rBTC represents Bitcoin on Rootstock, which serves as the DeFi Layer for Bitcoin. Every rBTC maintains a 1:1 peg with BTC via the PowPeg, a decentralized two-way bridge that relies on Bitcoin’s Proof-of-Work security through merge mining.

The Rootstock mainnet went live in 2018 and has achieved 100% uptime from that point forward. It merges the security of Bitcoin with smart contract capabilities similar to Ethereum, allowing BTC to function within lending, stablecoins, trading, and other decentralized finance sectors.

In contrast to wrapped Bitcoin tokens that depend on centralized custodians, rBTC offers a more trust-minimized and transparent approach to Bitcoin DeFi, backed by Bitcoin miners. Since 2018, Rootstock has facilitated millions of transactions and supported an expanding network of partners and applications, broadening the utility of Bitcoin in decentralized finance.