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BTCFi explained: How Elastos uses Bitcoin’s security to power DeFi

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The decentralized finance (DeFi) landscape continues to evolve, and Bitcoin-centric solutions are gaining momentum. BTCFi is an emerging sector that transforms Bitcoin (BTC) from a passive store of value into an actively utilized asset in DeFi. 

A new report by Cointelegraph Research and Elastos delves into how Bitcoin’s security helps to create trustless, scalable financial ecosystems.

Bitcoin’s expanding role in DeFi

DeFi has traditionally been dominated by Ethereum, which accounts for over 50% of the sector’s total $175 billion total value locked (TVL). However, Bitcoin’s strong security and liquidity make it an attractive foundation for DeFi innovation.

Despite its strengths, Bitcoin’s lack of native smart contract functionality has historically limited its role in decentralized finance. The emergence of Bitcoin-centric DeFi solutions aims to bridge this gap and enable Bitcoin holders to participate in lending, stablecoin issuance and crosschain interoperability without custodial risks.

Elastos: Leveraging Bitcoin’s security for decentralized applications

Elastos stands out as one of the leading players in this evolution by incorporating merged mining, a method that allows secondary blockchains to inherit Bitcoin’s security. 

Because approximately 50% of Bitcoin’s total 800 EH/s hashrate secures Elastos, the platform is positioned as one of the most computationally robust Bitcoin-linked networks. This ensures that financial applications built on Elastos maintain a level of security akin to that of Bitcoin itself.

At the core of Elastos’ infrastructure is its Elastic Consensus model, a hybrid mechanism that integrates auxiliary proof-of-work, bonded proof-of-stake, and proof-of-integrity. 

This multi-layered approach enables Elastos to provide secure, scalable financial services and enhances its appeal for DeFi applications. The Elastos Smart Chain, an Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible sidechain, facilitates the development of decentralized applications (DApps) to ensure seamless integration with the broader DeFi ecosystem.

BeL2: A breakthrough for BTCFi

A major highlight of the report is the BeL2 Arbiter Network, designed to bring trustless Bitcoin transactions into DeFi. BeL2 leverages zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) to verify Bitcoin transactions on the Elastos and Ethereum networks without relying on centralized custodians. 

This mechanism allows Bitcoin to be used in DeFi protocols without synthetic assets or intermediaries and addresses a long-standing challenge in BTCFi.

This model has already attracted institutional interest. An initiative led by students and alumni of Harvard University is developing a BTC-backed stablecoin using BeL2. The platform also supports decentralized lending that allows Bitcoin holders to collateralize loans in stablecoins while retaining exposure to BTC’s price appreciation.

Elastos’ market position and future potential

Elastos’ BTCFi approach competes with established Bitcoin DeFi solutions such as Stacks and Rootstock. Stacks primarily benefits from Bitcoin finality, and Rootstock focuses on EVM compatibility, while Elastos distinguishes itself by combining high security (via merged mining) and crosschain interoperability. This positions Elastos as a formidable player in the BTCFi landscape.

However, the report also identifies some challenges, such as regulatory uncertainties, ecosystem awareness and some technical complexities. Despite these hurdles, Elastos’ combination of Bitcoin security, trustless smart contract execution and institutional backing positions it for potential growth in the evolving BTCFi sector.

Challenges and opportunities in Bitcoin DeFi adoption

As the blockchain industry shifts toward crosschain interoperability and decentralized governance, Bitcoin-secured assets are expected to play an important role in reshaping both traditional and decentralized finance.

Elastos’ innovations, particularly through BeL2 and its decentralized identity (DID) framework, aim to enhance the security, scalability and institutional adoption of Bitcoin in DeFi. 

With Bitcoin-secured finance projected to expand significantly, Elastos’ infrastructure provides a robust foundation for the next wave of decentralized financial applications.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Cointelegraph does not endorse the content of this article nor any product mentioned herein. Readers should do their own research before taking any action related to any product or company mentioned and carry full responsibility for their decisions.

