Blockstack CEO Says Bitcoin Is a Better DeFi Solution Than Most Think

Published at: Aug. 1, 2020

As interest in smart contracts surges, some Bitcoiners are asking: why can't Bitcoin (BTC) become the foundation for smart contracts too, instead of Ethereum (ETH)?

Muneeb Ali, co-founder and CEO of Blockstack open-source platform, believes that the best way to bring about a user-owned internet "is to anchor applications and smart contracts to the Bitcoin network in a way that uses Bitcoin as a reserve currency and its powerful blockchain as a security mechanism."

In a conversation with Cointelegraph, Ali stated that Bitcoin has been the king of blockchains for more than a decade, as most people have come to recognize that the Bitcoin network is “unparalleled” when it comes to security:

“We believe that the new Stacks 2.0 blockchain, currently in testnet, holds one solution for making Bitcoin the foundation for smart contracts in Web 3.0. With the Clarity smart contract programming language and the Proof of Transfer mechanism, developers can build smart contracts in a much more secure language that is predictable, decidable.”

Ethereum as a frontrunner for smart contracts

Traditionally, Bitcoin has been recognized as a secure network, whereas Ethereum has been a “frontrunner” when it comes to smart contracts, according to Ali. Blockstack’s founder elaborated further on the discussion:

“Bitcoin’s limited scripting language has been seen as a dealbreaker to developers looking to build dapps or deploy smart contracts. As a result, many developers end up building their own blockchains, hoping to bootstrap native proof-of-work protocols or proof-of-stake, but these tend to be much less secure. One of the results is developers assume Ethereum is better suited for launching smart contracts, but I believe this is premature.”

Ali also pointed out that the future of the internet will not be a “tradeoff of convenience for security,” but will instead be tying that security to web applications in a way that uses Bitcoin as a reserve currency along with its blockchain as a security mechanism.

DeFi on the Bitcoin network

Regarding the web 3.0 era, Ali thinks that of particular note is the recent “rise in conversation about the possibilities of ‘DeFi on the Bitcoin’.” For the Blockstack’s founder, this means more people are looking to anchor in the security of Bitcoin when it comes to financial products:

“Many people think that it is easier to recreate Bitcoin on top of Ethereum, but it actually makes more sense to create Ethereum functionality on top of Bitcoin. The adoption of this is still nascent but people are definitely starting to realize the value of building on the Bitcoin ecosystem rather than parallel to it.”

Tags
Decentralization
Blockchain
Bitcoin
Ethereum
Defi
Smart Contracts
Related Posts
The evolution of DeFi and its unique token distribution mechanics
As in most technical domains, evolution in the crypto industry moves in waves. The first wave was the building of layer-one blockchain solutions and infrastructures like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH). The second wave was the ICO boom. As this draws to an end, there have been multiple speculations on what the next wave in crypto will be. Some predicted that security token offerings and initial exchange offerings would be the next big thing, but this did not come to pass. Others believe in layer-two scaling solutions like Plasma and the Lightning Network, which, lately, have proved to be critical …
Decentralization / Sept. 14, 2020
What DeFi needs to do next to keep institutional players interested
The last few months’ frenzy of institutional money flowing into Bitcoin (BTC) has seen crypto hitting the headlines — at the least as a novelty asset, at the most as a must-have. There is undoubtedly a trend in the market toward greater awareness and acceptance of digital assets as a new investable asset class. A June 2020 report by Fidelity Digital Assets found that 80% of institutions in the United States and Europe have at least an interest in investing in crypto, while more than a third have already invested in some form of digital asset, with Bitcoin being the …
Decentralization / Feb. 27, 2021
Web3 developer growth hits an all-time high as ecosystem matures
“Web3” may be one of the biggest buzzwords of 2022, but the idea of creating an entirely decentralized platform to host decentralized applications has long been a vision of the crypto community. While it’s notable that some blockchain companies began building out Web3 applications four or five years ago, the Web3 space has only started gaining traction recently. The recent growth of Web3 was highlighted in a new report from Electric Capital, a venture capital firm that has been investing in Web3 companies since 2018. The “Electric Capital 2021 Developer Report” analyzed data from nearly 500,000 code repositories and 160 …
Decentralization / Feb. 3, 2022
What are the most bullish cryptocurrencies to buy right now? | Find out now on The Market Report
The Market Report with Cointelegraph is live right now. On this week’s show, Cointelegraph’s resident experts discuss what they believe are the top three most bullish coins one should take a closer look at. But first, market expert Marcel Pechman carefully examines the Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) markets. Are the current market conditions bullish or bearish? What is the outlook for the next few months? Pechman is here to break it down. Next up: the main event. Join Cointelegraph analysts Benton Yaun, Jordan Finneseth and Sam Bourgi as each makes his case for the most bullish cryptocurrency right now. …
Decentralization / May 3, 2022
DeFi transforming lending routes on the blockchain
The world of decentralized finance (DeFi) is gradually expanding to encompass a significant share of the global financial lending space by virtue of the inherently trustless manner of operation and the ease of accessing capital. As the crypto ecosystem has grown to a $2-trillion industry by market capitalization, new products and offerings have emerged thanks to burgeoning innovation in blockchain technology. Lending and borrowing have become an integral part of the crypto ecosystem, especially with the emergence of DeFi. Lending and borrowing are one of the core offerings of the traditional financial system, and most people are familiar with the …
Decentralization / May 14, 2022