Applications for the new set of quarterly Critical Bounties are open. The emphasis topics are: • DevEx & Testing • Network Participants • Other Topics (e.g research and development of ideas advancing Bitcoin layers) You only have until June 7th to apply! 👇 Apply now for the chance to complete a Critical Bounty:

buff.ly

Want to learn about building on Bitcoin via Stacks?🏗 Then make sure to participate in the EasyA hackathon at the University of Texas-Austin.🧑‍💻 📅 The event will occur this Thursday, 23rd May, at 6:30 PM. Register now:

www.eventbrite.co.uk

There are many SIP ideas under development which are worth exploring and learn more about. Make sure to join the weekly AMA for a Q&A, feedback, and continued discussion on SIP ideas: Tune in tomorrow at 6 PM CEST!

x.com

sBTC is going to activate the Bitcoin economy. Builders will be able to build Bitcoin-backed DeFi, NFTs, and more. Unlocking BTC as a fully programmable asset will open the gates for a digital economy on top of Bitcoin.

A new wallet is integrating the Stacks network! Uphold wallet users will now get to hold and manage STX. By making the leading Bitcoin L2 more accessible, new users will get to access Bitcoin-backed apps.

Another Stacks DeFi project completed a raise. This time, Zest Protocol completed a $3.5M round led by Draper Associates. The Bitcoin ecosystem is heating up and capturing the interest of investors like Tim Draper & Binance Lab.

The instantiation was just the first step of the Nakamoto release. The Nakamoto features, such as fast blocks and Bitcoin finality, will go live in the activation phase. After the Nakamoto upgrade is completed, sBTC will become the main focus.

The "Building on Bitcoin" virtual event is in 2 days! The Bitcoin halving, Runes, and the Nakamoto upgrade are attracting the interest of new users. Join Bitcoin builders and investors to learn how and why Bitcoin is rapidly growing.

bitcoinunleashed.org

Nakamoto Starts Rolling Out 🟧 Today, the first of two hard forks went live thanks to miners, node operators, exchanges, Signers, and more. This means there’s only one step left before Nakamoto’s fast blocks, Bitcoin finality, and other improvements are available to everyone! This release comes after over a year of design and development, community feedback, and rigorous testing. As a reminder, Nakamoto is following a two-step rollout plan, the next step after today’s ‘instantiation’ step is “activation,” slated for May 15-29. Learn more 👇

It has been a massive week for the Bitcoin ecosystem: • Bitcoin halving completed • Runes standards launched • Stacks Nakamoto instantiation on Monday Bitcoin interest keeps rising, and it's time to scale the network with L2s.

Want to learn about the best security practices that Stacks community can apply? Security is a huge topic in the crypto space that always stays relevant. Join tomorrow AMA at 6:00 PM CET to discuss wallet safety, smart contracts risks, and more.

x.com

Bitcoin L2s are getting more spotlight from top-tier media. Both Decrypt and Forbes covered Stacks and the Nakamoto upgrade. More and more people are discovering Bitcoin L2s; A great step to onboard new people. Here are the articles: Forbes ->

buff.ly

Decrypt ->

buff.ly

Nakamoto rules will be activated gradually from the instantiation Bitcoin block 840,360, from that block you'll have about a cycle to commit to the PoX-4 stacking contract for example.

stacks.org

The same process is used on testnet, you'll see Nakamoto rules activate there first, that way if bugs are discovered they can still be resolved.

Bitcoin has been viewed only as a store-of-value asset for a long time. L2s are slowly enabling the development of a digital economy on top of Bitcoin. With the Nakamoto upgrade and sBTC release, Stacks will further accelerate this transition.

Stacks network has been integrated into @Galxe. Galxe is the leading tool for incentivizing crypto communities' growth and retention. Stacks apps can now track users' on-chain actions through quests and reward community contributions. Learn more about the integration here:

stacks.org

The Nakamoto upgrade activation will be completed in roughly a month. What does it mean? • Fast block times • Transactions secured by 100% Bitcoin finality It will bring improved UX for users and marks a significant step towards Bitcoin ecosystem scalability.

