ZetaChain's (CRYPTO: ZETA) latest integration with the Sui (CRYPTO: SUI) blockchain could bring real capital flows and application-level traction from native Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC), not just infrastructure optics, according to Jonathan Covey, a core contributor at ZetaChain.
Speaking with Benzinga, Covey responded directly to investor concerns about whether cross-chain integrations were creating any meaningful monetization or if they were just abstract infrastructure plays with vague utility.
"Bitcoin is the most liquid asset in crypto but really underutilized," Covey said. "ZetaChain enables direct native BTC utility like swap, lend, borrow, without wrapping."
That capability, he said, could unlock "new TVL and user flows" into the Sui ecosystem, particularly through Universal Apps like Zuno (a cross-chain DEX) and Amana (a yield aggregator), both of which are expected to activate BTC-SUI routes soon.
The comments come on the back of ZetaChain's integration of Sui, a high-performance Layer-1 built using the Move programming language.
Sui boasts $1.8 billion in total value locked (TVL) and competes in the same institutionalized Layer-1 segment as Solana (CRYPTO: SOL).
Unlike traditional bridges, which require wrapping assets and moving between wallets, ZetaChain's consensus-level interoperability model allows Sui users to directly interact with applications on Bitcoin, Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH), Solana and others, without switching wallets or gas tokens.
From a user experience perspective, Sui holders can now swap native SUI for native Bitcoin in a single click or earn yield from BTC while staying on the Sui network.
Also Read: Fundstrat’s Tom Lee: Owning Bitcoin Is Like Owning Land Under A McDonald’s
And from a developer perspective, ZetaChain's Universal EVM allows them to deploy once and access all supported chains — EVM and non-EVM — including Bitcoin, which has no native smart contract support.
For many investors, Bitcoin's lack of smart contract compatibility has made it difficult to tap into DeFi yield or lending protocols without wrapping BTC on chains like Ethereum or Solana.
Covey said ZetaChain's model solves that.
"You could earn yield on Sui from native BTC held on the Bitcoin network," he said.
That unlocks two pathways:
- Real revenue-generating use cases (e.g. lending BTC, yield aggregation)
- New flows of Bitcoin-native users engaging with high-throughput chains like Sui
Apps like Zuno and Amana are already live or in active integration, and Covey noted that the company is launching Sui-focused hackathons in collaboration with partners like Google Cloud and ETH Global to drive development around these new capabilities.
Meanwhile, ZetaHub, the central portal for users to interact with Universal Apps, recorded 230,000 users in the past 30 days, and Covey claimed a majority of them are organic and recurring users.
Looking ahead, ZetaChain also hinted at future innovations including:
- A unified, intelligent stablecoin to replace fragmented liquidity
- Reverse interoperability (BTC and ETH users accessing apps on Sui)
- TON integration to expand access to Telegram's growing blockchain ecosystem
Read Next:
Image: Shutterstock
