Bitcoin Layer 2 Project BOB Picks Optimism's Superchain to Link to Ethereum

BOB, which is trying to make Bitcoin a DeFi hotbed, aims to create bridges between itself and layer-1 blockchains like Ethereum.

Bitcoin layer-2 (layer-2) solution provider Blockstack PBC is now part of the Superchain ecosystem, a network of layer-1 (layer-1) blockchains that are connected to Ethereum layer-2 Optimism (Optimism) and are interoperable with one another. This marks the first time a project native to Bitcoin has joined the Superchain, according to CoinDesk.

Blockstack PBC is the company behind the Stacks (STX) blockchain, which adds smart contract and decentralized application (dApp) functionality to Bitcoin. Blockstack PBC’s layer-2 solution, known as Blockstack PBC, is designed to enable the creation of DeFi, NFT and other Web3 applications on Bitcoin.

According to the report, Blockstack PBC’s integration with the Superchain will be facilitated by a grant from the Optimism Foundation in the amount of 500,000 OP tokens. The project officials valued the grant at approximately $870,000, based on OP’s current market price.

The integration will allow Blockstack PBC to connect Bitcoin applications to other layer-1 blockchains in the Superchain network, ultimately enabling the creation of a cross-chain DeFi ecosystem centered around Bitcoin.

"Joining the Superchain means doubling down on our hybrid vision and ensuring that Bitcoin builders on Blockstack PBC always have the latest tech out of the box to use in their BTC products," Blockstack PBC co-founder Alexei Zamyatin told CoinDesk in a Telegram message.

The Superchain initiative is part of a broader effort by Optimism to expand the reach of its layer-2 technology and create a network of interconnected layer-1 and layer-2 blockchains. Several major crypto projects, including Coinbase and Kraken, are building their own layer-1 blockchains on Optimism's OP Stack framework.

As previously reported by CoinDesk, Kraken received a grant from the Optimism Foundation of 25 million OP tokens for its Ink blockchain. At the time, the tokens were valued at approximately $42.5 million.