citrea

Citrea has officially launched its mainnet, bringing a Bitcoin-native application layer designed for on-chain trading, lending, and settlement directly to the Bitcoin network. The launch, announced on Jan. 27, marks a major step toward expanding Bitcoin’s role beyond long-term holding and into active on-chain finance.

Turning Bitcoin Into an Active Financial Network

Citrea is built as a Bitcoin-focused application layer that keeps liquidity anchored to BTC while enabling programmable, Bitcoin-secured applications. Its goal is to support capital markets on Bitcoin without relying on external chains.
At launch, Citrea introduced two core assets:
cBTC – a Bitcoin-backed asset used across decentralized applicationsctUSD – a Bitcoin-native stablecoin designed to provide on-chain liquiditycBTC uses zero-knowledge proofs and BitVM-based verification, minimizing reliance on custodians or multisig trust models. Any fraudulent activity can be challenged directly on Bitcoin’s mainnet, as long as at least one honest participant exists—offering stronger security than earlier Bitcoin bridge designs.

30+ Apps Live From Day One

Citrea’s mainnet debuts with more than 30 Bitcoin-secured applications, including decentralized exchanges, liquidity tools, and early-stage lending and privacy-focused services. The team says more applications and structured yield products are set to roll out in the coming weeks.

Stablecoin Liquidity and Ecosystem Tools

To power settlement and trading, Citrea launched ctUSD, issued by MoonPay and built on M0’s open stablecoin infrastructure. The stablecoin is available across most of the U.S. (excluding New York) and in over 160 countries, with institutional compliance in mind.
Citrea has also rolled out a user dashboard, allowing users to manage assets, track activity, and explore applications across the ecosystem. All user actions are recorded from day one, with additional features planned as the platform expands.

What’s Next for Citrea

Looking ahead, Citrea aims to grow Bitcoin-denominated financial activity while strengthening miner incentives through increased network usage. The team views this mainnet launch as an early but important step toward transforming Bitcoin into a fully active financial platform, not just a store of value.
$BTC

#bitcoin #citrea #MainnetLaunch #Write2Earn

Attention to the army of holders! 🛡️ A historic news just dropped. The launch of Citrea on the main network completely changes the game for our good old BTC.
Citrea recently launched its main network (Mainnet) very recently (end of January 2026).
Why is this a "bomb" for the market? Here is the simple explanation:
1️⃣ Bitcoin is coming out of passive storage🔓💰
Until now, Bitcoin was mostly "digital gold" that was sitting in our wallets. With Citrea, it becomes "active". We can now use it for financial services (loans, exchanges) without ever leaving the legendary security of the Bitcoin network.

Citrea has raised $14 million in Series A funding led by Founders Fund, the venture capital firm founded by Peter Thiel. This latest investment brings our total funding to $16.7 million, positioning us to revolutionize how Bitcoin operates in the modern financial landscape.
Reimagining Bitcoin's Role in Finance
While Bitcoin has established itself as digital gold, its potential extends far beyond passive value storage. Traditional approaches have forced users to choose between holding Bitcoin securely or ceding control to third parties for additional functionality. Citrea breaks this paradigm with its innovative zero-knowledge collection technology that allows Bitcoin to serve as both a secure store of value and a dynamic financial instrument.
Their solution preserves Bitcoin’s fundamental security while offering smart contract capabilities previously associated with other blockchain platforms. This advancement enables Bitcoin to be trustedlessly lended, borrowed, and leveraged, making it a comprehensive foundation for decentralized finance.
Joey Krug, Partner at Founders Fund, emphasizes its importance: “Citrea represents a breakthrough in combining Bitcoin’s security with smart contract flexibility. By bringing Ethereum-style aggregation capabilities to Bitcoin, we are witnessing a significant expansion of what is possible in the Bitcoin ecosystem.”
Get to Know Citrea Origins
Alongside Citrea’s funding announcement, they are also introducing Citrea Origins, an intensive developer program designed to accelerate Bitcoin-based app development. The first group will meet in Bangkok this November to collaborate directly with Citrea to create groundbreaking apps. These projects will range from Bitcoin-backed stablecoins to sophisticated trading platforms, laying the groundwork for a more diverse Bitcoin economy.
Building Toward a Bitcoin-Powered Future
“Bitcoin has the potential to be the backbone of a censorship-resistant financial system,” explains Orkun Kilic, co-founder and CEO of Chainway Labs. “With Citrea’s advanced cryptographic innovations, we are making this vision technically feasible and practically achievable.”
Their work goes beyond pure technological advancement; it’s about realizing Bitcoin’s full potential as the foundation of a new financial paradigm. By combining Bitcoin’s renowned security with unprecedented programmability, they are creating the infrastructure needed for a truly decentralized financial future.
About Citrea
Citrea represents the cutting edge of Bitcoin innovation by developing zero-knowledge technology to enhance Bitcoin’s capabilities while preserving its core attributes. With the support of a talented team of computer scientists at Chainway Labs, they are dedicated to making Bitcoin the cornerstone of tomorrow’s financial infrastructure.

#citrea #bitcoin #btc #Chainway #ChainwayLabs