# Bridges Related Articles

HTX News Center provides the latest articles and in-depth analysis on "Bridges", covering market trends, project updates, tech developments, and regulatory policies in the crypto industry.

Stablecoin supply nears $318B: Fresh inflows or just capital rotation?

Stablecoin supply is approaching $318 billion, signaling a period of controlled expansion. While fresh capital is entering through fiat on-ramps, a significant portion of this growth reflects internal capital rotation into yield-bearing and regulated assets rather than entirely new inflows. Tether (USDT) continues to dominate the market, though its growth has slowed, while others like USDC and USDS are expanding more rapidly. This liquidity is increasingly being actively deployed, evidenced by rising DEX volumes and exchange inflows. However, the market remains split between genuine capital inflows and internal redistribution, with a large share of stablecoins still held on exchanges.

ambcrypto03/20 19:51

Stablecoin supply nears $318B: Fresh inflows or just capital rotation?

ambcrypto03/20 19:51

Cardano Eyes Bitcoin And XRP DeFi Expansion In 2026, Says Hoskinson

In a January 2026 update, Charles Hoskinson outlined Cardano's ambitious plan to expand its DeFi ecosystem beyond its native chain, targeting integrations with Bitcoin, XRP, and Midnight. Dubbed the "Pentad" strategy, the initiative aims to make Cardano a cross-ecosystem product by building bridges, expanding oracle coverage, and developing private stablecoins. Hoskinson emphasized that Cardano must differentiate through privacy-enabled features—like private DEXs and prediction markets—rather than competing on marginal improvements. He also announced plans to upgrade Cardano’s top dApps for Bitcoin and XRP DeFi, aiming to significantly increase their TVL and user base. Additionally, Hoskinson revealed a more aggressive release cadence for 2026, with major updates every two months.

bitcoinist01/12 11:39

Cardano Eyes Bitcoin And XRP DeFi Expansion In 2026, Says Hoskinson

bitcoinist01/12 11:39

On-Chain Metrics Practical Guide: Identifying Real Signals, Avoiding Data Traps

A practical guide to on-chain metrics for traders, focusing on identifying genuine signals and avoiding data traps. Key concepts include distinguishing between transaction fees (user-paid costs), protocol revenue (actual earnings), and MEV (maximal extractable value), emphasizing that sustainable revenue matters more than high fees. Total Value Locked (TVL) is often misleading due to double-counting, incentive-driven "mercenary capital," and idle stablecoins. Traders should analyze TVL alongside transaction volume and incentives. Daily Active Addresses (DAA) can be inflated by bots and airdrop farmers; it’s only meaningful when correlated with fees and real activity. Cross-chain bridges enable asset transfers but carry risks like smart contract vulnerabilities and centralization. Monitor bridge volumes for liquidity flow insights. Stablecoin supply acts as crypto’s money supply (M2); increasing supply suggests market liquidity, while decreases may signal withdrawals. Token unlocks and emissions create sell pressure; avoid tokens nearing large unlocks unless trading short-term. The ratio of transaction volume to TVL indicates capital efficiency—high ratios reflect active usage, while low ratios suggest "ghost liquidity." In summary, on-chain metrics are analytical tools, not absolute truths. Cross-verify signals and interpret data contextually for informed decisions.

比推12/25 13:06

On-Chain Metrics Practical Guide: Identifying Real Signals, Avoiding Data Traps

比推12/25 13:06

Vitalik Buterin says Ethereum can handle temporary loss of finality

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, stated that the network can tolerate temporary losses of finality without serious risk, even after a recent client bug nearly disrupted its confirmation mechanism. Buterin emphasized that while finalization indicates a block is irreversible, occasional delays of several hours due to bugs are acceptable. The critical issue to avoid is finalizing incorrect blocks. Experts, including Fabrizio Romano Genovese, supported this view, noting that during such events, Ethereum operates similarly to Bitcoin, which relies on probabilistic finality. In Ethereum, finality is achieved when a block receives over 66% of validator votes and remains unchallenged for over two epochs (64 blocks). While this mechanism ensures deterministic finality, its temporary loss reverts the network to probabilistic guarantees, as seen in a May 2023 incident. The loss of finality may impact infrastructure like bridges and layer-2 solutions, potentially delaying deposits or cross-chain transactions. However, users would not face transaction rollbacks or invalidations. Polygon confirmed that operations would continue normally, though transfers from Ethereum might be delayed until finality is restored. Genovese noted that developers choosing not to implement fallback mechanisms for finality loss bear responsibility for such delays.

cointelegraph12/10 11:55

Vitalik Buterin says Ethereum can handle temporary loss of finality

cointelegraph12/10 11:55

We've Hoarded Trillions in Bitcoin, But Never Use It? That's Changing Now

A significant portion of Bitcoin's trillion-dollar market cap remains dormant, with 61% of coins not moving in over a year and only 0.8% used in DeFi. While other ecosystems like Ethereum and L2s thrive with active use cases, Bitcoin has largely functioned as a passive store of value due to architectural and cultural constraints—prioritizing security over programmability, resisting upgrades, and lacking native interoperability. Previous solutions like wrapped BTC, federated systems, and bridges attempted to unlock Bitcoin’s liquidity but introduced new risks like custodial trust, security vulnerabilities, and reliance on external validators, contradicting Bitcoin’s trust-minimized ethos. However, this is changing with recent breakthroughs. Innovations like BitVM enable Bitcoin to verify external computations without executing them, allowing for Bitcoin-secured rollups and trust-minimized bridges. Upgrades like Taproot facilitate native assets and programmable vaults. New systems now support Bitcoin staking, restaking, and Lightning Network-based yield without requiring custodial wrapping or bridging. This emerging BTCFi ecosystem—comprising infrastructure, asset, and protocol layers—finally allows Bitcoin to participate in a functional economy while preserving its security model and self-custody principles. This could unlock a portion of the dormant capital, significantly impacting the broader crypto landscape.

marsbit12/09 02:55

We've Hoarded Trillions in Bitcoin, But Never Use It? That's Changing Now

marsbit12/09 02:55

Bitcoin's Dormant Capital Has Finally Awakened

Bitcoin, the largest and most secure cryptocurrency, has historically been underutilized, with over 60% of its supply dormant for more than a year and less than 1% engaged in DeFi. While other ecosystems like Ethereum and Solana evolved with smart contracts and vibrant economies, Bitcoin’s largely remained a passive asset due to its security-first architecture, limited scripting capabilities, slow upgrade processes, and cultural conservatism. Previous workarounds—wrapped BTC, federated systems, cross-chain bridges, and sidechains—introduced trust assumptions, custodial risks, and security vulnerabilities, failing to align with Bitcoin’s trust-minimized ethos. Recent breakthroughs are changing this. Innovations like BitVM enable Bitcoin to verify off-chain computations without executing them, allowing for Bitcoin-backed rollups, trust-minimized bridges, and programmable vaults. Upgrades like Taproot have expanded Bitcoin’s capabilities, enabling native assets (e.g., Taproot Assets for stablecoins) and more complex cryptographic structures. New models also allow Bitcoin to earn yield natively—through staking, restaking, and Lightning Network-based liquidity provision—without leaving self-custody. This emerging BTCFi ecosystem comprises infrastructure for secure execution environments, verifiable bridges, yield markets, and Bitcoin-native assets, all without compromising Bitcoin’s core security or self-custody principles. This marks the first time Bitcoin has a financial ecosystem capable of supporting its trillion-dollar market cap, potentially unlocking vast dormant capital and integrating it into a productive, decentralized economy.

深潮12/09 01:34

Bitcoin's Dormant Capital Has Finally Awakened