Recently, Babylon opened the public testnet for Trustless Bitcoin Vaults (TBV). I also ran through the entire process end to end myself. To start with the conclusion, the most core thing about TBV is actually very easy to understand. In the past, if BTC wanted to enter DeFi, most of the time it had to be converted first into a mapped asset like WBTC, or it had to go through a cross-chain bridge or a custodian. What TBV wants to do is quite different—keep BTC on the Bitcoin Network, while directly becoming collateral that other on-chain applications can use. The first real-world deployment scenario is Aave v4. That means in the future, you can use native BTC as collateral directly, and then borrow assets like USDC and USDT on Ethereum.
Bitcoin has long been the largest and most strongly consensus-driven asset in the crypto market, but in DeFi, the capital efficiency of native BTC is actually not that high.
To borrow stablecoins, in the past you typically had to first wrap it, use cross-chain transfers, or hand the assets over to a centralized institution. Every additional layer adds extra custody, bridge, and contract risks.
Babylon Trustless Bitcoin Vaults (TBV) aims to solve this problem: enabling users to directly use native BTC as collateral, without needing Wrapped BTC, without cross-chain bridges, and without relying on centralized custodians.
Currently, TBV has already launched a public testnet for native BTC collateralized lending in partnership with Aave v4. After users deposit native BTC as collateral, they can borrow assets such as USDC and USDT on Ethereum.
I think there are four especially noteworthy aspects of this:
1. Native BTC can directly become on-chain collateral; 2. Users still retain self-custody; 3. Users can access market-based DeFi borrowing interest rates; 4. BTC liquidity is starting to enter larger financial scenarios such as lending, stablecoins, and derivatives.
If this architecture ultimately works end-to-end, BTC’s role will move beyond simply holding an asset and further extend into the foundational layers of on-chain credit and liquidity.
After-hours market close: earnings reports from five companies — concise takeaways
Slightly bearish: SNDK — Negative gamma +大量 call unwinds + overly optimistic expectations; risk of disappointment if results meet expectations; partner Kaitopia may pull back. WDC — Strong linkage with SNDK; pressure on the memory sector; options sentiment is somewhat cautious.
More bullish: APP — Put wall at 410 as strong support; negative gamma amplifies upside; high-growth consensus. DASH — Stable orders/GOV; consensus revenue up +30%+; growth narrative is clear. FIG — Faster AI monetization + NDR at a high level; guidance could be revised higher. While there is risk of a “double hit” in memory, the rest depends on execution. Focus on guidance.