Rootstock (RSK) is a Bitcoin sidechain that has provided EVM-compatible smart contract execution secured by Bitcoin’s proof-of-work since 2018 — making it the longest-running Bitcoin smart contract platform by far. RBTC is its native token, pegged 1:1 to BTC via a two-way peg managed by the Powpeg federation.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Ticker | RBTC |
| Price | $76,687.00 |
| Market Cap | $18.56M |
| 24h Change | +3.4% |
| Circulating Supply | 242 RBTC |
| Max Supply | 21.00M RBTC |
| All-Time High | $129,296.00 |
| Contract (Rootstock) | 0x542f...677d |
| Contract (Ethereum) | 0x1e44...bb87 |
| Contract (Arbitrum One) | 0x441f...c891 |
| Contract (Solana) | 8yev7n...DEQw |
| Contract (Base) | 0x441f...c891 |
How Rootstock Works
Rootstock operates as a sidechain to Bitcoin with several key properties:
Merge Mining:
- Bitcoin miners can optionally include RSK block headers in their Bitcoin mining work
- No extra energy or hardware required for miners
- Rootstock inherits ~60% of Bitcoin’s hash power as security, making it the most Bitcoin-miner-secured EVM
Powpeg (Two-Way Peg):
- BTC locked on Bitcoin L1 → RBTC issued on Rootstock at 1:1
- Managed by a federation of hardware security modules with time delays for security
- More trust-minimized than pure multisig bridges but still federated
EVM Compatibility:
- Runs Solidity contracts
- Compatible with MetaMask, Hardhat, and standard EVM tooling
- Network transaction fees paid in RBTC (so gas costs come from BTC holdings)
Rootstock’s Position in BTCfi
As the BTCfi narrative expanded in 2024, Rootstock gained renewed attention:
- Largest TVL of any Bitcoin sidechain at certain periods
- Native Bitcoin DeFi (Sovryn DEX, Money on Chain stablecoin)
- No bridging to a separate token — RBTC is always BTC
Sources
- Rootstock documentation: dev.rootstock.io
- CoinGecko: RBTC market data
- Merge mining statistics: miningpoolstats.stream/rootstock