The Bitcoin DeFi ecosystem keeps growing! Portal Finance, a DEX for assets built on Bitcoin layers, will integrate sBTC. Building the foundations of Bitcoin DeFi is the only way to unlock the Bitcoin economy.

Ready for a new Building on Bitcoin virtual event? 🟠 Mark your calendars for April 25 at 10 AM ET. 📅 Join builders and investors to talk about the rapidly growing Bitcoin ecosystem. Register now here:

stx.is

Mark your calendar for this Friday at 6 PM CET. 📅 Join the weekly SIP call focused on analyzing tokenized standards.🪙 New explorative approaches will be a key aspect of the discussion.

twitter.com

Bitcoin is the largest cryptocurrency in the world. Now it's time to develop a strong DeFi, NFT, and app ecosystem on top of it. With the Nakamoto upgrade and sBTC, Stacks is making its top priority to help Bitcoin unlock its potential.

Another exciting week for the Stacks ecosystem: • Instantiation block for the Nakamoto Rollout announced • Arkadiko Finance reports a 170% TVL growth • Stacking DAO announced a fresh rebrand Subscribe to StacksSnacks weekly newsletter to keep up with ecosystem news 👇

buff.ly

According to Signal21, the Stacks network witnessed a 74% TVL growth in Q1 of 2024. It showcases the increased interest in Stacks DeFi. Recent protocol launches, increased trading activity and upcoming apps will drive more users to the ecosystem.

The Nakamoto upgrade instantiation will occur approximately on April 16. It will mark a new chapter for the Stacks ecosystem. Faster transaction times and Bitcoin finality will be achieved. Then, the focus will be on sBTC, which will unlock the Bitcoin economy.

The Stacks ecosystem offers exciting news every week: • ALEX closed a $10M funding round led by The Spartan Group • Stacking DAO announced V2 to bootstrap a Signer network • STXTools V3 is live with new tokens, data, and more Don't miss out on what is happening on Stacks by receiving weekly updates with the StacksSnacks newsletter.

stackssnacks.com

The Bitcoin halving and Nakamoto upgrade are just around the corner. 🟧 Mark your calendar for the Building on Bitcoin virtual event on April 25. 📅 Join Bitcoin leaders as they unpack these significant milestones and what lies ahead for the ecosystem.

bitcoinunleashed.org

Is interest regarding Bitcoin L2s truly picking up? Signal21 charts clearly show Stacks growth in terms of network activity and active participants. It will become even more interesting as the Nakamoto upgrade, and sBTC activates the Bitcoin economy.

The public Nakamoto Testnet is live, but do you know what it means? 📅 Join the SIP call this Friday at 5 PM CET. The AMA will cover the Nakamoto Testnet and offer guidance on how to get involved.🎙

twitter.com

The public Nakamoto Testnet is live! 🎉 Great opportunity for Signers, Stackers, & Builders to get familiar with how the network will look like. 📖 Check out the Nakamoto rollout overview and find all testnet resources here:

stacks.org

One of the big unlocks for the Bitcoin economy is DeFi. Stacks DeFi ecosystem has already around $300M in TVL, proving the demand for such services. sBTC launch is poised to attract more liquidity as use cases focused on BTC emerge.

Bitcoin is the most-known cryptocurrency worldwide. Yet, there is not much built on top of it. L2s are changing this by activating the Bitcoin economy. DeFi, NFTs, and more are being built on Bitcoin with the goal of unlocking BTC capital.

Since AasyA app integrated Stacks lessons, more than 70k devs have started learning about the ecosystem. Learning to deploy smart contracts to build DeFi apps on Stacks has never been simpler. The more people learn coding on Stacks, the more Bitcoin DeFi will thrive.

Many have kept their BTC holdings idle as no solutions were available to deploy them productively. 💤 sBTC will empower new Bitcoin-focused DeFi apps while enabling a top-notch usage experience. The time to activate the Bitcoin economy is now. ⏲

A week full of milestones for Stacks DeFi: • Arkadiko Finance 2.0 was released today • Velar AMM is now live with the first trading pairs • Stacking DAO and ALEX are the largest DeFi apps on any Bitcoin L2 The Stacks DeFi ecosystem is heating up!

