# sBTC (bitcoin on Stacks) by Stacks (Stacks Labs, Stacks Foundation) Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/crypto/sbtc Frontier: [Crypto](https://technooptimist.io/crypto.md) · Field: Bitcoin & mining · Company: [Stacks (Stacks Labs, Stacks Foundation)](https://technooptimist.io/companies/stacks.md) Stage: Deploy (4 of 5: Research → Proto → Pilot → Deploy → Scaling) Updated: last update 2026-09-04, facts checked 2026-10-11 Goal: 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. Status: Live since Dec 2024, caps removed Sept 2025; ~2,441 BTC in the peg (Aug 2026), signers rotated Sept 2026. Next milestone: Open, permissionless signer set ## Milestones | Status | Milestone | Date | Slip | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Done | Testnet complete | 22 Nov 2024 | | | Done | Deposits open on mainnet, 1,000 BTC cap | Dec 2024 | | | Done | Cap raised to 3,000 BTC | 25 Feb 2025 | | | Done | Withdrawals go live | 30 Apr 2025 | +1 mo (originally Mar 2025) | | Done | Peg peaks at 5,016 BTC | 6 Jun 2025 | | | Done | Deposit cap removed; minimum cut to 0.001 BTC | 16 Sep 2025 | | | Done | Signer rotation adds Ankr, The Tie, HashKey | 4 Sep 2026 | | | Planned | Open, permissionless signer set | | | ## Most important updates - **4 Sep 2026**: sBTC signer rotation completes: Ankr, The Tie and HashKey join the set. The rotation announced on August 6, 2026 finished with three new institutional operators running sBTC signer infrastructure. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/sbtc-signer-rotation-completes-ankr-the-tie-and-hashkey-join-the-set-eddb20ef.md) · [original source](https://www.stacks.co/blog/meet-the-new-sbtc-signers-ankr-the-tie-and-hashkey-join-the-set)) - **26 Aug 2026**: sBTC peg holds about 2,441 BTC, 51% below its June 2025 peak; 11 signer keys with 8 required. An exchange explainer read the sBTC contract on August 25, 2026: 2,441.3 sBTC outstanding, matching DefiLlama's count of BTC in the peg to within 0.0003 BTC. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/sbtc-peg-holds-about-2-441-btc-51-below-its-june-2025-peak-11-signer-d94a066f.md) · [original source](https://phemex.com/academy/what-is-sbtc-and-how-bitcoin-moves-onto-stacks)) - **8 Sep 2025**: sBTC deposit cap to be removed on Sept 16; minimum deposit cut tenfold to 0.001 BTC. Stacks Labs announced the end of the 5,000 BTC ceiling, allowing unrestricted inflows and outflows for users and institutions from September 16, 2025. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/sbtc-deposit-cap-to-be-removed-on-sept-16-minimum-deposit-cut-tenfold-2efe3267.md) · [original source](https://www.stacks.co/blog/sbtc-uncapping)) - **25 Nov 2024**: Stacks sets sBTC rollout: deposits from Dec 17 with a 1,000 BTC cap, withdrawals in early 2025. After testnet finished on Nov 22, the sBTC team set a phased mainnet launch. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/stacks-sets-sbtc-rollout-deposits-from-dec-17-with-a-1-000-btc-cap-6e9b0d36.md) · [original source](https://stacks.co/blog/sbtc-rollout)) ## Current obstacles - **Trust rests on a small signer group**: The 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 peg**: BTC in the peg fell about 51% from its June 2025 peak; a 5% reward program ended in Nov 2025. - **Decentralisation is behind plan**: The open signer set promised after withdrawals launched has not arrived; signers still rotate by selection. ## Physics limits - **Bitcoin cannot check outside rules**: Bitcoin'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 pace**: Moving BTC in or out waits for Bitcoin confirmations, so deposits take under an hour and withdrawals about two, whatever Stacks does. ## How it works ### 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) | Provenance | | --- | --- | --- | | BTC in the peg (25 Aug 2026) | ~2,441 BTC | reported | | Signer keys / needed (Aug 2026) | 11 keys, 8 to sign | reported | | Approval threshold | 70% of signers | reported | | Deposit time | ~3 Bitcoin blocks (<1 h) | reported | | Withdrawal time | ~6 Bitcoin blocks (~2 h) | reported | | Minimum deposit | 0.001 BTC | reported | Provenance: reported = stated by the company; estimated = our estimate; sample = a sample figure. ## About Stacks (Stacks Labs, Stacks Foundation) 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. - Founded: 2017 - Headquarters: US, KY - Status: nonprofit - Website: https://www.stacks.co - People: Muneeb Ali (Founder of Stacks; Stacks Labs CEO from Oct 2026) - Partners, customers, investors: Ankr (partner); HashKey Cloud (partner); The Tie (partner) Company page: https://technooptimist.io/companies/stacks.md ## Related programs Everything in Crypto: https://technooptimist.io/crypto.md --- The Techno Optimist tracks every frontier of technology, program by program: https://technooptimist.io/ (a Markdown version of any page: add .md to its URL; site map for agents: https://technooptimist.io/llms.txt). Data API (JSON, realtime stream): https://technooptimist.io/developers. 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