Bitcoin Builders Conference in Nashville: Highlights and Announcements
On July 25th and 26th, the Bitcoin Builders ecosystem came together in Nashville to celebrate Bitcoin as a productive asset and discuss the path forward for Bitcoin from a builder standpoint. The sold-out Bitcoin Builders Conference was buzzing with new ideas and innovations. Panels and keynotes covered a variety of themes shaping the Bitcoin landscape, with a particular focus on Layer 2 solutions and their critical role in the Bitcoin economy. Speakers, leaders, and builders demonstrated a strong desire for collaboration over competition, centered on a shared vision of unlocking Bitcoin's full utility and functionality.
Key Announcements and Highlights
- Aptos Labs and Stacks Foundation Collaboration: Aptos Labs' Neil Harounian and Stacks Foundation chairperson Brittany Laughlin announced that the Aptos Foundation will become a Signer for the Stacks Network. They also introduced the start of a working group to further this collaboration.
- Bitcoin Names System V2: Trust Machines' Rena Shah and Gina Abrams introduced the Bitcoin Names System V2, showcasing advancements in decentralized identity and naming systems.
- USDh Stablecoin Launch: Hermetica’s Jakob Schillinger shared that the launch of the USDh stablecoin on Bitcoin Layer 2 Stacks is approaching, signaling a new era for stablecoins on the Bitcoin network.
- Security and Future Movement of BTC: Zest Protocol’s Tycho Onnasch and Stacking DAO’s Philip de Smedt emphasized that Stacks is the preferred Layer 2 solution for optimal security and the future movement of BTC into layers.
- Scaling Runes on Bitcoin L2 Stacks: Bitflow Founder Dylan Floyd discussed his ideas for scaling Runes via Bitcoin Layer 2 Stacks, pointing to future scalability solutions.
- Bitcoin Perpetual Decentralized Exchange: Velar CEO Mithil Thakore announced the upcoming Bitcoin Perpetual Decentralized Exchange for Stacks, set to launch post Nakamoto Upgrade.
- BitVM and sBTC: Bitcoin L2 Labs’ Andre Serrano shared ongoing research and investment into how BitVM can help reduce trust assumptions for sBTC in the future.
Featured Panel: The Rise of Bitcoin Layers
Muneeb Ali from Stacks & Trust Machines joined Willem Schroe from Botanix Labs, Alexei Zamyatin from BOB, and Charlie Hu from Bitlayer Labs to discuss the future of Bitcoin and Layer 2s, which stand to enhance scalability and programmability within the Bitcoin ecosystem.
Featured Panel: Staking, Stablecoins, Swaps -- Is This How Bitcon DeFi Scales?
What are the pillars of a booming DeFi ecosystem? What configuration of apps will unlock broad user adoption of financial tools on the world's oldest blockchain? This panel of builders will assess the current landscape, weighing recent growth vs. remaining needs. Speakers: Tizzly Buff (Tizz), Vicky Fu (Yala), Jakob Schillinger (Hermetica), David Tse (Babylon).
Last but not least, a huge thank you to the amazing crew of sponsors, builders, and attendees for making the Nashville Bitcoin Builders Conference a dynamic, collaborative success. We hope to see you at the next event!