Uniswap launches built-in cross-chain bridge, prepping for the November launch of Unichain mainnet?

Recently, the leading DeFi project on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) system, Uniswap, has been making frequent moves. In addition to announcing the launch of its own Layer 2 solution, Unichain, using OP Stack technology, Uniswap has also revealed the launch of its built-in permissionless cross-chain bridge supporting nine different public chains. This move not only positions Uniswap as a comprehensive multi-chain DeFi platform but also possibly serves as a prelude to the cross-chain gateway for Unichain following its mainnet launch in November.

Uniswap's launch of a Layer 2 solution designed for DeFi may lead to intensified Ethereum inflation concerns.

First Wave of Cross-Chain Opening Nine Public Chains, Nearly Half of Them are Superchain

Uniswap has announced that users can now directly conduct cross-chain transactions from the Uniswap website and Uniswap wallet. The first wave of support includes: Ethereum mainnet, Base, Arbitrum, Polygon, OP Mainnet, Zora, Blast, World Chain, and ZKsync. It only supports native assets such as ETH on Ethereum or ARB on Arbitrum, as well as stablecoins.

According to DeFiLlama data, Uniswap is currently operating on 26 chains with over six million users. In terms of TVL ranking, they are Ethereum, Arbitrum, Polygon, Base, Optimism, BSC, Celo, Rootstock, Avalanche, BOB, Gnosis, Polygon zkEVM, Filecoin, ZKsync Era, World Chain, Moonbeam, Sei, Lisk, Mantle, Boba, Scroll, Linea, Taiko, Manta, Zora, and Blast.

Preheating for Unichain's Official Cross-Chain Bridge, Uniswap Collaborates with Intent-Oriented Cross-Chain Protocol

Uniswap has partnered with the intent-oriented cross-chain protocol Across Protocol to launch built-in cross-chain services. The specific operation can be referred to the following process:

1. Open the Uniswap interface or Uniswap wallet
2. Switch to exchange mode
3. Choose the asset you want to cross-chain, such as ETH or USDC
4. Switch to cross-network exchange and select the output network
5. Confirm the transaction

The advantages and challenges of intent-oriented design, and there is still a long way to go for related infrastructure.

Although the inclusion of Zora and Blast in this list seems paradoxical, as there doesn't seem to be a clear reason for their selection in terms of transaction fees or other aspects. However, it is speculated that part of Uniswap's intention is to pre-test the Unichain official cross-chain bridge for future application upon mainnet launch.

Unichain brings 468 million in annual revenue to Uni, an article analyzing which individuals will benefit or be disadvantaged by the mechanism.