Useful Resources

Introduction

The Starknet Foundation is committed to Starknet’s emergence as the leading destination for sustainable yield on BTC. After months of careful research, planning, and design, the Starknet Foundation is proud to announce the launch of BTCFi Season, a program designed to set a BTC-centric DeFi flywheel in motion that will unlock productive capital flows on Starknet and ensure its long-term ecosystem growth.

In Starknet’s case, lending and borrowing will be the cornerstone of the DeFi flywheel. That’s why enabling borrowing sits at the heart of BTCFi Season’s design, positioning Starknet to become the cheapest place to borrow stablecoins against BTC collateral.

BTCFi Season is part of the broader BTCFi initiative on Starknet, which focuses on making BTC productive in DeFi with a strong emphasis on sustainability while upholding its core principles of security and decentralization. Other important Starknet launches under this initiative include Re7’s new BTC Yield Fund, BTC Staking, and StarkWare’s upcoming Earn – One-click Yield aggregator.

Program Details

BTCFi Season was officially launched on Tuesday, September 30th by the Starknet Foundation.

Participating protocols also launched their incentive programs on the same date.

BTCFi Season is a structured incentive program supporting eligible ecosystem protocols that enable highly liquid BTC pools on DEXs and Money Markets and borrowing of stablecoins against BTC collateral.

Starknet Foundation has dedicated a budget of 100M STRK to this program.

The program is set to run for a minimum of six months, with the potential to continue well beyond that.

How the program works

The Starknet Foundation has partnered with OpenBlock Labs to design a program for the fair and equitable allocation & distribution of STRK tokens to participating DeFi protocols.

The program runs on a weekly cycle, with any significant changes taking effect at the start of a new cycle.

Allocations

Protocol allocations are determined on a daily basis. The allocations are based on methodologies that factor in important protocol performance metrics. Methodologies are designed to be robust and resistant to manipulation while allowing for continuous adjustments if needed to stay aligned with the evolving needs and contributions of protocols within the ecosystem.

Distributions

At the end of a cycle, daily protocol allocations of the last 7 days are aggregated and reviewed by OpenBlock Labs. Once finalized and communicated to all relevant parties, STRK allocations are distributed to the participating protocols by the Starknet Foundation.

Each participating protocol to the program is responsible for designing, announcing and implementing their own incentive programs to reward their users with STRK. Each protocol may determine its own criteria for rewarding users, deciding both which users qualify and how rewards are allocated on eligible activity and assets/pairs.

Each protocol will be responsible for its own distribution of STRK to its users.

Users can begin claiming their allocations from participating protocols for the first cycle of the program starting Friday, October 10th.

What’s next?

More eligible assets and pairs for BTCFi Season and more participating protocols.

More ecosystem products that align with the vision of BTCFi on Starknet. Stay tuned for more!

FAQs

General

  • BTCFi Season is an incentive program launched by the Starknet Foundation to bootstrap BTC liquidity and stablecoin borrowing activity against BTC on Starknet.

  • BTCFi Season is an important piece of the broader BTCFi on Starknet initiative that is designed to enable the activities that will kickstart a flywheel effect for sustainable BTC yield -consistent, predictable and competitive, driven by real economic activity- and ecosystem growth on Starknet.

  • BTCFi Season supports the DEX and Money Market verticals.

  • BTCFi Season supports protocols that enable highly liquid BTC pools on DEXs and Money Markets and borrowing of stablecoins against BTC collateral.

  • You can find an updated list of eligible assets and pairs on BTCFi Season’s website.

  • BTCFi Season launched on September 30th, 2025.

  • The program is set to run for a minimum of six months, with the potential to continue well beyond that.

I am a User

  • You can find an updated list of eligible protocols on BTCFi Season’s website.

  • You will need to explore the individual participating protocols and their terms of use to see how you can earn STRK through their programs.

  • You will need to follow the guidelines provided from the individual participating protocols as they are responsible for their own distribution of STRK to their users based on their terms of use and announced programs.

  • You will be able to claim your STRK within each participating protocol. Any unclaimed STRK at the end of BTCFi Season will be returned back to the Foundation.

I am a Protocol

  • The Starknet Foundation determines the appropriateness of participating protocols in its absolute discretion and is focused solely on protocols that support the DEX and Money Market verticals. If you are interested in participating in BTCFi Season, please apply using this [form] and we will be in touch shortly.

  • Each protocol shall determine its own criteria for rewarding users, deciding both which users qualify and how rewards are allocated on eligible activity and assets/pairs.

  • Yes. Announcing your incentive program’s criteria and terms of use is a mandatory requirement to participate in BTCFi Season.

About the Starknet Foundation

The Starknet Foundation is a non-profit organisation who oversees the growth and development of Starknet – a fast, scalable, future-proof, fully-verifiable tech platform. The Foundation oversees a broad range of educational, grant, and startup programs and partnerships that support developers and founders solving real world problems.

The Starknet Foundation has allocated a total of 100 million STRK for BTCFi Season.

About OpenBlock Labs

OpenBlock Labs is a quantitative research firm specializing in organic and sustainable ecosystem growth by providing data analytics and modeling to ensure that the chain is growing with real users.

OpenBlock Labs will lead the recommendations of STRK allocations, the implementation and the analytics of the program.

Important Disclaimers & Disclosures

The following disclaimers and risk disclosures apply:

  • The DeFi protocols mentioned in this blog post are independent from the Starknet Foundation and are not owned, operated or controlled by the Starknet Foundation.
  • Users who engage with DeFi protocols do so at their own risk and subject to the terms and conditions set forth by each respective DeFi protocol. The Starknet Foundation has no relationship with the individual users.
  • The Starknet Foundation does not endorse or recommend any specific DeFi protocol. Users are encouraged to conduct their own research and to exercise caution before engaging with any such protocol.
  • Users are solely responsible for their own decisions and actions and assume all risks associated with utilising the respective DeFi Protocols.
  • Users should be aware that DeFi, as a category, involves inherent financial risks, including the potential for total loss of invested assets.
  • The Starknet Foundation disclaims any and all liability for losses that users may incur through their use of DeFi protocols.
  • Users and DeFi Protocols are responsible for complying with any applicable laws, regulations, or restrictions applying to them in either availing of or providing DeFi services (as the case may be).
  • The information provided in this post is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, investment or legal advice. Users should consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions.
  • The Starknet Foundation reserves the right to discontinue BTCFi Season at any time.
  • This blog should not be considered an offer to the public or to any particular DeFi protocol.