Bitlayer is building a future where Bitcoin isn’t just digital gold — it’s a platform for smart contracts. And now, they’ve taken a huge step forward.
On May 27, Bitlayer announced that 31.5% of Bitcoin’s network hashrate now supports their smart contract system. Major mining pools like Antpool, F2Pool, and Spiderpool are on board. This gives Bitlayer the power to make its technology work on the actual Bitcoin blockchain.
The system behind this innovation is BitVM (Bitcoin Virtual Machine). It allows smart contracts to run without changing Bitcoin’s core protocol. Instead of computing everything on the chain like Ethereum, BitVM lets the contract execute off-chain while keeping Bitcoin’s security through on-chain verification. This is similar to how optimistic rollups work on Ethereum.
Bitlayer wants to let Bitcoin users access DeFi, dApps, and layer-2 networks, just like Ethereum and Solana users do. But now, they want to do it on the most secure blockchain in the world — Bitcoin.
Why is miner support so important? BitVM relies on special Bitcoin transactions using Taproot. These aren’t standard. So, miners need to accept and include them in blocks. Without their support, BitVM simply won’t work.
That’s why the support from mining giants is a game changer:
-
Antpool controls 17.2% of Bitcoin’s hashrate
-
F2Pool controls 8.2%
-
Spiderpool has 6.1%
Together, that’s enough to include BitVM transactions in roughly one of every three blocks. It’s not full-scale yet, but it’s more than enough to start testing and building real applications.
According to Antpool’s CEO, this innovation will also help miners earn more in transaction fees. That’s important because Bitcoin’s block rewards keep shrinking. Higher transaction activity means more fees — and more reasons for miners to stay involved long-term.
Bitlayer also said they’re ready for the future. If miner support changes or Bitcoin Core changes policy, they’ve built a backup plan. That includes working with even more mining pools to grow their hashrate share.
This marks a huge shift in Bitcoin’s direction. For years, Bitcoin was seen as slow and limited. But with Bitlayer and BitVM, it’s stepping into the Web3 world.
Smart contracts, DeFi, dApps — all possible on Bitcoin soon.
If you care about the future of Bitcoin and crypto innovation, this is one project to watch closely.
👉 Learn more and stay updated at https://cryptodicenews.blog/
