BTW Description
Overview
Bitway Token (BTW) is the native utility and governance token of Bitway, a Bitcoin-compatible Proof-of-Stake Layer 1 blockchain built by Bitway Labs.
Bitway Labs, formerly Side Protocol (founded 2023), operates Bitway Ledger, which connects Bitcoin and other on-chain capital to yield, lending, and payment products such as Bitway Earn and Bitway Lending without wrapped tokens. BTW's canonical deployment is on BNB Chain (BSC); a low-activity Ethereum-side implementation also exists. Market capitalization is approximately $1.1 billion as of 2026-08-31.
Value Proposition
Bitway differentiates itself as a "DeTraFi" (DeFi plus TradFi) gateway giving Bitcoin holders yield and lending access without wrapping BTC into synthetic tokens.
Rather than bridging BTC to an existing smart-contract chain, Bitway aims for native Bitcoin compatibility on its own Layer 1. BTW captures this positioning through staking, governance, and fee utility across Bitway Earn and Bitway Lending. Converting the BW testnet points program to BTW gave Bitway roughly 42,050 holders and listings on six exchanges — HTX, MEXC, Bitget, BingX, WEEX, and LBank — shortly after launch.
Token Basics
BTW functions as both a utility and governance token within the Bitway ecosystem.
- Staking BTW to help secure the Bitway Ledger network
- Voting and participating in ecosystem governance decisions
- Paying transaction fees on the network
- Accessing platform features such as Bitway Earn and Bitway Lending
The stated design intent is to align incentives across Bitway's yield, payment, and financing products through this single token.
Tokenomics
BTW has a fixed maximum supply of 10 billion tokens, with 2,708,142,280 BTW (about 27%) in circulation as of 2026-08-31.
- Total/max supply: 10,000,000,000 BTW (fixed)
- Circulating supply: 2,708,142,280 BTW (~27% of total)
- Allocation: Community ~26.67%, Ecosystem ~20.00%, Partners ~12.00%, remainder to team, investors, and foundation
- ~22% of supply (2.2B tokens) unlocked at TGE
- Seed-round vesting: 12-month cliff, 24-month linear vesting
- Emission schedule: 5 years total, 33.18% released in Year 1, remaining 66.82% over the following 4 years
Launch & Funding
BTW's Token Generation Event (TGE) concluded on March 2, 2026, converting BW testnet points into BTW at a 1:200 ratio.
The launch followed roughly $5.44 million in total funding, including a $4.444 million seed round led by TRON DAO Ventures with HTX Ventures participation, after an earlier investment from Binance-affiliated YZi Labs via its EASY Residency incubation program. The underlying project was founded as Side Protocol in 2023, roughly three years before the BTW token's launch and rebrand.
Blockchain & Consensus
BTW is deployed natively on BNB Chain (BSC), with a secondary, low-activity implementation on Ethereum.
BTW is also the native token of Bitway Ledger, a purpose-built Proof-of-Stake Layer 1 blockchain operated by Bitway Labs, designed for native Bitcoin compatibility — including Native SegWit transaction types — without relying on wrapped BTC representations.
Team
Bitway Labs' core team includes Shane Qiu, Co-Founder and CEO, and Dave Hrycyszyn, CTO.
Qiu is a former early Binance Labs member who managed large ecosystem funds; Hrycyszyn previously co-founded and led Chainspace and co-authored a blockchain sharding protocol.
Issuing Organization
Bitway Labs, formerly known as Side Protocol, develops and maintains the Bitway ecosystem today.
It operates Bitway Ledger and associated products, including Bitway Earn and Bitway Lending, under a self-described "DeTraFi" (DeFi plus TradFi) model. Official channels include the website bitway.com, the X account @bitwayofficial, Telegram (t.me/bitwaycommunity), Discord, and GitHub (github.com/bitwaylabs).
Governance
Bitway describes BTW as its governance token, letting holders vote on ecosystem decisions alongside staking and fee payment.
Governance is presented in general utility terms as part of aligning incentives across Bitway's yield, payment, and financing products.
Security
Bitway has not completed a CertiK audit; CertiK lists the project as "Not Audited By CertiK" while assigning it an automated Skynet monitoring score of 82.74 (Grade A).
- No bug bounty program established
- Reported security reviews from BlockSec and Salus have covered underlying Bitway/Side Protocol components and the BTW token contract
- Top 10 holders control 96% of supply; top 25 control 99%
- On-chain liquidity relative to market capitalization is rated high risk
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bitway Token (BTW)?
Bitway Token (BTW) is the native utility and governance token of Bitway, a Bitcoin-compatible Proof-of-Stake Layer 1 blockchain built by Bitway Labs (formerly Side Protocol). It powers staking, governance voting, transaction fees, and access to products like Bitway Earn and Bitway Lending, with its canonical deployment on BNB Chain (BSC).
What blockchain does BTW run on?
BTW is deployed natively on BNB Chain (BSC), with a secondary, low-activity implementation on Ethereum. It also serves as the native token of Bitway Ledger, a purpose-built Proof-of-Stake Layer 1 blockchain designed for native Bitcoin compatibility, including Native SegWit transaction types, without wrapped BTC representations.
What is the total supply of BTW?
BTW has a fixed maximum supply of 10,000,000,000 tokens. As of 2026-08-31, circulating supply is 2,708,142,280 BTW, about 27% of the total. Roughly 22% of total supply (2.2 billion tokens) unlocked at the Token Generation Event, with the remaining emission scheduled over five years.
When did BTW launch and who funded it?
BTW's Token Generation Event concluded on March 2, 2026, converting BW testnet points into BTW at a 1:200 ratio. The project raised approximately $5.44 million, including a $4.444 million seed round led by TRON DAO Ventures with HTX Ventures, following earlier backing from Binance-affiliated YZi Labs.
Who founded Bitway?
Bitway Labs' core team includes Shane Qiu, Co-Founder and CEO and a former early Binance Labs member, and Dave Hrycyszyn, CTO and previously co-founder and CEO of Chainspace. The underlying project was founded as Side Protocol in 2023, roughly three years before the BTW token launch and rebrand.
Has Bitway been audited?
Bitway has not completed a formal CertiK audit; CertiK lists it as "Not Audited By CertiK" while giving it an automated Skynet monitoring score of 82.74 (Grade A). Security reviews from BlockSec and Salus have reportedly covered underlying protocol components and the BTW token contract, though no bug bounty program has been established.
Is BTW's holder base concentrated?
Yes. As of 2026-08-31, the top 10 BTW holders controlled about 96% of total supply and the top 25 controlled about 99%, while the total holder count of roughly 42,050 has been declining, down about 8.4% over 30 days even as price rallied.
What is BTW used for?
BTW is both a utility and governance token: holders stake it to help secure the Bitway Ledger network, vote on ecosystem governance decisions, pay transaction fees, and access platform features such as Bitway Earn and Bitway Lending, aligning incentives across Bitway's yield, payment, and financing products.