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Coin Market

Market is underestimating how quickly Bitcoin will hit new ATH: Analyst

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Bitcoin will break past its $109,000 all-time high sooner than expected despite recent volatile US macroeconomic conditions, according to a crypto analyst. 

“The market may be underestimating how quickly Bitcoin could surge – potentially hitting new all-time highs before Q2 is out,” Real Vision chief crypto analyst Jamie Coutts told Cointelegraph. 

He said this forecast stands regardless of whether or not there is more clarity on US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and potential recession concerns.

Trump’s tariffs blamed for Bitcoin’s recent downtrend

Bitcoin (BTC) fell below $100,000 on Feb. 2, with many market participants blaming the downturn on Trump’s newly imposed tariffs and uncertainty over US interest rates. 

Coutts based his rosy rebound prediction on easing financial conditions, a weakening US dollar and the People’s Bank of China ramping up liquidity since early 2025.

“Financial conditions have eased dramatically this month, highlighted by the US dollar’s third-largest three-day decline since 2015 and significant drops in rates and Treasury bond volatility,” he said.

“Liquidity remains central to investing in all asset classes,” he added.

Bitcoin is down 3.16% over the past 30 days. Source: CoinMarketCap

At the time of publication, Bitcoin is trading at $85,880, down 3.16% over the past month, as per CoinMarketCap data.

Coutts referred to his March 7 X post, where he said that based on the US Dollar Index (DXY) recent moves through a “historical lens,” it makes it hard to be “anything but bullish” about Bitcoin.

Based on historical DXY performance, Coutts said that by June 1, Bitcoin’s 90-day forecast ranges from a worst-case price of $102,000 to a best-case scenario of $123,000. 

Source: Jamie Coutts

The upper target would represent a 13% gain over its current all-time high of $109,000, which it reached on Jan. 20.

BlackRock’s head of digital assets, Robbie Mitchnick, recently said that Bitcoin will most likely thrive in a recessionary macro environment.

“I don’t know if we’ll have a recession or not, but a recession would be a big catalyst for Bitcoin,” Mitchnick said in a March 19 interview with Yahoo Finance.

Related: $16.5B in Bitcoin options expire on Friday — Will BTC price soar above $90K?

It comes at the same time that Bitcoin continues to experience its “least bullish conditions” since January 2023, according to CryptoQuant.

CryptoQuant’s Bull Score Index is at 20, its lowest since January 2023, signaling a weak Bitcoin market with low chances of a strong rally soon. 

Based on historical performance, if the score remains below 40 for an extended period, it could signal continued bearish market conditions, similar to previous bear market phases.

Magazine: Arbitrum co-founder skeptical of move to based and native rollups: Steven Goldfeder

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

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Coffeezilla shouldn’t duck Logan Paul suit over CryptoZoo claims: Judge

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Influencer Logan Paul should be allowed to continue a lawsuit accusing the YouTuber known as “Coffeezilla” of making defamatory remarks about Paul’s failed CryptoZoo project, a Texas magistrate judge said.

In a March 26 report filed in a San Antonio federal court, Magistrate Judge Henry Bemporad recommended that federal Judge Orlando Garcia, overseeing the case, deny Stephen Findeisen’s bid to toss Paul’s lawsuit, as Findeisen presented his claims more akin to facts than “mere opinion.”

“At the pleading stage, Plaintiff [Paul] has sufficiently alleged that the statements at issue in this case are reasonably capable of defamatory meaning and are not unactionable opinions,” Bemporad wrote.

“The Court should reject Defendants’ contention that context renders Findeisen’s statements nondefamatory,” he added.

Paul sued Findeisen in June, claiming one of Findeisen’s X posts and two YouTube videos about his CryptoZoo non-fungible token (NFT) project were malicious and caused reputational damage.

CryptoZoo was pinned as a blockchain game where players buy NFT “eggs” that would hatch into animals that could be bred to create unique animals to earn tokens depending on their rarity. The game is yet to materialize.

