Here's something that few people notice: what is currently lacking in the Bitcoin ecosystem? It's not a lack of money or attention, but rather infrastructure, especially oracles. @APRO-Oracle sees an opportunity in this desert.
Bitcoin DeFi sounds contradictory because Bitcoin itself does not have Turing-complete smart contracts. However, innovations like the Lightning Network, RGB++ protocol, and Runes standard are changing the status quo. Bitcoin is no longer just digital gold but a platform that can support complex financial applications.
The question arises: these applications require oracles. However, traditional oracles are designed for the Ethereum ecosystem. Chainlink claims to support Bitcoin, but in reality, it is just a simple port. The support for Bitcoin's UTXO model and OP_RETURN features is very limited. Pyth, not to mention, focuses on Solana and high-frequency trading, showing little interest in Bitcoin.
APRO's strategy is to provide native support, not simply porting Ethereum's oracles over, but specifically designing data transmission solutions for Bitcoin's technical characteristics.
For example, the Lightning Network is a Layer 2 payment network for Bitcoin. Users can transfer money quickly through payment channels. However, the Lightning Network has a pain point: liquidity routing. Alice needs to send money to Bob and must find a payment channel with sufficient balance. This requires real-time network topology data.
APRO can provide this kind of data. Its nodes monitor the channel status of the Lightning Network, indicating which channels have balances and which are congested. It updates in real-time. DeFi applications can call APRO's API to optimize routing, improve payment success rates, and reduce fees.
Another example is the RGB++ protocol, which is an asset issuance standard on Bitcoin, similar to Ethereum's ERC-20 but more complex. It utilizes Bitcoin's UTXO model to achieve asset transfers. DeFi applications of RGB++ need to verify the qualifications and authenticity of the reserves of the asset issuer, which requires an oracle.
APRO's AI nodes can automatically capture and verify this information, extracting data from issuer websites, audit reports, and regulatory documents for cross-validation, and outputting asset ratings. This service is a necessity in the RGB++ ecosystem but is not provided by Chainlink or Pyth.
The Runes standard is even more interesting. It is a fungible token standard on Bitcoin, more efficient than Ordinals. The price discovery of Runes tokens requires oracles, but the liquidity of DEX on Bitcoin is very fragmented, with each pool having insufficient depth, making prices easy to manipulate.
APRO's TVWAP algorithm comes into play here. It aggregates data from multiple Runes DEXs, volume-weighting, filtering anomalies, and outputting reliable prices. This multi-source aggregation capability is the infrastructure for Bitcoin DeFi.
But APRO's layout in the Bitcoin ecosystem goes beyond this. It is also working on something bigger: cross-chain data verification.
Bitcoin DeFi often requires cross-chain capabilities. Users lock BTC on the Bitcoin main chain and obtain wrapped assets on Lightning or RGB++, then use them as collateral for loans in DeFi protocols. This process requires oracle verification to ensure that the BTC on the Bitcoin main chain is truly locked and to know the reserve ratio of the wrapped assets.
APRO's cross-chain verification nodes simultaneously monitor the Bitcoin main chain and Layer 2. When users lock BTC, nodes verify whether the transaction confirmation count is sufficient, then sign the confirmation on Layer 2, allowing the minting of wrapped assets. Conversely, when users redeem, nodes verify the destruction transaction on Layer 2 and then release BTC on the main chain.
This cross-chain verification service is a necessity for Bitcoin DeFi. However, Chainlink's cross-chain bridge CCIP mainly serves the Ethereum ecosystem and has weak support for Bitcoin. Pyth does not do cross-chain at all. APRO fills this gap.
More critically, APRO's investment in the Bitcoin ecosystem is not short-term speculation but a long-term layout. The roadmap clearly mentions that by 2026, it will deepen support for Lightning RGB++ and Runes, indicating that the team is optimistic about the future of BTCfi.
From the data, Bitcoin DeFi is still in its early stages. The total locked value (TVL) may only be a few hundred million dollars, far less than Ethereum's hundreds of billions. However, the growth rate is very fast: the number of Lightning Network channels grew by 40% in 2024, the asset issuance of the RGB++ protocol tripled, and although the Runes standard has just been launched, dozens of projects are already using it.
If Bitcoin DeFi really explodes in 2026-2027, APRO's position as a native oracle for Bitcoin will be irreplaceable. Chainlink and Pyth wanting to enter will need to readapt their tech stack and establish node networks, which will incur high time and capital costs. APRO has already taken an early position.
A technical expert in the community analyzed that the oracle demand for Bitcoin DeFi is completely different from that of Ethereum. Ethereum DeFi mainly involves lending, DEXs, and derivatives, requiring price data. Bitcoin DeFi, due to the peculiarities of the UTXO model, requires state verification: whether a certain UTXO has been spent, whether a certain channel has a balance, and whether a certain RGB++ asset is valid.
APRO's technical architecture is naturally suitable for this kind of demand because it does not just capture prices but can also verify states. AI nodes can parse Bitcoin transaction OP_RETURN data, validate the effectiveness of Ordinals inscriptions, and check the transfer records of RGB++ assets. These capabilities are not available in traditional oracles.
There's another point that many people haven't considered. The Bitcoin community has very high demands for decentralization. They dislike centralized oracles. While Chainlink claims to be decentralized, most of its node operators are large companies. In the eyes of Bitcoin OGs, this is not pure enough.
APRO's node design is more flexible. Anyone can run a data node with a low barrier to entry, requiring only a few thousand AT to participate. This grassroots node network is more in line with the spirit of Bitcoin, and the Bitcoin community may be more willing to trust APRO than Chainlink.
From the perspective of partners, APRO is already in contact with core projects in the Bitcoin ecosystem. Although not publicly announced, there are rumors in the community that APRO is negotiating collaborations with a Lightning Network wallet, an RGB++ protocol, and a Runes exchange. If these collaborations materialize, APRO's position in the Bitcoin ecosystem will rapidly improve.
But the risks must also be clearly stated. Whether Bitcoin DeFi can really take off is still unknown. There are many technical challenges: the complexity of the UTXO model, the limitations of OP_RETURN, and the security of Layer 2 are all issues. If Bitcoin DeFi ultimately fails to become mainstream, APRO's investment in this area would be wasted.
Moreover, the Bitcoin community is very conservative. Their acceptance of new technologies is not as high as that of the Ethereum community. APRO needs to convince Bitcoin OGs to adopt oracles by proving that it can genuinely bring value to the Bitcoin ecosystem rather than just hype concepts.
From the current progress, APRO's strategy in the Bitcoin ecosystem is pragmatic. It is not just making empty promises but is genuinely developing adapters for Lightning, RGB++, and Runes, running validations on the testnet, and sharing technology in the community. This down-to-earth approach is actually rare in the crypto space.
For those who are optimistic about Bitcoin DeFi, APRO may be a project worth paying attention to. Not because it is strong now, but because it has taken an early position in a field that competitors have not yet valued. By the time Bitcoin DeFi truly takes off, APRO may have become the infrastructure of this ecosystem.
