There’s a quiet shift happening in how we think about Bitcoin, and it’s not about price action. It’s about utility. With @babylonlabs_io Genesis launching the first truly decentralized BTC staking layer, we’re entering a phase where Bitcoin becomes a programmable security, rather than just a passive store of value. And one of the first projects making this new idea practical and accessible is @union_build. I’ve been tracking Union for months now, and this new integration with Babylon Genesis feels like a milestone moment for BTCfi and modular interoperability as a whole. Here’s why it matters: Union is shaping up to be the interoperability message layer for the Bitcoin-secured DeFi stack. Think of it like a ZK-powered coordination across Ethereum, Cosmos, Bitcoin L2s, and restaking protocols, all backed by Bitcoin’s security. By becoming a Bitcoin Supercharged Network (BSN), Union will integrate Babylon’s Bitcoin staking protocol directly into its validator set. That means native BTC stakers can now help secure the Union's PoS chain, and get rewarded for it while the network itself retains full decentralization and sovereignty. Here's the kicker: Union just received 25M $BABY tokens (~0.25% of supply) to fuel its BTCfi Points Program and expand incentive design. Add in yield streams (3.6% of Union inflation to BTC stakers, 0.4% to BABY stakers), and you start to see how this alignment of incentive layers, security primitives, and liquidity flow is being built intentionally. This is a strategic alignment: → Babylon brings Bitcoin security. → Union brings the modular messaging stack. → Together, they’re building the rails for the next wave of Bitcoin-native DeFi. What interests me the most is that this isn’t theoretical anymore. Union is already routing 98% of BTC LST volume and powering canonical transfers across ecosystems. Babylon has already launched, and the public mainnet for Union is just around the corner. If you're thinking long-term about BTCfi and modular coordination between chains, this is one of the more interesting collaborations to watch closely.