Starknet's Bitcoin Pivot: How an Ethereum L2 Is Betting Its Future on BTC
· 9 min read
The largest zero-knowledge rollup on Ethereum just told the world it wants to be Bitcoin's execution layer. In March 2025, Starknet — the chain built on STARKs and long associated with Ethereum scaling — officially declared its intention to settle on both Bitcoin and Ethereum, becoming the first Layer 2 to pursue dual-chain settlement. Less than a year later, more than 1,700 BTC sit staked in Starknet's consensus, their dollar value eclipsing the network's own STRK token staked balance. The question is no longer whether Starknet is serious about Bitcoin. The question is whether it can outrun Babylon, Stacks, and Rootstock in the race to unlock the $1.8 trillion asset's dormant DeFi potential.