BridgeRadar
Bitcoin to Cardano Bridge
You can swap BTC to ADA on an exchange or with a swap service, and you can bridge BTC to Cardano as rsBTC through Rosen Bridge. But no trustless Bitcoin to Cardano bridge with deep liquidity is live yet. BitcoinOS, IOG's Cardinal and others are still being built.
Reviewed October 14, 2026 ยท 5 solutions checked
On this page
Short answer
Short answer: a Bitcoin to Cardano bridge exists, but it is small. Rosen Bridge lets you lock BTC and receive rsBTC, a wrapped BTC token on Cardano, backed by BTC held by a group of signers. Most people who want BTC to ADA simply swap, on an exchange or a cross-chain swap service, and receive real ADA in their Cardano wallet.
So first decide what you want. If you want ADA, a swap is simpler and usually cheaper. If you want to keep BTC exposure and use it in Cardano apps, you need a BTC token on Cardano. Today that mostly means rsBTC, which has thin trading, so check how much you could sell it for before you bridge a large amount.
Cardano has made Bitcoin DeFi a big goal. BitcoinOS moved 1 BTC to Cardano and back in a proof-based test in May 2025, Input Output (IOG) announced the Cardinal protocol, and FluidTokens did a small BTC for ADA atomic swap on mainnet in 2026. None of these is a working public bridge for normal users yet. The outlook section below tracks them.
| Direct bridge | Yes, Rosen (rsBTC), small and signer-based |
|---|---|
| Trustless bridge | Not yet, only tests and plans |
| Most common way | Swap BTC to ADA |
| Usual time | 20-60 min |
| Bitcoin block time | About 10 minutes |
| Cardano block time | About 20 seconds |
| Need ADA on arrival | Yes, to move Cardano tokens |
Why this route is difficult
Bitcoin cannot run complex smart contracts. It cannot lock BTC under rules that depend on what happens on Cardano, and Cardano cannot cheaply check Bitcoin blocks. So any BTC token on Cardano has needed someone, a company or a group of signers, to hold the real BTC.
Both chains use the same basic model for coins, called UTXO (each coin is a separate output that gets spent in full). That is why many people think Bitcoin and Cardano are a good match, and why projects like BitcoinOS and Cardinal are building on Cardano. But a shared model does not remove the need to prove, on each chain, what happened on the other.
New tools try to fix this with math proofs. BitVM-style designs let Bitcoin check a proof through a challenge process, so a cheating operator can be caught. These designs are new, complex and still mostly at the test or design stage.
Liquidity is the other problem. Cardano DeFi is small next to Ethereum, so few people trade BTC tokens there. Until a trusted BTC token gets real use, swapping BTC to ADA is the practical answer for most users.
Past attempts
| Project | When | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Milkomeda wrapped assets | 2022-2023 | An EVM sidechain for Cardano that carried bridged tokens, including wrapped BTC, through a multisig bridge. Activity faded and it never became a main way to hold BTC on Cardano. |
| Synthetic BTC (Indigo iBTC) | 2022-2026 | Gives BTC price exposure on Cardano, backed by ADA collateral. Still in use, but it is not real BTC and cannot be redeemed for it. |
| Rosen Bridge rsBTC | 2024-2026 | Live signer-based bridge for BTC to Cardano and Ergo. Works, but trading stays thin. A failed attack attempt in July 2026 caused no losses, according to the team. |
| BitcoinOS 1 BTC round trip | 2025 | In May 2025, 1 BTC was moved to Cardano as xBTC and back using zero-knowledge proofs and BitSNARK. A successful test, not a public product. |
What is being built
BitcoinOS Grail for Cardano
TestnetProof-based BTC vault and bridge, built with EMURGO. Partners such as DeltaDeFi plan to use it with Hydra, Cardano's fast layer 2. A wide public launch has not been confirmed.
Cardinal (IOG)
AnnouncedLocks BTC on Bitcoin with MuSig2, a shared multi-party key, and mints a matching token on Cardano. BitVMX fraud proofs are meant to catch cheating.
