Cardano has launched the Cardinal Protocol to bridge Bitcoin DeFi, offering BTC holders new onchain opportunities and pushing for greater cross-chain integration.
Developers have already achieved a milestone by wrapping and unwrapping a Bitcoin ordinal across the Bitcoin and ADA mainnets, enabling seamless interaction between the networks. However, the protocol is in its early phase and improvements are expected before the official release of version 1.0.
Cardinal provides safer onchain access for BTC holders, allowing them to utilize Cardano's DeFi infrastructure for activities like lending, staking, and yield strategies. This initiative aims to onboard Bitcoin liquidity and reduce barriers between major blockchains for cross-chain capital flows.
The Cardinal Protocol is part of Cardano's strategy to enhance cross-chain integration and bring new opportunities to the DeFi space. Updates on the development of the protocol and the release of version 1.0 are anticipated in the near future.