How Threshold Labs is Bringing BTC to Starknet and Beyond

For over a decade, Bitcoin has stood because the apex of digital sound cash; safe, censorship-resistant, and provably scarce. Yet, within the realm of decentralized finance, it typically performs the function of a silent observer. Despite being probably the most helpful asset in crypto, Bitcoin stays underutilized in “onchain” ecosystems the place innovation thrives.

That paradox is exactly what Threshold Network is addressing by way of tBTC, a totally decentralized and trust-minimized Bitcoin bridge. Now stay throughout eight totally different chains, together with Ethereum, Arbitrum, Solana, and most just lately Starknet — tBTC is rising as a vital infrastructure layer for enabling Bitcoin to perform as capital in Web3.

At the center of this effort is MacLane Wilkison, Co-Founder and CEO of Threshold Network. In a dialog that blends imaginative and prescient, technical readability, and strategic intent, Wilkison sheds mild on how tBTC redefines Bitcoin’s function in DeFi and why its enlargement to Starknet is excess of simply one other deployment, it’s a sign of the place decentralized finance is headed subsequent.

“tBTC is the longest-running decentralized and trust-minimized wrapped Bitcoin,” Wilkison explains. “Most wrapped BTCs, such as wBTC — rely on centralized custodians before your Bitcoin can access DeFi. With tBTC, your BTC is secured by a 51-of-100 threshold signer network, with no single point of failure and no trusted intermediary.”

That distinction, trust-minimized by design is on the core of tBTC’s philosophy. Everything is onchain, clear, and cryptographically verifiable, from the signing quorum to the reserves that again each minted token. Unlike conventional wrapped belongings that compromise on decentralization to attain DeFi utility, tBTC bridges that hole with out sacrificing Bitcoin’s ethos.

The resolution to combine with Starknet represents a big milestone. Starknet, a ZK-rollup Layer 2 constructed on Ethereum, is quick changing into a hub for next-gen DeFi protocols — particularly these prioritizing scalability, low charges, and cryptographic integrity. For Threshold, the transfer is each strategic and ideological.

“Starknet is one of the most advanced ZK-rollup Layer 2s and is rapidly becoming a home for serious DeFi innovation,” Wilkison says. “Integrating tBTC here aligns perfectly with Threshold’s mission of bringing trust-minimized BTC liquidity to every major chain — especially L2s where Bitcoin can be used with low fees and scalability. Starknet’s focus on decentralization and long-term architecture matches our values.”

Beyond the tech stack, there’s a bigger imaginative and prescient at play: turning tBTC into the default decentralized bridge for Bitcoin, the gold customary for shifting BTC into DeFi ecosystems. Wilkison emphasizes that Threshold is not simply chasing enlargement for its personal sake, however constructing the muse for a composable, multi-chain monetary future.

“The long-term strategy is to be present wherever DeFi happens — to meet users where they are and to enable native BTC to move freely and securely across all chains, with no compromise.”

This method, pragmatic, multi-chain, and end-user targeted — isn’t nearly entry. It’s about empowering Bitcoin to function actual capital in an open monetary system. And if Starknet is to turn out to be a respectable Layer 2 for Bitcoin, as some within the ecosystem speculate, tBTC might be a vital a part of that evolution.

“Bringing trustless BTC liquidity to Starknet is foundational for its ambition to serve as a Bitcoin L2,” Wilkison notes. “Now BTC holders can mint tBTC directly on Starknet, use it in DeFi apps, and settle back to Bitcoin — all while maintaining Bitcoin’s decentralization.”

At a technical degree, the method for minting tBTC on Starknet is designed for transparency and resilience. When a consumer initiates a deposit, the Bitcoin is despatched to a novel, threshold-secured BTC deal with. Once confirmed on the Bitcoin community, a decentralized multi-party computation (MPC) signer community validates the deposit and mints tBTC on Starknet.

“Unlike centralized bridges, there is no custodian,” Wilkison explains. “BTC is controlled by an MPC signer quorum, which is fully transparent and has no single point of failure. It’s trust-minimized by design.”

