Botanix Mainnet Launches as Bitcoin’s Fastest Layer-2—Slashing Block Times to Just 5 Seconds

Bitcoin just got a speed upgrade—and Wall Street's still stuck on SWIFT transfers.

Botanix's mainnet debut marks a watershed moment for Bitcoin scalability. The Layer-2 solution delivers what the base chain couldn't: transaction speeds rivaling Solana without sacrificing decentralization.

Why this matters

Five-second block times shatter Bitcoin's 10-minute bottleneck. Suddenly, microtransactions and DeFi protocols become viable—assuming the OG crypto maximalists don't revolt against progress.

Under the hood

By leveraging Ethereum's EVM architecture, Botanix sidesteps Bitcoin's scripting limitations. The result? A 120x throughput boost that might finally make Lightning Network look quaint.

Of course, the real test comes when TradFi tries to explain this at their next 'blockchain innovation' seminar—between sips of $28 Starbucks cold brew.

"Fully decentralized" BTCFi

Botanix Labs also emphasized its decentralized governance structure. The mainnet launch coincides with its transition to being operated by a foundation of 16 node operators. Botanix said it expects the number to grow beyond 100 in 2026.

The founding federation includes some of the biggest names in cryptocurrency, including as Mike Novogratz's financial services firm Galaxy Digital and crypto custody specialist Fireblocks.

"If we want a world that runs on Bitcoin, we have to build systems that honor its Core principles of self-custody, open participation and global fault tolerance,” Botanix Labs CEO Willem Schroé said. “Too many Bitcoiners have been burned by centralized platforms, which is why Botanix is fully decentralized at launch. No single party, including us, can touch a user’s Bitcoin."

Several products that will FORM the basis of Botanix's Bitcoin DeFi (BTCFi) offering also debuted in conjunction the mainnet launch. These include BTC-backed stablecoin Palladium and decentralized exchange Bitzy.