STX (STX)

📌 Stacks Q1 2026 ecosystem snapshot Author: @tenero_io (independent Bitcoin data analysis) Data source: Nansen, DeFiLlama, Electric Capital 1⃣ Key metrics ▸ sBTC - TVL $545M (according to Nansen), deposit limit fully removed - BTC flowing into the network without limits ▸ DeFi - Stacks protocol total DeFi TVL $121M (DeFiLlama) - Zest Protocol $75.9M / Granite $26M / StackingDAO $20M ▸ Bitcoin stacking - Dual stacking app (launched Q4 2025), up to 10% APY BTC yield - Over $100M participation since launch ▸ Network activity - Daily average in 2025 ~20,000 tx, peak 40,000+ tx - Daily transactions in Q1 2026 up ~20% - Over 400,000 wallets created, 15% of which are new in Q1 2026 ▸ Developer ecosystem - Ranked 5th in developer growth speed according to Electric Capital - #1 among Bitcoin-related projects, top 20 overall crypto developer count 2⃣ Major protocol achievements ▸ Zest Protocol - V2 launch (late Feb 2026), comprehensive risk management overhaul - Improved capital efficiency, expanded deposit limits, refined liquidation mechanisms - TVL grew from $41M to $75.9M within 2 days of launch - Largest lending protocol among Bitcoin layers ▸ Bitflow - Stacks main DEX/AMM, HODLMM (concentrated liquidity pool) upgrade - HODLMM accumulated $160M volume and $5M TVL within 2 weeks of launch - Trading strategies and resources for AI agents are being released ▸ Hermetica - Operating BTC-backed yield stablecoin USDh - Introduced Bitcoin Earn Vault: BTC deposit → automated financial activities → BTC yield - Early access (hBTC) achieved TVL over $1M ▸ AIBTC - Deployed 150+ autonomous AI agents, executing 8,700 transactions - Secured early evidence of AI agents autonomously monetizing BTC - Positioning Stacks as early infrastructure for an agentic Bitcoin economy 3⃣ Institutional infrastructure ▸ New integrations - Fireblocks: Providing Stacks DeFi access to 1,800+ institutional clients - Circle USDCx: Stacks participates as the only Bitcoin L2 in the xReserve pilot - BitGo: Supporting institutional custody of BTC and sBTC - Nansen: Integrating Stacks on-chain analytics - Wormhole: Cross-chain liquidity integration planned for 2026 ▸ Investment products - Grayscale Stacks Trust (STCK): Listed on OTCQB in Oct 2025, the first US public STX investment product - 21Shares Stacking ETP (ASTX): Listed on European exchanges, 100% spot-based + staking rewards auto-compounding - STX: Listed on over 59 global exchanges (Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, OKX, Upbit, etc.) 4⃣ Governance & Treasury - Stacks Treasury Committee: Approved 2026 operating budget of $27M + 25M STX operating funds - Budget allocation: Engineering/Security 35.2% / Network growth/Marketing 22.2% / DeFi liquidity operating funds 23.4% - Stacks Labs: Established Q4 2025, interim CEO Alex Miller (Hiro CEO) - Stacks Endowment: Launching grant program + accelerator program for founders 5⃣ Network upgrade - 3.3.0.0.6 upgrade (March 2026) - Daily chainstate growth rate reduced by >20% → securing sustainable fast block production - Improved block production stability under load - SIP-034 improvements increase network capacity up to 30× (reported by The Block) 6⃣ Future plans - Self-custody Bitcoin staking: Active R&D underway. Generates yield while retaining BTC ownership. The biggest capital-raising opportunity on the roadmap - Expanding ecosystem liquidity via Wormhole integration - Ongoing network upgrades focused on transaction speed, throughput, and chainstate efficiency - Stacks Endowment 2026 budget: Actively allocated to engineering, security audits, ecosystem grants 🔗 https://t.co/AP4DA1Kjsu

📌 Stacks Roadmap Workshop #2 Summary (2026.3.31) "Public Call for Stackers & Bitcoiners" Facilitated by: Mitchell Cuevas (Stacks Foundation), Rick (Stacks Labs) Guests: Alexis, Andre (Stacks Labs), Xenitron, Reubs (Tenero), Zero (ZeroAuthorityDAO), Claire (Stacks Foundation) Approximately 58 minutes 1⃣ Roadmap Process & Format Change ▸ Execution method - Multiple public sessions → feedback collection → roadmap update → https://t.co/prP5pFIuZj public release - This is the second session (first targeted 1,000+ user builders) ▸ Planned roadmap format change - Previously: specific dates/deadlines → repeatedly misunderstood as promises - Change: shift to focus on direction and target outcomes - Detailed release/issue tracking moves to GitHub - Final deliverable will be first publicly shown at the next town hall and then the page will be updated 2⃣ First Builder Session (last week) Key Feedback ▸ Throughput & Capacity - Demand for faster and higher transaction processing - Balancing with node/signer operating costs - Wasm support already in progress (key path for throughput improvement) - Prioritizing transaction types (supporting market makers) ▸ UX improvement