sBTC (bitcoin on Stacks) by Stacks (Stacks Labs, Stacks Foundation): status and timeline

sBTC (bitcoin on Stacks)

Let bitcoin holders lend, trade and pay with their BTC in apps without trusting a single custodian, by backing a 1:1 token with coins held jointly by a rotating group of independent signers.

DeployStage 4 of 5

Live since Dec 2024, caps removed Sept 2025; ~2,441 BTC in the peg (Aug 2026), signers rotated Sept 2026.

Updated 4 Sep 2026Checked 11 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Open, permissionless signer set

Testnet complete22 Nov 2024Complete.
Deposits open on mainnet, 1,000 BTC capDec 2024Complete.
Cap raised to 3,000 BTC25 Feb 2025Complete.
Withdrawals go live30 Apr 2025+1 mo~~originally Mar 2025~~Complete.
Peg peaks at 5,016 BTC6 Jun 2025Complete.
Deposit cap removed; minimum cut to 0.001 BTC16 Sep 2025Complete.
Signer rotation adds Ankr, The Tie, HashKey4 Sep 2026Complete.
Open, permissionless signer setNot yet reached.

Most important updates

Current obstacles

Trust rests on a small signer groupThe registry showed 11 signer keys with 8 needed (Aug 2026). If enough of them collude or are hacked, the backing BTC is at risk.
Shrinking pegBTC in the peg fell about 51% from its June 2025 peak; a 5% reward program ended in Nov 2025.
Decentralisation is behind planThe open signer set promised after withdrawals launched has not arrived; signers still rotate by selection.

Physics limits

Bitcoin cannot check outside rulesBitcoin's scripting language cannot verify what happens on another chain, so any BTC bridge must trust signers, collateral or a challenge game.
Ten-minute blocks set the paceMoving BTC in or out waits for Bitcoin confirmations, so deposits take under an hour and withdrawals about two, whatever Stacks does.

How it works

4 parts

Deposit

Send BTC to the signers' wallet

A user sends BTC on Bitcoin; after about three Bitcoin blocks the same amount of sBTC appears on Stacks.

Sign

A supermajority must agree

The peg wallet is controlled by threshold cryptography: 70% of signers must approve each mint or release, so no single firm can move the coins.

Use

Programmable bitcoin

sBTC is a standard Stacks token usable in lending, trading and payment apps; Stacks state follows Bitcoin forks, inheriting its finality.

Withdraw

Burn sBTC, get BTC back

Burning sBTC asks the signers to release real BTC, which arrives in about six Bitcoin blocks.

Spec sheet

Spec	sBTC (bitcoin on Stacks)
BTC in the peg (25 Aug 2026)	~2,441 BTC^R (reported)
Signer keys / needed (Aug 2026)	11 keys, 8 to sign^R (reported)
Approval threshold	70% of signers^R (reported)
Deposit time	~3 Bitcoin blocks (<1 h)^R (reported)
Withdrawal time	~6 Bitcoin blocks (~2 h)^R (reported)
Minimum deposit	0.001 BTC^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

4 updates

About Stacks (Stacks Labs, Stacks Foundation)

The team behind sBTC (bitcoin on Stacks)

Stacks (Stacks Labs, Stacks Foundation)

Bitcoin smart-contract layer, sBTC, Bitcoin staking

Stacks is a smart-contract network whose blocks are anchored to Bitcoin. Its sBTC token, backed 1:1 by bitcoin held by a group of signers, lets BTC be used in lending and trading apps. Stacks Labs, set up in 2025 and funded by the Stacks Endowment, leads development.

sBTC peg held ~2,441 BTC in Aug 2026, down 51% from its 5,016 BTC peak in June 2025.
Founder Muneeb Ali returns as Stacks Labs CEO from 15 Oct 2026.
Self-custodial Bitcoin staking launched on Stacks in Sept 2026.

stacks.co (opens stacks.co)Company profile →

Founded: 20179 yrs
Headquarters: United StatesCayman Islands
Status: Non-profit
Valuation: non-profit
Works in: CryptoBitcoin & mining
Coverage: 1 program · 5 updateslatest 12d agochecked 11 Oct
Partners: Ankr (opens stacks.co)HashKey Cloud (opens stacks.co)The Tie (opens stacks.co)
People: Muneeb AliFounder of Stacks; Stacks Labs CEO from Oct 2026

Spec

sBTC (bitcoin on Stacks)

BTC in the peg (25 Aug 2026)

~2,441 BTC^R (reported)

Signer keys / needed (Aug 2026)

11 keys, 8 to sign^R (reported)

Approval threshold

70% of signers^R (reported)

Deposit time

~3 Bitcoin blocks (<1 h)^R (reported)

Withdrawal time

~6 Bitcoin blocks (~2 h)^R (reported)

Minimum deposit

0.001 BTC^R (reported)

sBTC (bitcoin on Stacks)

Milestones

Most important updates

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Send BTC to the signers' wallet

A supermajority must agree

Programmable bitcoin

Burn sBTC, get BTC back

Spec sheet

Update log

Fri 4 Sep

Wed 26 Aug

Mon 8 Sep 2025

Mon 25 Nov 2024

About Stacks (Stacks Labs, Stacks Foundation)

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Send BTC to the signers' wallet

A supermajority must agree

Programmable bitcoin

Burn sBTC, get BTC back

Spec sheet

Update log

Fri 4 Sep

Wed 26 Aug

Mon 8 Sep 2025

Mon 25 Nov 2024

About Stacks (Stacks Labs, Stacks Foundation)