Rootstock’s aim is to end Bitcoin’s “isolation” from other chains due to its lack of native smart contracts.
Updated Feb 4, 2025, 4:17 p.m. UTCPublished Feb 20, 2025, 8:00 a.m. UTC
LayerZero, the bridging protocol that allows different crypto networks to communicate with each other, plans to connect to Bitcoin sidechain Rootstock in what would be its first integration with the world’s original blockchain.
Rootstock aims to end Bitcoin’s “isolation” from other blockchains due to its lack of native smart contracts, a barrier that LayerZero is able to address, according an emailed announcement shared with CoinDesk on TK.
The Bitcoin blockchain lacks the functionality to offer smart contracts that other blockchains have and which are fundamental building decentralized finance (DeFi) services.
This lack of provision for DeFi on Bitcoin, which holds more value that every other blockchain combined, is an impediment to even greater adoption. That’s prompting developers to seeking ways of tapping into the massive liquidity that is held in bitcoin (BTC) and allowing it to be bridged to rest of the crypto world.
With the connection between Rootstock and LayerZero, developers would be able to build applications on the Bitcoin sidechain that can communicate with the over 100 other blockchains, including Ethereum and Solana, Rootstock said in the announcement.
Jamie Crawley
Jamie joined CoinDesk as a news reporter in February 2021 after writing widely about crypto and blockchain for two years in other roles. Away from crypto, Jamie runs a lot and loves all things sport. He holds small amounts of BTC, ETH, ADA and LTC.
