Prelude

Interop protocols are the unsung heroes of the crypto ecosystem. Over the yearsthey’ve quietly built the infrastructure that underpins many of the most exciting developments in the space. What started as a niche problem — connecting isolated blockchains — has blossomed into one of the most important areas of innovation in all of crypto.

This article is a snapshot of where the interop ecosystem stands now. It’s a guide to understanding how interop is powering the most important narratives in cryptoand why it matters more than ever. We take a look at how far interoperability has comewhat’s new and noteworthyand what trends are emerging that will shape the future. 

Key takeaways:

• Bridging is fastercheaperand more secure than ever.

• Interop is the bedrock that powers everythingfrom token issuance to intents to chain abstraction.

• Modular interop protocols with customizable verification may be the endgame.

• The future is tokenized onchain assets and interop token standards will play a huge role.

• Every ecosystem is putting interop first. Those that don’tstruggle to gain early traction and unlock liquidity flows.

• Any new chain launching today has interop baked in from the start — whether that’s liquidity bridging (intentspoolsaggregators)canonical asset issuance (interop token standards)or message passing for wider connectivity.

• For usersdevelopersand investorsinterop is where the action is.

Let’s dive in!

Bridging Is Now Insanely Cheap And Fast — Intents Are Taking Over

It’s trendy on Twitter to bash bridges. Everyone’s doing itso it must be trueright? But that take is stale.

Surebridges did suck — back in the day. Two years agousing a bridge felt like playing an endless game of Temple Rundodging obstaclesmadly clicking the screen and praying your funds didn’t vanish into the wormhole (pun intended). If you had a bad experience back thenI get it. You have every reason to hate bridges.

But the bridges of today aren’t the bridges of two years ago. They’re fastercheapermore secureand way less painful. Intent-based design has quietly changed the game when it comes to user experience on small transferswhile pool-and-message-based networks have driven the cost of large transfers down dramatically.

The brutal truth is that users care about two things — speed and cost. Align the incentives with those prioritiesand you get better bridges. The intent-based model nails it:

• You send funds on Chain A.

• Solver sends what you need on Chain B.

• Pay a small fee to the solvers and you’re done.

• A verification protocol (oracle / native or third-party interop) ensures that all the above steps have been completed correctly.

Everyone wins.

This process is simple and fast. Consequentlystandards are higher now across the board. Nobody wants to wait minutes (or even seconds) longer than necessary. That competitive pressure has forced bridges to level upand the users are winning as a result.

The data backs this up. Over the last 30 days or so:

• Across fills about 30% of volume in under 15 seconds (interestingly they also generate the most fees relative to size)20% in 15–60 secondsand 50% above a minute.

• Stargate handles most of its volume in the 30–60 second range. 

That’s fast. And rememberStargate isn’t even an intent-based bridgewhich goes to show how much we’ve improved in terms of speed in general (read more about Stargate V2 to see why it’s so cool).

If you’re still skepticaltry these super-fast bridges yourself: RelayGas.zipMayan. Once you experience themyou won’t go back to the old narratives about bridges.

The common thread among these bridges? They’re all intent-based by design.

Every new bridge in the market today is going down the intents path. It’s rare to see a design philosophy adopted so quickly from both a development and user perspective. Almost everyone loves intents – users appreciate the speeddevelopers like the design philosophyand even skeptics acknowledge their benefits (thoughlike anythingthey come with trade-offs of their own). 

Althoughit must be notedfor large value ordersbridges like StragateCircle CCTPand native bridges continue to provide the best rates comparatively.

Source: Arjun on Twitter

While intents have captured much of the mindshare and reshaped public perception around bridginginnovation didn’t stop there. For large value ordersbridges like Stargate have pushed capital efficiency to new heightswhile solutions like Circle CCTPalready renowned for handling sizeare now receiving upgrades that make them faster than ever.

Additionallyinterop token standards (like OFTNTTITSand Warp Token) remain equally important innovations. They deliver unparalleled capital efficiency for moving size across chains with zero slippagesimply by burning and minting tokens on different chains. I expect these token standards to play an even more central role in the bridging landscape moving forward.

This diversity of approaches underscores a simple truth: it’s good to have multiple ways to solve the same problem. Intents have made user experience smootherreducing friction and stress for the users and making it super-fast and cheap to move small amounts across chains.

Meanwhilepool and message-based bridges like Stargate (or Circle CCTPwhich uses a message-based burn-and-mint model) and interop token standards are important for enabling high value transfers in a capital efficient manner. 

