

Unlocking Bitcoin's Potential: Bitlayer's Vision for DeFi and Beyond
On this episode of the Defiant Podcast, Charlie Hu, co-founder of Bit Layer, discusses the evolution of Bitcoin beyond its role as a store of value. The conversation addresses trends in Bitcoin programmability, the development of layer two networks, liquidity in DeFi, and adoption by institutions. Cami and Charlie discuss technical distinctions among Bitcoin scaling solutions and the integration of Bitcoin with other blockchain ecosystems. Then, they conclude by exploring practical considerations for developers and users interested in these changes.
Chapters:
00:00 - 00:17 Introduction; Bitcoin’s binary narrative debated
00:17 - 00:28 Potential impacts of low network activity
00:37 - 00:59 Bitlayer overview and recent platform developments
00:59 - 01:26 Bitcoin’s price rally and changing role
01:26 - 02:09 Guest background: early experiences in Web3
02:09 - 03:15 Lessons from Ethereum and cross-chain growth
03:15 - 06:06 Founding Bitlayer; motivations and industry context
06:06 - 09:59 Network sustainability and security considerations
09:59 - 16:00 Bit Layer’s technology focus and design choices
16:00 - 30:08 Bitcoin Virtual Machines and cross-ecosystem cooperation
30:08 - 45:00 Unlocking Bitcoin liquidity; DeFi adoption and risks
45:00 - 52:00 Institutional involvement and new use cases
52:00 - End Onboarding, governance, and next steps for the ecosystem