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What is Across Protocol?

Across Protocol is a cross-chain bridging solution built on an optimistic verification model, designed to move assets between Ethereum mainnet and Layer 2 networks with speed, low cost, and strong security guarantees. The protocol was incubated by Risk Labs, the same team behind UMA (Universal Market Access), and leverages UMA's optimistic oracle to validate bridge transactions. Across launched its mainnet bridge in late 2021 and introduced its native governance token, ACX, in November 2022 through an airdrop to early bridge users, liquidity providers, and community members. The protocol is led by co-founder Hart Lambur, a former Goldman Sachs trader who also co-founded UMA, alongside a distributed team of engineers and researchers focused on intent-based cross-chain infrastructure. Rather than locking assets in traditional lock-and-mint bridge contracts, Across uses a network of professional relayers who front liquidity to users on the destination chain almost instantly, then reclaim funds from a single unified liquidity pool on Ethereum after optimistic verification. This architecture directly targets one of DeFi's most persistent pain points: liquidity fragmentation across the growing Ethereum Layer 2 ecosystem, including Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Polygon, zkSync Era, Linea, Scroll, and others. By centralizing liquidity on Ethereum and using relayers as a just-in-time execution layer, Across minimizes slippage, reduces bridging fees, and avoids the capital inefficiency of maintaining fragmented liquidity pools on every chain. The ecosystem has expanded meaningfully over the past two years, with Across routinely ranking among the top bridges by volume according to DeFiLlama and L2Beat, and the protocol has processed billions of dollars in cumulative cross-chain transfers. Notable integrations include partnerships with major DeFi aggregators such as Socket, LI.FI, and Bungee, as well as integration into wallet and dApp flows for projects across the Optimism Superchain and Arbitrum Orbit ecosystems. In 2024, Across introduced ERC-7683, a cross-chain intents standard co-authored with Uniswap Labs, positioning the protocol as a foundational layer for the emerging intent-based bridging paradigm. The release of Across V3 further upgraded the system to an intent-based architecture, where users express desired outcomes and relayers compete to fulfill them, pushing execution speed to seconds for most routes. The ACX token governs the protocol through the Across DAO, which controls fee parameters, relayer incentives, treasury allocations, and strategic initiatives such as bridge expansion to new rollups. Like most cross-chain protocols, Across has faced scrutiny over the trust assumptions of its relayer network and oracle fallback, though its security record has remained strong compared to peers — the protocol has avoided the large-scale exploits that have plagued several competing bridges. The project has also navigated community debate around token distribution and DAO treasury management, common governance issues in maturing DeFi protocols. As Ethereum's rollup-centric roadmap continues to multiply the number of Layer 2s, Across positions itself as core infrastructure for unified cross-chain UX, competing with Hop Protocol, Stargate, Synapse, and Orbiter Finance while differentiating through its intent-based relayer model and capital-efficient single-pool design.

Key Features of Across Protocol

• Optimistic Oracle Verification: Across uses UMA's optimistic oracle to validate bridge transactions, assuming transfers are valid unless challenged within a dispute window. This approach enables rapid settlement without requiring heavy on-chain computation or expensive zero-knowledge proofs.
• Intent-Based Relayer Network: A decentralized network of competitive relayers fronts liquidity on the destination chain the moment a user deposits on the source chain. Relayers are reimbursed from a unified Ethereum liquidity pool after verification, creating a just-in-time execution model that delivers bridging in seconds.
• Unified Liquidity Pool: Instead of fragmenting liquidity across every supported chain, Across concentrates capital in a single hub pool on Ethereum mainnet. This dramatically improves capital efficiency, reduces LP slippage, and allows the protocol to support many rollups without diluting depth.
• ERC-7683 Standard Support: Across co-authored ERC-7683 with Uniswap Labs, establishing a shared standard for cross-chain intents. Native support for this standard makes the protocol interoperable with a growing ecosystem of solvers, wallets, and aggregators adopting intent-based architecture.
• DAO-Governed ACX Token: The ACX token powers decentralized governance through the Across DAO, allowing holders to vote on fee structures, treasury deployments, relayer incentives, and new chain integrations. This ensures the protocol evolves based on stakeholder consensus rather than centralized operator decisions.

