BridgeRadar
Bitcoin to Hyperliquid Bridge
Hyperliquid's own bridge only takes USDC from Arbitrum. Real BTC gets in through Unit, which gives you UBTC and is run by 3 guardians, or through a Garden swap to HyperEVM.
Reviewed October 14, 2026 ยท 4 solutions checked
On this page
Short answer
For most people the answer is Unit, and you may use it without noticing. The Bitcoin deposit button in the Hyperliquid app is Unit. You get a Bitcoin address tied to your account. You send BTC from any wallet or exchange. After two Bitcoin confirmations, UBTC appears in your spot balance.
Think about what you want to do next. UBTC is a spot coin. Hyperliquid perps (perpetual futures) use USDC as margin, not BTC. If you want to trade perps, you have two options. Deposit BTC and sell the UBTC for USDC on Hyperliquid. Or sell BTC for USDC somewhere else and deposit USDC through the official Arbitrum bridge. Compare the price on the UBTC/USDC market with the cost of the second route.
Garden is the choice if you would rather not rely on Unit's guardians, or if you want to use HyperEVM apps instead of the trading screen. It works with atomic swaps, so nobody holds your BTC in a shared pool. But how much you can swap depends on what solvers offer at the time.
| Trustless option | No |
|---|---|
| Default BTC deposit | Unit (UBTC) |
| Unit waits for | 2 Bitcoin confirmations |
| Usual time | 20-40 min with Unit |
| Unit minimum | 0.0003 BTC (check app) |
| Official bridge | USDC from Arbitrum only |
| Main cost | Bitcoin network fee |
Why this route is difficult
Bitcoin cannot check what happens on Hyperliquid, and Hyperliquid cannot check Bitcoin by itself. So moving BTC between them needs someone who controls BTC on the Bitcoin side, or a solver willing to trade with you.
Hyperliquid's own bridge does one job: USDC deposits from Arbitrum, protected by Hyperliquid validators. It does not touch Bitcoin. Unit fills that gap and is built into the Hyperliquid app.
Unit is protected by 3 guardians: Unit, Hyperliquid and Infinite Field. Two of the three must approve every deposit and withdrawal. That is faster and simpler than a big validator group. But if two of them collude or get hacked, they could move the BTC.
Hyperliquid also has two separate areas. HyperCore holds the trading markets and spot balances. HyperEVM runs apps (smart contracts). Unit deposits land on HyperCore. Garden pays out on HyperEVM. So the route you pick decides where your BTC shows up first.
Possible approaches
1Guardian lock-and-mint
You send BTC to an address controlled by a small group of guardians, and they credit you a BTC token (UBTC) on Hyperliquid. When you withdraw, UBTC is destroyed and the real BTC is released.
Trade-offBuilt into the Hyperliquid app, but depends on a small group of guardians.
2Atomic swap
You trade your BTC with a solver. A smart lock makes sure both sides pay or nobody does. You receive the coins on HyperEVM.
Trade-offYou keep control of your funds, but you can only swap as much as the solver has.
3Swap to USDC, then official bridge
Sell BTC for USDC, get it on Arbitrum, and deposit through the Hyperliquid bridge.
Trade-offUses the official bridge and gives you USDC for perps right away, but you no longer hold BTC.
Options compared
| Option | You get | Typical time | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit deposit | UBTC in your spot balance | 20-40 min | Bitcoin network fee | Holding or trading BTC spot |
| Atomic swap (Garden) | UBTC on HyperEVM | 5-30 min | Bitcoin fee + solver margin | HyperEVM apps, no guardians |
| Swap to USDC, then Arbitrum bridge | USDC for perps | 30-60 min | Bitcoin fee + swap fee + Arbitrum fee | Trading perps without UBTC |
| Centralized exchange to USDC | USDC for perps | Depends on the exchange | Trading fee + withdrawal fee | BTC already on an exchange |
Working solutions
| Solution | You receive | Custody / verification | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit | UBTC (spot balance) | 2 of 3 guardians | The deposit address is in the Hyperliquid app and tied forever to one account. Credited after 2 Bitcoin confirmations. |
| Garden Finance | UBTC on HyperEVM | Atomic swap | A solver fills it and you keep control. If the swap does not finish, you can take your funds back after a set time. |
| Chainflip to Arbitrum, then Hyperliquid bridge | USDC | Validator vaults during swap | Swaps real BTC for real USDC on Arbitrum. Then you deposit through the official bridge. |
| Exchange to USDC, then Arbitrum bridge | USDC | The exchange, during the swap | The official deposit path. Withdraw USDC on Arbitrum, then deposit at least 5 USDC. |
How to move Bitcoin to Hyperliquid
These steps show a direct BTC deposit through Unit inside the Hyperliquid app. It is built in, needs no other network in between, and the coins land in your spot balance ready to trade.
- 1
Open the deposit screen
Go to app.hyperliquid.xyz and connect the account you want to fund. Choose Deposit, then Bitcoin. You can do the same at hyperunit.xyz. You will see a Bitcoin address that starts with bc1.