Each approach serves its purposereinforcing the broader ecosystem and making the case for aggregation (LI.FI).

Aggregation via LI.FI

The Emergence of SolverFi

The ripple effects of intents don’t stop at making bridging cheap and fast. With intentsit’s solvers all the way downand solvers are now becoming an ecosystem of their own. Enter SolverFi: an emerging field where teams are building solver infrastructure:

• Platforms for solver collaboration (Khalani)

• Tools to simplify solver operations (EverclearNomialTycho)

• Standards for intents and solvers (ERC-7521ERC-7683)

While still in the early stages (with most of the platforms above either newly live on mainnet or yet to launch) the groundwork for solver infrastructure is being laidsetting the stage for what could become one of the most interesting fields in crypto.

Eventuallywe’ll see solvers-as-a-service become its own platform. Someone will crack the code for chains and apps to easily integrate solver networks and individual solversaligning incentives across all participants.

Flip The ScriptAbstract The Chains?

Intent-based design is the kernel that has birthed the bag of popcorn called chain abstraction – aka building an application that interacts with multiple chains while feeling like a singleinterconnected “crypto” experience. ~ With IntentsIt’s Solvers All The Way Down (LI.FI)

This shift wasn’t possible until bridges became fast and cheap. The speed and cost we now take for granted serve as the foundation for many chain abstraction protocols. Add in messaging bridges and other interoperability toolsand you get an ecosystem where multi-chain interactions start to feelwell… abstracted. It’s satisfying to see how these previously disconnected pieces have clicked together.

Source: Kram on Twitter

Chain abstraction started picking up steam toward the end of 2023. Connext (now Everclear) was first to use the termshowcasing a restaking flow where users could deposit funds from any L2 without needing to worry about which chain they were on or which asset they needed.

Since thenchain abstraction quickly grew into one of the dominant narratives of 2024and for good reason: at the end of the daywe’re all here to improve the experience of using crypto.

In early 2024Frontier Research introduced the CAKE Framework — a way to understand the chain abstraction stack. Since thenthe space has exploded with activity. Todaydozens of projects are exploring what can be built on interop rails to abstract the chainsand it’s fascinating to watch it all unfold in real-time.

These protocols are built on emerging important concepts: account abstractionsmart accountsintentssolversunified balancesresource locks — the list goes on. Each of these ingredients contributes to a smootherfasterand more intuitive crypto experience for both developers and users. Some notable projects include OneBalanceRhinestoneBiconomy (acquired Klaster)and others.

Source: The Rollup on Twitter 

Chain abstraction protocols are pushing forward some much-needed UX improvements in crypto. It’s the kind of progress that probably would’ve happened eventuallybut these protocols are accelerating the timeline. I’m really excited to see what the chain abstraction space cooks in the next year and it’s good to see that we’re already seeing some products live as well.

Looking aheadtwo battles are emerging: one at the app leveland one at the infra level.

At the app levelthe race is about distribution and user adoption. Will chain abstraction fundamentally change how people tradebridgeand interact with apps? Or will this all amount to incremental improvements that gradually become standard across all interfaces. Only time will tell. The good thing is that we’re already seeing the first launches of apps and wallets in the chain abstraction paradigm — InfinexUniversalX (by Particle Network)and Arcana Wallet are a few examples. 

Howeverthere’s still a significant onboarding hurdle for these apps: users must deposit funds into a new accountwhich varies for each chain-abstracted app. This is an inherent limitation of ERC-4337: Account Abstraction. Butthis will be overcome when EIP-7702 goes livegiving Smart Account like functionality to EOA accounts.

At the infra levelchain abstraction protocols face a challenge similar to earlier interop protocols. They need to convince developers to think in terms of a multi-chain world rather than being anchored to one specific chain or ecosystem. How will they differentiate themselves from legacy interop protocols? How will they competeor even collaboratewith them? These are some things worth keeping a close eye on.

OverallI think today there are very few protocols in this category that are truly doing something novel and bringing fresh ideas to the table. Many existing interoperability protocols are already well-positioned to deliver some of the same benefits that chain abstraction infrastructure aims to unlock and they’re dedicating significant resources to build “full stack interoperability” solutions. 

