The integration enables users to mint iBTC via the IOTA Vault, consolidating native BTC, liquid staking tokens, and wrapped BTC. Partnerships with IOTA’s stablecoin protocol Virtue and other ecosystem players will allow iBTC holders to mint $VUSD and access lending, staking, and other DeFi opportunities. Echo Protocol, the Bitcoin liquidity and aggregation infrastructure platform, now supports a native Bitcoin bridge, a move that aims to bring Bitcoin to the IOTA blockchain network. Echo Protocol has integrated with the IOTA network to introduce iBTC, the first native Bitcoin asset within the IOTA ecosystem. The move is designed to unify fragmented Bitcoin liquidity and enable BTC-backed decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions, marking a significant step toward Bitcoin DeFi (BTCFi) on IOTA. Echo Protocol Brings Native Bitcoin Liquidity to IOTA Through the IOTA Vault, users can mint iBTC by bridging native BTC, liquid staking tokens, and wrapped Bitcoin onto the IOTA network. Echo Protocol serves as a liquidity layer, consolidating these assets to improve capital efficiency and support yield generation across DeFi applications. The integration will expand IOTA’s DeFi ecosystem by creating new opportunities for Bitcoin use in decentralized applications. In addition, Echo Protocol has partnered with Virtue, IOTA’s native stablecoin protocol, to allow iBTC holders to mint $VUSD, further extending utility within the network. Virtue offers a unified stable pool structure, fixed-rate lending, and deep integration with ecosystem protocols such as Swirl Stake and Pools Finance. IOTA, the native cryptocurrency of the IOTA blockchain, is showing strength amid the broader crypto market rally. The IOTA token price is trading 4.32%, and is currently trading at $0.1939, with daily trading volume surging 40% to $220 million. More About the Echo Protocol Echo Protocol, a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform built on the Aptos blockchain, has introduced a new framework aimed at aggregating and optimizing Bitcoin (BTC) liquidity. Unlike Bitcoin mining or communication protocols, Echo is designed as a liquidity layer that consolidates fragmented BTC sources, including native Bitcoin, liquid staking tokens, and wrapped BTC, into a unified system. The platform allows users to integrate Bitcoin more efficiently into DeFi, offering yield-enhancing opportunities through liquid staking, restaking, leveraged lending, and other strategies. By streamlining BTC liquidity, Echo seeks to simplify user participation in the DeFi ecosystem while unlocking higher returns on assets. Additionally, Echo integrates with native Bitcoin Layer 2 solutions and supports cross-chain functionality. This has further extended Bitcoin’s reach across multiple blockchain networks. Echo Protocol consolidates native BTC, liquid staking tokens (LSTs), and wrapped BTC into a single platform, streamlining integration with decentralized finance (DeFi). The system enables users to tap into a broader set of financial strategies and opportunities, making Bitcoin more accessible and functional within the DeFi ecosystem.