Why the next wave of Bitcoin innovation is all about utility
By: bitcoin ethereum news|2025/05/16 13:15:04
0
Share
Bitcoin’s (BTC) next evolution isn’t just about price. It’s about potential. On this week’s episode of The Clear Crypto Podcast , hosts Nathan Jeffay and Gareth Jenkinson sit down with Isabel Foxen Duke, general partner at Unbroken Chain and longtime Bitcoin advocate, to unpack what she calls “Bitcoin Season 2.” Bitcoin beyond money “Bitcoin Season 2 is really about seeing what we can do with Bitcoin outside of just being money,” said Duke. “What are the broad range of financial use cases for [Bitcoin] other than just being money by itself?” New developments like ordinals, runes, and decentralized financial (DeFi) tools are pushing Bitcoin beyond its traditional identity as a digital store of value. One key innovation under discussion is trustless lending — allowing users to borrow against their Bitcoin without involving third-party intermediaries. “We don’t have the ability to lend against our Bitcoin in a trustless way without third-party intermediaries,” Duke said. “I would argue that is the second most important and second most used use case in the real world other than making payments.” Lending on Bitcoin One emerging solution involves Discreet Log Contracts (DLCs), which let users maintain control of their Bitcoin while locking it as collateral. Smart contract logic enforces repayment, not a central authority. “That’s proven by math rather than trust,” Duke said. Related: Bitcoin looks ‘ridiculous’ as bulls attempt $2T market cap flip — Analyst Duke said she is equally excited about trustless bridging, which could allow Bitcoin to interact with external computation platforms without compromising its decentralized ethos. “If you could use Bitcoin not just as money but as a base asset that can trustlessly plug into any financial system, that would be... the end of the road for this asset.” Looking ahead, Jenkinson highlighted how Bitcoin-native DeFi could unlock real-world financial access for people excluded from traditional banking. “A few little changes to some lines of code might just unlock [permissionless finance] for all of us,” he said. “And that’s the kind of future I’m hopeful about.” To hear the full conversation on The Clear Crypto Podcast , listen to the full episode on Cointelegraph’s Podcasts page, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And don’t forget to check out Cointelegraph’s full lineup of other shows! Magazine: ZK-proofs are bringing smart contracts to Bitcoin — BitcoinOS and Starknet Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-season-2-why-the-next-wave-of-bitcoin-innovation-is-all-about-utility?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound
You may also like

When Openclaw Founder Advises Young People to Stay Away from Crypto
This is not just about a disdain for financial nihilism, but also about the ongoing migration of talent, capital, and attention.

Anthropic Tops Global AI Product Ranking, X Platform Introduces "Paid Partnership" Tag, What's the Overseas Crypto Community Talking About Today?
What the world cared about most in the past 24 hours

Arthur Hayes: Is Every Middle Eastern Skirmish a Long Bitcoin Opportunity?
Wars are often accompanied by monetary easing, which may also become a key backdrop driving the rise of risk assets such as Bitcoin.

dFans: The OnlyFans of the AI Era
As AI video industrialization capabilities mature, the "industrialization singularity" of AI content creation has arrived, with tools such as OpenAI, Google Veo, Runway, etc., achieving controllable creation and significantly reducing the barriers to content production. AI content creators are emerging in large numbers, reshaping the entire creator economy value chain.

a16z Visual: AI Cost Halving, Usage Doubling, U.S. 30-Somethings Enter the 'Adulthood Delay' Era
There is still no sign of an oversupply of hash rate in the market; instead, it seems that we have barely scratched the surface of existing demand.

Where Does Institutional Money Flow During Each Geopolitical Conflict?
Under the Israel-Palestine Conflict, How Should Asset Allocation Be Strategically Planned?

A Century of an Egg's Wandering, from Wall Street to Polymarket
The pricing power of traditional exchanges is being eroded by crypto.

a16z: What are the entrepreneurial opportunities in the Agent-Payment Transaction Blue Ocean?
Billing System, Dispute Resolution Mechanism, Credit System, Batch Approval, and Cross-System Interoperability. The new era of payments may be starting here.

