May was a turning point for Yala. We launched our mainnet, went live on Solana, introduced the DeFi Marketplace, integrated Kamino and Raydium, and surpassed $1M TVL on Kamino in just 24 hours. 

Yala is no longer a testnet experiment, it’s a live liquidity engine. Uniquely designed to activate Bitcoin across DeFi and RWAs.

In This Update:

• Mainnet + Ecosystem Expansion
• Protocol Developments
• Community Momentum
• What’s Next

Mainnet + Ecosystem Expansion

Mainnet Launch

Yala’s mission now takes shape on mainnet, unlocking yield opportunities for Bitcoin holders. Following months of iteration, and the resounding success of Testnet V3: 1.58 million testnet BTC staked, $61.69 billion in $YU minted, and 3.68 million users onboarded, we officially launched on May 16, 2025.

Mainnet launch stats:

• 301 BTC Staked
• $18.83M Total YU Minted

Users can now mint $YU by collateralizing native BTC, swap it 1:1 with USDC, and earn real yield via Farming and Stability Pool.

$YU Live on Solana 

$YU has gone cross-chain. We now live on Solana, bringing secure, overcollateralized, BTC-backed liquidity into one of the fastest, most scalable DeFi ecosystems.

Bitcoin holders can mint $YU and deploy it natively on Solana, unlocking fast, low-cost yield opportunities while retaining full Bitcoin exposure.

DeFi Marketplace Launch

Alongside the mainnet, Yala introduced the DeFi Marketplace, a unified hub where users can earn real yield and stack Berries across leading protocols like Raydium and Kamino. 

Featuring an intuitive UX, protocol-specific incentives, and cross-chain composability, the Marketplace enables seamless multi-ecosystem strategies, with Berries bonus multipliers (4x, 6x or more) rewarding early adopters.

Whether you’re farming, lending, or staking, the Marketplace makes it seamless to deploy $YU across ecosystems. More top protocols are on the way, expanding utility across ecosystems.

Explore the Marketplace → app.yala.org/defi-marketplace 

Yield in Action

Just 24 hours after launch, the YU/USDC pool on Kamino hit $1 million TVL, offering a 44% APY enhanced by a 40,000 $YU incentive allocation. These early results highlight strong demand for BTC-native liquidity and growing relevance of $YU across chains.

Yala RealYield Meets Plume Network

To power the next wave of Bitcoin-native yield, Yala partnered with Plume Network, the first EVM-compatible blockchain purpose-built for RWAfi.

Via Yala RealYield, our curated RWA marketplace launched in April. Bitcoin holders can access tokenized fixed-income instruments such as the U.S. Treasuries, corporate bonds, and private credit, all offering BTC-backed yields with transparent terms on APY, duration and risk. Meanwhile, Plume gains access to BTC capital to fuel its ecosystem of over 180 RWA projects.

This is more than yield, this collaboration channels Bitcoin’s deep liquidity into stable, yield-generating assets.

Yala Protocol Developments

Mainnet is just the beginning. Our product and engineering teams are building for scale:

Institutional Infrastructure & Security

We’ve made strong progress on Institution Mode, focusing on secure cold wallet integration. Large clients will soon be able to manage assets safely via multi-signature and PSWSH custody solutions, paving the way for robust institutional adoption and flexible custody setups.

Cross-Chain & Liquidity Infrastructure

• Liquidity Expansion:  $YU liquidity pools have grown on both Ethereum and Solana, adding considerable depth on Uniswap V3 and Raydium respectively, further enhancing trading depth and capital efficiency.
• LST Collateral Support: Initial development has begun to enable liquid staking tokens (LST) as collateral for minting $YU. This feature will broaden collateral options for both retail and institutional users, with potential integration into Institution Mode.
• Native BTC Bridging Development: Following the successful bridging of YBTC to Solana, development efforts continue on bridging native BTC directly to Solana, underscoring our commitment to enabling multi-chain Bitcoin liquidity.
• Wallet Integrations: The integration of Binance Wallet for Ethereum is nearly complete, providing users with more wallet options. Additionally, WalletConnect is now live for both BTC and Solana wallets, making multi-chain access easier and more secure.

Incentives & User Experience

• Website Redesign: A full revamp  of the Yala website is underway, aiming to provide a cleaner, more intuitive interface that reflects our growing ecosystem. 
• Token Economics Design: Our token economics model is in development, with a focus on creating a balanced framework that aligns incentives and drives long-term user engagement.

Community Momentum

Bitcoin Liquidity X Space: Centrifuge

In our recent chat with Jereon, the CTO of Centrifuge, we explored tokenized RWAs, chain abstraction, and how Yala activates Bitcoin for RWA yield. 

IRL Presence: New York & Las Vegas 

At Bitcoin 2025 Las Vegas and Solana Accelerate NYC, Yala made waves.

• Bitcoin 2025: We met with instant recognition at our booth, introducing our protocol to tens of thousands and making BTCFi a conversation starter.
• Solana Accelerate NYC: We joined the builders shaping the future of Soalana DeFi, both at the main events and our co-hosted side event SVM Summit with Solayer. The energy was palpable and the mission clear: bring BTC liquidity to Solana’s vibrant ecosystem.

What’s Next

In June, we’re doubling down on product, partnerships, and incentives.

We’re broadening $YU’s ecosystem presence by integrating with leading DeFi protocols like Pendle and more. At the same time, we will finalize and launch the Pendle Points system, a gamified incentive layer designed to reward early adopters and drive long-term growth within the Yala ecosystem.

We’re starting development on dedicated NFT and token airdrop pages to enhance community engagement and streamline access to special rewards, helping build a stronger and more connected Yeti community.

In addition, we’ll focus on enhancing the RWA marketplace for seamless access to tokenized fixed-income products and exploring new quantitative yield strategies to diversify and optimize $YU earnings, all supporting our long-term goal of unlocking Bitcoin liquidity.

Mainnet is here. $YU is earning. Bitcoin is working.

Start your journey today: app/yala.org

Join the Yala Community

Yala is a native Bitcoin liquidity protocol that channels BTC into yield opportunities across DeFi and RWAs. 

Bitcoin holders unlock capital through self-custodial, liquidation-free borrowing by minting $YU, a BTC-backed liquidity asset. In this process, they pay a stability fee directly to $YU depositors, effectively exchanging BTC-backed exposure for portable, capital-efficient liquidity and access to yield without giving up ownership.

Yala’s SmartVault module manages system risk and ensures efficient yield distribution.

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