Citrea Unveils CTR Token, Steps Up Push Into Bitcoin-Based DeFi

Citrea, a Bitcoin layer-2 project, has unveiled its native token, CTR, as it moves to accelerate the expansion of a Bitcoin-based decentralized finance, or DeFi, ecosystem.

In a May 27 post on its official channels, Citrea laid out its post-launch ecosystem strategy and key infrastructure plans. Citrea is a zero-knowledge, or ZK, layer-2 project built on the Bitcoin network. It aims to extend Bitcoin beyond its role as a store of value into an asset that can be used for financial activity.

Citrea described CTR not as a simple trading token, but as a core asset for network operations and ecosystem coordination. The token is designed to let holders participate directly in protocol upgrades, treasury allocation and the ecosystem's incentive structure. "CTR will serve as a core asset that coordinates and connects the Bitcoin economy," the project said.

Citrea also disclosed its staking framework. It plans to allocate 10% of total supply to staking rewards to encourage long-term network participation. Users will be able to deposit CTR to receive network rewards and ecosystem incentives, a structure the project said is intended to expand early liquidity and community participation at the same time.

The project's mainnet infrastructure is also expanding. The Citrea network is already connected to decentralized exchanges Satsuma, JuiceSwap and Fibrous. Lending protocol Morpho has also been integrated, broadening the range of Bitcoin-based DeFi use cases.

Citrea is also focused on expanding a liquidity structure centered on its stablecoin, ctUSD. Its strategy is to build a Bitcoin-collateralized financial system that strengthens on-chain payments, lending and trading. The project said its goal is to bring Ethereum-level financial utility to the Bitcoin network.

Citrea also outlined plans to attract institutional capital. It said it has secured more than $50 million in planned liquidity support from institutional investors including Galaxy Digital. The funds are set to be used for cBTC and ctUSD liquidity and to expand Bitcoin-based financial markets supported by institutional participation.

CTR was listed on global exchanges including Binance Alpha and Gate.io on May 26. Total supply is 10 billion tokens, with an initial circulating supply of about 1.2 billion. Citrea said the token's launch marks the start of a broader push in the Bitcoin layer-2 market from scalability alone toward the buildout of financial infrastructure.