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Mezo Documentation

What is Mezo?

Mezo is a Bitcoin-centric platform purpose-built to make Bitcoin productive in day-to-day finance. It is EVM-compatible, which means it can host decentralized apps (dApps) and smart contracts in a system that developers and users already understand. By transforming Bitcoin from something complex and intimidating into something supernormal, Mezo can enable everyday activities like purchasing groceries, paying for services, securing mortgages, and building savings, all powered by Bitcoin.

The Cathedral and the Bazaar

Mezo’s architecture is built on a dual-environment model known as the Cathedral and the Bazaar:

The Cathedral is Mezo’s core infrastructure—a secure, reliable BitcoinFi ecosystem offering essential financial tools designed specifically for Bitcoin. This includes mUSD (Mezo’s 100% Bitcoin-backed stablecoin), lending protocols, swaps, bridges, and staking capabilities. The Cathedral is deliberately developed to ensure bulletproof systems that don’t compromise on security, reliability, or decentralization. Built on tBTC, the most decentralized Bitcoin bridge, the Cathedral provides a transparent, fully verifiable financial environment where users maintain complete control of their assets.

The Bazaar is the community-driven application layer built on top of the Cathedral’s secure foundation. Here, developers can create SocialFi, GameFi, and experimental applications that leverage Mezo’s infrastructure. The Bazaar ships fast, iterates quickly, and relies on community input to push the boundaries of what’s possible with Bitcoin. This permissionless playground fosters innovation while benefiting from the security of the underlying Cathedral architecture.

Together, these environments solve key issues in Bitcoin: complex user experiences, lack of innovation, and difficult onboarding processes. By providing both stability in core functions and freedom to experiment, Mezo creates a complete Bitcoin ecosystem that serves both experienced users and newcomers.

Mezo design features

  • mUSD and Borrow: Tap into your Bitcoin equity at competitive, fixed rates. Borrowers create mUSD by opening a Collateralized Debt Position (CDP), posting BTC as collateral to mint mUSD, a dollar-pegged stablecoin usable for spending, trading, lending, and borrowing.
  • BTC for Gas: Mezo Network uses BTC as its native gas token. This maintains a pure Bitcoin experience and advances Bitcoin as a cultural payment currency while providing a stream of fee revenue paid in BTC.
  • tBTC Integration & Multi-Chain Support: Mezo is built on tBTC, the largest decentralized Bitcoin bridge in production. By robustly tokenizing Bitcoin, holders can utilize their Bitcoin across EVM chains in a secure and reliable manner. Reserves are verifiable 24/7 at tbtc.scan.
  • Dual Staking Model: Combines rewards and validation to incentivize network participation and security.
  • BitcoinFi Ecosystem: A suite of Bitcoin-native financial applications, including lending, borrowing, and yield generation.
  • Developer-Friendly Environment: Supports Ethereum and Cosmos developers.

What does it mean to be Supernormal?

Supernormal is boring in a good way.

It’s when something is so easy to use and familiar that it becomes naturally integrated into life. Users don’t even really think about it anymore. It just makes life better.

Despite being around for over a decade, Bitcoin is still viewed as new and shiny, a little scary, hard to use, and weird for most people. Bitcoin must become supernormal. Its usage should be as natural and easy to use as a coffee maker, favorite pair of shoes, or water bottle.

Users shouldn’t need a degree in finance or be millionaires to use Bitcoin. Bitcoin is for everybody and for doing everyday things. For Bitcoin to be impactful, it has to evolve from being weird to a few to being “normal” to many. For crypto native users, being “normal” is the last thing wanted. That’s why Bitcoin needs to be supernormal.

Mezo makes Bitcoin supernormal by enabling easy access to Bitcoin’s value without selling it, fixed-rate loans for predictable financial planning, transparent on-chain operations, and familiar financial tools rebuilt on Bitcoin infrastructure. Soon, everyone will be able to use Mezo to do supernormal stuff with Bitcoin, like buy things on a credit card, send money immediately, save for college, apply for a loan, and more.