Chainlink launches cross-chain protocol bridging blockchain to TradFi

cointelegraph.com:

The development firm behind the Chainlink protocol and its native LINK token has gone live with its cross-chain protocol, aimed at providing interoperability between traditional financial firms and both public and private blockchains.

In a July 17 post on the Chainlink blog, Chainlink  Labs' Chief Product Officer Kemal El Moujahid announced that its Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) has launched under early access on Ethereum, Avalanche, Polygon, Arbitrum, and Optimism.

Developers on these platforms will have access to CCIP on their respective testnets on July 20.

1/ The Chainlink Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) has officially launched on Avalanche, Ethereum, Optimism, and Polygon mainnets.#LinkTheWorld pic.twitter.com/SdLVyaapg3

CCIP is an interoperability protocol that allows enterprises to transfer data and value between public or private blockchain environments directly from their backend systems.

Chainlink’s interoperability solution uses Swift’s messaging infrastructure, which is used by over 11,000 banks around the world to facilitate international payments and settlement.

In 2021 alone, the network settled about $1.8 quadrillion in transactions from over 11,000 member banks, according to the UnIted States Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

Chainlink co-founder and CEO Sergey Nazarov explained on July 17 that CCIP aims to create a bridge the on-chain and off-chain worlds:

An interoperability solution that can seamlessly transmit value between networks will be a critical building block for a blockchain-powered society, Nazarov added.

Among the other financial institutions exploring the use of Chainlink’s interoperability solution includes BNY Mellon, BNP Paribas, Citi, Australia and New Zealand