Bitcoin yield without the leap of faith

The following is a guest post and opinion by Hong Sun, Head of Institutional at Core DAO.

Traditional financial institutions have begun to benefit from Bitcoin’s price appreciation — but they’re doing so in suboptimal ways. Most are sitting on Bitcoin as if it were cash, content with price exposure while overlooking its productive potential. That won’t last. Sooner or later, Wall Street will seek more efficient uses for their Bitcoin holdings.

But in crypto, caution is critical. We’ve seen how the pursuit of yield — without understanding the underlying risks — can backfire. Fortunately, secure, sustainable Bitcoin yield products that minimize principal risk are no longer theoretical. They’re available today.

The Lessons of 2022: Not All Yield Is Equal

Bitcoin-holding institutions should reflect on recent crypto history. The 2022 collapse exposed the danger of yield-seeking strategies built on shaky foundations. A number of once-prominent firms — Voyager, BlockFi, Celsius, Three Arrows Capital, and FTX — now occupy the crypto graveyard, having fallen prey to poor risk management and unsustainable promises.

The lesson? Not all yield is created equal. Many so-called yield products introduced new layers of risk — counterparty exposure, custody vulnerabilities, slashing mechanisms, and smart contract exploits. These proved fatal to firms that miscalculated.

The core problem is that Bitcoin, unlike Ethereum, does not offer native staking rewards through its Proof of Work model. So to earn yield, holders have historically been pushed into lending, rehypothecation, or liquidity provision — all of which come with trust trade-offs.

Bitcoin holders face a dilemma: on one side, they enjoy self-custody and uncompromising security. On the other, the lure of yield. But bridging that gap shouldn’t require a leap of faith.

Timelocking: Bitcoin’s Native HODL Function

Bitcoin doesn’t support smart contracts the way Ethereum does, but it does have a powerful native feature: timelocking. Designed to allow users to “HODL” with mathematical certainty — by locking BTC so it cannot be moved until a specified future block — timelocking has long been underutilized.

Now, that same HODL mechanic is unlocking a new frontier: yield generation without giving up custody.

The innovation lies in a new staking model that uses Bitcoin itself — not a wrapped version — as the staked asset. Through Bitcoin’s Check Lock Time Verify (CLTV) function, holders can lock their BTC and participate in securing blockchain networks to earn yield, all while maintaining complete control. Their Bitcoin stays in their own wallet. It cannot be moved, rehypothecated, or lost — and yet, it becomes productive.

This is precisely the level of security that financial institutions demand. No new trust assumptions. No slashing. No smart contract complexity. Just Bitcoin — used as it was designed — with an added incentive.

Institutions Are Already Moving

Institutional adoption of this model is already underway. Valour Inc., a subsidiary of DeFi Technologies, recently launched the world’s first yield-bearing Bitcoin ETP using this mechanism — combining the immutability of Bitcoin custody with the performance advantages of secure staking.

These solutions allow institutions to move beyond risky lending and speculative trading strategies. For the first time, Bitcoin can serve not only as a store of value — but also as a productive, yield-generating asset class.

From Passive Holdings to Active Participation

For institutions that hold Bitcoin via custodians or ETFs, Bitcoin today is a negative carry asset. Custody and management fees chip away at returns, contradicting the core thesis of Bitcoin as an inflation hedge and store of value.

Secure Bitcoin yield changes that equation. Institutions can now generate yield while supporting decentralized networks — a meaningful bridge between traditional finance and blockchain-native systems.

This evolution is still in its early stages, but the direction is clear: the future of Bitcoin is not idle. It’s active, integrated, and institutionally aligned.

The Takeaway

Bitcoin yield — done right — no longer requires new trust assumptions or exposure to untested products. It’s grounded in Bitcoin’s own security model, using timelocks — originally a HODL mechanism — to protect principal while generating returns.

As financial institutions catch up to this development, the competitive edge will go to those who act early. The question is no longer if institutional Bitcoin yield is possible. It’s: What will you do with it?

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