BitGo announced on November 3, 2026, that eligible institutional clients of BitGo Bank & Trust can now stake Bitcoin through an integration with Stacks, earning rewards paid directly in BTC while their holdings remain in qualified custody.
The service is designed to address a key limitation for institutional Bitcoin holders: many yield-generating strategies require moving BTC to lending platforms, wrapping it, or transferring to third-party intermediaries. With the new offering, Bitcoin stays on its native blockchain in a timelocked vault under BitGo Bank & Trust, National Association custody, while Stacks provides the infrastructure for generating rewards.
Participation requires an STX position worth 5% of the staked BTC value, and both positions remain committed for approximately six months under the bond terms. BitGo noted a target annual yield of 3%, although actual distributions depend on miner activity, fees and payment timing. Rewards are denominated in Bitcoin rather than STX.
The integration uses Stacks' Proof of Transfer (PoX-5) mechanism, which allows Stacks miners to commit BTC to compete for block production and fund rewards. Alea Research reported that the first Genesis Bond opened on September 10, pairing 230 BTC with approximately 3.57 million STX, with miner contributions covering the bond's first scheduled payment 17.9 times against a 2x coverage target under SIP-045.
The service also supports separate addresses for staking rewards and principal holdings, which BitGo says can help ETF and ETP issuers maintain clearer accounting records. The move reflects growing institutional demand for regulated Bitcoin yield products and could strengthen Bitcoin's appeal beyond pure trading.
