Lombard Finance has launched the Lombard Security Consortium, a decentralized consensus mechanism aimed at enhancing Bitcoin's security and liquidity. The consortium includes 14 leading digital asset institutions, including Wintermute, Amber Group, and Nansen. This initiative is designed to establish new standards in security and transparency within the Bitcoin finance sector. Separately, Core Foundation, in partnership with Maple Finance and custody firms BitGo, Copper, and Hex Trust, has introduced a new yield-bearing bitcoin token, IstBTC. This token allows institutional participants to earn yield on their bitcoin holdings without changing their existing custody arrangements. Maple Finance plans to issue a liquid staking token, lstBTC, which will enable staked BTC to be used as collateral in DeFi applications, potentially increasing liquidity in the ecosystem.