An example of a CryptoZoo NFT animal that combines a shark and an elephant. Source: CryptoZoo

Paul claimed Findeisen called him “a serial scammer” and that CryptoZoo was a “scam” and a “massive con,” which Paul denied. 

Findeisen asked the court for an early judgment last month, claiming his statements were made to be taken as opinions and his videos had disclaimers in the description section saying as such.

But Bemporad found that “Findeisen’s three statements meet the legal definition of defamatory” and noted that the disclaimers “are not particularly prominent” and are “visible only when the section is expanded.”

“Even if the disclaimers were more prominently on display, however, they would not materially change the factual nature of Findeisen’s assertions,” he added.

Related: Crypto influencer Ben ‘BitBoy’ Armstrong arrested in Florida 

Paul or Findeisen can object to Bemporad’s report within 14 days. Lawyers for Paul and Findeisen did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside of business hours.

Findeisen also released three videos in 2022 on CryptoZoo, which Paul did not bring defamation accusations against but previously threatened to sue over

He later backtracked, apologized, and in January 2023, promised to come up with a plan for CryptoZoo — which came a year later with Paul earmarking $2.3 million for refunds so long as claimants agreed not to sue over the project.

Meanwhile, a group of CryptoZoo buyers sued Paul and others they accused of being involved in the business in a class-action lawsuit, which Paul has asked to have tossed. He has also filed a counter-suit against two business partners he claimed were to blame for CryptoZoo’s failure.

Magazine: Meet lawyer Max Burwick — ‘The ambulance chaser of crypto’ 

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Darkweb actors claim to have over 100K of Gemini, Binance user info

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Darkweb threat actors claim to have hundreds of thousands of user records — including names, passwords and location data — of Gemini and Binance users, putting the apparent lists up for sale on the internet. 

The Dark Web Informer, a Darkweb cyber news site, said in a March 27 blog post that the latest sale is from a threat actor operating under the handle AKM69, who purportedly has an extensive list of private user information from users of crypto exchange Gemini

“The database for sale reportedly includes 100,000 records, each containing full names, emails, phone numbers, and location data of individuals from the United States and a few entries from Singapore and the UK,” the Dark Web Informer said.

Source: Dark Web Informer

“The threat actor categorized the listing as part of a broader campaign of selling consumer data for crypto-related marketing, fraud, or recovery targeting.”

Gemini didn’t immediately respond to Cointelegraph’s request for comment. 

A day earlier, Dark Web Informer said another user, kiki88888, was offering to sell Binance emails and passwords, with the compromised data reportedly containing 132,744 lines of information.

Source: Dark Web Informer

Binance says leaked info came through phishing, not data leak

Speaking to Cointelegraph, Binance said the information on the dark web is not the result of a data leak from the exchange. Instead, it was a hacker who collected data by compromising browser sessions on infected computers using malware.

In a follow-up post, the Dark Web Informer also alluded to the data theft being a result of user’s tech being comprised rather than a leak from Binance, saying, “Some of you really need to stop clicking random stuff.” 

Source: Dark Web Informer

In a similar situation last September, a hacker under the handle FireBear claimed to have a database with 12.8 million records stolen from Binance, with data including last names, first names, email addresses, phone numbers, birthdays and residential addresses, according to reports at the time. 

Binance denied the claims, dismissing the hacker’s claim to have sensitive user data as false after an internal investigation from their security team. 

Related: Binance claims code leak on GitHub is ‘outdated,’ poses minor risk

This isn’t the first cyber threat targeting users of major crypto exchanges this month. Australian federal police said on March 21 they had to alert 130 people of a message scam aimed at crypto users that spoofed the same “sender ID” as legitimate crypto exchanges, such as Binance. 

Another similar string of scam messages reported by X users on March 14 spoofed Coinbase and Gemini attempting to trick users into setting up a new wallet using pre-generated recovery phrases controlled by the fraudsters. 

Magazine: Lazarus Group’s favorite exploit revealed — Crypto hacks analysis

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