Maestro has received a grant from the DFINITY Foundation to bring its Bitcoin-native indexer to the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP), with the aim of expanding real-time access to Ordinals and Runes data across decentralised applications. The move is designed to strengthen ICP’s existing position in Bitcoin DeFi, which has already processed over $1.1 billion and 2.7 million BTC transactions since the launch of its Bitcoin Subnet in 2023.
The indexer will enable applications on ICP to interact directly with native Bitcoin data. It provides infrastructure for metaprotocol tracking, mempool-aware responsiveness, block reorganisation protection, and onchain state synchronisation. The promise is faster, more reliable services without the need for wrapped tokens or bridging.
Maestro’s technology is set to power the upcoming instant loans feature on Liquidium, a lending protocol operating on Bitcoin. The system allows users to lock BTC on the Bitcoin network and borrow USDT on Ethereum, without routing assets through bridges. This design avoids common vulnerabilities associated with wrapped tokens and middle-layer custody.
The grant will help open-source the indexing engine, allowing developers building on ICP to access and integrate native Bitcoin Ordinals and Runes directly. It’s a shift from fragmented tooling toward more unified infrastructure that can support a wider class of decentralised finance and gaming applications.
Marvin Bertin, Co-Founder and CEO of Maestro, said the collaboration with ICP aims to extend the Bitcoin subnet’s capabilities in a way that supports secure, direct integration for financial projects like Liquidium and Odin.fun. According to Bertin, it adds functionality that developers can trust and build upon.
The integration arrives at a time when Bitcoin DeFi is seeking more reliable foundations. Many projects still rely on token-wrapping solutions and cross-chain bridges, which have become well-documented security risks. ICP’s design already enables direct smart contract interactions with Bitcoin through its Chain Fusion technology, and this new layer adds further data access and infrastructure reliability.
Liquidium, which has already handled over $500 million in loan volume, is expected to benefit from near-instant access to Bitcoin network data via Maestro. It could allow new financial instruments to be built using Bitcoin’s native UTXO model, while borrowing and lending take place in more contract-friendly environments such as Ethereum.
Lomesh Dutta, Vice President of Growth at the DFINITY Foundation, described Maestro’s indexer as an important addition to the growing Bitcoin DeFi ecosystem. He pointed out that providing developers with direct, trustless access to Ordinals and Runes data supports a broader wave of innovation — particularly in environments that avoid intermediaries or third-party bridges.
The infrastructure provided by Maestro is already used by over 1,000 developers and more than 200 applications. By extending support to ICP, the team is aiming to unlock use cases that leverage both Bitcoin’s security and ICP’s contract capabilities.
The Bitcoin Subnet on ICP has grown steadily over the past year, and the addition of real-time indexing could encourage developers to consider building directly on Bitcoin rather than relying on secondary layers or sidechains. That might appeal to builders looking for speed, security, and the familiarity of Bitcoin’s monetary base.
While Bitcoin itself remains relatively simple by design, tooling like this gives it a stronger foundation for decentralised apps. With Liquidium as the first live case and more expected to follow, the collaboration between Maestro and ICP will likely serve as a test case for how Bitcoin-native DeFi can scale using a purpose-built infrastructure layer.
The Internet Computer continues to market itself as a fast, cost-efficient platform with the ability to run full applications entirely onchain. Now, with real-time access to Bitcoin Ordinals and Runes through a dedicated indexer, it’s positioning as a viable option for developers looking to build at the intersection of Bitcoin liquidity and smart contract functionality. Whether that momentum carries forward will depend on how projects adopt and use the new tools now available to them.
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