What is WRBTC?

Put plainly, WRBTC is "Wrapped RBTC" but let's start by introducing the players.

FIRST, THERE'S RBTC

RBTC is the native currency built on the RSK blockchain.

SECOND, THERE ARE ALT TOKENS

When a dApp (decentralized app) is built off of the RSK Blockchain it usually implements its own form of Token.

FINALLY THE ERC-20 STANDARD

ERC-20 is a standard that defines how tokens are transferred and how to keep a consistent record of those transfers among tokens in the Network.

WHY YOU NEED WRBTC

RSK DOESN’T CONFORM TO THE ERC-20 STANDARD.

WRAPPING RBTC ALLOWS YOU TO TRADE DIRECTLY WITH ALT TOKENS.

The reason you need wRBTC is to be able to trade RBTC for other ERC-20 tokens on decentralized platforms like Radar Relay. Because decentralized platforms running on RSK use smart contracts to facilitate trades directly between users, every user needs to have the same standardized format for every token they trade. This ensures tokens don’t get lost in translation.

YOU DON'T ACTUALLY WRAP ANYTHING.

When you "wrap" RBTC, you aren't really wrapping so much as trading via a smart contract for an equal token called wRBTC. If you want to get plain RBTC back you need to "unwrap" it. AKA trade it back for plain RBTC.