Pogun (IOG treasury proposal)
ResearchPart of IOG's 2026 funding request: a Bitcoin DeFi stack with credit markets, yield tools and a trust-minimized BTC bridge to Cardano.
BTC and ADA atomic swaps
Mainnet betaFluidTokens did a small native BTC for ADA atomic swap on mainnet in 2026. A Catalyst proposal with Garden also aims to bring atomic swaps to Cardano.
What still stands in the way
- Bitcoin cannot run complex smart contracts, so it cannot lock BTC under rules tied to Cardano.
- Proof-based designs like BitVM are new, complex and hard to audit.
- Cardano DeFi is small, so BTC tokens there find few buyers and little use.
- Major cross-chain swap networks like THORChain and Chainflip do not support Cardano, which limits native swap routes.
- Many announcements describe tests or plans, which makes it hard for users to know what is live.
Signs the bridge is close
- A public mainnet launch of BitcoinOS Grail or Cardinal on Cardano, with published audits.
- Total BTC locked on Cardano and DEX liquidity for rsBTC or any new BTC token.
- Whether the Cardano community funds IOG's Bitcoin DeFi proposals and what ships from them.
- Atomic swaps moving from one-off tests to an app that normal users can use.
- Cardano support being added by a large cross-chain swap network.
Possible approaches
1Swap BTC for ADA
An exchange or swap service takes your BTC and pays out real ADA on Cardano.
Trade-offWorks today and is easy. You give up BTC, and you trust the service during the swap.
2Signer-based bridge (Rosen)
Independent watchers report your BTC deposit, and a group of guards holding a shared key releases rsBTC on Cardano.
Trade-offNo single custodian, but you trust that enough guards stay honest, and liquidity is thin.
3Proof-based BTC on Cardano
BTC is locked on Bitcoin and a matching token is minted on Cardano, with proofs checked through BitVM-style challenges. This is the BitcoinOS and Cardinal model.
Trade-offLess trust in people, but not yet live for public use.
4Atomic swaps
Two people swap native BTC and native ADA directly with time-locked contracts, so either both sides happen or neither does.
Trade-offNo wrapped token at all, but you need someone on the other side. Only small tests so far.
Options compared
| Option | You get | Typical time | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centralized exchange | Real ADA | 30 min to a few hours | Trading + withdrawal fee | Most people, large amounts |
| Swap service or aggregator | Real ADA | 20-60 min | Spread built into the rate | BTC to ADA without an account |
| Rosen Bridge | rsBTC on Cardano | 1-2 hours | Bridge fee + network fees | Keeping BTC exposure on Cardano |
| Synthetic BTC (e.g. Indigo iBTC) | A token that tracks the BTC price | Minutes, once you hold ADA | Protocol fees + collateral | Price exposure only, not real BTC |
Working solutions
| Solution | You receive | Custody / verification | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centralized exchanges | ADA | Exchange holds funds | Most liquid BTC to ADA route. Account and ID checks usually needed. |
| NEAR Intents | ADA, if Cardano is listed in the app | Solvers, settled on NEAR | Paused for about half a day after an exploit on 1 Oct 2026, then resumed. Check Cardano is listed before sending. |
| Rango Exchange | Supported Cardano tokens | Depends on route | Compares routes where Cardano is supported. Check who fills the quote. |
| Rosen Bridge | rsBTC | Guard group, coordinated on Ergo | Live since 2024. Thin trading. A failed attack was reported in July 2026. |
| Indigo Protocol iBTC | Synthetic BTC price token | ADA collateral in smart contracts | Tracks the BTC price only. Not backed by or redeemable for BTC. |
How to move Bitcoin to Cardano
These steps show the most common route: swapping BTC to ADA on a swap service or exchange. If you want rsBTC instead, the flow on Rosen is similar, but you get a wrapped token and should check its liquidity first.
- 1
Set up a Cardano wallet
Install a wallet such as Eternl, Lace, Yoroi or Vespr, or use a hardware wallet. Copy your receiving address. Cardano mainnet addresses usually start with addr1. Write down your recovery phrase and keep it offline.
