How it works?
Deposits: Native Bitcoin
User initiates a deposit by signing both a Bitcoin and Sova transaction.
Validators track the Bitcoin transaction after it is broadcast and mint sovaBTC on Sova.
The SovaEVM locks the affected contract state until the Bitcoin transaction is confirmed. The default confirmation range for Bitcoin transactions is 6 blocks. Locks will expire after 18 Bitcoin blocks. When a lock expires, the EVM state is reset to the previous value.
Once finalized, sovaBTC becomes fully transferable on the Sova Network.
Withdrawals: Bitcoin Redemption
User burns sovaBTC and specifies a Bitcoin address for withdrawal.
Sova’s signing service generates, broadcasts, and tracks the Bitcoin withdrawal transaction.
When the sovaBTC is burned on the Sova Network the user is sent BTC to the address they specified.
The final step is the Bitcoin transaction is tied to the withdrawal request on the Sova Network.
Transaction Flow
Sova abstracts away the complexity of cross-chain interactions by integrating Bitcoin directly into the EVM runtime. When a user initiates a transaction—whether it's a deposit, a withdrawal, or a smart contract call involving Bitcoin—the process unfolds seamlessly across several internal components:
Web3 Wallets and dApps serve as the user interface. Users interact with familiar EVM wallets to send transactions on Sova.
The Sova Mempool collects and orders these transactions, ensuring proper sequencing and validation before block inclusion.
Once included in a block, the SovaEVM Execution Engine interprets and executes the transaction. If the transaction involves Bitcoin (e.g. minting sovaBTC or initiating a withdrawal), the engine communicates with Sova's custom precompiles and finality logic.
The Inspector and Sentinel services in the execution client determine whether the Bitcoin transaction associated with the operation has reached the required confirmation threshold. During this locked window, the related state is locked and cannot be mutated or reused.
For withdrawals, the Signing Service securely generates and broadcasts the corresponding Bitcoin transaction, ensuring that BTC is released to the correct address once sovaBTC is burned.
After Bitcoin confirmation, the contract state on Sova is finalized and fully unlocked, completing the transaction lifecycle.
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