Yet regardless of these improvements, the issue stays stark. Bitcoin is nonetheless massively underrepresented in DeFi. Out of over 19 million BTC in circulation (price over $2 trillion), solely round 180,000–220,000 BTC, or about 1.15%, are at the moment lively in DeFi. This, Wilkison argues, is a structural misalignment that tBTC is aiming to remedy.

“This is what it means to be underutilized in a DeFi market valued now at $120 billion,” he says. “tBTC is changing that by providing a bridge to DeFi that is maximally aligned with Bitcoin’s ethos of trust minimization as possible, along with a seamless UX that delivers BTC to every user’s ecosystem of choice.”

But why does decentralized Bitcoin liquidity matter within the first place? For Wilkison, the reply is philosophical as a lot because it is sensible.

“Bitcoin is the world’s most neutral and censorship-resistant monetary asset. Looking ahead, if DeFi turns into a genuine global alternative financial system, it’s essential that Bitcoin liquidity can flow into it seamlessly. What’s at stake is whether BTC remains locked in siloed custodial systems, like centralized bridges or ETFs, or whether it becomes programmable, composable capital within an open, decentralized financial stack.”

That open stack isn’t only a playground for retail merchants anymore. Institutions are starting to take discover, cautiously, maybe, however with growing readability.

“Yes — we’re seeing early signs,” Wilkison confirms. “Especially among funds and firms seeking yield on BTC in a trust-minimized way. Institutions value transparency and safety, particularly when managing large amounts of capital, and they are increasingly aware of the risks associated with centralized custodial models.”

The highway to constructing tBTC throughout eight networks has include hard-won classes. Each chain has its personal quirks — from payment markets to consensus to group norms. One perception, nonetheless, stands out.

“One key lesson is the importance of deep ecosystem collaboration — success comes from building with local DeFi partners, not just dropping a token and leaving,” says Wilkison. “On Starknet, we’re embedding tBTC natively, working with DEXs, lending protocols, and core infra teams to ensure organic adoption.”

Looking forward, Wilkison believes we’re solely scratching the floor of what “Bitcoin DeFi” — or BTCFi — can turn out to be. Beyond wrapped BTC in lending swimming pools or collateral vaults, he sees new frontiers rising: BTC-backed stablecoins, structured yield merchandise, and multi-chain collateral frameworks that deal with Bitcoin not simply as an asset, however as programmable liquidity.

“BTC-backed stablecoins and BTC as pristine collateral in multi-chain DeFi,” he emphasizes. “Additionally, Bitcoin-native yield products — structured products that enable BTC holders to earn while remaining exposed to BTC. The next cycle will be about making these user-friendly and mainstream.”

At its core, tBTC is not only a bridge. It’s a press release about what sort of future we wish for decentralized finance. And for Wilkison, that future is outlined by sovereignty.

“Bitcoin is the most censorship-resistant asset we have. DeFi is the most permissionless financial system we’ve built. Combining the two unlocks a future where money and finance are free, open, and sovereign. That mission is what keeps me excited.”

Five years from now, Wilkison envisions a world the place billions in decentralized BTC liquidity movement frictionlessly throughout chains. Where Bitcoin is now not sidelined in chilly storage or locked in ETFs, however as a substitute turns into a foundational layer within the world onchain financial system.

“Success is billions in decentralized BTC liquidity moving seamlessly across chains,” he says. “tBTC becomes the default Bitcoin bridge for serious DeFi users and institutions. Bitcoin is a first-class citizen of DeFi — no longer sidelined, but actively driving value in an open, global financial system.”

Threshold Network is doing extra than simply increasing Bitcoin’s attain. It is reshaping how Bitcoin matches into the way forward for finance. By unlocking Bitcoin’s programmability and enabling it to transfer seamlessly throughout decentralized ecosystems, Threshold is paving the best way for BTC to evolve from a static retailer of worth right into a dynamic, composable asset that actively participates within the DeFi revolution. 

This is a vital step towards a really open and permissionless monetary system the place Bitcoin’s distinctive qualities; safety, neutrality, and censorship resistance, can totally shine and create real-world influence. In redefining Bitcoin’s function, Threshold is not solely broadening its utility but additionally securing its place as a foundational pillar of the decentralized financial system to come.