After the successful mainnet beta launch and network build-up of Epoch 1, Zeus Network continued fulfilling its primary mission: establishing a permissionless connection between Bitcoin and Solana, further advancing our goal of becoming a multichain layer operating on SVM.
The network is in its early phase, focusing on security enhancement through building a strong foundation of validators and ensuring the security of cross-chain assets.
Key Takeaways
- On-chain Bitcoin surged into Solana in 2024 and will continue in 2025.
- zBTC launched as the first and only permissionless Bitcoin on Solana.
- APOLLO will open for public users to deposit/redeem BTC soon.
Network Stats — Epoch 2
- Period: Jan. 3rd, 2025 ~ Feb. 1st, 2025
- Total ZEUS Delegation Increased: 1.5M
- Total BTC Capacity Increased: 75
Top 3 Milestones
- Reached 50.42 $zBTC minted and 10M volume
- Offering up to 40% APY for the network delegators
- Total 1.5M ZEUS delegated to ZeusNode
Guardian Status
- Live: 1 (Zeus Foundation)
- Initiating: 2 (Mechanism Capital & Animoca Ventures)
- Onboarding: 4 (Axia8 Ventures, Sec3, UTXO Management & Karatage)
Delegation & Capacity
- Total Delegation Openings: 3 (Zeus Foundation Opening — #1 = 500K ZEUS / #2 = 500K ZEUS / #3 = 500K ZEUS)
- Total Delegators: 306 (+223 / ↑268.67%)
- Total ZEUS Delegated: 2,000,000 (+1,500,000 / ↑200%)
- Total BTC Capacity: 100 (+75 BTC / ↑300%)
Value Captured
- Highest BTC Price: $108,162
- Total Interactions: 483 (+450 / ↑1,263.64%)
- Unique Addresses: 50 (+41 / ↑355.56%)
- Total Bitcoin Locked (TBL): 32.06535 BTC (3,468,252 USD)
- Network Volume (USD): 19,294,097 (+18,853,217 / ↑4,176.27%)
Issue Report
𐓷 Overheated & Cooled Down
The ZeusNode Guardian website faced overwhelming traffic during the Zeus Foundation #1 delegation opening, with over 1,000 unique users attempting to delegate ZEUS tokens simultaneously.
This surge caused temporary dApp failures, limiting successful delegations to 49 users. The Zeus Dev Team responded by enhancing the delegation system, which led to improved results — 68 successful delegations in the Zeus Foundation opening #2 and 106 in opening #3.
The more delegators, the merrier — we aim to provide fairer opportunities for all Olympians.
Ecosystem: Bitcoin-Solana
Game On: The Bitcoin Landscape on Solana
2024 has transformed Solana’s landscape, establishing it as both a thriving hub for Pump.fun enthusiasts and an attractive destination for institutional players like PayPal’s strategic expansion.
The launch of BTC Spot ETFs in traditional finance has met expectations and exceeded them by accumulating over 1.1 million BTC in 2024. Meanwhile, Solana’s on-chain Bitcoin ecosystem is just beginning to take shape and continues to expand.
The Bitcoin ecosystem on Solana is now featuring WBTC (Wrapped Bitcoin by WBTC), cbBTC (Wrapped Bitcoin by Coinbase), 21BTC (Wrapped Bitcoin by 21Share), zBTC (ZPL-asset standard Bitcoin by Zeus Network), and the upcoming sBTC (Wrapped Bitcoin by Stacks, coming soon). These innovations cement Solana’s position as the premier platform for Bitcoin applications.
Zeus Network stands apart from traditional bridges, Layer 2 solutions, and centralized wrapped BTC custodians. Beginning with Bitcoin on Solana, we’re pioneering new ways for permissionless BTC to operate across multiple blockchains.
Our permissionless approach enables holders of digital gold to freely use their assets while maintaining Bitcoin’s fundamental principles of decentralization and self-custody.
The launch of zBTC by APOLLO, our first ZPL-asset, showcases our innovative approach to multichain integration and demonstrates our unique vision for the future.
