Core Leads Bitcoin Track at Permissionless IV Amid Growing Institutional Interest

SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Core Foundation, the entity powering Core, the leading Bitcoin scaling protocol, is set to present the most exciting Bitcoin track at Permissionless IV, one of the industry’s largest builder and developer gatherings, taking place June 24–26. As institutional and developer interest in Bitcoin-based applications grows, Core is anchoring key conversations on Bitcoin's expanding financial use cases, through curated panels, fireside chats, and community showcases.

Bitcoin Track Curated by Core

On June 24 at Permissionless IV, there will be a dedicated Bitcoin Track presented by Core, spotlighting key voices driving the next chapter of Bitcoin, from DeFi and credit markets to scaling debates and infrastructure design.

The afternoon kicks off with “Bitcoin DeFi: Making BTC a Productive Asset” (1:30–2:10pm), a deep dive into structured yield and Bitcoin-native credit markets. Speakers include Darren Mims (Blockworks Research), Sid Powell (Maple), Brendon Sedo (Core), Jacob Phillips (Lombard), and MacLane Wilkison (Threshold Network), who explore how institutional appetite for BTC as collateral is evolving.

Next up, from 2:10–2:30pm, “How Should Bitcoin Scale?” pits different approaches against each other in a lively debate featuring Simanta Gautam (Alpen Labs), Willem Schroe (Botanix), and Macauley Peterson (Blockworks).

At 2:30pm, Pete Rizzo (Blockworks) moderates “Where to Build in the Bitcoin Network,” a conversation with Rich Rines (Core), Jeff Garzik (Hemi), and Muneeb Ali (Stacks) on how to approach L2s, smart contract layers, and modular execution on Bitcoin.

From 3:10–3:30pm, the spotlight shifts to energy and infrastructure in “Bitcoin & The Energy to Compute Value Chain” with Meltem Demirors (Crucible) and Michael Bucella (Neoclassic Capital).

The day wraps up with a technical session at 3:30pm: “The Core Dev’s Guide to Bitcoin Network Upgrades,” led by Hunter Beast (Anduro), Jeremy Rubin (Judica), and William Foxley (Blockspace Media), offering a look at the mechanics and trade-offs behind proposed improvements to the Bitcoin base layer.

On June 25 from 11:50am–12:10pm, Rich Rines, Initial contributor at Core, will deliver a main stage keynote titled “The PoS Layer for Bitcoin”. He will outline how Core’s infrastructure enables native Bitcoin staking while preserving the security guarantees of Bitcoin’s base layer.

The Bitcoin Yield House: A Dedicated Bitcoin Lounge

In addition to the mainstage programming, Core will host its own Bitcoin Yield House to foster more intimate dialogue and networking across the Bitcoin ecosystem:

June 25

• 2:00pm: Fireside: lstBTC & Institutional Bitcoin Adoption
• 3:00pm: Fireside: Why the Next Capital Supercycle Starts with Bitcoin?

June 26

• 2:00pm: Panel: Activating Retail Through BTCfi Ecosystem
• 3:00pm: Fireside: The Rise of BTCfi as a Bitcoin Everything Chain.

Each day’s sessions are preceded by dedicated mingle hours to foster informal conversation and ecosystem connections.

Permissionless is the right forum to highlight how builders and institutions are activating Bitcoin in new ways, from dual staking to Bitcoin yield strategies.

With discussions touching on Bitcoin’s evolving role, the 2025 edition of Permissionless underscores a renewed industry focus on Bitcoin-native innovation, and Core’s central role in that discussion.

About Core

Core is the leading Bitcoin scaling solution, transforming idle Bitcoin into a productive, yield-generating asset that powers Bitcoin DeFi at scale. Core's Self-Custodial Bitcoin Staking allows holders to timelock Bitcoin directly on the Bitcoin blockchain to earn rewards, without taking on new risk. This trustless yield mechanism helps to secure the high-performance, EVM-compatible Core blockchain, where users can access an expanding universe of Bitcoin-focused decentralized applications.

Core powers first-of-their-kind products like Valour's yield-bearing Bitcoin ETP and lstBTC, the first liquid, yield-generating Bitcoin asset. The network supports over $500M in DeFi TVL, backed by 7,000+ timelocked Bitcoin and ~75% of Bitcoin mining hash power.

Permissionless

Produced by Blockworks, Permissionless is an annual conference designed as a premier gathering for the crypto and Web3 community. It brings together developers, founders, investors, and enthusiasts to explore the latest trends and innovations in decentralized finance (DeFi), blockchain infrastructure, and onchain applications. To secure your place at Permissionless IV, purchase tickets here.