Exploring Runes protocol: Insights into its impact on Bitcoin’s ecosystem

Andreas Brekken, founder of SideShift.ai, recently shared his insights on the emerging Runes Protocol and its implications for the Bitcoin ecosystem.

received exclusive comments via email on Brekken’s views about the Runes Protocol, which gained hype and popularity during the recent Bitcoin Halving.

The Runes Protocol, which utilizes the Bitcoin UTXO model without adding a secondary fee token, offers a streamlined approach to token standards that could improve transaction efficiency and lower costs.

“The Runes standard improves on previous models by sticking to Bitcoin’s UTXO model and not adding a secondary fee token,” said Brekken. This approach allows for the low-cost transfer and minting of tokens, fostering greater adoption within the Bitcoin community.

Brekken attributed the initial surge in Runes’ activity to investors’ shifting interests from NFTs to meme coins, particularly on platforms like Solana (SOL).

According to data from Dune Analytics, Runes still make up the majority or a little less than half of the daily Bitcoin transactions, showcasing their popularity on the network post-Halving.

The introduction of Runes allowed these investors to continue participating in the meme coin trend under the Bitcoin (BTC) umbrella. “Investors bought Runes hoping to continue riding the memecoin wave on Bitcoin,” Brekken explained.

Despite its initial success, Runes has seen a decline in activity, with a significant drop in new token creation and wallet interactions. Brekken believes this is part of the cyclical nature of meme coin trading, which tends to fluctuate between blockchains.

“The Runes community needs to fight for attention. Meme coin traders should be ready to flock to Runes when the next rotation happens. When that rotation comes, they should be pushing for the first ‘billion-dollar meme’ on Runes similar to successful meme coins like PEPE, WIF, or BONK,” he stated, suggesting that an aggressive approach could reignite attraction in Runes during the next market rotation.