In factwe’re already seeing a strategic shift in comms from players like Axelar with their Mobius Development Kitwhich emphasizes scaling chain abstraction and improving UX. I believe every interoperability protocol has the potential to play in this spaceso it’ll be interesting to see how dedicated chain abstraction infrastructure protocols differentiate themselvescompeteand attract developers.

Source: Sergey on Twitter

Moreovera new school of thought is emerging in interoperability with players like Polymer. Instead of relying on traditional messaging between chainsthey’re betting on proofs as the foundation for interoperability. This approach is seeing some early adoptionparticularly among teams aligned with the "chain abstraction" vision. 

In shortchain abstraction is still earlybut there’s big potential. Whether it becomes a fundamental shift in how crypto works or simply a clever optimization remains to be seen. But either waythe space is moving fast — and it’s hard not to be excited about what comes next.

For a deeper dive into chain abstractionI recommend checking out Chain Abstraction in 2024: A Year in Review by OmniParticleand LI.FI.

Modular Interop Protocols With Customizable Verification (The Endgame?)

The interop protocol stack of today looks vastly different from what we had just two years ago. Like every other part of the crypto ecosysteminterop protocols have modularized.

In simple terms: early interop stacks were monolithic — fewer componentseach burdened with multiple responsibilities. Todaythe stack is specialized. Each layer has a specific roleexcels at that roleand operates largely independently of the others. This modular approach has significantly improved both the security and functionality of interop protocols.

In factthe modularization of the interop stack has created some of the most prominent use cases at the application layermost notably in the form of intents and intent-based applications:

• Application – interpreting users' intents and executing them via solvers.

• Verification – ensuring the validity and accuracy of the intents being filled.

• Transport – moving data related to the intent fulfilment across chains.

Editor’s note: This should also settle the "intents vs. messaging" debate. Intents are simply the application layer for interop (whether through messaging or other means) — they represent the interface users interact with. Both approaches complement each otheraddressing different aspects of the same problem.

The benefits of a modular interop stack. Source: Modular Interop Protocols (0xjim)

One of the most significant advantages of this modularization is security. Security has always been the Achilles' heel of interoperability. High-profile hacks gave interop protocols a bad reputation. Modularising the verification layer empowers app teams to optimize verification based on their specific needs — whether it's securitycostspeedor any other critical parameter.

A clear signal of the market’s need to use multiple verification solutions simultaneously emerged in the Lido DAO governance forum. When choosing an interop provider for wstETHthe DAO couldn’t settle on a single protocol. Ultimatelythey opted for a multi-message aggregation modelselecting Wormhole and Axelar to share verification responsibilities.

Todayevery major interop protocol offers customizable verification options:

• LayerZero V2 – Decentralized Verifier Networks (DVNs)

• Hyperlane – Interchain Security Modules (ISMs)

• Axelar – Customizable verification schemes via Amplifier

• Wormhole – Flexible verification options beyond the Guardian network when using the NTT framework

• Hashi & Glacis – Enable multi-verification setups across interop providers

Verification Marketplaces

The ability to choose providers turns the verification part of the interop stacks into a marketplace effectivelywhere different providers can specialize in specific trade-offs and serve distinct use cases based on what they’re optimizing for between security and cost.

For example:

• A high-frequency game requiring thousands of messages per minute prioritizes low fees and speed over maximum security – a simple oracle for verification would be sufficient.

• A DAO sending a monthly governance message focuses exclusively on maximum securitywith no concern for speed or cost – a provider like Hashi or Glacis that plugs into multiple verification providers to offer high security would make sense here.

Source: LayerZero V2 Deep Dive (Kram)

A new wave of verification-specialized teams is emerging. SEDANodekitPolymer are notable examplesand more are surely on the horizon. Additionallyexperimental approaches to crypto-economic security — like those seen with EigenlayerSymbioticCanary — are among the most exciting trends in the space today.

The only reason we aren’t seeing more providers build specialized verification solutions to serve interop protocols is because messaging volumes haven’t hit critical mass yet and the cost of running these systems at scale is still high. For most playersthe revenue opportunity isn’t compelling unless they’re handling a substantial share of messages across multiple protocols. Yetthere’s counterexamples like Nethermind and Polyhedra who have shown that building and scaling these systems is not only possiblebut also profitable if done right (both run DVNs for LayerZero V2).

Moreoveradoption is accelerating. As the number of chains grows and more teams build on interop protocolsmessaging volume will inevitably rise and there’ll be a need for app-specific verification systems. 

