Starknet (STRK) is back in the spotlight after one of its sharpest breakouts this quarter, climbing more than 20% in the past 24 hours as institutional Bitcoin deposits began flooding into its BTCFi ecosystem.
The move pushed STRK toward the $0.27 region, its strongest print in weeks, and lifted the token to the top of daily gainers across major trackers.
In a market still dealing with thin liquidity and cautious sentiment, Starknet’s upside move stood out. And this time, traders say the catalyst is a real shift in how Bitcoin is flowing into the Layer-2.
Anchorage Digital Opens the Door for BTCFi and Strengthens STRK Demand
The catalyst landed early on Nov. 19, when Anchorage Digital, the first federally regulated crypto bank in the U.S., activated Bitcoin staking on Starknet. Institutions can now stake BTC through Anchorage and earn STRK rewards without managing private keys or interacting directly with DeFi contracts.
The impact was immediate. Within hours, more than $65 million in Bitcoin moved into Starknet’s consensus pool, bringing the total value secured to roughly $365 million. That includes 920 million STRK, around 20% of the circulating supply, and over 1,260 BTC now powering the network.
Anchorage’s involvement matters: institutions generally avoid alt-layer incentives unless custody infrastructure is compliant. This new setup effectively funnels BTC holders into STRK rewards, creating direct, repeatable buy-side pressure that most altcoins rarely achieve.
Narrative momentum added to the move. Starknet CEO Eli Ben-Sasson recently outlined “Ztarknet,” a long-term vision combining Zcash’s privacy features with Starknet’s.
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Unlike many speculative narratives, Starknet already has integrations underway, including tBTC routing, LayerZero connectivity, and upcoming support for native USDC.
Meanwhile, capital rotation data shows Starknet bucking the trend. Over the past month, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Linea, zkSync, and Unichain all saw notable declines in TVL. Starknet, by contrast, added nearly $200 million in total value locked, according to data, making it one of the few Layer-2 networks to sustain inflows during a risk-off period.
Starknet Price Outlook: Analysts Call the Breakout “Textbook”
Traders are not only watching the fundamentals. Technical analysts say the chart finally confirmed a setup they’ve been waiting on for months.
Sjúul from AltCryptoGems described STRK’s daily structure as “a very good-looking setup,” noting the Starknet token has been trapped inside the same range since February. This week’s move broke above the range high, retested it, and held “a textbook resistance flip,” he said.
The structure contains a nine-month range, a clean breakout, a shallow retest, and no immediate reversal. For analysts watching liquidity thicken at higher levels, STRK looks stronger than the average altcoin rally, which often fades within hours.
The question now is whether institutional inflows continue. If Anchorage Digital keeps routing BTC into Starknet staking, analysts say STRK demand should remain supported. If inflows slow, STRK may revisit the $0.24–$0.25 zone, which now serves as the backbone of the breakout.
On the upside, a decisive close above $0.27 would reopen the path toward the next liquidity cluster near $0.30–$0.32. If current inflows persist through the week, traders say the Starknet price could attempt that move sooner rather than later.
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