MacLane Wilkison Shares a Compelling Vision for Bitcoin's Future in Decentralized Finance (DeFi)

At the center of the discussion was tBTC, a permissionless Bitcoin bridge designed to expand Bitcoin's utility across DeFi ecosystems

In a recent podcast interview, MacLane Wilkison, CEO of tLabs and co-founder of Threshold Network, discussed the future of Bitcoin in decentralized finance (DeFi), specifically highlighting the role of tBTC—a fully decentralized and permissionless Bitcoin bridge.

Beginning his crypto journey in 2013 at the Hacker Dojo, Wilkison experimented with Bitcoin and connected with early builders of projects like Cosmos and Dfinity. This curiosity led him to co-found NuCypher, a data privacy protocol for decentralized applications. Today, his experience shapes Threshold Network and tBTC, aiming to unlock new use cases for Bitcoin without compromising decentralization or transparency.

Unlike centralized solutions like Wrapped Bitcoin (wBTC), which rely on a single custodian, tBTC uses a decentralized network of signers to hold Bitcoin in custody. This distributed model minimizes counterparty risk and allows users to retain ownership of their BTC, even while it’s being used in DeFi applications.

One of tBTC’s most promising features is that it allows users to put their Bitcoin to work—earning yield through lending, market making, and other DeFi strategies—without selling their BTC.

As Wilkison explains, “We want to give Bitcoin holders more tools to participate in DeFi, while staying true to Bitcoin’s core values of control and self-sovereignty.”

Threshold Network has recently undergone a strategic shift—streamlining its focus solely on tBTC and ending inflation of the T token. This restructuring has created a direct link between the adoption of tBTC and the value of the T token, contributing to reported network profitability in Q1 through bridge fee revenues.

Wilkison mentioned that the current DeFi ecosystem remains fragmented, with platforms like Ethereum, Solana, and new Bitcoin layer-2s all vying for developer attention. But tBTC is built to be platform-agnostic—bridging Bitcoin into whatever ecosystem users prefer to participate in.

Looking ahead, Threshold is closely watching developments like BitVM2, which could further strengthen the security and decentralization of Bitcoin bridges.

“Our goal is to make tBTC the most secure and trust-minimized way to use Bitcoin in DeFi,” Wilkison stated.

As the conversation wound down, Wilkison offered a piece of advice to developers: focus on building tools that matter.

“Don’t chase trends. Build something that lasts and solves real problems,” he concluded.

MacLane Wilkison’s insights into tBTC and the broader DeFi ecosystem highlight the potential for Bitcoin to play a pivotal role in decentralized finance. By prioritizing security, user control, and innovative yield opportunities, tBTC is poised to become a key player in bridging Bitcoin with the diverse world of DeFi.

The Bitcoin.com News podcast features interviews with the most interesting leaders, founders and investors in the world of Cryptocurrency, Decentralized Finance (DeFi), NFTs and the Metaverse. Follow us on iTunes or Spotify.This is a sponsored podcast. Learn how to reach our audience here.

The post Bitcoin Could Be Used in DeFi Without Selling Through tBTC, Says tLabs CEO MacLane Wilkison appeared first on Bitcoin News.