We’ve already seen hints of adoption reaching critical mass:

During LayerZero’s fee switch votethe Nethermind DVN was stress-tested under high message volumesresulting in outages. Apps relying on that specific DVNlike Stargatealso experienced downtime.

This mirrors the “noisy neighbor” problem for apps on blockchainsbut in this casethe congestion happens in the verification layer of interop protocolswhere one app’s high usage can consume resources and affect others.

The takeaway? Apps need their own DVNs or verification modules to avoid being affected by congestion from other applications. 

When that future arriveswe can finally leave behind the narrative of interop protocols being “just multi-sigs” (most verification today still relies on multi-sigs)and move closer towards the endgame state of interop protocol stacks that are scalable and secure by design.

Source: Bryan on Twitter

Plusthese verification systems aren’t just limited to checking cross-chain messages. They can also handle data primitives like LzRead from LayerZero and Wormhole Queries from Wormholeamong others. These primitives sort of turn interop protocols into internet protocolstransitioning the role of a verifier from “attenstation” (did xyz thing occur?) to “computation” (grab xyz thing and format a result). Which means their potential market is much bigger than just messaging. And whenever you see a big new market like thisyou can expect specialized players to start emerging.

Tokenize Everything With Interop Token Standards  

Interop token standards are arguably the most polarizing innovation in the interop space — people either love them or hate them (thoughif we’re being honestin a parallel universethey would probably be launching their own seeing the adoption)and both sides have valid points.

The supporters appreciate the simplicity: burn and mint a token on any chainand you’re done. There’s no slippagerelatively fast speeds (as fast as chain finality allows)and significant benefits for token issuersespecially when it comes to managing and accounting for token supply across multiple chains.

Source: Comparing Token Frameworks (LI.FI)

On the other handcritics raise a valid concern about third-party dependence. For example,. In the pastincidents like the Multichain (previously Anyswap) hack set a bad precedent and is often used as an example to highlight everything that can go wrong because of interop protocols.

Butthings have changed a lot since that event a few years ago. The security of interop protocols has genuinely improvedmaking it less likely we’ll see a repeat of such events – the absence of major hacks in 2024 serves as a testament to the progress made.

Moreoverit’s important to recognize that Multichain represents an earlier version of interop protocolswhich were less modular and more centralized. Today’s interop protocols are built as openmodular frameworksoffering much more flexibilitycustomizationand security for token issuers. 

Teamssentimentand technology around interop have maturedand auditors have gained a deeper understanding of potential vulnerabilities and what can go wrong. We’ve learned from our mistakes and each standard provides ways to ensure the ownership of tokens is in the hands of the issuers and in the worst case scenario if something does go wrongthe collateral damage can be reduced through measures like rate limits. 

Ultimatelyyou can choose which side you fall onand this resource — Comparing Token Frameworks (LI.FI) — can help you navigate the various token standards and understand their differences.

But here’s the thing: the numbers don’t lie. Interop token standards are seeing massive adoptionand 2024 has already seen an acceleration that suggests 2025 is going to be an insane year where these standards see even more massive adoption. 

All major interop players have rolled out their own product for interop token standards:

• LayerZero – Omnichain Fungible Token (OFT) standard + Stargate’s Hydraoffering bridging-as-a-service for chains to use OFTs as canonical tokens

• Wormhole – Native Token Transfers (NTT)

• Axelar – Interchain Token Service (ITS)

• Hyperlane – Warp Tokens

• Chainlink – Cross-Chain Token (CCT) standard

• Glacis – provides access to any interop token standards and gives issuers the flexibility to manage risk across multiple interop protocols with its support for the xERC20 standard.

• SuperchainERC20 – an implementation of ERC-7802: Crosschain Token Interface (similar to xERC20 in many ways) to facilitate the burn-and-mint mechanism for tokens across the Superchain.

The adoption of these token standards has been significantwith institutions like PayPal and BlackRockbluechip crypto protocols like Sky (formerly MakerDAO)memecoins like WIFhigh value assets like wrapped Bitcoinglobal stablecoinsCBDCsand tokenized US treasuries all adopting these standards. 

Togetherthe value secured across these token standards exceeds $100 billion (when you factor in the FDV of tokens issued on top of them)and the growth is only going to accelerate from here. As more tokens launchit’s clear that these standards will become a fundamental considerationwith each new token likely adopting one interop token standard or another.