Across Protocol Use Cases

• Fast L2-to-L2 Transfers: Users can move ETH, USDC, and other supported assets directly between Layer 2s like Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base in seconds, bypassing the 7-day optimistic rollup withdrawal delay. This is especially valuable for active DeFi users managing positions across multiple rollups.
• DeFi Aggregator Routing: Bridge aggregators like Socket, LI.FI, and Bungee route significant volume through Across due to its competitive fees and fast finality. End users on apps built atop these aggregators benefit from Across liquidity without interacting with the protocol directly.
• Cross-Chain dApp Integration: Developers embed Across into their applications to offer single-click cross-chain deposits and withdrawals, removing the friction of users needing to bridge manually before using a dApp. This powers unified UX in games, NFT marketplaces, and DeFi frontends.
• Liquidity Provision for Yield: ACX holders and ETH, USDC, WBTC, and DAI depositors can supply capital to the Across hub pool on Ethereum to earn fees from bridge activity plus ACX rewards. This provides passive yield backed by real transaction volume rather than inflationary emissions alone.
• Treasury and Payroll Movement: DAOs and crypto-native businesses use Across to rebalance treasuries or pay contributors across chains efficiently, avoiding the high slippage and delays of native bridges. The predictable fee structure makes it suitable for recurring operational transfers.

Across Protocol Tokenomics

Total Supply

ACX has a maximum total supply of 1,000,000,000 tokens, established at the token generation event in November 2022. The supply is fixed, with no mechanism for additional minting beyond the predefined schedule.

Circulating

Circulating supply grows over time as vesting schedules for the team, investors, and community treasury unlock. Dynamic — see CoinGecko or CoinMarketCap for live circulating supply figures.

Utility

ACX is the governance token of the Across DAO, giving holders voting power over protocol parameters, fee models, relayer rewards, and treasury use. It is also used to incentivize liquidity providers and relayers who secure and operate the bridge.

Emission

Initial distribution allocated tokens to airdrop recipients, the DAO treasury, Risk Labs, early contributors, and investors, with multi-year vesting for insider allocations. Ongoing emissions primarily fund liquidity mining and relayer incentives as approved by DAO governance.

How to Buy Across Protocol

1. 1

   1. Create a Binance account

   Visit binance.com or open the Binance mobile app and register with your email or phone number. Complete identity verification (KYC) by submitting a government-issued ID and a selfie through the Verification section under your profile, which unlocks full deposit and trading limits.

2. 2

   2. Deposit funds

   From the Wallet menu, select Fiat and Spot and click Deposit. You can fund your account via bank transfer, credit or debit card, or by depositing stablecoins like USDT or USDC from an external wallet to the Crypto Deposit address.

3. 3

   3. Find Across Protocol (ACX)

   Tap the search icon at the top of the Binance homepage or Markets tab and type ACX. If ACX is listed, select the ACX/USDT pair; if unavailable on Binance, consider regulated alternatives such as Coinbase, Kraken, or a DEX like Uniswap on Ethereum or Arbitrum.

4. 4

   4. Place your order

   On the trading screen, choose Spot, then select Market order for instant execution or Limit order to set your target price. Enter the amount of USDT to spend or ACX to buy, review the fee, and click Buy ACX to confirm the trade.

5. 5

   5. Secure your ACX

   After purchase, your ACX will appear in your Spot Wallet. For long-term holdings, withdraw to a self-custody wallet like MetaMask or a hardware wallet via Wallet, Withdraw, selecting the Ethereum or Arbitrum network and pasting your receive address.

Frequently Asked Questions