In an interview with Global Crypto News, Andy Fajar Hardika, CEO of Loka Mining, shared insights on the impact of Bitcoin’s recent halving event on the decentralized finance (defi) landscape.

Bitcoin mining rewards were halved on April 19, 2024, resulting in reduced rewards for miners. This reduction from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC per block has raised concerns about the mining economy’s sustainability. With each halving event, mining firms face challenges in adapting to a lower-margin environment. This year’s halving event may lead to consolidation and defaults within the industry.

The introduction of Runes and Ordinals is revolutionizing defi on the Bitcoin network. Runes bring fungible tokens to the blockchain, while Ordinals enable NFTs directly on the network. These concepts expand Bitcoin’s utility beyond simple transactions, positioning it to compete with Ethereum in the defi space.

Despite scalability concerns and blockchain bloat, protocols like Runes and Ordinals demonstrate Bitcoin’s potential to support diverse decentralized applications. Miners can offset the halving’s impact on revenue through these innovations.

Hardika believes that Bitcoin’s evolution in defi, driven by protocols like Runes, will position it as the “mother chain” attracting new protocols on its L2 or sidechain. Collaboration rather than rivalry is expected between Bitcoin and Ethereum as chains fuse and abstract away to enhance user experience.

As transaction fees rise with Runes, Bitcoin aims to balance rewarding miners while keeping transactions affordable. Solutions like Lightning Network and ckBTC reduce transaction fees, making Bitcoin more accessible for smaller transactions.

Innovations like Runes and Ordinals could help Bitcoin narrow the gap with Ethereum in defi applications. These building blocks enhance Bitcoin’s programmability and unlock its vast total value locked (TVL) for defi apps. While concerns about blockchain bloat and slower transaction times exist, Bitcoin is exploring various layers and sidechains to address scalability issues.

Critics raise concerns about network scalability with the introduction of protocols like Runes and Ordinals, similar to Ethereum’s past challenges with CryptoKitties. However, these innovations contribute to the network’s security budget and drive the development of Bitcoin’s scalability solutions.

As Bitcoin continues to evolve in the defi space, it remains essential for miners to adapt to changing market conditions. Stay updated on the latest news and trends in the cryptocurrency industry to make informed investment decisions.

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