Source: Bryan on Twitter

Tokenization of assets is happening at an unprecedented rate. Alongside chains and ecosystem teamsinterop protocols will play the most important role in onboarding institutions into crypto.

In the near futureevery institution will have a tokenized product onchainand interoperability will be a critical consideration from Day 1. All major interop players are collaborating closely with institutionshelping them tokenize through interop token standards and meet their needs to connect with the broader ecosystem. 

With so many chains to choose fromno single chain will be enough. Gone are the days when launching a token on Ethereum was the go-to-market strategy. There are now too many chains with potential markets to tap intoand the only way to scale across them in a cleanfuture-proof way is with interop protocols. 

The bull case for interop token standards isin many waysthe bull case for crypto itself — everything will eventually be tokenized onchain. Real World Assets (RWAs) could represent a $16 trillion opportunityand with where the puck is goingthese assets will be interoperable across chainsand a substantial chunk of it will be issued on interop token standards.

Source: Robinson on Twitter

Every Ecosystem Is Prioritizing Interop

Make Ethereum Unified Again

2024 turned out to be a test for the Ethereum community in every sensemarked by fragmentation in user experience and a lack of unified direction:

• The broader community struggled to build applications that simplify user onboarding. (interop protocols solve this — the solutions are already out there; they just need to be utilized more effectively).

• The launch of numerous new L2s and their growing adoption sparked heated debateswith some arguing that these rollups were parasitic to the L1 ecosystem.

• A cultural clash emerged between the Ethereum “OGs,” who wanted to stick to the original roadmapand newer voices pushing to scale the L1 or even abandon the rollup-centric approach.

• Meanwhilecompetitors like Solana steadily gained groundwith users pointing to the ease of UX as one of the key differentiators.

By the end of the yearall of this tension culminated in what some referred to as “wartime Vitalik” mode. Vitalikoften the calm voice of Ethereumtweeted “the ticker is $ETH” and became increasingly vocal — through writingspanelsand podcast appearances — about the need to address Ethereum’s fragmentation challenges and unify the community’s efforts.

Source: Vitalik on Twitter

It seemed to resonate (maybe?). Standardization for interop became a major talking point for Ethereum and the community is rallying behind a broader push to expedite standardsaiming to solve ongoing UX challenges. As part of these effortsthe acceptance of ERC-7683 (still a work in progress and not yet live)aimed at unifying Ethereum through 'intents'has begun to gain tractionespecially with Vitalik's support.

Perhaps 2024 will be remembered as a year of growing pains — one that forced Ethereum to take decisive action towards improving the user and developer experience.

That saidsignificant progress has already been made already:

• The Dencun upgrade was shippedmaking gas fees on L2s cheaper than everresulting in a noticeably better UX.

• Wallets like Rabby have significantly improved the experience of using these chains.

• Bridge connectivity across the ecosystem has vastly improved. Todaybridges are faster and cheaper than ever.

• In-app integrationssuch as MetaMaskPhantomRabbyBinance wallet and many others integrating LI.FIhave simplified cross-chain usage.

• Additionallyseveral chain abstraction protocols went live to further these goalspushing Ethereum closer to a more unified ecosystem.

Looking aheadit feels like the day when Ethereum feels unified again is within reachthough there are still many challenges to address. It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

Clusters With Native Interop Solutions

One of the more interesting things happening in crypto right now is the race to build clusters of interconnected chains. It’s as if chains are realizing that being part of a network — a zone of chains connected by shared standards — is better than going solo and trying to build walled gardens. I like to think of them as special economic zones in crypto where all the chains contribute and worth together to growing the pie. You see this in projects like:

• Optimism and the Superchain 

• ZKsync and the Elastic Chain

• Polygon and the Agglayer

• Arbitrum and Orbit chains

• Ecosystems like Initia and Dymension

• Remember Cosmos?

What’s key is making these clusters feel like a single unified system. They need to feel like they’re all part of the same chain from a user perspective. And that’s whyall the clusters are building native interop solutions. Plusyou’ve got projects like Espresso and interop protocols in general working on making the experience between clusters seamless (example – LayerZero’s OFT standard being natively supported on Arbitrum Orbit).

While none of the native interop solutions are live yetit’s clear they’re on the horizon. The speed of chain launches across various clusters and the growing number of interop features being developed suggest that things are gradually moving from theory to testingand eventually to production. A notable example is the Optimism Superchainwhere interoperability is central to the value propositionand they’re making tangible progress toward realizing it as well as making efforts to bootstrap liquidity throughout the ecosystem through campaigns like Optimism Superfest (powered by Jumper).