- 2
Pick where to swap
For large amounts, an exchange that lists both BTC and ADA is often cheapest. For smaller amounts without an account, use a swap service or aggregator that supports Cardano. Check that the service is running normally before you send anything.
- 3
Get a quote and a deposit address
Choose BTC as what you send and ADA on Cardano as what you get. Paste your addr1 address and check the rate, the fees and the minimum amount. The service gives you a Bitcoin deposit address for this swap.
- 4
Add a refund address
Many swap services ask for a Bitcoin refund address in case the swap fails. Use an address from your own wallet, not an exchange deposit address.
- 5
Send BTC with a fair fee
Send the exact amount. A Bitcoin block comes about every 10 minutes, and most services wait for one to three confirmations. Pick a fee that will confirm in time, or the quote may expire.
- 6
Check the ADA arrived
Once the swap is paid, ADA reaches Cardano within a minute or so. Look up your address on a Cardano explorer such as Cardanoscan. If you plan to use DeFi apps, keep a few ADA for fees.
Fees and timing
Bitcoin network fees change with demand. On a calm day they are well under a dollar, but they can jump when blocks are full. This fee is the same whichever route you pick, so it hurts small transfers the most.
The bigger cost is usually the spread or fee of the route. Exchanges charge a trading fee and an ADA withdrawal fee. Swap services build their margin into the rate, so compare the amount of ADA you will receive, not the headline fee. Rosen charges a bridge fee and has a minimum amount shown in its app.
Cardano fees are small, usually a fraction of an ADA per transaction. Cardano also needs a little ADA to sit next to any token you hold, so a wallet with rsBTC or other tokens needs some ADA too.
Common mistakes
- Buying a token called "BTC" on a Cardano DEX without checking who issued it. Several BTC-like tokens exist, and some are synthetic or barely backed.
- Thinking iBTC is real bitcoin. It is a synthetic token that follows the BTC price, backed by ADA collateral, and you cannot redeem it for BTC.
- Bridging a large amount to rsBTC without checking how much of it trades. A wrapped token with thin liquidity can be hard to sell at a fair price.
- Sending BTC with a fee that is too low, so the quote expires before the deposit confirms.
- Arriving on Cardano with tokens but no ADA. You need ADA for fees and for the small amount Cardano requires next to tokens.
Before you transfer
- Ask yourself if you need BTC on Cardano, or just ADA. If it is ADA, a swap is simpler and safer than any wrapped token.
- rsBTC is backed by BTC held by Rosen's guards. Read how the guard group works and how to redeem before you bridge.
- Check liquidity on Cardano DEXs before bridging. A BTC token is only useful if you can sell or redeem it.
- Be careful with headlines saying trustless BTC is "live" on Cardano. Many refer to one-off tests or testnets.
- Keep some ADA in your Cardano wallet for fees and token deposits.
- Check service status pages before sending, as swap services sometimes pause after incidents.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, but a small one. Rosen Bridge lets you bridge BTC to Cardano as rsBTC, backed by BTC held by a group of guards. A trustless, proof-based bridge is not live for public use yet.
Use an exchange that lists both coins, or a swap service that supports Cardano. Send BTC to the deposit address and enter your Cardano addr1 address to receive ADA.
Today the main option is Rosen Bridge, which gives you rsBTC. Check how much rsBTC trades on Cardano DEXs first, because liquidity is thin.
A proof-based BTC bridge design from BitcoinOS. EMURGO said in 2024 it would bring it to Cardano, and in May 2025 BitcoinOS moved 1 BTC to Cardano and back as a test. It is not open for public use.
A Bitcoin to Cardano protocol from Input Output (IOG), announced in 2025. It locks BTC on Bitcoin with a shared key and uses BitVMX fraud proofs to catch cheating. It is not a live public bridge yet.
There is no confirmed date. Several teams are building it, and IOG asked for treasury funding in 2026 for a trust-minimized BTC bridge. Watch for a public mainnet launch with audits.
No. Midnight is a privacy-focused partner chain of Cardano. It is not a Bitcoin bridge.
