As outlined in @richrines’s recent X articles “The Bitcoin Power Grid” and “Revenue Roadmap Sneak Peek,” Core will achieve this objective by enabling builders across BTCFi to launch beloved, revenue-generating products with CORE buybacks embedded in their economic designs.

This roadmap highlights many of the Bitcoin Power Grid modules that will drive value to CORE in 2026.

2026 marks a major expansion in yield capabilities designed to attract more BTC, capture more revenue, and convert more of that revenue into CORE buybacks.

Bitcoin Staking remains the most secure base layer for yield. Secured exclusively by Bitcoin's consensus, staked BTC provides a maximally stable foundation for layering on additional strategies, expanding total achievable yield, and increasing optionality.

Expanding the number and type of yield sources strengthens the entire economic model of Core. A broader yield base raises achievable returns across different market conditions, gives users more flexibility to choose the risk and reward profiles they prefer, and creates revenue streams independent of token emissions. It also introduces familiar funding mechanics that institutions already understand, setting the stage for institutional-scale revenue-generation oriented around CORE buybacks.

Broadly, Core’s approach is shifting from push to pull. Rather than directing users to route all BTC activity onto Core, the network is increasingly designed to pull yield from across the entire landscape. Meeting users and yield sources where they already operate expands the addressable base of BTC, increases CORE demand, and reduces reliance on emissions.

Core contributors have been working with leading Bitcoin yield experts to build the most comprehensive infrastructure stack for executing the full range of Bitcoin yield strategies. Builders across the ecosystem are now using this expanding infrastructure to package these strategies into institutional-grade products that will roll out to both consumers and institutions.

The macro shift in 2026 is from demonstrating yield to converting yield into revenue. The objective is not only to deliver strong outcomes for BTC holders. The objective is to ensure that those outcomes consistently translate into CORE buybacks that strengthen the token and reward Coretoshis as the ecosystem scales.

Asset Management Protocols are the simplest way to package CORE and Bitcoin yield offerings. Users deposit CORE, BTC, or both, and the AMP allocates that capital across various transparent yield strategies with the goal of delivering competitive returns that generate fee revenue and, ultimately, CORE buybacks.

Here is a sample sequence from @richrines for how AMPs work and drive revenue towards CORE buybacks:

Liquid, yield-bearing BTC remains one of the strongest opportunities in BTCFi. Demand is high, yet no provider has delivered sustainable returns or the composability needed to make LSTs dominant. With expanded yield sources and sophisticated AMP infrastructure, Core is positioned to support BTC LSTs that materially improve the category.

Below is a simple model for how a Core-based LST converts usage into value for users and demand for CORE:

High-yielding BTC and CORE LSTs then also move through lending markets, DEXs, and other applications which grow CORE fees, volume, and activity across the ecosystem. All of that usage ultimately flows back to CORE through gas consumption and more revenue-based buybacks.

Perhaps even more promising than DeFi usage is the potential for LSTs to become the underlying asset for yield-bearing BTC ETFs, structured products, and BTC savings accounts. Existing BTC ETFs attracted massive AUM without even changing BTC’s value proposition. Yield-bearing BTC ETFs predicated on LSTs have the potential to capture a large share of that capital while generating substantial fee revenue funneled directly into CORE demand.

There’s a simple way to boost CORE staking yields for CORE holders by addressing an existing bottleneck in the Dual Staking flywheel. A historical challenge for Dual Staking is that lots of BTC remains on the sideline because many BTC holders only want to stake BTC

Dual Staking Marketplaces allow BTC stakers to effectively pay Coretoshis to acquire and stake CORE for them. In practice, BTC holders stake BTC, Coretoshis acquire and stake CORE, and the protocol pairs the assets for optimal Dual Staking. The boosted yield is then shared between them, raising net returns for both sides. These positions can also be represented through BTC-only and CORE-only LSTs, allowing each participant to hold a single-asset token while still receiving Dual Staking benefits.

