Bitcoin’s journey to mainstream adoption is driving a new, unexpected issue that could undermine the network’s long-term security. This isn’t about the usual halving cycles or block rewards, but rather, it’s a structural issue arising from the use of Bitcoin outside its native chain, primarily via custodial and wrapped assets. Wrapped tokens like wBTC, cbBTC, and kBTC, as well as ETFs holding Bitcoin, are siphoning activity away from the network. This shift threatens the fee structure essential for maintaining Bitcoin’s decentralized, secure architecture.
Why Wrapped BTC is Problematic
Wrapped Bitcoin allows BTC to exist on other blockchains, such as Ethereum, enabling users to participate in DeFi without transacting on Bitcoin’s native network. Every time BTC is wrapped, it’s held in a third-party wallet, effectively sitting idle. This means no transaction fees on the Bitcoin network, translating into reduced income for miners. Over time, if more BTC moves to external chains, it could lead to a funding shortfall for Bitcoin’s security.
Custodial Holdings and ETFs: The Vampire Attack?
Institutions and custodians, including Coinbase and BlackRock, hold substantial amounts of Bitcoin on behalf of their clients. For example, Coinbase alone manages over 2 million BTC in custody, and Bitcoin ETFs collectively hold billions in BTC assets. These assets are held in wallets, reducing active transactions on the Bitcoin network. By holding BTC in this way, third parties effectively remove liquidity and activity from the Bitcoin network, abstracting value into ETF tokens or synthetic assets that do not rely on Bitcoin’s network fees. This is often referred to as a “vampire attack” — the value is siphoned away from Bitcoin’s ecosystem to benefit third-party platforms.
Satoshi’s Warning on Third-Party Risk
Satoshi Nakamoto warned that inserting a third party between a user and their BTC risks the benefits of decentralization. Custodians essentially replace Bitcoin’s trustless nature with IOUs, which inherently means you’re dependent on the custodians to honor their promises. This introduces risks, including potential for funds to be frozen, seized, or otherwise mishandled.
Maintaining Bitcoin’s Security: What Can You Do?
- Self-Custody Your Bitcoin: The simplest way to protect Bitcoin’s network security is to keep your BTC on its native blockchain, outside of custodial platforms. By doing so, you maintain control of your funds and avoid the risks associated with IOUs.
- Transact Directly on the Bitcoin Network: Using Bitcoin directly on its native chain ensures that fees go to miners, strengthening the network. Thanks to innovations like ordinals and Runes, the Bitcoin ecosystem has expanded beyond simple transactions. These new use cases boost on-chain activity, which is crucial as block rewards decline over time.
- Support the Bitcoin Economy: Recently, Bitcoin has evolved to support more than just BTC transactions, with ordinals generating significant additional revenue for miners and accounting for a substantial percentage of monthly transactions. By participating in this on-chain economy, you contribute directly to the fees that fund network security.
The Long-Term View
While block rewards will sustain Bitcoin’s security for the next two decades, the potential erosion of fees due to off-chain BTC usage remains a pressing issue. By self-custodying and transacting natively, you are actively preserving the network’s integrity. As Bitcoin’s ecosystem grows, staying involved and engaged in native Bitcoin transactions will help ensure a sustainable transition from block rewards to transaction fees, securing Bitcoin’s decentralized future.