Ordinals, Runes and the Future of Bitcoin L2s

Bitcoin is undergoing a transformation from a simple store of value into a programmable blockchain. A discussion between Xverse CEO Ken Liao, his colleague Yan, and Francis from StarkWare spotlights how Ordinals and Runes unlock new asset types on Bitcoin, while Layer 2 networks like Starknet and Garden deliver smart-contract and DeFi capabilities with faster, low-fee transactions—all without sacrificing Bitcoin’s core security principles.

Key Ideas

Bitcoin’s Evolving Programmability: Ordinals and Runes extend Bitcoin’s native functionality, enabling developers to mint, track, and transfer novel assets directly on-chain.
Layer 2 Scaling Solutions: Starknet integration with Xverse and initiatives such as Garden bring scalable, cost-effective DeFi and smart-contract support to Bitcoin users.

Mastering Starknet’s Cairo language and integrating Layer 2 APIs into Bitcoin projects equips developers to build DeFi applications that leverage low fees and high throughput. Garden’s liquidity-bridging tools serve as a foundation for tapping into Bitcoin liquidity without incurring high on-chain costs.