BTC-only stakers in a marketplace setting do not earn the highest possible Dual Staking rates, but they earn far more than before, while CORE holders receive radically higher rewards subsidized by the BTC-only stakers. This approach fixes the behavioral bottleneck that slows the flywheel by allowing BTC-only stakers to still drive CORE demand and acquisition via their participation.

A conceptual example with approximate numbers demonstrates the impact. Let’s say that separately, $100,000 of BTC earning 0.05% produces $50, and $20,000 of CORE earning 6.5% produces $1,300. Combined through Dual Staking, the same $120,000 can earn 5%, or $6,000 in total yield. The split can be allocated so that BTC holders receive 3% yield and CORE holders receive 15%.

Note also that these enhanced yields are not driven by rising inflation. CORE emissions remain low at roughly 2.5% of circulating supply annually. The boosted returns come from optimized marketplace mechanics and the combined economic weight of BTC and CORE staking together.

The foundational experience is straightforward. Users borrow stablecoins against yield-bearing BTC or LSTs, fund their debit card balance, and spend those stablecoins as easily as cash while their BTC continues earning yield. The ongoing yield helps repay the loan over time, enabling self-repaying BTC loans that make holding BTC and spending stables maximally capital-efficient.

SatPay will also integrate lending markets, DEXs, and other BTCFi applications directly into the neobank environment, allowing users to earn, borrow, manage risk, and transact in one place.

Every deposit, LST mint, loan, repayment cycle, transaction, and yield strategy executed through SatPay reinforces CORE demand. SatPay becomes a consumer-scale entry point that drives CORE usage, staking, gas consumption, and recurring buyback pressure while bringing accessible Core-powered Bitcoin finance to a broad user base.

The Hermes Upgrade delivered a major speed improvement for Core, and the next series of upgrades in 2026 will take performance even further. Core is on track to reach sub-second block-time finality, creating an experience that feels instant and comparable to the fastest high-throughput chains.

This performance upgrade works hand in hand with neobanking, enterprise integrations, and the expansion of BTCFi infrastructure. Faster settlement and lower latency make CORE increasingly attractive as the gas token that powers Bitcoin finance and beyond, since users and institutions can rely on rapid, low-cost transaction flows without compromising security.

Additional efficiency and performance improvements are scheduled for 2026. These upgrades strengthen the user experience, reduce operational friction for builders, and build on Core’s record of 100% uptime and consistent reliability.

Valour’s yield-bearing BTC ETP, now listed on the London Stock Exchange, proved that Core’s infrastructure can deliver compliant, institution-ready Bitcoin yield at scale. With expanding yield sources and the emergence of Core-powered LSTs, Core is uniquely positioned to power the next generation of Bitcoin ETFs. Just as ETH yield ETFs rely on stETH, it is likely that BTC yield-bearing ETFs are built on Core LSTs.

ETF issuers are confronting a structural challenge: they cannot justify high fees on idle, non-yielding BTC forever. To differentiate, preserve margins, and continue growing AUM, they will need to reduce take rates on passive BTC exposure and introduce yield-bearing structures. Core provides the LST architecture and institutional tooling required to make that transition.

Core contributors are already engaged with leading ETF issuers and product designers to deliver regulated BTC LST ETFs that change the economics of holding Bitcoin through traditional markets. Additionally, these products can generate materially higher fee revenue than standard BTC ETFs, enabling substantial value flow into CORE buybacks.

As Core-powered BTC LST ETFs become a reality, it is also likely that investors will want exposure to the infrastructure benefitting from the built-in buybacks. At that point, CORE ETPs or ETFs can address that market demand for direct CORE exposure rather than passive usage of Core’s infrastructure

As Digital Asset Treasuries enter their next phase, DATs increasingly need to differentiate their offerings, justify mNAV premiums, and demonstrate clear, non-dilutive pathways to growing BTC per share. The next chapter for these vehicles centers on operating income, productivity, and sustainable yield rather than passive exposure alone. Core provides a direct and scalable foundation to support that transition.

