Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC)
Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) is an Ethereum token that is intended to represent Bitcoin (BTC) on the Ethereum blockchain. It is not Bitcoin, but rather a separate ERC-20 token that’s designed to track Bitcoin’s value. WBTC was created to allow Bitcoin holders to participate in decentralized finance (“DeFi”) apps that are popular on Ethereum. Through a WBTC partner, 1 Bitcoin can be exchanged for 1 Wrapped Bitcoin, and vice-versa. The BTC that backs WBTC is verifiable through a “proof of reserve” system that verifies the 1:1 backing between minted WBTC tokens and Bitcoin stored by custodians. WBTC is maintained by a group called the WBTC DAO that consists of over 30 members. It was originally started by BitGo, Ren, and Kyber.
One of the most common requests we hear from customers is to be able to buy and sell more cryptocurrencies on Coinbase. We announced a process for listing assets, designed in part to accelerate the addition of more cryptocurrencies. We are also investing in new tools to help people understand and explore cryptocurrencies. We launched informational asset pages (see WBTC here), as well as a new section of the Coinbase website to answer common questions about crypto.
Customers can sign up for a Coinbase account here to buy, sell, convert, send, receive, or store WBTC today.
was originally published in The Coinbase Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