- 2
Make sure it is the right account
The deposit address is linked forever to the Hyperliquid account it was made for. If you have several accounts or sub-accounts, check which one is connected before you copy the address.
- 3
Check the minimum
Hyperliquid says BTC deposits under 0.0003 BTC are not credited and cannot be recovered. Read the minimum shown in the app when you deposit. If you send from an exchange, make sure the amount is still above the minimum after the exchange takes its withdrawal fee.
- 4
Send BTC on the Bitcoin network
Send only real BTC on the Bitcoin network. Not WBTC, not BTC on another network, not Lightning. A wallet like Sparrow lets you choose the fee. Check mempool.space and pick a fee that confirms in the next block or two.
- 5
Wait for two confirmations
Follow your transaction on mempool.space. Unit credits it after 2 confirmations. That takes about 20 minutes on average, sometimes longer. Pending deposits show on the Hyperliquid deposit screen and on the Unit site.
- 6
Use your UBTC
UBTC appears in your spot balance. You can hold it, trade it on the UBTC/USDC market, or sell it for USDC to trade perps. You can also move it to HyperEVM to use apps there.
- 7
If the deposit does not show up
If your Bitcoin transaction is still unconfirmed, speed it up with RBF (replace-by-fee) in your wallet. If it has more than two confirmations and nothing arrived, contact Unit support with the transaction ID and your Hyperliquid address. Deposits under the minimum, or of the wrong coin, usually cannot be recovered.
Fees and timing
A Unit deposit costs you the Bitcoin network fee and almost nothing else. Hyperliquid charges no fee to credit it. Withdrawing back to Bitcoin has a fee that covers the Bitcoin network cost, and the app shows it before you confirm. Trading UBTC then costs the normal spot trading fee and spread.
The USDC route costs more. You pay the Bitcoin fee to start, then the swap from BTC to USDC (a swap fee or an exchange trading fee), then the Arbitrum network fee for the deposit. The Arbitrum bridge credits USDC within minutes. Deposits under 5 USDC are lost. Garden adds the solver's margin, and you need a little HYPE on HyperEVM to move the tokens later.
Bitcoin sets the waiting time. Two confirmations take about 20 minutes on average. A slow block or a fee that is too low can push that past an hour. Garden says Bitcoin to HyperEVM swaps take about 5 to 10 minutes in normal conditions, but that depends on the solver and on Bitcoin confirming.
Common mistakes
- Sending less than the minimum. Hyperliquid says BTC deposits under 0.0003 BTC to a Unit address are lost. An exchange withdrawal fee can push a borderline amount below it.
- Sending to an address made for a different account or sub-account. Each address is tied forever to the account that created it.
- Sending WBTC, or BTC on another network, to the Bitcoin deposit address. Only real BTC on the Bitcoin network is credited.
- Expecting to trade perps with UBTC. Regular perps use USDC, so plan to sell UBTC or deposit USDC instead.
- Using Garden and then looking for the coins on the trading screen. Garden pays out on HyperEVM, a separate balance from your spot balance. You also need HYPE there for fees.
- Sending USDC.e, or USDC on the wrong network, on the USDC route. The official bridge only takes real USDC on Arbitrum.
Before you transfer
- Send only real BTC on the Bitcoin network to a Unit deposit address.
- A Unit deposit address is tied forever to one Hyperliquid account. Check which account is connected.
- Stay above the minimum shown in the app, even after any exchange withdrawal fee.
- Decide first: UBTC for spot trading, or USDC for perps.
- Unit deposits land on HyperCore and Garden payouts land on HyperEVM. Moving between them is a separate step.
- Bitcoin confirmations take most of the time, so pick a fee that confirms quickly.
Frequently asked questions
Use the Bitcoin deposit option in the Hyperliquid app, which runs on Unit. Send real BTC to the address shown. UBTC lands in your spot balance after 2 confirmations. If you want BTC on HyperEVM, Garden Finance is another option.
UBTC is the token Unit issues on Hyperliquid. Each one is backed by 1 BTC controlled by Unit's 3 guardians, two of whom must sign. You can trade it against USDC on Hyperliquid and withdraw it back to real BTC.
Usually 20 to 40 minutes with Unit, because it waits for 2 Bitcoin blocks. A low fee or a slow block can make it longer.
Hyperliquid says BTC deposits under 0.0003 BTC are lost. The minimum can change, so check the deposit screen before you send.
Not for regular perps, which use USDC. Sell UBTC for USDC on Hyperliquid, or deposit USDC through the Arbitrum bridge.
Unit relies on 3 guardians: Unit, Hyperliquid and Infinite Field. It is convenient and built into the app. But you are trusting that at least two of the three stay honest and are not hacked.
Yes. Withdraw UBTC in the Hyperliquid app to a Bitcoin address. Unit destroys the UBTC and sends you real BTC, minus a fee for the Bitcoin network.
