Bitcoin DeFi Transactions Now Cost Just $0.01 on Starknet

Bitcoin holders can now engage in trading, borrowing, and executing complex DeFi strategies for just $0.01 per transaction, following the launch of tBTC on Starknet by Threshold Network. This protocol transforms Bitcoin into functional DeFi capital while preserving full user custody. Users can now directly mint tBTC on Starknet via the Threshold UI, allowing them to bring native BTC onchain without the need for custodians or intermediaries.

With Bitcoin’s average transaction fee at $1.49, it is significantly more expensive compared to Starknet’s ultra-low costs, where the same Bitcoin, via tBTC, can be traded, lent, or deployed in complex DeFi strategies for just $0.01 per transaction. MacLane Wilkison, Co-Founder of Threshold Labs, highlighted the transformation, stating, “BTC on Bitcoin Mainnet is like gold bars in a vault: valuable but unusable. At just $0.01 per transaction on Starknet, Bitcoin becomes more than a store of value — it can now be used for small to large-scale trades, executed hundreds of times a day, and as a source of capital to lend or even borrow against. This is Bitcoin as it was meant to be used.”

tBTC on Starknet changes the economics of Bitcoin DeFi by offering transaction fees of $0.01, instant confirmation, and a throughput of 857 TPS, making Bitcoin a working capital operating at minimal cost. This launch is part of Threshold Network’s efforts to build a Bitcoin-Ethereum economy within a scalable, zero-knowledge environment. tBTC is integrating with Starknet’s most prominent protocols to bring trust-minimized Bitcoin liquidity to trading, borrowing, and beyond. Live on launch, DEX trading on Ekubo enables deep, efficient trading of tBTC against select pairs, while upcoming integrations with Vesu will allow users to borrow against their tBTC positions without relinquishing custody.

Users can execute various trading and borrowing strategies, provide liquidity at minimal rebalancing costs, use Bitcoin as collateral without selling, manage positions freely on DEXs, and trade tBTC or explore staking pairs. This launch enables new application use cases such as streaming payments, automated strategies, and Bitcoin-powered gaming, facilitating microtransactions through low-cost, instant Bitcoin-backed transfers. Future integrations with perp DEXs, collateralized debt protocols, yield vaults, oracles, and liquidity infrastructure will further expand the capabilities of tBTC on Starknet.

Unlike other wrapped Bitcoins that require corporate custody, tBTC uses threshold cryptography, ensuring that multiple independent nodes secure Bitcoin deposits. No single entity controls funds, and no KYC is required, allowing users to maintain Bitcoin sovereignty while accessing DeFi. Starknet’s zero-knowledge proofs provide the scaling, with STARK cryptography compressing thousands of transactions into one proof, achieving 857 TPS in testing while maintaining Ethereum’s security guarantees.

Starknet users can now directly mint tBTC through the Threshold UI, providing seamless access to Bitcoin’s value without intermediaries and with full self-custody. Additionally, users can bridge existing tBTC from Ethereum L1 to Starknet via the official StarkGate bridge, offering more flexibility for Bitcoin holders to participate in Starknet DeFi. With $547 million in TVL, 193 active protocols, and over 11,000 daily users, Starknet has rapidly emerged as a hub for scalable, composable DeFi.

Despite a $2.1 trillion market cap, Bitcoin’s presence in DeFi remains minimal, with just $6.3 billion locked in decentralized protocols. As transaction costs decline and access barriers are removed, the Bitcoin DeFi market has the potential to grow significantly, unlocking new utility beyond passive holding and into active, composable participation across DeFi. tBTC has operated since 2020 as the leading trust-minimized Bitcoin protocol, and combined with Starknet’s proven 857 TPS capacity, Bitcoin DeFi can finally scale.

Threshold Network powers tBTC, the leading decentralized, 1:1 Bitcoin-backed asset for DeFi. Secured by a 51-of-100 threshold signer model, tBTC enables BTC to move across multiple chains without requiring custodians or compromising security. With $450M+ in TVL and $3.6B in bridge volume since 2020, Threshold delivers the most robust trust-minimized Bitcoin infrastructure in DeFi. Starknet is a permissionless, decentralized zero-knowledge (ZK) rollup that offers high scalability, low fees, and fast finality, designed for long-term composability, security, and developer flexibility.