BRC-20 Indexer Improve Brings Ethereum-Like Options to Bitcoin – Decrypt

BRC-20, the primary token normal constructed straight on Bitcoin’s base layer and indexers, has formally launched “BRC2.0” at Bitcoin block peak 912690, which happened Monday morning.

The improve embeds EVM (Ethereum Digital Machine) performance straight into the BRC-20 core indexer, permitting builders to deploy Ethereum-style sensible contracts on Bitcoin, with out counting on bridges, oracles, or trusted intermediaries.

The transfer permits programmability to Bitcoin-native tokens, successfully turning BRC-20 belongings into composable and interoperable devices that may work together with EVM-compatible chains and scaling layers.

The BRC2.0 improve was developed by Finest In Slot, a key infrastructure participant within the Ordinals ecosystem, in collaboration with BRC20’s pseudonymous creator Domo and the Layer 1 Basis, the governance physique overseeing the protocol.

“Bitcoin meta-protocols like Ordinals, Runes, and BRC20 run on indexers, which operate like easy calculators,” Eril Binari Ezerel, CEO of Finest In Slot, shared in a press launch to Decrypt. “We upgraded this ‘calculator-style’ indexer with EVM—making BRC20 Turing full.”

From meme cash to modular apps

Since its launch in early 2023, BRC-20 has seen over $3 billion in asset worth traded. The milestone has been achieved with out elevating enterprise capital or receiving institutional help.

At the same time as exercise cooled in 2025, BRC-20 volumes remained dominant, registering 5,636 BTC (US$633 million) in on-chain quantity over the past six months, greater than double Runes and practically 5 occasions greater than conventional Ordinals inscriptions.

The brand new sensible contract performance expands what’s doable for Bitcoin-native belongings.

Till now, these tokens have been primarily used for meme cash and speculative buying and selling, with few real-world functions attributable to Bitcoin’s restricted programmability.

“Adoption of Bitcoin native belongings has been stifled as a result of there aren’t any dApps on Bitcoin; it’s simply memes,” Ezerel added.  “One of many principal objectives of BRC2.0 is to deliver Ethereum’s extra numerous utility ecosystem onto Bitcoin.”

BRC2.0 enters a rising panorama of programmable Bitcoin layers, together with the WASM-based Alkanes normal, which just lately surged to characterize practically one-third of all meta-protocol associated transactions in Q3.

Comparisons to Runes

So what does this imply for the present state of the Bitcoin fungible tokens market?

“The Bitcoin token market struggles as a result of it’s nearly solely meme cash, Asher Corson, CIO of Unbroken Chain, the primary institution-backed liquid buying and selling fund within the Bitcoin Ordinals ecosystem, instructed Decrypt.

“Programmability and DeFi will spark renewed curiosity, with income seemingly rotating into inscriptions, doubtlessly driving one other bull run for Bitcoin belongings,” he mentioned.

Corson additionally defined how the transfer compares to Runes and the way this locations BRC-20 in a separate class.

“The BRC-20 2.0 improve introduces programmability. Runes isn’t programmable and is unlikely to ever be. This basically limits Runes to meme cash. BRC-20 2.0, then again, will probably be able to supporting a DeFi ecosystem.”

Bridging two giants

The mixing of EVM into BRC20’s core layer means builders can now construct dApps straight secured by Bitcoin, whereas sustaining compatibility with Ethereum tooling. No bridges, no wrapped belongings—simply native composability.

“The holy grail is combining the 2 gold requirements: Bitcoin as essentially the most decentralized and safe community, and the EVM as essentially the most confirmed digital machine,” Domo, the creator of BRC20, mentioned. “The goal is to provide customers the Ethereum expertise of composability and programmability, however secured by Bitcoin.”