Core CORE: Bitcoin-Aligned Layer 1 & DeFi Ecosystem

Core is a high-performance, EVM-compatible Layer 1 designed to extend Bitcoin’s security and economic value into a programmable smart-contract ecosystem. Its central innovation is Satoshi Plus, a consensus system that combines Delegated Proof of Work, Delegated Proof of Stake, and self-custodial Bitcoin staking to help elect and secure Core validators. This structure brings Bitcoin miners, Bitcoin holders, and CORE token holders into the same network security model.

The ecosystem is built around a broader Bitcoin-focused DeFi vision. Bitcoin holders can timelock BTC directly on the Bitcoin network using CLTV rather than wrapping or transferring their BTC to another chain, while developers can build EVM-compatible decentralized applications on Core. CORE serves as the network’s native asset, supporting transaction fees, staking, governance, and Bitcoin staking reward mechanisms.

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What Is Core CORE and How Does the Blockchain Work?

Core is a high-performance, EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain designed to expand the utility of Bitcoin through smart contracts, decentralized applications, and Bitcoin-aligned infrastructure. Rather than modifying Bitcoin’s base layer, Core positions itself as a complementary smart-contract platform where Bitcoin’s security model and economic value can connect with the programmability of an EVM blockchain. Its broader goal is to make Bitcoin useful across decentralized finance and other onchain applications while maintaining a strong connection to Bitcoin’s underlying network.

Core as a Complementary Platform for Bitcoin

Bitcoin is highly secure and decentralized, but its base layer was not designed to support the same breadth of programmable applications found on modern smart-contract platforms. Core addresses this limitation by providing a separate Layer 1 environment where developers can deploy smart contracts, and users can interact with decentralized applications while the network remains closely aligned with Bitcoin.

Core describes the blockchain as Bitcoin’s complementary and hyper-scalable smart-contract platform. The architecture uses Bitcoin mining hash power, Bitcoin-native timelocks, and Core’s own consensus mechanism to connect Bitcoin with a programmable execution environment. This allows Bitcoin to serve not only as an asset but also as an important component of a broader decentralized application economy.

Bitcoin, CORE, and Smart Contracts

The relationship between Bitcoin and Core operates through several different roles. Bitcoin provides the underlying economic and security connection, while CORE is the native token of the Core blockchain. CORE is used for network transaction fees, staking, governance, and validator security. Bitcoin holders can also participate in Core’s consensus through Self-Custodial Bitcoin Staking, while Bitcoin miners can delegate hash power to Core validators through Delegated Proof of Work.

This creates a structure in which different participants contribute different resources to the network:

• Bitcoin miners can delegate Bitcoin mining hash power to support Core validators.
• Bitcoin holders can timelock BTC through Core’s Self-Custodial Bitcoin Staking mechanism.
• CORE holders can delegate CORE to validators through Delegated Proof of Stake.
• Developers can deploy EVM-compatible smart contracts and decentralized applications.

These components allow Core to build a Bitcoin-oriented application environment without requiring Bitcoin itself to become an EVM smart-contract chain.

EVM Compatibility for Developers

Core is fully EVM-compatible, giving developers an environment that is familiar to teams already building with Ethereum-based technologies. Existing Ethereum-style smart contracts can be ported to Core with minimal modifications, while developers can use established libraries, development tools, wallets, and other EVM infrastructure. Core’s developer hub also provides documentation, tutorials, RPC configuration, CLI tooling, and resources for deploying applications on the network.

This compatibility is important because it allows developers to build applications for Bitcoin-oriented users without having to learn an entirely different smart-contract development stack. DeFi protocols, NFT applications, games, bridges, and other decentralized applications can operate within Core’s EVM environment while benefiting from its Bitcoin-focused architecture.

Satoshi Plus and Core’s Consensus Architecture

The foundation connecting these components is Satoshi Plus, Core’s consensus and validator-selection architecture. It combines three sources of network support: Delegated Proof of Work from Bitcoin miners, Delegated Proof of Stake from CORE holders, and Self-Custodial Bitcoin Staking from Bitcoin holders. These resources contribute to a hybrid score used to select Core’s active validators.

Through this design, Core attempts to combine Bitcoin’s established mining infrastructure with Proof-of-Stake participation and Bitcoin-native staking. Validators then produce blocks and validate transactions for the Core blockchain. The result is an EVM-compatible Layer 1 where Bitcoin-oriented security, CORE-based participation, and programmable smart contracts operate within the same ecosystem.