As the pioneering dApp on Zeus Network, APOLLO is nearing the completion of its Forge Stability phase, with nearly 50 zBTC minted and approximately 1,000 test deposit and withdrawal requests successfully processed.
Through the development of zBTC and APOLLO, we envision the on-chain Bitcoin liquidity terminal becoming the ultimate aggregator for all on-chain BTC.
APOLLO is now preparing to launch public access for BTC lock-mint and burn-unlock operations for any BTC holders.
The Fun Parts of Bitcoin: Ordinals and Runes
What if Bitcoin’s versions of NFTs and memecoins could thrive on Solana, attracting the Bitcoin OGs to use Solana, just as Solana captured public attention in its early phase?
Bitcoin NFTs — originally named Inscriptions and later Ordinals — were created in 2022 by Casey Rodarmor, more than a decade after Bitcoin’s launch. This innovation expanded Bitcoin beyond its value-storing role and demonstrated Bitcoin’s programmability.
Following Ordinals’ development, Runes, the memecoins on Bitcoin, emerged in 2024 as Bitcoin’s version of memecoins, adding another dimension to modern Bitcoin. This innovation enables users to create their own tokens, bringing new cultural diversity and creative expression to the traditional Bitcoin network.
Many say that Ordinals and Runes are dead, but like any emerging technology, this is merely the testing phase of something greater.
Zeus Network’s infrastructure enables native BTC to move permissionlessly on Solana — and it seamlessly supports native Ordinals and Runes as well. This lays the foundation for a deeply integrated Bitcoin-Solana ecosystem, empowering not just institutions but also the broader community to innovate and build.
Future Key Focuses
As we move forward with the successful first 2 Epochs, several key opportunities present themselves for Zeus Network’s expansion:
𐓷 More Guardians Incoming
To strengthen our network, we are onboarding six additional Guardians to serve as interaction validators for Zeus Network. Their commitment to the multichain infrastructure will help build a robust ecosystem, beginning with securing cross-chain interactions between Bitcoin and Solana.
Two leading firms in the space — Mechanism Capital and Animoca Ventures — are set to become ZeusNode Guardians in the upcoming Epoch.
𐓷 Not Just Guardians
If you’ve read the Guardian docs carefully, you’ll notice that beyond regular Guardians, the network plans to onboard Institutional Guardians.
The key distinction is that the Institutional Guardian program is designed for entities holding large amounts of BTC who want to earn an on-chain yield on Solana through Zeus Network.
We’ve eliminated the fixed “500 $BTC deposit” requirement for Institutional Guardians, making our onboarding process more adaptable.
To become an Institutional Guardian now requires 5,000,000 $ZEUS and a substantial (though flexible) BTC deposit.
𐓷 Scaling $ZEUS; Rewarding Delegators
$ZEUS represents more than just a token — it embodies our mission to transform Bitcoin, enabling this digital gold to reach its full potential as a programmable, decentralized, and accessible asset for everyone.
To expand our reach and help more people join Zeus Network’s crusade, we are actively working to list $ZEUS on strategic platforms and exchanges.
G(SV)M, the reward is for true believers in the Solana Virtual Machine. $40K worth of $SONIC will be rewarded to Epoch 1 & 2 delegators from our SVM partner Sonic.
The Zeus team is dedicated to working alongside strategic partners like Sonic, forging a greater impact of interoperability and unlocking the potential of Solana beyond Solana.
Conclusion
Epoch 2 has been a period of remarkable growth and achievement for Zeus Network. The significant increases in delegation, BTC capacity, and network interactions demonstrate the growing trust and adoption of the network.
Our strategic position in the Bitcoin-Solana ecosystem, particularly through innovations like zBTC and APOLLO, sets a strong foundation for future growth. As we move towards the next phase, Zeus Network is in good form to continue its mission of revolutionizing Bitcoin’s utility across multiple blockchains.
The journey of making Bitcoin truly wild and free while maintaining its core principles of decentralization and self-custody continues, and Zeus Network remains at the forefront of this transformation.
