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Bitcoin Symbol Disambiguation & Recovery

Zero data collected · Static guide only

WBTC, cbBTC, BTCB, BTC.B, tBTC — these all sound like Bitcoin but live on different chains with different trust models. Sending to the wrong address can strand funds. This guide helps you identify what you have and what to do.

Security Warning

Never share your seed phrase or private key with anyone, including "recovery services." Any service asking for your keys to recover funds is a scam. Official bridges and custodians never require your private key.

SYMBOL INDEX

Symbol	Name	Chain(s)	Custodian	Decentralization	In Registry
BTC	Bitcoin	Bitcoin L1	Self-custodied	████ 5/5	✓ tracked
WBTC	Wrapped Bitcoin	Ethereum, Tron	BitGo Trust Company	██░░░ 2/5	✓ tracked
cbBTC	Coinbase Wrapped BTC	Base, Ethereum	Coinbase Custody Trust Company	██░░░ 2/5	✓ tracked
tBTC	tBTC	Ethereum, Base, Optimism, Arbitrum	Threshold Network	████░ 4/5	✓ tracked
BTCB	Binance-Pegged Bitcoin	BNB Smart Chain	Binance	█░░░░ 1/5	active
BTC.B	Avalanche Bridge Bitcoin	Avalanche C-Chain	Avalanche Bridge	██░░░ 2/5	active
BTC.e	Defunct Exchange Token	—	None (defunct)	░░░░░ N/A	defunct
renBTC	Ren Protocol Wrapped BTC	Ethereum	Ren Protocol (deprecated)	░░░░░ N/A	deprecated

BTCB: NOT native Bitcoin. Exists only on BNB Smart Chain (0x addresses). Cannot be sent to a Bitcoin L1 address.

BTC.B: Lives on Avalanche C-Chain (0x addresses). Distinct from BTCB on BNB Chain despite similar names.

BTC.e: Defunct. The bitcoin.e exchange closed. These tokens have no redeemable value. Do not buy.

renBTC: Deprecated. Ren Protocol shut down. renBTC cannot be redeemed for native BTC through official channels.

CHAIN COMPATIBILITY

Which Bitcoin assets natively live on which chain? Native means the asset was issued there. Bridge means it can be moved there via a bridge (not direct send). Incompat means you cannot send it there at all — you will lose funds.

Asset	Bitcoin L1	Ethereum	BNB Chain	Base
BTC	Native	Bridge	Bridge	Bridge
WBTC	Bridge	Native	Incompat	Incompat
cbBTC	Bridge	Incompat	Incompat	Native
tBTC	Bridge	Native	Incompat	Incompat
LBTC	Bridge	Incompat	Incompat	Incompat
RBTC	Bridge	Incompat	Incompat	Incompat
BTCB	Incompat	Incompat	Native	Incompat
BTC.B	Incompat	Incompat	Incompat	Incompat
renBTC	Defunct	Defunct	Defunct	Defunct

How to identify an address format

bc1q... / bc1p... / 1... / 3...Bitcoin L1Where native BTC lives

0x...Ethereum / Base / BNB Chain / Avalanche CEVM chains — WBTC, cbBTC, tBTC, BTCB, BTC.B all live here

bnb1...BNB Beacon ChainNot where BTCB lives — BNB Smart Chain uses 0x

X-avax...Avalanche X-ChainNot where BTC.B lives — that is Avalanche C-Chain (0x)

LQ... / VJL...Liquid NetworkWhere LBTC lives

0x... (chainId 30)Rootstock (RSK)Where RBTC lives — looks like Ethereum 0x but different chain

RECOVERY GUIDE

This guide is informational only. Always contact official support for your custodian or wallet. Never share seed phrases. Outcome depends on your specific situation.

Sent WBTC → a Bitcoin (bc1/1/3) address

Likely recoverable

Why

WBTC is an ERC-20 token on Ethereum. Sending to a Bitcoin L1 address is meaningless — the transaction does not exist on Bitcoin L1.

Recovery

Your WBTC is still on Ethereum. Find the Ethereum wallet (MetaMask, etc.) that controls the destination address's corresponding private key. If you own the private key for that BTC address, import it into MetaMask using the same derivation path.

Sent cbBTC → a Bitcoin (bc1/1/3) address

Likely recoverable

Why

cbBTC is an ERC-20 on Base (an L2). Same principle as WBTC.

Recovery

cbBTC remains on Base. Control the private key for the destination address and import into a Base-compatible wallet.

Sent BTCB (BNB Chain) → a Bitcoin (bc1/1/3) address

Likely recoverable

Why

BTCB is a BEP-20 token on BNB Smart Chain. Bitcoin addresses cannot receive BEP-20 tokens.

Recovery

BTCB is still on BNB Smart Chain. If you control the private key of the destination BTC address, import it into a BNB-compatible wallet (MetaMask with BNB Chain, or Trust Wallet) using the same seed phrase.

Sent native BTC → an EVM contract address (0x...)

Rarely recoverable

Why

Bitcoin L1 does not know about EVM contracts. The BTC is sent to that address on Bitcoin L1, not on Ethereum/Base/BNB.

Recovery

If you control the private key behind that 0x address, derive the corresponding Bitcoin address and you may still have access. If it is a contract-only address with no private key (common for DeFi protocols), the BTC is likely irrecoverable.

Sent BTC to a Runes or Ordinals inscription address you don't control

Case by case

Why

Runes and Ordinals live on Bitcoin L1 — the address format looks identical to regular BTC addresses.

Recovery

The BTC is accessible to whoever controls the private key of that address. If it is a marketplace address or protocol address you do not own, contact that protocol's support immediately.

Bought or hold renBTC / BTC.e

Not recoverable

Why

These are defunct. renBTC cannot be officially redeemed. BTC.e came from a closed exchange.

Recovery

There is no official recovery path. Secondary market liquidity may exist at a steep discount. Do not send to any address expecting conversion.

OFFICIAL RESOURCES

Links to official bridge and custody support pages only. We are not affiliated with any of these services.

BitGo WBTC Redemption

Unwrap WBTC → BTC

Threshold tBTC Portal

Redeem tBTC → BTC

Coinbase cbBTC

cbBTC support & redemption

Binance Bridge

Move BTCB across chains

Registry: All Assets

Contract addresses & profiles

Registry: Status Check

Jurisdictional lookup tool

Not Financial or Legal Advice

This guide is for educational purposes only. Recovery outcomes vary by situation. Always verify information with official sources before taking action. BitcoinRegistry does not provide recovery services.