-growing dev ecosystems by Electric Capital in 2024.

In 2025, the aim is to accelerate this trend with:

• The Buidl Battle Bitcoin builders tournament
• LearnWeb3 sBTC courses & bounties
• Bitcoin accelerators backing sBTC startups

Want to showcase your Stacks protocol in front of more VCs?

Buidl Battle—the largest Bitcoin builders' startup hackathon ever—will feature Bitcoin-focused VCs and accelerators.

Happening Feb 26-27, this event is your chance to accelerate your building journey.

Register to the BuidlBattle ➡️ https://buidlbattle.com

Many leading Stacks DeFi protocols, including Velar, Hermetica, and Bitflow, have announced the completion of raises.

With sBTC and fast blocks now live, the stage is set for fast growth and groundbreaking innovation

StackingDAO is now the largest DeFi protocol on Stacks, but it was kickstarted with a Critical Bounty.

Bounties help start new ideas and give builders the support needed to create what the ecosystem needs.

Which DeFi apps are currently missing that should receive a bounty?

Hermetica, Bitflow, Zest, and other Stacks protocols have announced funding rounds last year.

Backed by early bounty funding to continue innovating on Stacks, they've grown into powerhouses.

Here’s what’s coming next year to help new protocols launch and grow. 🧵 ⬇️

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:share:7282479315001233408/

Kiln, Figment, and other enterprise-grade Signers lead the market in locked staking capital, setting the standard for institutional excellence.

Ongoing efforts across the ecosystem are focused on further decentralizing Signers to strengthen the resilience of Stacks.

With sBTC reaching its cap in just 3 days, it's clear that both retail and institutional investors are eager to put their BTC to work.

The next sBTC cap will open the door for even more users to participate in the growing Bitcoin economy.

The Stacks ecosystem has seen a great rise in developer activity last year.

It has been ranked the 7 fastest-growing crypto developer community according to Electric Capital.

Here's a glimpse into the fruitful efforts happening in 2025. 🧵 ⬇️

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/stacks-stx_the-growing-developer-community-on-stacks-activity-7284607651940851713-MhAf?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

What has been happening on the Stacks DeFi ecosystem lately?

• Arkadiko Finance launched sBTC vaults to mint USDA

• Bitflow & ALEX DEXs have enabled Native BTC - STX swaps

• Granite protocol will soon launch for the first tester cohort

The Buidl Battle hackathon is heating up, with top VCs as judges and leading accelerators in attendance!

Are you a developer working on a Bitcoin-focused protocol? This is your chance to showcase your skills and take your project to the next level.

📅 Hackathon dates: March 3rd - 21st, 2025
🔗 Register now: buidlbattle.com

Don't miss out!

In 2024, Stacks ecosystem startups like Hermetica and Bitflow secured millions in funding to advance development on Stacks.

This year, the focus is on welcoming more innovative apps to the ecosystem and further growing the Bitcoin economy

Don't miss the SIP Weekly Call today at 11 PM ET! 📆

Get the latest updates on the SIP landscape and dive into what’s coming next for Stacks. 🔥

Set a reminder now to join the Community innovation call. ⬇️

https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1djGXrNpQkXxZ

sBTC is now live, facilitating the unlock of around $2Tn in Bitcoin liquidity into apps and DeFi.

Partnerships are being made to pave the way for sBTC adoption and unlock new use cases.

Here are a few examples of sBTC adoption to watch for. 🧵⬇️

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/stacks-stx_partnerships-paving-the-way-for-sbtc-adoption-activity-7287136838476029952-abUl?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

The Stacks Signer network is deeply ingrained with the Bitcoin ecosystem.

Luxor is among the top Bitcoin mining pools, Ankr is a leader in Bitcoin security, BitGo is trusted by top-tier institutions.

This is the standard every Bitcoin L2 should strive for.

Join the SIP <> AI community call tomorrow at 11 AM ET! 📆

The goal is to connect those who understand the gaps and feedback in the SIP domain with AI builders to accelerate UI/UX prototyping.

Set a reminder now to participate in this new format ⬇️

https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1OdKrXXABByJX

With sBTC and Nakamoto live, the Stacks ecosystem is ready to onboard the next generation of developers and institutional investors.

This is why the Stacks Foundation will be at ETHDenver to amplify visibility and educate builders about Stacks.

Workshops, events, conferences, and activities focused on the Bitcoin and Stacks ecosystem will take place at ETHDenver.

Stay tuned for more info and register here for the first event:
https://lu.ma/m5mhl299

What has been happening on the Stacks DeFi ecosystem lately?

• Stacking DAO launched stSTXbtc, a liquid stacking token streaming sBTC yield to holders' wallets

• Hermetica completed a deal to bring around $3 million in liquidity to the stablecoin

• Bitflow is rolling out a DCA feature for tokens such as Runes, STX, sBTC, and more.

Several efforts across the Stacks ecosystem are positioning sBTC as a leading Bitcoin institutional asset.

With leading Web3 companies backing and integrating Stacks, sBTC is becoming more accessible than ever.

Here are some key achievements to highlight. 🧵⬇️

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/stacks-stx_sbtc-as-a-leading-bitcoin-institutional-asset-activity-7289681066053816322-ZjSc?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

EasyA brought 100,000 builders to start exploring Clarity, and their hackathon at Harvard brought new prototypes.

In 2024, Accelerators like BitcoinFi and Bitcoin Frontier Front looked for new Stacks startups.

The goal is to help new builders move to the next growth stage.