Core therefore serves as more than another EVM network. Its defining proposition is the attempt to connect Bitcoin’s security and liquidity with a programmable blockchain environment, giving developers and users a dedicated platform for building and using Bitcoin-focused decentralized applications.

Satoshi Plus Consensus and Bitcoin-Aligned Security

Satoshi Plus is the consensus and validator-selection architecture at the center of Core’s Bitcoin-oriented Layer 1. Rather than relying on a single source of economic or computational security, the model combines three distinct delegation mechanisms: Delegated Proof of Work (DPoW), Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS), and Self-Custodial Bitcoin Staking. Each mechanism brings a different form of participation into Core’s validator-selection process, allowing Bitcoin miners, CORE holders, and BTC holders to contribute resources to the network.

The design is intended to connect Core’s EVM-compatible execution environment with established Bitcoin infrastructure while maintaining a separate consensus system for the Core blockchain.

Delegated Proof of Work and Bitcoin Mining

Delegated Proof of Work connects Core with Bitcoin’s existing mining ecosystem. Bitcoin miners can participate in Core by delegating their Bitcoin mining hash power to Core validators. The miners continue performing their normal Bitcoin mining operations, while their delegated hash power contributes to the selection and ranking of validators within the Satoshi Plus system.

This creates an important relationship between the two networks. Core does not require Bitcoin miners to abandon Bitcoin mining and directly operate Core infrastructure. Instead, their existing computational contribution can be represented within Core’s consensus architecture.

The basic relationship can be summarized as:

Bitcoin mining hash power → delegation → Core validators → validator selection

This mechanism gives Bitcoin’s established proof-of-work infrastructure a role in securing a separate smart-contract blockchain.

Delegated Proof of Stake With CORE

The second component is Delegated Proof of Stake, which brings CORE holders directly into the validator-selection process. CORE is Core’s native blockchain asset, and holders can delegate their tokens to validators rather than operating validator infrastructure themselves.

Delegation allows token holders to support validators they choose while the validators remain responsible for participating in block production and network operations. The amount of delegated CORE contributes to a validator’s overall standing within the Satoshi Plus consensus system.

DPoS therefore introduces a conventional proof-of-stake component alongside Bitcoin-derived hash power. It gives CORE holders an economic role in determining which validators receive consensus responsibilities without requiring every token holder to run a node.

Self-Custodial Bitcoin Staking

The third component is Self-Custodial Bitcoin Staking, which allows BTC holders to contribute Bitcoin to the Satoshi Plus ecosystem without transferring custody of their BTC to a centralized intermediary. Bitcoin is time-locked through Core’s Bitcoin staking mechanism, and the resulting staking position contributes to validator selection.

This mechanism is distinct from simply holding BTC on an exchange or depositing it with a custodial staking provider. The underlying Bitcoin remains subject to the conditions of the Bitcoin-native timelock mechanism. In return for participating, BTC holders can contribute weight to the consensus process and potentially receive rewards according to Core’s staking rules.

The mechanism gives Bitcoin holders a direct way to participate in the security of an EVM-compatible network while keeping the Bitcoin asset itself within a self-custodial framework.

Combining Three Sources of Validator Support

The key feature of Satoshi Plus is how these three mechanisms work together. Core’s active validators are selected through a hybrid system that considers contributions from Bitcoin mining hash power, CORE delegation, and Bitcoin staking. Each represents a different type of network resource:

• DPoW: Bitcoin miners contribute delegated computational power.
• DPoS: CORE holders contribute delegated economic stake.
• BTC staking: Bitcoin holders contribute time-locked BTC.

These inputs are combined into the validator-election process, allowing Core to create a consensus environment that is not dependent exclusively on either proof-of-work or proof-of-stake participation.

This architecture is also why Core describes its security model in Bitcoin-aligned terms. The network does not make Core identical to Bitcoin, and Bitcoin’s consensus does not directly validate Core blocks. Instead, Satoshi Plus creates an explicit connection between Bitcoin’s mining ecosystem, Bitcoin ownership, and Core’s own validator infrastructure.

Satoshi Plus is designed to make Bitcoin’s mining power and economic participation useful within a programmable blockchain environment. By combining DPoW, DPoS, and self-custodial Bitcoin staking, Core establishes a hybrid validator-selection model that connects Bitcoin-oriented resources with the security requirements of its own EVM-compatible network.

