The launch of the Babylon Genesis chain is approaching, and with it comes an exciting addition for our users: Persistence DEX is gearing up to be deployed on Babylon, positioning it as a key decentralised exchange in the Babylon ecosystem. A governance proposal will be submitted on Day 1, and once it’s approved, the DEX will be deployed and live shortly after.
Babylon users will have a platform to trade a variety of assets, including $BABY, BTC, and BTC LSTs, all secured by Babylon’s innovative Bitcoin-backed network once the DEX is deployed.
In this article, we’ll give you a brief context about the Babylon Genesis chain, what Persistence DEX is, why its launch on Babylon is big news, and what it means for you as a user interested in the world of Bitcoin DeFi (or “BTCfi”).
What is Babylon Genesis Chain
Babylon’s Genesis Chain marks the beginning of Phase 2 in Babylon’s mission to bring economic utility to Bitcoin. In Phase 1, Babylon launched the Bitcoin Staking Protocol, enabling BTC holders to stake without giving up self-custody. This led to the rise of Bitcoin staking protocols such as Solv Protocol, Lombard, and SatLayer along with the emergence of new Liquid Staked Tokens like SolvBTC and LBTC. You can find more detailed explanations in the Babylon documentation.
Now, in Phase 2, Babylon is launching their own Layer-1 chain called the Babylon Genesis Chain. It is secured by staked BTC and introduces the $BABY token, which will be used for staking rewards and governance.
What is Persistence
Persistence consists of two important components, which will later be merged into one.
- Persistence v1 is a decentralised exchange currently deployed on the Persistence Core-1 Chain. Since it’s built with CosmWasm, it can also be deployed as an outpost on other chains, such as Babylon.
- Persistence v2 in an intent-based cross-chain bridge for BTCFi. It introduces new functionality that helps deepen BTCFi-native liquidity across ecosystems. More details about the v2 mainnet rollout will be shared soon. Users can already read about the same on our blog here.
Eventually, the vision for Persistence v3 is to unify both versions into a single product: a true BTCFi Liquidity Hub where users can swap between any version of BTC or BTCFi-aligned assets across BTCFi chains.
With over $36.3+ million in total trading volume, Persistence DEX was purpose-built for trading liquid staked assets, making it a natural fit for the Babylon ecosystem, which is expected to be heavily LST-driven.
With V2 enabling intent-based cross-chain swaps across major Bitcoin Layer 2s, Persistence DEX is well-positioned to serve both BTCFi and Babylon users. It’s built on audited contracts, already proven in production, and offers a reliable option for users looking to trade natively on Babylon Genesis from the get-go.
Why Launch on Babylon Genesis Chain?
Why is Persistence DEX coming to Babylon, and why does it matter? Babylon introduces a novel mechanism to secure Proof-of-Stake (PoS) networks using staked Bitcoin without users giving up custody. With Babylon’s genesis on the horizon, a new world of BTCFi opens up, as yield-bearing forms of BTC will be everywhere.
Persistence DEX will give users a venue to trade these assets natively on the Babylon Genesis Chain after deployment. Whether it’s staked BTC, $BABY rewards, or other tokens native or bridged to Babylon, users will be able to swap them effortlessly.
As a liquidity hub for Bitcoin-related tokens, Persistence DEX will help reduce fragmentation by enabling various BTC variants to trade in one place. Its launch on Babylon will bring utility and liquidity, supporting Babylon’s mission to make Bitcoin usable in DeFi from day one.
Trading Pairs on Persistence DEX at Genesis
While a list of initial liquidity pools will be announced closer to launch, users can expect coverage across the major asset categories in the ecosystem, including $BABY, BTC, and BTC LSTs.
To ensure a smooth rollout, the creation of new liquidity pools will initially be permissioned. We’re inviting teams that want to bring assets or build liquidity to reach out.
The initial set of pools on Persistence DEX will be incentivized, creating strong reasons for early capital to flow in. If you’re building in the BTCFi space or exploring where to deploy liquidity next, Persistence DEX on Babylon could be the right place at the right time.
What’s Next
Launching Persistence DEX on Babylon isn’t just a one-off integration. It’s part of a broader roadmap focused on unlocking meaningful Bitcoin-centric DeFi use cases.
With Persistence DEX V2, users will gain access to intent-based cross-chain swaps, making it faster and easier to move BTC across leading BTCFi-focused networks. Launching on the Babylon Genesis Chain feels like a natural fit. Both ecosystems stand to benefit, along with the continuous growth of the broader BTCFi space.
By going live as early as we can, our goal is to help kickstart Bitcoin-native liquidity from the very beginning. Babylon gains an active venue for trading Bitcoin-pegged assets and staking rewards while users get immediate access to a live market to trade and participate.
We invite the Babylon community and the broader BTCFi ecosystem to share their thoughts on our forum proposal to whitelist the address for launching Persistence DEX natively on Babylon. The discussion is now live: https://forum.babylon.foundation/t/whitelist-address-to-launch-persistence-dex-natively-on-babylon/48
About Persistence One
Persistence One is building the BTCFi Liquidity Hub, enabling fast, near zero-slippage swaps for BTC, BTC-variants, and LSTs on Persistence DEX.
BTCFi’s rapid growth has created multiple BTC-related assets, making fragmentation a big challenge. Persistence One will provide a single liquidity hub, simplifying value transfer across the Bitcoin ecosystem.
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