requests - Use sBTC for gas fees (add options beyond STX) - Shorten sBTC bridge confirmation time and simplify UX/UI ▸ Infrastructure & Integration - Integration of Fireblocks, Ledger Live (high priority request) - Stacks Explorer 2.0 (AI on‑chain activity, bridge metrics reflected) - Relay bridge, additional wallet support - Sustainable fee growth structure 3⃣ Q&A: Non‑financial Use Cases Q. Are there fun activities that users with little capital can participate in on the roadmap? (TrippnMonkey) A. (Mitchell) - Zero Authority DAO: free governance participation, social layer, AI tools - Two games under development funded by CP31 grant - Actively recruiting non‑financial teams (games, social networks) using recruiters A. (Andre) - Micro‑payments with sBTC (X402) already possible - Zero Authority DAO bounty, timing for a resurgence of on‑chain gaming/social - Revisiting NFT‑era use cases with better tools ▸ Runes community connection (Diego/Bitflow proposal) - Runes represent a large share of BTC L1 activity and remain active - Exploring ways to bring Runes users into Stacks 4⃣ Q&A: Onboarding & Education Q. What is Stacks doing to lower the entry barrier for non‑technical users? (Grimaldo) A. (Andre) - Fee Abstraction: transactions possible without a separate asset (STX) - Sponsored transactions automatically convert STX gas fees on the backend when onboarding BTC - Same process applies when onboarding with stablecoins (USDC, etc.) - Fiat → STX/sBTC one‑click on‑ramp (payment provider integration) - Fewer confirmations improve perceived speed A. (Rick) - Expanding educational content from Content Guild and STX Legion - Reubs: creating AI BTC and DevTap tutorials/guides - Ongoing collaboration to improve wallet/app UX 5⃣ Q&A: Institutional BTC Inflow & STX Value Accumulation Q. What does the roadmap need to connect institutional BTC inflow to network utility and STX value appreciation? (Sungmin/BTClayer) A. (Andre) - Bitcoin staking = mechanism to bring the next generation of Bitcoin holders on‑chain - Dual Stacking (launch Q4 2025) as MVP: reward boost for holding BTC+STX - R&D underway to embed this mechanism into the core protocol - Flywheel: BTC inflow → network utility → transaction fees → STX value rise - Additional public information expected within weeks 6⃣ Q&A: sBTC Expansion & BNS Protocol Q. Timeline for expanding sBTC to other chains such as Solana, SUI? (Great  Ad) Q. Plans to broaden exchange listings for sBTC and STX? (Yamaneko) A. (Andre) - Requests from other chains exist, but priority is to build an economic flywheel within the native Stacks ecosystem - sBTC is already listed on Gate and MEXC, with additional exchange pipelines in progress Q. Status of Zone File standardization and DNS bridge? Listed on the 2025 roadmap—are they completed? (StacksArt) A. (Andre) Exact status of both updates needs verification; Bitcoin identity is a key area for mainstream app development A. (Mitchell) BNS V2 migration request received the most feedback. Recognized need to revisit the identity system and invest. Forum request to discuss specific investment interest areas 7⃣ Q&A: Scale Preparation & Staking Lock‑up Q. If a bull market causes a surge of users, is the network ready to handle the volume? (Claire) A. (Andre) - Goal of 100× throughput led by CTO Adriano Di Luzio - Alex Huth (product team) working directly with engineering - Parallel efforts to reduce node size and operating costs - Meaningful internal improvements already completed; rollout after testing Q. Is there a way to stake without the current 2‑week lock‑up? Is liquid staking the answer? (Airports57) A. (Andre) - The 2‑week cycle stays for PoX security reasons; no short‑term change planned - Bitcoin liquid‑stake token is currently the best solution - After self‑custody lock‑up, positions can be exited via DEX - Shorter cycles are being explored and will be added to the roadmap 8⃣ Data Accessibility & Development Tools (Zero) - Recommend exposing protocol/app data via SIP standards or MCP interfaces - Zero Authority: sharing on‑chain activity and profile data through APIs - Gary Riger & Stacks Developers: Clarity Cloud Code dev tool slated for release - Using sBTC as an anchor, expect a discovery explosion alongside AI/MCP native protocols - Prediction markets and new NFT apps are also in the pipeline 9⃣ Community Participants ▸ Xenitron - Stripe‑like payment service on Stacks, target test within 2 weeks - CP31 grant, all processes public ▸ Zero (ZeroAuthorityDAO) - “Stacks’s Tom Lee”, 10 years of building and another 20 years ahead - Bear market is the optimal time for builders 📅 Remaining Sessions - 4/2 (Wed) 12 pm ET: AI Integration & Adoption - 4/7 (Mon) 9 am ET: Next Gen Governance (Zero + Claire) - Updated roadmap first public reveal at a subsequent town hall