Native Bitcoin
Native Bitcoin is BTC held and moved on the Bitcoin network itself, rather than a wrapped token on another network that stands for BTC held elsewhere. SODAX operates across 20+ networks, EVM and non-EVM, including native Bitcoin.
What it refers to
Native Bitcoin is BTC held and moved on the Bitcoin network itself. The term separates it from a wrapped version of BTC: a different token, created on another network and backed by BTC that a custodian or a contract holds.
A wrapped token can be useful on its own network, but it is not the same asset as BTC on the Bitcoin network, and what it is worth to its holder depends on the arrangement behind it.
Why this concept exists
Bitcoin is a non-EVM network. It records balances as unspent transaction outputs rather than as accounts, its scripting language is deliberately limited compared with smart contract networks, and new blocks arrive about every ten minutes on average.
Most DeFi apps were built for smart contract networks, so for years the usual way to use BTC in DeFi was to wrap it onto one of them. The distinction between native and wrapped BTC matters to anyone choosing which form of BTC to hold, accept or build on.
What this changes for system design
A system that works with native Bitcoin has to handle a network that shares neither the account model nor the smart contract environment of EVM networks, and whose confirmations follow their own timing. Cross-network execution that involves Bitcoin is therefore asynchronous, and coordination has to account for those differences rather than assume every network behaves alike.
SODAX operates across 20+ networks, EVM and non-EVM, including native Bitcoin. Bitcoin is among the crypto majors available through the SODAX API, alongside Ethereum and Solana.
Related terms
- Bridge: where wrapped tokens usually come from
- Cross-network: the term for spanning networks
- Cross-network execution: actions across EVM and non-EVM networks
- SODAX System: the 20+ networks it spans
- SODAX API: how apps reach BTC