Rootstock Increases Hashrate Share to 81% of Total Bitcoin Blockchain Volume: Messari
Bitcoin DeFi Security Improves as Rootstock Increases Its Share of Hashrate
Rootstock is one of many projects aimed at increasing the utility of Bitcoin by expanding DeFi capabilities through smart contracts.
Jamie Crowley | Edited by Sheldon Rebeck May 11, 2025, 5:00 PM
Key facts:
- Bitcoin-based DeFi is becoming more secure and accessible, thanks in part to the efforts of Rootstock's second layer, according to a new report from Messari.
- Messari reports that Rootstock is protected by 81% of the total Bitcoin hashrate.
- Rootstock's development is helping prepare for increased Bitcoin DeFi adoption by the end of 2025.
Crypto analytics company Messari noted in a recent report that decentralized finance (DeFi) on the Bitcoin blockchain is still in its infancy compared to Ethereum, but Bitcoin DeFi (BTCFi) is becoming more secure and cost-effective.
A key player is Rootstock, one of the oldest Bitcoin Layer-2 projects, as indicated in a Messari report titled “The State of Rootstock,” published on Thursday.
Rootstock now gets protection from 81% of the total Bitcoin hashrate, meaning that miners representing that hashrate also confirm transactions at Layer 2. Before Foundry and Spiderpool, the world's largest and sixth-largest mining pools respectively, joined in February, that figure was just 56%.
Messari also noted that Rootstock transaction fees are 95% lower than average Bitcoin transaction fees and 55% lower than Ethereum.
Rootstock is one of many projects that aim to increase Bitcoin’s utility by expanding DeFi capabilities through smart contracts implemented through “BitVMX,” a modified version of the BitVM programming language. Other notable Bitcoin layer-2 projects include Stacks and BOB (“Build on Bitcoin”).
The project has also integrated with the LayerZero bridge protocol to allow Rootstock applications to interact with a variety of other blockchains, including Ethereum and Solana. Its growth lays the groundwork for increased adoption of BTCFi by the end of 2025, according to Messari.
“Given the growth of BTCFi, Rootstock is well positioned for wider adoption thanks to key updates such as a 60% reduction in transaction fees, as well as continued investment in developer training and incentive programs,” said Messari analyst Andrew Yang.
Read More: Bitcoin's Role in DeFi Is an 'Untapped Opportunity,' Says Binance Research
