The cryptocurrency world was abuzz when Binance announced the launch of spot and futures trading for the BRC-20 token ORDI. The news triggered a sharp price surge, pushing ORDI from 7.4 USDT to a high of 12 USDT, and later climbing to 14.5 USDT before settling around 13.6 USDT—a remarkable 83% increase within 24 hours.
However, just as momentum built, a surprising development unfolded. Casey Rodarmor, the creator of the Ordinals protocol, took to X (formerly Twitter) in the early hours demanding that Binance remove certain links associated with the ORDI token on its platform. He emphasized that ORDI has no official connection to the Ordinals protocol, The Open Ordinals Institute, or The Ordicord.
This move sparked confusion and speculation across the crypto community. Some mistakenly interpreted it as a sign of disapproval toward ORDI’s listing—potentially a bearish signal. But the reality is more nuanced. ORDI, while built on the foundation of Bitcoin's innovation, operates independently of the original Ordinals vision. This article dives deep into the relationship between ORDI and Ordinals, uncovering the backstory behind Casey’s stance and what it means for the future of Bitcoin-based tokens.
Understanding the Core Concepts
To grasp the situation fully, it’s essential to distinguish between key players and technologies involved.
What Is Ordinals?
Launched on January 30, 2023, by software engineer Casey Rodarmor, the Ordinals protocol introduced a revolutionary way to inscribe data directly onto individual satoshis—the smallest unit of Bitcoin. Using SegWit and Taproot upgrades, Ordinals enables users to attach images, text, audio, or video to specific sats, creating what are known as "NFTs on Bitcoin." These inscriptions are immutable, transferable, and fully embedded within the Bitcoin blockchain.
This breakthrough opened new possibilities for digital ownership and expression on the world’s most secure blockchain.
What Is BRC-20?
Introduced on March 9, 2023, by an anonymous developer known as Domo, BRC-20 is a token standard built on top of the Ordinals protocol. It leverages inscription capabilities to create fungible tokens—essentially enabling a form of smart contracts without altering Bitcoin’s base layer.
ORDI was the first token issued under this standard. While it uses the technological foundation laid by Ordinals, it was neither created nor endorsed by Casey Rodarmor.
In short:
- Casey Rodarmor → Creator of Ordinals
- Domo → Creator of BRC-20 and ORDI
- ORDI → First BRC-20 token, unrelated to Ordinals' official project
Thus, Casey’s request stems from a desire to prevent brand confusion—not opposition to innovation itself.
"I Want to Erase BRC-20 From Existence"
Casey has been openly critical of BRC-20 since its inception. His concerns center around network efficiency, long-term sustainability, and philosophical alignment with Bitcoin’s core principles.
The “Junk UTXO” Problem
One of Casey’s primary objections is that BRC-20 generates what he calls “junk UTXOs” (Unspent Transaction Outputs). Each BRC-20 token mint creates a new UTXO, and because these outputs are often small and numerous, they contribute to blockchain bloat and increase node storage requirements.
On September 1, 2024, Casey tweeted:
“I hope that by Christmas, degens will discover Taproot Assets so they can stop minting BRC-20.”
By September 24, all available sats had been inscribed under the initial wave of BRC-20 mints—requiring over 21 million transactions and costing more than $21 million in fees. Casey criticized this process as inefficient and unnecessarily congesting the network.
Introducing Runes: A Cleaner Alternative
On September 26, Casey unveiled Runes, a new protocol designed specifically for issuing fungible tokens on Bitcoin. Unlike BRC-20, Runes operates natively within Bitcoin’s UTXO model, minimizing fragmentation and avoiding the creation of excessive micro-UTXOs.
He described Runes as a more elegant solution—aligned with Bitcoin’s minimalist design philosophy.
On October 15, he provocatively stated:
“You have no idea how fun and hand-crafted shitcoining will be with Runes.”
When a user asked where to learn more about Runes and expressed skepticism about its similarity to BRC-20, Casey responded:
“What do you dislike about BRC-20’s process?”
—indicating that Runes was engineered precisely to address those flaws.
👉 See how next-generation protocols like Runes are redefining asset creation on Bitcoin.
Security Concerns Around BRC-20
In September 2024, Casey highlighted a potential attack vector: malicious actors could send “transfer inscriptions” to wallet addresses, effectively locking funds by forcing recipients to handle complex UTXO management manually.
In response, Domo proposed a security enhancement called "fraction", allowing partial transfers of BRC-20 tokens. While optional and carefully implemented to preserve simplicity, this update addressed some usability risks. To date, no widespread attacks exploiting this flaw have been reported.
ORDI Remains Unshaken Despite Controversy
Despite the public disagreement, ORDI continues to perform strongly in the market. As of this writing, its price holds above 13 USDT with a daily gain of over 30%. The token remains one of the most prominent representatives of the BRC-20 ecosystem.
Binance has already updated its platform, removing links that connected ORDI to ordinals.com, docs.ordinals.com, and ordiscan. Instead, it now clearly states:
“ORDI is the first token created on the BRC-20 token standard on the Bitcoin blockchain.”
This clarification aligns with Casey’s request and helps prevent user confusion.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Is ORDI officially affiliated with the Ordinals protocol?
A: No. ORDI was created independently by Domo using the BRC-20 standard. It has no official ties to Casey Rodarmor or the Ordinals project.
Q: Why does Casey oppose BRC-20?
A: He believes BRC-20 creates inefficient "junk UTXOs," increases blockchain bloat, and deviates from Bitcoin’s design principles. He advocates for cleaner alternatives like Runes.
Q: Did Binance delist ORDI?
A: No. Binance only removed misleading links connecting ORDI to Ordinals’ official resources. Trading remains active.
Q: What is Runes?
A: Runes is a new fungible token protocol by Casey Rodarmor designed to work natively with Bitcoin’s UTXO model—offering efficiency improvements over BRC-20.
Q: Can ORDI still grow despite this controversy?
A: Yes. Market performance shows strong demand independent of protocol disputes. Its success depends more on adoption within the BRC-20 ecosystem than on Ordinals’ endorsement.
Q: Are there real security risks with BRC-20?
A: Potential issues exist—such as inscription spam—but mitigations like the "fraction" update help reduce risk. No major exploits have occurred so far.
Final Thoughts
The clash between innovation and protocol integrity lies at the heart of this story. While ORDI thrives as a symbol of community-driven experimentation on Bitcoin, Casey Rodarmor stands firm in defending the network’s long-term health and purity.
This tension reflects a broader debate in crypto: how much should decentralized networks accommodate grassroots creativity—even if it comes at a technical cost?
As Runes prepares for launch and BRC-20 evolves, one thing is clear: Bitcoin’s role as a platform for digital assets is expanding rapidly. Investors and developers alike must navigate both opportunity and responsibility in this new era.
Whether ORDI endures as a lasting asset or fades into history, its journey underscores a pivotal moment in Bitcoin’s evolution—one where culture, technology, and ideology intersect.
Core Keywords: Ordinals, BRC-20, ORDI, Bitcoin blockchain, Runes protocol, fungible tokens, UTXO model