As a seasoned researcher with a keen interest in blockchain technology and its applications, I must admit that the recent surge in smart contract deployments on the Bitcoin layer-2 Stacks network has piqued my curiosity. Having closely followed the evolution of both Bitcoin and Stacks, it’s fascinating to witness the transformation taking place within the Stacks ecosystem.


The number of smart contracts deployed on Bitcoin‘s Layer-2 Stack increased by approximately 1,400 each month. This is in anticipation of the upcoming Nakamoto upgrade, which aims to drastically decrease the confirmation time for transactions from minutes to mere seconds.

The decentralized Bitcoin layer-2 platform Stacks has experienced a peak in smart contract deployments as it gets closer to its Nakamoto hard fork. Over 1,400 smart contracts have been deployed on the network in the days leading up to the upgrade, demonstrating the keen anticipation within the Bitcoin community for what’s next on the platform.

According to their official account on X, there’s been a record high and a 30% monthly increase in smart contract deployments on the primary Bitcoin Layer-2 platform, Stacks. This underscores the importance of developers as they lay the groundwork for a thriving ecosystem, transforming Bitcoin into a valuable asset for productivity.

Stacks Registers Unseen Smart Contract Deployment Days Away From Its Nakamoto Upgrade

Source: Stacks on X

Although Bitcoin mainly focuses on facilitating transactions, Stacks provides a platform for developers to create decentralized applications (dApps) such as DeFi protocols, utilizing the security of the initial blockchain. However, Stacks’ limited throughput previously made it impractical to deploy high-execution dApps effectively. At present, Stacks processes transactions within a range of 10 to 30 minutes, similar to Bitcoin. But with the upcoming upgrade, known as Nakamoto, this situation is anticipated to change dramatically. After the upgrade, Stacks is expected to confirm transactions up to 100 times faster, reducing settlement time to mere seconds.

The Bitcoin Community Is Excited for the Upgrade

The excitement engendered from the upcoming upgrade is translating into developers launching smart contracts on the soon-to-be efficient network to leverage the best of BTCFi. The co-founder of the Bitcoin-based DEX Bitflow, Diego May, felt that same excitement, stating, “Nakamoto upgrade is ’round the corner—feeling pumped! This is a huge leap for Bitcoin DeFi, Layer 2 scalability and smart contracts.” He iterated how the update would benefit builders by “opening new doors for developers to innovate.”

In simpler terms, Mithil Thakore, CEO and co-founder of a DeFi liquidity protocol based on Bitcoin, expressed excitement about 5-second transaction confirmation times, absolute certainty in Bitcoin transactions (100% finality), and sBTC (a token representing Bitcoin by Stacks). This trio is seen as revolutionary, opening up fresh opportunities for development. The release of sBTC is scheduled four weeks following the Nakamoto upgrade.

While the upgrade is just days away, Stacks developers have yet to choose a precise date.

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2024-09-09 22:14