This approach is already being demonstrated by BTCS S.A., a Polish-listed BTC DAT. BTCS S.A. integrated with Core, began running a validator, and has been earning yield directly on its corporate balance sheet. This model gives DATs a tangible operating strategy and a repeatable way to grow BTC per share without dilution.

As the DAT category develops, Core-powered BTC DATs are positioned to form a differentiated class of public vehicles: companies that maximize productivity on their Bitcoin holdings and operate as true Bitcoin businesses rather than passive holders. BTCS S.A. serves as an early case study, and the model is designed to scale as demand for these structures expands.

Institutions are rapidly accumulating Bitcoin as every bank, custodian, asset manager, and brokerage is being forced by the market to offer spot BTC access. The next phase for these institutions is to move from simple custody to active balance-sheet management, creating demand for proven systems that can support yield generation, collateralization, liquidity workflows, and automated on-chain execution.

Core is positioned to become the productivity backbone for Bitcoin-holding institutions. Its staking architecture, yield engines, collateral models, and liquidity pathways were designed specifically for Bitcoin and have already been validated by a global network of builders operating in production environments. Institutions can integrate these capabilities directly, customize them for internal systems, or deploy them within hybrid rollup or private-ledger frameworks that anchor to Core for security and yield.

A useful comparison can be drawn to modular infrastructure platforms such as Optimism’s OP Stack, Arbitrum Orbit, the Cosmos SDK, and Avalanche subnets. Each provides a standardized framework that allows ecosystems and enterprises to build customized environments while relying on shared security, tooling, and economic alignment at the base layer. Core plays a similar role for Bitcoin institutions. Instead of rollups, Core provides a full Bitcoin-native yield and collateralization stack that institutions can adopt, modify, or internalize, while still anchoring key components to Core’s economic and security layers. What OP Stack or Arbitrum Orbit are to modular Ethereum scaling, Core becomes to modular Bitcoin yield.

The result is a plug and play Bitcoin capital-efficiency stack for enterprise. Institutions can offer yield-bearing BTC accounts, structured credit products, collateralized lending, or internal liquidity programs while relying on Core for execution, settlement, and revenue sourcing. As institutional BTC balances grow, Core becomes the infrastructure layer powering that revenue, and each integration drives additional activity and demand for the CORE token.

Core pioneered the Dual Staking model that many BTCFi projects are now attempting to imitate. Core is now moving to the next stage of that design by introducing duration-based staking and term structures that upgrade the model for users and significantly enhance CORE value accrual.

Duration-based staking allows users to choose how long they lock their CORE, with longer commitments earning materially higher yields. Term structures function similarly to a bond market, offering a range of maturities that balance liquidity and return. Together, these systems create a yield curve for CORE that gives users more choice while strengthening the network’s economic foundation.

This evolution of Dual Staking deepens alignment between users and the protocol. Longer commitments create more stable and predictable capital, reduce circulating supply during volatile periods, and generate persistent demand for staking as users compete for the most attractive points on the curve. Shorter options remain available for users who prioritize flexibility, but the highest rewards flow to those who support long-term network stability.

By expanding yield pathways and creating structured incentives for committed participation, duration-based staking and term structures reinforce CORE’s economic engine. As more users lock their assets for longer periods, the model delivers stronger value accrual for the token and a more resilient base of capital for future growth.

Core is expanding into several high-impact verticals that complement Bitcoin staking and yield while broadening the sources of demand for CORE.

Together, these product suites diversify use cases, attract new categories of users, and channel more activity toward CORE-powered infrastructure.

Every part of the 2026 roadmap serves one objective. Bitcoin activity must generate revenue, and that revenue must drive CORE buybacks. The expansion of yield strategies, AMPs, LSTs, Dual Staking Marketplaces, SatPay, ETFs, DAT integrations, enterprise tooling, and new verticals like privacy, AI, and RWAs all increase BTC usage on Core and grow the number of systems that feed value into the CORE token.

Core is moving from demonstrating what Bitcoin finance makes possible to monetizing those flows at every level. The outcome is a platform where builders, users, and institutions succeed, and where the CORE token becomes the central beneficiary of the next phase of BTCFi growth.