Corporate Bitcoin reserves have grown to a level comparable with major exchange-traded funds, but some believe the next step for these holdings is not to store them – it’s to use them.
Willem Schroé, founder and CEO of Botanix Labs, envisions a system where companies can earn yield on their Bitcoin without giving up control of their assets. His goal is to turn Bitcoin from a static store of value into the backbone of a decentralized financial layer.
Public companies now hold around 1.05 million BTC, while private firms add another 279,000 BTC – together accounting for more than six percent of all Bitcoin. According the information Schroé believes many of these holders will eventually seek ways to make their coins productive rather than letting them sit idle.
Unlike spot Bitcoin ETFs, which collectively control about 1.7 million BTC but are legally barred from using it for yield or lending, Botanix offers a non-custodial alternative. Through its sidechain, users can lock Bitcoin into smart contracts and receive yield-bearing tokens, earning modest but steady returns based on network activity.
The idea comes with historical baggage. Earlier attempts at Bitcoin lending by companies like Celsius and BlockFi collapsed amid mismanagement and leverage. Schroé insists the industry has matured, pointing to protocols like Aave that have proven the viability of decentralized finance models.
Currently, Botanix reports an annual yield of around 3.5% across thousands of wallets. Schroé says the aim isn’t to replicate traditional finance but to build a Bitcoin-native economy – where transactions, lending, and liquidity all run directly onchain.
While purists see such developments as drifting away from Bitcoin’s original simplicity, Schroé views them as evolution. “Bitcoin has already won as money,” he says. “Now it needs a financial system to match.”
As corporate holdings rise and developers find new ways to activate them, Bitcoin’s future may depend less on how much is held — and more on how it’s used.