Source: Vitalik on Twitter

Moreoverthere’s also a lot of experimentation happening while we wait for native solutions to go live. Superlane by Hyperlane and Velodrome is a good example of this. 

Superlane shows how building on interoperability protocols future-proofs teams:

• It lets them connect to all the chains they care about today while staying ready to expand to any new chain that launches tomorrow. 

• It also allows them to use the best verification mechanisms currently availableand when native interoperability solutions like Superchain (or any other verification mechanism) emergethey can seamlessly swap them in.

Source: What is the Superchain + Why Superlane? (Hyperlane)

You Simply Cannot Ignore Solana

Solana is the preferred destination for trading today. It’s one of the most active ecosystems across every key metric — volumedevelopersusersnew apps. 

Historicallyinteroperability protocols have been largely EVM-focusedwith very few adding Solana routes.

Howeverthat’s changed now. More teams have realized the market potential on Solana and have taken the leap to overcome the technical challenge of expanding to another virtual machine beyond EVM.

A growing number of bridges have now added Solana supportand this is quickly becoming a must-have for any team that hasn't already done so:

• Jumper added Solana routes.

• Circle CCTP expanded to Solana.

• Relay supports Solana.

• Rhino now supports Solana.

• LayerZero is live on Solana.

• Solana is now live on THORSwap.

• Chainflip shipped Solana.

• Hyperlane is live on Solana and is expanding across the SVM.

• Bridges like Mayan and Wormhole Portal continue to see more and more usage for their Solana routes.

Editor’s note: In addition to Solananative Bitcoin has become another key asset/route that many protocols have added to their stack. For examplenative Bitcoin support is now live on JumperRelayCatalystand Routerin addition to already established players like Thorchain and Chainflip who’ve been offering it for a while.

In many waysSolana is speedrunning Ethereum and the EVM’s playbookbut with the benefit of hindsightlearning from Ethereum’s early UX challenges. The SVM ecosystem is slowly taking shapewith chains like Eclipse going live and many Solana apps planning to launch their own SVM chains in the future (Solana L2s?). Going forwardwe’ll likely see increasing demand for interoperability in the Solana and SVM ecosystem

Interop Is Where the Action Is for UsersDevelopersand Investors

TGEs and Airdrops

Interop protocols continue to be one of the most successful verticals in cryptoand the ecosystem is currently experiencing a wave of tokenization and airdropswith billions of dollars being distributed.

Looking backit seems inevitable that these protocols would eventually tokenize — some even mentioned it in their documentation. If I were smarter and had the knowledge I do nowI would have capitalized more on this opportunity. Butalaslet it be a lesson for the next cycle.

Here are some of the notable airdrop launches by interop protocols right nowwith many reaching impressive valuations:

• Wormhole’s $W airdrop

• LayerZero airdropping $ZRO to 1.28 million wallets

• Omni Network’s $OMNI genesis airdrop (hear their story)

• Hyperlane announced their token 

New Interop Protocols

Just when it seems like the interop space has saturateda new team emergesshaking things up and carving out their own niche in this highly competitive field.

Some of the recent notable launches:

• Relay – gaining traction as one of the most popular intent-based bridges among users

• Catalyst – having pivoted from an AMM design to intent-based solutionsnow focusing on altVMs (hear their story)

• Mach – implementing intents on LayerZero (hear their story)

• Union – a settlement layer for all execution environments

• Polymer – delivering real-time interoperability to Ethereum rollups (hear their story)

The continued influx of new teams and projects in the interop ecosystem signals that the vertical is only getting more diverse and exciting.

Interop/Acc

The most powerful technologies in history all fade into the background. Electricitythe internetcloud computing — they saw real adoption when people stopped thinking about how the tech worked and started focusing on what they could build with them.

In 2025interoperability will enter this phase. It won’t be seen as an add-on for an app or a challenge to overcome for chains — it’ll just be theresilently connecting everything in crypto. The applications people usethe transactions they makethe value they move — it’ll all run on interop rails.

Without interopcrypto fails. Until nowwe’ve done the hard work of laying its foundations. In 2025interop will accelerate.

— — — 

A big thank you to AngusKramPhilippBoJimNam (and the rest of the Hyperlane researchoor gang) along with several others for valuable inputconstructive pushbackand related discussions.

FAQ: The State of Interop (2025)