Meet the New sBTC Signers: The Tie, Ankr, and HashKey Join the Set

The signer rotation announced on August 6, 2026 is complete, and the new sBTC signers are Ankr, The Tie, and HashKey. All three now run signer infrastructure securing BTC as it moves between Bitcoin and Stacks, and the 70% approval threshold held at every step of the transition. Whether you hold sBTC, build with it, or are evaluating it for institutional use, here is who now secures the backing and why it matters.

What sBTC Signers Do

sBTC is how Bitcoin moves from the base layer into the Stacks network and back. It is a 1:1 Bitcoin-backed protocol secured by a decentralized set of signers who require 70% consensus to approve any deposit or withdrawal, removing the need for a single custodian or bridge operator to hold keys. This cohort makes the set look more like the institutions that use sBTC: large-scale infrastructure operators and regulated digital asset firms with years of service to institutional investors.

Why sBTC Matters More Than Ever

sBTC is the largest Bitcoin asset on the leading Bitcoin layer by BTC deployed, and it is how Bitcoin participates in onchain capital growth. As more BTC moves into DeFi protocols, payment flows, and treasury products, sBTC is the asset that capital settles in, and the signer set is what secures it. Each rotation raises the bar because the amount of capital depending on the set keeps growing.

Ankr: Infrastructure at Network Scale

Ankr is a Web3 infrastructure provider running node and RPC infrastructure across 70+ blockchains, handling 8B+ daily requests, with non-custodial staking already serving 18,000+ users.

That track record matters for sBTC because signing is an infrastructure commitment. Signers run hardened systems, hold a key share, and stay online so deposits and withdrawals clear without delay. An operator that already keeps some of the largest networks in crypto running brings that same operational depth to sBTC.

The Tie: Institutional Depth

The Tie is an institutional crypto data platform serving ~500 funds, asset managers, and banks, now running non-custodial staking infrastructure across 40+ networks.

The Tie has spent years serving the exact audience sBTC is built for. A signer set that includes the firms institutions already rely on shortens the diligence path for the next allocator evaluating Bitcoin on Stacks.

HashKey: Regulated Digital Asset Expertise

HashKey brings regulated digital asset expertise and an established institutional footprint in Asia to the signer set.

HashKey Cloud's participation extends the signer network into Asia's institutional market, backed by a regulatory profile allocators evaluating sBTC screen for first. HashKey Cloud will also be an inaugural participant in the Genesis Bond for Bitcoin Staking on Stacks.

What This Means

For sBTC holders: sBTC works the same as before. The 70% approval threshold held through the entire rotation, and every handoff was verified onchain.

For builders: applications that settle in sBTC, from DeFi protocols to payment flows and treasury products, are now backed by a signer set run by institutional operators.

For institutions: the signer set now includes regulated firms and large infrastructure operators, the kind of entities institutions already work with.

The Stacks ecosystem welcomes Ankr, The Tie, and HashKey, and thanks them for taking on real responsibility: securing the movement of the largest Bitcoin asset on the leading Bitcoin layer by BTC deployed, without a single entity ever holding the keys.

Learn more about sBTC and the signer network at stacks.co/sbtc.