Xverse launches self-custodial Bitcoin staking with pooled access for all users

Xverse, the self-custodial Bitcoin wallet, has opened enrollment for a pooled Bitcoin staking product that lets users earn BTC-denominated yields without handing their coins to a third party. The staking pool went live on September 7, with rewards expected to kick in around September 10 at approximately Bitcoin block 966,350, which coincides with the start of Stacks reward cycle 143. Enrollment closes on or before September 9, or whenever the pool hits capacity. How the staking mechanism works The setup relies on sBTC, a Bitcoin-backed asset on the Stacks network. Users pair sBTC with STX during what’s called a PoX-5 bond period, and in return they earn Bitcoin yields. The critical selling point: the underlying Bitcoin stays on Layer 1, under the user’s control the entire time. No wrapping. No bridging to some other chain where your BTC sits in a multisig you’ve never audited. The product ships with Xverse v2.9, available to everyone willing to download the update. If you have sBTC and STX, you’re in, assuming capacity hasn’t already filled. Institutional anchors and retail access Xverse didn’t launch this pool into a vacuum. The initial anchor participants include UTXO, a subsidia...