The Stacks Nakamoto upgrade has been approved 🎉 Almost 100% of the STX holders voted in favor of the release. 💯 What are the next steps from here? 🤔 Expect the Nakamoto mainnet activation window between May 15-29. 📅 Read more about Nakamoto approval here:

stacks.org

A lot is happening on Stacks, and keeping up with the ecosystem can be hard. Just this week, ALEX became the largest Bitcoin L2 DeFi app, and Bifrost network pledged to support sBTC. Subscribe to Stacks Snacks for weekly recaps and news

buff.ly

L2s already represent a significant part of other chains' activity, showcasing their success as a scaling solution. Bitcoin is next in line to reap the benefits, with L2s opening doors to fresh use cases for the ecosystem.

Why L2s are a positive development for the Bitcoin ecosystem? By unlocking BTC capital, they enable to build a digital economy on top of Bitcoin. As programmability is enhanced, a new range of Bitcoin use cases will emerge.

sBTC is all about enabling Bitcoin-backed protocols. With the Bifrost Network collaboration, sBTC will be used as collateral across other DeFi apps. Read more about the integration here:

stacks.org

After the Nakamoto upgrade, sBTC emerges as the next crucial release on Stacks. By facilitating Bitcoin-backed applications, sBTC will attract fresh builders to the ecosystem. They will focus on making BTC the go-to asset for DeFi and decentralized protocols.

Despite the various criticism about Bitcoin, it is stronger than ever. • BTC is increasingly recognised as a valuable asset • L2s are maturing and scaling the Bitcoin ecosystem Bitcoin may be seen as digital gold, yet it's also laying the foundation for a digital economy.

For a long time, many thought nothing could have been built on Bitcoin. The past year has seen a renaissance within the Bitcoin ecosystem. Layers 2, Ordinals, and other innovative infrastructure are emerging quickly. The digital economy on Bitcoin is becoming a reality.

Unlocking BTC capital is the next big step for the Bitcoin ecosystem. L2s like Stacks are set to play a key role in enabling Bitcoin-focused apps. With the upcoming sBTC release, expect: • Holders to productively deploy BTC • Developers to create new use cases for BTC

8 new Signers have been onboarded on Stacks. These include Blockdaemon, Luxor, Kiln, Near Foundation, DeSpread, Restake, Chorus One, and Alum Labs. They will play a key role in block production and Stacks decentralization once Nakamoto goes live. Read more about it here:

buff.ly

Only a few days left to vote for the Nakamoto upgrade. This upgrade is key to unlock many benefits: • Faster blocks • Bitcoin finality • Introduce sBTC Don't miss your chance to shape the future of Stacks:

stx.eco

The Nakamoto upgrade is paving the way for sBTC. sBTC will make Bitcoin a fully programmable asset and unlock its true potential. It will fuel the growth of a Bitcoin-baked DeFi ecosystem, creating new use cases for BTC holders.

The Ready Layer 2 hackathon is starting next week! It's an opportunity to build and pitch your Bitcoin product. Exclusive rewards can be earned from $15,000 pools to exclusive opportunities. Register now at:

readyl2.com

Stacks is moving towards activating the Bitcoin economy. Nakamoto fast block times & Bitcoin finality are key steps to reach this goal. Discover the new Nakamoto website for an in-depth look at the upgrade & explore the updated Stacks brand.👇👇 - Stacks Brand Refresh:

buff.ly

- Nakamoto Website:

buff.ly

The excitement around Bitcoin keeps rising. But what is even more interesting is how Bitcoin L2s are maturing. They enable the DeFi blocks to emerge and unlock new utilities for Bitcoin as an ecosystem. L2s are here to move Bitcoin forward!

According to Lunar Crush, Stacks has witnessed one of the largest increases in social activity. 🚀 With Bitcoin L2s gaining more adoption, Stacks' social interactions are up nearly 16,000%. 📈 People are realising the potential of L2s in scaling the Bitcoin ecosystem.

Why are L2s so important for the Bitcoin ecosystem? 🤔 They boost the demand and utility for BTC. L2s enable DeFi apps and faster transactions, encouraging more productive use of BTC holdings. 📈 To expand Bitcoin reach, it must evolve to attract new attention.