Stack Sats: the 1 BTC-a-Month DeFi Rewards Program on Stacks

Stack Sats is a DeFi rewards program on Stacks that distributes 1 BTC per month, 3 BTC in total, to people who put Bitcoin to work between September 10 and December 10, 2026. That is roughly $232K at current prices. Rewards flow through two Bitcoin-native finance apps: Bitflow pays traders and market makers in its core USDCx pairs, and Zest pays suppliers and borrowers in its USDCx lending markets. Whether you hold sBTC, STX, or USDCx, there is a track for you.

The program starts at Bitcoin block 966,350, expected September 10, and runs in three monthly phases. Phase 1 rules are fixed through October 10. The Stacks Endowment funds the full 3 BTC.

Program Facts

How Stack Sats Works on Bitflow

Bitflow distributes 0.50 BTC each month across three tracks on the sBTC/USDCx and STX/USDCx pairs. These are the pairs that connect Bitcoin and STX to dollar liquidity on Stacks, so rewards go to the activity that keeps them deep and usable: trading volume and liquidity close to the active price.

The program opens on September 10 with a few days of preparation. Bitflow's trading incentives officially begin on September 16.

Traders and market makers enroll with a wallet signature through the Bitflow campaign dashboard. The Daily Stack requires no enrollment. Full mechanics, scoring, and rules are on Bitflow's Stacks Sats page.

How Stack Sats Works on Zest

Zest directs 0.50 BTC each month to its USDCx lending markets, split evenly between the two sides of the market.

Half rewards sBTC supply. Deposit sBTC and you earn program rewards on top of the market's organic lending yield. No borrowing is required, which makes this the simplest way for a Bitcoin holder to participate.

Half rewards USDCx debt. Borrow USDCx against sBTC or STX collateral and maintain a time-weighted loan-to-value (LTV) ratio of at least 20% to qualify. Loan-to-value is the size of your loan relative to the value of your collateral, so a 20% floor means the position has to be real, not a token borrow opened to farm rewards.

Rewards on each side are distributed pro rata across all qualifying positions. The full monthly allocation is paid out regardless of how many people participate, which means effective rates run highest in the early weeks when fewer positions are competing for the same 0.50 BTC.

Excluded from Zest rewards: stSTXbtc, USDh and aeUSDC debt, Endowment-controlled addresses, flash activity, and liquidated positions.

How to Participate

1. Get sBTC, STX, or USDCx in a self-custodial Stacks wallet.
2. Pick a path: trade or provide liquidity on Bitflow, or supply sBTC or borrow USDCx on Zest's lending markets.
3. Track qualification, stats, and estimated rewards through each app's campaign dashboard. Rewards are distributed monthly.

Zest and Bitflow verify results independently against daily onchain snapshots. Both teams keep Phase 1 rules fixed through October 10, review the results, and announce any adjustments before the next phase begins. Eligibility terms apply per app.

Beyond the First 90 Days

Stack Sats is the first phase of a longer arc. The Endowment will use participation data from these three months to shape a long-term DeFi incentive framework, directing future allocations toward the activities that prove most productive for the ecosystem. The positions rewarded today are the ones the next phase will be designed around, so early participants are also shaping where future rewards go.

Bitcoin on Stacks now has three ways to grow: earning yield at the consensus level through Bitcoin Staking, deploying liquid staked Bitcoin into DeFi, and working as productive capital across Bitcoin-native finance. Stack Sats funds the third.

What This Means

For Bitcoin holders: the lowest-effort path is supplying sBTC on Zest. You earn organic lending yield plus a share of 0.25 BTC per month, with no borrowing required and your assets in a wallet you control.

For traders and liquidity providers: the sBTC/USDCx and STX/USDCx pairs on Bitflow pay 0.50 BTC per month across three tracks, and a single $25 swap enters you in The Daily Stack.

For builders and the ecosystem: the activity this program rewards is the activity the Endowment's long-term incentive framework will be built around. Deep USDCx markets and productive sBTC are the target.

Phase 1 opens at block 966,350 on September 10, and the rules hold through October 10. Get sBTC, STX, or USDCx into a self-custodial wallet and pick your track.