Delegated Proof of Work and Bitcoin Mining Integration

Delegated Proof of Work (DPoW) is the part of Core’s Satoshi Plus consensus that connects Bitcoin’s existing mining infrastructure with Core’s validator-selection system. The mechanism allows Bitcoin miners to support Core by delegating their Bitcoin mining hash power to Core validators while continuing to perform their normal Bitcoin mining operations. Core describes this as a way to give miners a supplemental source of CORE rewards while extending the economic relationship between Bitcoin mining and Core’s smart-contract network.

Participating Without Redirecting Bitcoin Mining

One of the defining features of DPoW is that miners do not need to stop mining Bitcoin or redirect their mining hardware to Core. Instead, Core’s mechanism allows miners to incorporate information about their preferred Core validator into the Bitcoin blocks they already produce.

According to Core’s documentation, miners can include the relevant validator information in the metadata associated with a Bitcoin block. This allows the miner’s existing proof-of-work contribution to also function as a vote within Core’s validator-selection process. The process does not require changes to Bitcoin’s underlying protocol or a separate mining operation for Core.

In simplified terms, the relationship works as follows:

• Mine Bitcoin: The miner continues performing ordinary Bitcoin proof-of-work.
• Select a validator: The miner identifies the Core validator they want to support.
• Include validator information: The relevant voting information is included in the Bitcoin block metadata.
• Core recognizes the contribution: Core’s infrastructure detects and verifies the delegated hash-power information.
• Validator selection: The contribution becomes part of the hybrid score used to select Core validators.

This allows Bitcoin mining activity to have a secondary role without requiring miners to change their primary operation.

Supplemental CORE Rewards for Miners

DPoW also introduces an additional incentive for Bitcoin miners. Core states that participating miners can receive supplemental CORE rewards for delegating their hash power to Core validators. These rewards are separate from the Bitcoin rewards miners receive for successfully mining Bitcoin blocks.

Core has described this mechanism as a potential “second block reward” because the same Bitcoin mining activity can support an additional reward stream. The important point is that the miner does not receive CORE simply for owning mining hardware; the miner must participate in Core’s DPoW mechanism by directing its hash-power vote toward a Core validator.

The actual value of any CORE rewards can change with Core’s reward rules, network activity, token economics, and other conditions. Therefore, supplemental CORE rewards should be understood as an incentive mechanism rather than guaranteed mining income.

Hash Power and Validator Elections

The delegated hash power has a direct role in Core’s validator-election process. Satoshi Plus combines DPoW with Delegated Proof of Stake and Self-Custodial Bitcoin Staking. These three sources of support contribute to a hybrid scoring system used to rank validators.

Bitcoin miners effectively cast votes through their delegated proof of work. CORE holders contribute through token delegation, while Bitcoin holders contribute through the self-custodial staking mechanism. The resulting hybrid scores determine which validators are selected to participate in Core’s active validator set.

This means Bitcoin mining hash power is not merely an external security reference. It becomes an active input into Core’s own consensus architecture.

Connecting Bitcoin Mining With Core Security

The economic relationship created by DPoW is therefore two-sided. Bitcoin miners gain an additional incentive, while Core gains access to a resource derived from Bitcoin’s established mining ecosystem. Miners can continue securing Bitcoin through their normal proof-of-work operations while simultaneously helping determine which Core validators receive consensus responsibilities.

Core’s model does not mean that Bitcoin miners directly validate Core transactions in the same way that Core validators do. Instead, their delegated hash power contributes to validator selection, after which the elected Core validators perform the blockchain’s transaction validation and block-production responsibilities.

Delegated Proof of Work provides the economic bridge between Bitcoin mining and Core’s EVM-compatible network. By allowing miners to recycle existing Bitcoin hash power into Core’s validator-election system, Satoshi Plus attempts to create an incentive structure in which Bitcoin mining activity can simultaneously support Bitcoin and contribute to the security and operation of a separate smart-contract blockchain.

Self-Custodial Bitcoin Staking Through CLTV

Core’s Self-Custodial Bitcoin Staking allows BTC holders to participate in Core’s Satoshi Plus consensus without wrapping their Bitcoin, bridging it to another network, or transferring custody to a third party. The mechanism uses Bitcoin’s native CheckLockTimeVerify (CLTV) functionality to timelock BTC directly on the Bitcoin blockchain. Core currently states that the minimum timelock period is 24 hours, allowing participants to choose a defined period during which their Bitcoin remains locked while supporting Core validators.

