Across Protocol

What Across Protocol does

Across Protocol is a cross-chain bridge and swap protocol that enables users and applications to transfer tokens between blockchain networks in approximately 2 seconds at low cost. The protocol uses an intent-based architecture in which a permissionless network of relayers competes to front capital on the destination chain, with all fills aggregated into a single settlement bundle roughly every 90 minutes. Settlement security is provided by UMA's Optimistic Oracle (bundles accepted unless challenged by a single honest actor, with proposers' capital slashable for invalid bundles), and the V4 architecture introduced in December 2025 adds Succinct SP1 zero-knowledge proofs for cryptographic settlement verification. The protocol supports 23+ mainnet chains and 8 testnet chains, and offers native-asset transfer mechanisms including Circle's CCTP V2 for USDC (up to $10M per transfer) and LayerZero's OFT for USDT0, eliminating wrapped-token exposure.

The core product surface consists of the Across Protocol interface for end-users, the Across Swap API for developer integrations, and the Across Rewards program. The API enables a single integration to cover all supported chains, with the protocol automatically selecting between intent-based fills, CCTP, or OFT mechanisms based on the transfer. Across reports cumulative volume of $36B+ across 5M+ users since 2021 with zero protocol-level exploits, audited repeatedly by OpenZeppelin and backed by an active bug bounty program. Major integrations include Uniswap (in-app native bridging), MetaMask, Coinbase, PancakeSwap, Phantom, Ledger, LI.FI, Jumper, 0x, and Circle, with day-one launch partnerships on Plasma, Hyperliquid, and Ink.

Across is operated by Risk Labs, a Cayman Islands Foundation, and is governed by ACX token holders. The company is venture-backed by Paradigm (lead of a March 2025 $41M round also including Bain Capital Crypto, Coinbase Ventures, and Multicoin Capital, following a $10M 2022 round led by Blockchain Capital, Hack VC, and Placeholder), with 11–50 employees and operational headquarters in Grand Cayman. Revenue economics are decentralised: relayer and liquidity-provider fees accrue to protocol participants rather than Risk Labs, and the API is provided free of charge subject to integrator terms. In March–April 2026, the community voted on transitioning from a token-based DAO to a U.S. C corporation to facilitate partnerships, fundraising, and institutional engagement under improving U.S. regulatory clarity.

Name

Across Protocol

Legal name

Risk Labs

Website

https://across.to

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Across Protocol is a cross-chain bridge and swap protocol enabling sub-2-second token transfers across 23+ chains via an intent-based relayer network, serving 5M+ end users and integrators such as Uniswap, MetaMask, and Coinbase. It is operated by Risk Labs (Cayman) and backed by Paradigm, Bain Capital Crypto, and Coinbase Ventures.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cross-Chain Bridge Protocol

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Securities and Commodity Exchanges (52321), Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231)

SIC

Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200), Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Cross-Chain Bridges & Interoperability Protocols (FSADAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cross-Chain Data & State Synchronization (state proofs, data availability for interop) (FSAPAKAI), Cross-Chain Wallet & Asset Routing Infrastructure (FSADACAJ), Settlement, Clearing & Reconciliation for Tokenized Assets (DvP, PvP, netting, post-trade) (FSAPAIAI)

Keywords

• Cross-chain bridge
• Blockchain interoperability
• Intent-based bridging
• DeFi infrastructure
• Swap API

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Relayer fees: Relayers compete to fill cross-chain transfers and earn fees for their service. The fee is quoted up front, scaled to transfer size and route, with no hidden spread. The relayer fronts capital on the destination immediately and gets reimbursed once the transaction is verified.
2. Liquidity provider fees: Liquidity providers supply capital to the protocol's pools and earn fees from trades. Fees accrue to liquidity providers for the protocol, with Across batching settlements to minimize costs.
3. Interface and API access: The Across Protocol Interface (app.across.to) and API provide access to the decentralized protocol. Fees for trades accrue to liquidity providers and relayers, not to Risk Labs. API integrators must comply with usage terms but do not pay direct fees to Risk Labs for API access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Across Protocol is a cross-chain bridge and swap protocol that lets users and applications move and exchange tokens between supported blockchains in seconds. It uses an intent-based design with a competitive relayer network that fronts capital on the destination chain, delivering sub-2-second fills without waiting for origin-chain finality. Settlement is secured by UMA's Optimistic Oracle and (in V4) Succinct SP1 zero-knowledge proofs, with native USDC up to $10M via Circle CCTP V2 and native USDT via LayerZero OFT.