More brutal than a bear market, OpenClaw founder advises young people to stay away from crypto
This is not just a disdain for financial nihilism, but also a migration of talent, capital, and attention that is currently happening.

JPMorgan and Goldman raise gold price targets; will on-chain finance welcome a new reserve asset cycle?
Wall Street giants adjust gold price expectations, Matrixdock proposes the concept of Reserve Layer: tokenized gold XAUm, with its institutional-grade compliance structure, is evolving into the underlying reserve asset of on-chain finance.

dFans: OnlyFans of the AI Era
As the industrialization capability of AI video matures, the "industrialization singularity" of AI content creation has arrived. Tools like OpenAI, Google Veo, and Runway have achieved controllable creation, significantly lowering the barriers to content production. AI content creators are emerging ...

Tron Industry Weekly Report: Geopolitical Turmoil Escalates, BTC Continues to Test $60,000, Detailed Explanation of the Protocol Konnex for AI Autonomous Collaboration and Settlement on the Chain
TRON Industry Weekly Report
From CTA to AI: The Evolution of Adaptive Quant Strategies in Crypto Markets
Explore how an LLM-powered AI market-neutral trading strategy achieved a 2.75 Sharpe ratio with controlled drawdown. Inside crypto_trade’s adaptive hedging system at the WEEX AI Trading Hackathon.
How 30+ Global Sponsors Powered WEEX AI Trading Hackathon Into a $1.88M Carnival
Discover how 30+ global sponsors including AWS helped power the $1.88M WEEX AI Trading Hackathon, turning AI strategies into live crypto market competition.

Key Market Information Discrepancy on March 2nd - A Must-See! | Alpha Morning Report
1. Top News: Last Night's US-Iran Situation Recap, Iranian High-ranking Officials Killed, Over 200 Ships Stranded in the Strait of Hormuz
2. Token Unlock: $ENA

Iran Missile Strike in Dubai: Three Chinese Nationals Tell Their Story 48 Hours Later
The sound is still in the distance, so the days can still go on.

72 Minutes Before Attack, Six Mysterious Accounts Raked in $1.2 Million
These accounts were all registered in February, with most of them making their first deposit within 24 hours before the attack, and they have no other transaction history. Their behavior closely resembles insider trading.

How to Preserve Life and Wealth in Turbulent Times | Bill It Up Memo
In times of chaos, only through diversified allocation and keen observation can one preserve wealth and life in the face of great changes.
When Openclaw Founder Advises Young People to Stay Away from Crypto
This is not just about a disdain for financial nihilism, but also about the ongoing migration of talent, capital, and attention.
Anthropic Tops Global AI Product Ranking, X Platform Introduces "Paid Partnership" Tag, What's the Overseas Crypto Community Talking About Today?
What the world cared about most in the past 24 hours
Arthur Hayes: Is Every Middle Eastern Skirmish a Long Bitcoin Opportunity?
Wars are often accompanied by monetary easing, which may also become a key backdrop driving the rise of risk assets such as Bitcoin.
dFans: The OnlyFans of the AI Era
As AI video industrialization capabilities mature, the "industrialization singularity" of AI content creation has arrived, with tools such as OpenAI, Google Veo, Runway, etc., achieving controllable creation and significantly reducing the barriers to content production. AI content creators are emerging in large numbers, reshaping the entire creator economy value chain.
a16z Visual: AI Cost Halving, Usage Doubling, U.S. 30-Somethings Enter the 'Adulthood Delay' Era
There is still no sign of an oversupply of hash rate in the market; instead, it seems that we have barely scratched the surface of existing demand.
Where Does Institutional Money Flow During Each Geopolitical Conflict?
Under the Israel-Palestine Conflict, How Should Asset Allocation Be Strategically Planned?