Bitcoin Timelocking Through CLTV

CheckLockTimeVerify, commonly abbreviated as CLTV, is a Bitcoin script opcode that allows spending conditions to depend on a specified lock time. Core uses this native Bitcoin functionality to create a staking mechanism without introducing a separate custodial layer.

When a user chooses to stake BTC through Core, the Bitcoin is placed under a timelock for the selected period. The lock is enforced by Bitcoin’s own consensus rules rather than by a Core smart contract or centralized intermediary. Once the timelock expires, the BTC becomes spendable again according to the conditions of the staking transaction.

Core’s current materials describe the minimum lock period as 24 hours, although users can select longer periods. This gives BTC holders flexibility over how long they want their Bitcoin to participate in the consensus process.

Validator Selection Information in the Staking Transaction

Self-custodial Bitcoin staking does more than simply lock BTC. The staking transaction also contains information identifying the Core validator that the participant wants to support and the EVM address where CORE rewards should be sent.

Core explains that staking transactions can include this information through Bitcoin transaction metadata, including an OP_RETURN field. Stateless relayers monitor the Bitcoin blockchain for valid staking transactions, verify the relevant information, and transmit the required data to Core’s consensus system. The Core network can then register the BTC delegation and incorporate it into its validator-selection process.

The simplified process is:

• Choose BTC and a lock period: The user selects how much Bitcoin to timelock and for how long.
• Select a validator: The staking transaction identifies the Core validator the BTC holder wants to support.
• Specify a reward address: An EVM-compatible address is provided for CORE rewards.
• Create the CLTV transaction: Bitcoin is time-locked directly on the Bitcoin network.
• Core registers the delegation: Relayers detect and transmit the relevant staking information to Core.
• Validator participation: The delegated BTC contributes to the validator’s hybrid score.

BTC Remains on the Bitcoin Network

A defining feature of Core’s model is that the Bitcoin itself does not move onto Core. It is not converted into wrapped BTC and does not need to be bridged to an EVM chain for the staking process. Core emphasizes that the Bitcoin remains on the Bitcoin blockchain throughout the staking period and stays under the user’s control.

This distinguishes Self-Custodial Bitcoin Staking from custodial yield products and many cross-chain Bitcoin applications. The staking mechanism relies on Bitcoin’s own scripting and timelock capabilities rather than requiring users to deposit BTC with a third party.

CORE Rewards From Validator Participation

While the BTC is timelocked, the selected validator’s performance affects the participant’s eligibility for CORE rewards. Core states that when elected validators produce blocks and perform their network duties, participating BTC stakers can receive CORE token rewards. The rewards are sent to the EVM address specified during the staking process.

The amount received is not simply a fixed payment for locking BTC. Reward calculations depend on factors such as the amount of BTC committed, the selected validator, Core’s consensus and reward rules, and whether the supported validator is elected and performs its responsibilities.

CLTV provides the technical foundation that lets Core connect Bitcoin ownership with Core validator participation. BTC remains subject to Bitcoin’s native timelock rules, while the staking information is communicated to Core’s consensus layer. Through this design, Bitcoin holders can contribute to Satoshi Plus validator selection and potentially receive CORE rewards without wrapping or bridging their Bitcoin.

Core CORE is built around a straightforward but ambitious proposition: bring Bitcoin’s security, liquidity, and economic weight into a programmable Layer 1 environment. Its EVM compatibility provides familiar infrastructure for developers, while Satoshi Plus combines Bitcoin mining hash power, CORE staking, and self-custodial Bitcoin staking to create a distinct validator-election model. This architecture allows Bitcoin holders to participate in Core’s consensus without necessarily moving their BTC away from the Bitcoin network.

Bitcoin has long been king when it comes to security—but what if you could harness its power and add the flexibility of modern Proof-of-Stake networks? Babylon (BABY) aims to do exactly that in its BABY Genesis project. With 10 billion BABY tokens in total, the protocol introduces a dual staking model: holders of BABY and BTC stakers both play crucial roles in securing the network.

The CORE token sits at the center of this ecosystem, supporting transaction fees, staking, governance, and enhanced Bitcoin staking through Dual Staking. Core’s growing BTCfi ecosystem aims to connect Bitcoin with DeFi applications, liquid staking, cross-chain infrastructure, and programmable financial products.