Decentralized finance protocol BIMA and Bitcoin layer-2 banking platform exSat have formed a strategic alliance to unlock new opportunities for Bitcoin-backed DeFi. Announced on May 28, 2025, at the Bitcoin conference in Las Vegas, the partnership aims to make Bitcoin a fully productive asset across decentralized and institutional finance.
$100M in Bitcoin Deployed to Jumpstart Integration
The collaboration will begin with an initial deployment of $100 million worth of Bitcoin—approximately 1,000 BTC—across BIMA’s DeFi infrastructure. Plans are in place to scale this up to 5,000 BTC, equating to over $500 million in assets aimed at fueling yield generation, lending, and on-chain financial products.
This partnership comes shortly after BIMA’s mainnet launch and the introduction of its flagship stablecoin, USBD—an over-collateralized, Bitcoin-derivative-backed digital asset. USBD is designed to provide capital-efficient exposure to BTC while allowing users to earn yield, stake, and borrow without selling their holdings.
BIMA: Bridging Bitcoin to DeFi Yield Strategies
BIMA’s core mission is to give Bitcoin holders access to on-chain yield strategies similar to what is available in Ethereum-based DeFi—without sacrificing their BTC exposure. USBD enables both DeFi and CeFi participants to unlock liquidity and yield from Bitcoin while maintaining full reserve backing.
“This partnership with exSat marks a major step towards mobilizing Bitcoin as a productive asset in DeFi,” said Sid Sridhar, CEO of BIMA. “BIMA provides the capital-efficient infrastructure to deploy USBD securely across DeFi and CeFi ecosystems.”
exSat to Deploy esBTC and iBTC in BIMA Products
As part of the collaboration, BIMA becomes the official stablecoin partner of exSat. In turn, exSat will deploy its native assets—esBTC and iBTC—into BIMA’s vaults and structured financial products, deepening the integration between the two platforms.
“We’re building the foundation for a sovereign Bitcoin banking layer,” said exSat founder Yves La Rose. “By enabling users to borrow USBD against Bitcoin and engage in permissionless yield strategies, we’re expanding Bitcoin’s utility without forcing users to sell.”
Toward a Programmable Bitcoin Economy
The BIMA–exSat partnership represents a significant milestone in transforming Bitcoin into a yield-generating, programmable asset. By combining BIMA’s DeFi infrastructure with exSat’s Bitcoin-native banking rails, the collaboration positions itself at the forefront of capital-efficient Bitcoin-based finance. This marks a critical step toward establishing a robust, sovereign DeFi economy built on the Bitcoin standard.
