To convert BTC to WBTC, connect a Bitcoin wallet, choose BTC on Bitcoin as “from” and WBTC on Ethereum (or Base, Arbitrum and other EVM networks) as “to”, enter your 0x address and sign one Bitcoin transaction. On November 11, 2026, $1,000 of BTC quoted 0.013522 WBTC on Ethereum. You cannot mint WBTC yourself, so a swap like this is the usual way for a person to turn native bitcoin into wrapped bitcoin without an exchange account.
Key Takeaways
- Route type: cross-chain, one Bitcoin transaction, WBTC paid out by Layerswap, NEAR Intents or Relay.
- Time: 20 to 37 minutes on our check; the faster route paid about 0.6% less WBTC.
- Cost: about 0.28% fewer coins on the route plus about $0.45 Bitcoin network fee, before the 0.7% service fee.
- Main catch: on a layer 2 the cheapest route can be two steps and leave you holding ETH until you sign the second one.
What Is BTC?
BTC is the native coin of the Bitcoin network. You hold it at a Bitcoin address (bc1…, 3… or 1…) and it can only move by a Bitcoin transaction, which is why this swap starts with one and waits for its confirmation.
What Is WBTC?
WBTC (Wrapped Bitcoin) is a token that represents bitcoin on Ethereum and other networks, backed 1:1 by BTC in custody. Since October 2024 the bitcoin is held by BitGo together with BiT Global under a multisig with keys in the United States, Hong Kong and Singapore. On November 10, 2026 CoinGecko showed 116,132 WBTC in circulation, about $8.55 billion. The main contract on Ethereum is 0x2260FAC5E5542a773Aa44fBCfeDf7C193bc2C599. Background: what is wrapped bitcoin.
Why Convert BTC to WBTC
Native BTC cannot be used by Ethereum smart contracts. As WBTC it can be lent, used as collateral, added to liquidity pools or swapped on an EVM DEX in seconds, while your exposure stays bitcoin. The trade-off: you add a custodian and a smart contract between you and your coins. If you only want to hold bitcoin, keep native BTC.
Minting is not open to individuals: “Only identity-verified institutions, approved through DAO governance, can mint and burn WBTC” (wbtc.network). A cross-chain swap gives you WBTC from liquidity providers without KYC or a minimum batch size.
How the BTC to WBTC Swap Works
You send BTC to a deposit address shown by the route; the provider waits for the Bitcoin confirmation and pays WBTC from its own liquidity to your 0x address. To Ethereum, all three routes LI.FI returned on November 11, 2026 were one step: you sign once, on Bitcoin, and nothing on Ethereum.
Quotes by Amount (BTC to WBTC on Ethereum, November 11, 2026)
| You send | BTC sent | You receive | Route fees | Bitcoin network fee | Coins lost | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 of BTC | 0.001356 BTC | 0.001351 WBTC | $0.34 | $0.45 | 0.37% | about 37 min |
| $1,000 of BTC | 0.013560 BTC | 0.013522 WBTC | $2.77 | $0.45 | 0.28% | about 37 min |
| $10,000 of BTC | 0.135597 BTC | 0.135230 WBTC | $27.06 | $0.45 | 0.27% | about 37 min |
All three tiers used Layerswap. The Bitcoin network fee is flat, so it weighs more on $100; from $1,000 up the loss settles near 0.27%, and splitting a larger amount does not help. Quotes are LI.FI routes before the 0.7% Step Exchange service fee; they change every minute.
Fastest vs Cheapest Route ($1,000 of BTC to WBTC on Ethereum)
| Route | You receive | Time | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Layerswap | 0.01353529 WBTC | about 37 min | cheapest |
| NEAR Intents | 0.01349442 WBTC | about 29 min | 0.30% less |
| Relay | 0.01344955 WBTC | about 20 min | 0.63% less |
Same request a few minutes after the table above, so the amounts differ slightly. On $1,000 the 17 minutes saved by Relay cost about $6. The widget shows the routes side by side before you sign.
Which Network to Receive WBTC On ($1,000 of BTC)
| Receive WBTC on | You receive | Cheapest route | Steps | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arbitrum | 0.013540 WBTC | NEAR Intents, then a DEX swap | 2 | about 28 min |
| Base | 0.013527 WBTC | NEAR Intents, then a DEX swap | 2 | about 28 min |
| Ethereum | 0.013522 WBTC | Layerswap | 1 | about 37 min |
| Avalanche | 0.013517 WBTC | NEAR Intents, then a DEX swap | 2 | about 28 min |
| Polygon | 0.013508 WBTC | NEAR Intents, then a DEX swap | 2 | about 29 min |
| Optimism | 0.013464 WBTC | Relay | 1 | about 20 min |
The amounts are within 0.6% of each other. Pick the network where you will use the WBTC: gas there later costs cents on a layer 2 and much more on Ethereum. On Arbitrum and Base a one-step route also existed (Relay, about 20 minutes; on Base also Layerswap), paying 0.04-0.65% less.
WBTC vs cbBTC vs tBTC: Which Wrapped Bitcoin to Get
| Token | Who holds the BTC | Who can mint | $1,000 of BTC on Nov 11, 2026 | Coins per 1 BTC sent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBTC on Ethereum | BitGo and BiT Global | approved institutions only | 0.013522 WBTC | 0.9972 |
| cbBTC on Base | Coinbase | Coinbase | 0.013524 cbBTC | 0.9964 |
| cbBTC on Ethereum | Coinbase | Coinbase | 0.013506 cbBTC | 0.9951 |
| tBTC on Ethereum | a random group of Threshold Network operators | open deposits, per the Threshold docs | 0.013555 tBTC (2-step route) | 0.9987 |
Price is not what separates them: all four landed within 0.5% of the BTC sent. Choose by custody model and by where the token is accepted in the app you plan to use. The way back is on WBTC to BTC and cbBTC to BTC.
Step by Step
- Connect a Bitcoin wallet that holds the BTC (not an exchange account).
- From: BTC on Bitcoin. To: WBTC on the network you will use it on.
- Enter your receiving 0x address and compare the routes: cheapest, or fastest.
- Review the WBTC amount, fees, number of steps and estimated time.
- Sign the Bitcoin transaction and keep the status page open until WBTC arrives; on a two-step route, come back and sign the second step.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Leaving a two-step route half done: on Arbitrum, Base, Avalanche and Polygon the cheapest route pays ETH first. Until you sign the DEX step you hold ETH, not WBTC. Pick a one-step route if you will not be at the wallet when the bitcoin confirms.
- Two tokens called WBTC on Avalanche: LI.FI listed
0x50b7...B218and0x0555...2B9cunder the same symbol on November 11, 2026, and CoinGecko lists0x0555...2B9cas WBTC there. Check the contract before you add the token to your wallet or a DeFi app. - Sending from an exchange balance: the route needs a Bitcoin wallet you control to sign. Withdraw BTC first.
- Low Bitcoin fee in a busy mempool: the payout waits for confirmation; current fee levels are on mempool.space.
Going back: WBTC to BTC. Want ETH instead of a wrapped token: BTC to ETH. Other wrapped bitcoin: cbBTC to BTC.