Product overview

Across Protocol is a cross-chain interoperability platform operated by Risk Labs (a Cayman Islands Foundation) that provides the Across bridge protocol, a Swap API for developer integrations, and a rewards program. The core Across Protocol enables bridging and token swapping across 23+ mainnet chains and 8 testnet chains using an intent-based design with competitive relayers delivering sub-2-second fills. The protocol has three versions (V1, V2, V3) plus the current V4 architecture featuring ZK proofs. The Across Swap API allows applications to embed cross-chain functionality via a single API call, while the Rewards program incentivizes user activity on the platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Across Protocol (Cross-Chain Bridge) Cross-chain bridge and swap protocol enabling users and apps to bridge and swap tokens between supported blockchains in seconds, using an intent-based design with a competitive relayer network delivering sub-2-second fills.
• Across Swap API Public developer API providing cross-chain bridging and token swap functionality with a single API call covering all supported chains. Handles mechanism selection, routing, gas estimation, and approval transactions, with API-key-based Bearer authentication.
• Across Rewards User incentives and rewards program that pays users in tokens for completing activities such as executing a target number of transactions on the Across Protocol.
• Across V4 Protocol Current Across protocol architecture (V4) adding Succinct SP1 zero-knowledge proofs to settlement, supporting intent-based fills, CCTP V2 native USDC transfers up to $10M, and LayerZero OFT USDT0 transfers, with bridging to additional non-EVM chains.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sub-2-second average fill time across all transfers
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• UniswapflagshipTechnology or IntegrationUniswap integrated Across to bring native crosschain transfers directly into its app. The integration enables in-app bridging with native support and easy integration. Medha Kotharia from Uniswap stated the integration was chosen for fast settlement, low fees, and broad chain coverage.
• UMAcoreTechnology or IntegrationUMA's Optimistic Oracle provides settlement verification for Across Protocol. Bundles are accepted unless challenged, with proposers staking capital that can be slashed for invalid bundles. Only one honest challenger is needed to reject a bad bundle.
• Succinct (SP1)coreTechnology or IntegrationSuccinct's SP1 zero-knowledge proof prover network provides cryptographic settlement verification for Across V4, strengthening security and enabling bridging to non-EVM chains in the future.
• CirclecoreTechnology or IntegrationCircle's CCTP V2 enables native USDC transfers up to $10M on Across without requiring relayer capital. Native USDC transfers provide additional security and eliminate wrapped token risk.
• LayerZerocoreTechnology or IntegrationLayerZero's OFT standard enables native mint-and-burn of USDT0 transfers on Across, eliminating wrapped tokens for USDT transfers across chains.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• LayerZero: LayerZero is an omnichain interoperability protocol whose OFT standard is even used by Across for native USDT transfers. It competes head-to-head on cross-chain messaging and asset transfers and is a primary direct competitor in bridge infrastructure.
• Wormhole: Wormhole is a cross-chain messaging protocol connecting dozens of chains, including non-EVM chains like Solana. It competes directly with Across on bridging into emerging ecosystems and serves similar developer and institutional integrations.
• Stargate: Stargate is LayerZero's native asset bridge, offering cross-chain swaps with unified liquidity pools. It directly competes with Across for cross-chain stablecoin and token transfers, particularly between EVM chains and into LayerZero-connected chains.
• deBridge: deBridge is a cross-chain interoperability protocol focused on fast, low-cost transfers with strong Solana and EVM support. It competes directly with Across on intent-based bridging, speed, and emerging-chain coverage.
• Hop Protocol: Hop is an EVM-focused rollup-to-rollup bridge using a Bonder (relayer) model similar in spirit to Across's competitive relayer design. It competes for the same cross-rollup bridge flow, particularly among DeFi power users.
• Synapse Protocol: Synapse is a cross-chain bridge and swap protocol supporting EVM and non-EVM chains. It directly competes with Across on bridging and token swaps, and has pursued similar institutional and stablecoin use cases.
• Connext: Connext is a modular interoperability protocol focused on cross-chain intent-based bridging and messaging. It is a direct technical and product competitor to Across's intent architecture.
• Axelar: Axelar is a full-stack interoperability platform providing cross-chain messaging, bridging, and generalizable interchain dApp infrastructure. It competes with Across at the developer platform layer for cross-chain routing and settlement.

Emerging players

• LI.FI: LI.FI is a cross-chain bridge and DEX aggregator that routes user transactions across multiple bridges, including Across itself. It is both a partner and a partial competitor, as it could in theory shift default routing away from Across.
• Socket: Socket is an interoperability aggregator and routing layer for cross-chain transactions. It overlaps with Across's developer/API positioning and competes for dApp integrations seeking single-API multi-chain coverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AcrossProtocol
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@acrossprotocol
• Instagraminstagram.com/acrossprotocol
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/across-protocol

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors7 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Across Protocol