Wrapped coins

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Wrapped tokens are digital versions of assets like cryptocurrencies and gold on the blockchain, allowing direct and secure trading. More

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What is a wrapped token?

A wrapped token is a blockchain-backed IOU that represents—at a 1:1 ratio—an asset living on another chain or outside the crypto ecosystem entirely.
Smart contracts lock the original asset (BTC, ETH, gold, even real-estate) and mint an equivalent ERC-20, BEP-20, SPL, etc. token so it can trade in DeFi, collateralise loans, or be used in dApps while preserving the price of the underlying collateral.

Quick Facts

  • Purpose: Move non-native or illiquid assets onto faster, programmable chains (mainly Ethereum).
  • Backing: 1:1 custodial or decentralised vault; auditable on-chain.
  • Common standards: ERC-20 (WBTC, WETH), BEP-20 (BBTC), SPL (soBTC).
  • Market size: >$15 B in wrapped BTC alone; >$25 B across all wrapped assets.
  • Key benefit: Interoperability + composability with DeFi (DEX, lend, derivatives).

Top Wrapped Tokens (Live Examples)

Token Ticker Original Asset Host Chain 2024 TVL / Issuance
Wrapped BTC WBTC Bitcoin (BTC) Ethereum 154 k BTC (~$9 B)
Wrapped ETH WETH Ether (ETH) Ethereum 4.2 M ETH (~$11 B)
renBTC renBTC Bitcoin Ethereum 1.1 k BTC (decreasing)
BBTC BBTC Bitcoin BNB Chain 12 k BTC
soBTC soBTC Bitcoin Solana 2.4 k BTC
Wrapped DOT WDOT Polkadot (DOT) Ethereum 1.8 M DOT
Wrapped AVAX WAVAX Avalanche (AVAX) Ethereum / Avalanche 3.7 M AVAX

How It Works

  1. Send original asset to custodian (BitGo, RenDAO) or smart-contract bridge.
  2. Custody locks the asset in a multi-sig or MPC vault; emits event.
  3. Mint wrapped token on destination chain (e.g. 1 BTC → 1 WBTC).
  4. Use in DeFi – supply to Aave, swap on Uniswap, collateralise on Maker.
  5. Redeem by burning wrapped token; original asset unlocked and returned.

Benefits

  • DeFi composability – BTC can become collateral for DAI loans or yield farm.
  • Cross-chain liquidity – move value from slow chains to fast, low-fee L2s.
  • Fractional access – tokenise $2 k of gold instead of buying a full bar.
  • 24/7 settlement – no T+2 clearing; trades atomic on DEXs.
  • Transparent reserves – on-chain proof-of-assets; real-time audits.

Risks & Trade-offs

  • Custodial risk – bridge or multi-sig hack can leave wrapped tokens unbacked (e.g., Ronin, Wormhole exploits).
  • Centralisation – WBTC custodian BitGo controls keys; regulatory seizure possible.
  • de-peg events – during high volatility wrapped asset can trade 1–3 % below native (e.g., WBTC vs BTC).
  • Mint/burn fees – custodian plus gas can outweigh small trades.
  • Bridge fragmentation – liquidity splits across WBTC, renBTC, tBTC, etc., hurting depth.
  • Legal uncertainty – wrapped securities or real-estate may breach securities laws.

Final Thoughts

Wrapped tokens are the interoperability layer of DeFi: they let BTC, gold, or even NFTs ride on programmable rails, unlocking yield, leverage, and lightning-fast swaps.
The trade-off is counter-party risk; always check custodian audits, insurance coverage, and bridge decentralisation before parking capital.
If the wrapping process becomes trust-minimised (zk-proof bridges), expect wrapped assets to underpin the next wave of cross-chain finance.

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