Here’s what happened on Stacks this week. 👇

- Hermetica launching their hBTC earn vault integrating STRC as second yield source

- Bitflow hitting $1B in swap volume since HODLMM launch

- USDCx is on Allbridge Core effectively connecting Stacks to other 60+ chains

- Stacking DAO hit a new TVL all-time high with 110M STX in deposits

- Zest Protocol teasing TGE

Bitcoin dominance near 60%. Most of that capital sits idle.

Stacks is building the infrastructure layer to change that including lending, trading, and yield generation, all settled on Bitcoin.

RR2Capital just published a full breakdown of what makes Stacks the infrastructure layer for Bitcoin DeFi.

No Bitcoin L2 has returned more BTC to its network than Stacks.

Over 4,200 BTC distributed to stackers since January 2021, through the network's Proof of Transfer (PoX) consensus.

The Stacks 2026 roadmap is live.

Phase 1: Self-custodial staking. Earn yield on the #1 digital asset. Full custody, no wrapping.

Phase 2: 100x throughput. Clarity Wasm, core upgrades, bridge optimization. Ready for DeFi volume and AI agents.

Phase 3: Native finance. Lending, borrowing, perpetuals, all built on the most secure blockchain.

Full roadmap: http://stacks.co/roadmap

Stacks is the leading Bitcoin L2, with over 4,000 BTC on the network.

Capital is moving into the ecosystem thanks to DeFi protocols such as Zest, Hermetica, and Bitflow, which unlock BTC yield.

Stacks is building what bitcoin holders have been waiting for.

Institutions are sitting on trillions in Bitcoin with no way to earn yield.

Bitcoin staking on Stacks changes that as the only project architecting native BTC yield from day one.

Watch Stacks contributors cover what they're building:

Leading Crypto educator Stacy Muur shared her thesis on how Stacks can fix the Bitcoin economy.

Bitcoin holders want to unlock liquidity with their BTC but without compromising on custody or trust.

Stacks is the answer.

Check the article here: https://x.com/stacy_muur/status/2051952485414175177?s=20

Bitcoin Staking is the top of the funnel according to Muneeb.

Institutions want yield, they demand self-custody, and that's exactly where Stacks will meet them.

Hold BTC. Earn BTC. That's what Bitcoiners want.

Today we're publishing the Bitcoin Staking whitepaper.

Self-custodial. BTC-denominated yield.

Here's what it is and why it matters 🧵

https://x.com/Stacks/status/2054582905821954059?s=20

Your BTC stays locked on Bitcoin.

Your yield is paid in BTC.

Your BTC stays under your custody.

This is what real self-custodial yield looks like 🟧

Stacks has been highlighted as top BTC yield platform in BitcoinYield.com report.

According to the report, Stacks has one of the clearer yield dashboards and one of the most active BTC lending venues.

Dual Stacking, Zest Protocol, Hermetica hBTC, and Bitflow’s sBTC liquidity pools, are all mentioned venues to generate BTC yield.

Read the full report here:
https://news.bitcoin.com/stacks-highlighted-as-top-btc-yield-platform-in-bitcoinyield-com-report/

Leading content creators have been talking about Stacks recently:

- DeFi Warhol published a data-driven analysis on the Bitcoin yield network and how Stacks is succeeding in making BTCFi more Bitcoin-native and secure.

- Stacy Muur posted about self-custodial BTC staking from Stacks and the impact on STX.

- The DeFi Edge on how Stacks is making BTC a productive asset via staking, following the playbook that made ETH and SOL productive assets.

REMINDER: Monthly ecosystem update this Thursday morning at 10 AM ET.

Make sure to tune in to learn about what is happening on Stacks and what's next:
https://x.com/i/spaces/1qKVmQOLloZxB?s=20

The Stacks DeFi ecosystem is growing:

- Zest Protocol has enabled native BTC deposits on its Stacks market, a step toward Bitcoin-native finance

- Hermetica has opened up hBTC deposits for an additional 25 BTC, earning up to 8% APY

- Bitflow's ZEST/STX pool recorded over $1M in swap volume within the first 24 hours, while gearing up for further launches

UTXO Management, the Bitcoin native asset management arm of Nakamoto Inc., is the inaugural participant in Bitcoin Staking on Stacks.

This means institutional BTC earning BTC yield, without ever leaving the base layer.

Stacking DAO is teasing a new Bitcoin LST product now that BTC staking is coming to Stacks.

A new Bitcoin DeFi primitive to unlock even more yield opportunities for Bitcoiners.

https://x.com/StackingDao/status/2061409987012989312?s=20

Stacking DAO is teasing a new Bitcoin LST product now that BTC staking is coming to Stacks.

An additional Bitcoin DeFi primitive to unlock even more yield opportunities across the ecosystem.

https://x.com/StackingDao/status/2061409987012989312?s=20