Stellar Leverages LayerZero to Power a Unified Cross-Chain Value Network — $800M for Under $1 in Fees

• LayerZero CEO Brian Pellegrino aims to replace risky blockchain bridges with a secure omni-chain messaging framework.

• The firm’s Stellar integration connects over 150 blockchains and 500 assets to global payment systems, including MoneyGram and Franklin Templeton.

LayerZero Labs CEO and co-founder Brian Pellegrino has positioned his company at the centre of blockchain’s next infrastructure evolution.

Speaking on “Block by Block,” he explained that LayerZero is not a blockchain but an immutable network of smart contracts deployed across multiple chains.

LayerZero, he noted, was never meant to become a company but began as a technical experiment to solve cross-chain problems. The protocol operates through immutable smart contracts deployed across blockchains, functioning as an invisible layer that transfers data and value without the need for intermediaries. Pellegrino compared it to the early Internet’s TCP/IP protocol, which is crucial yet invisible.

He argued that traditional bridges, which rely on wrapped tokens and custodians, have introduced persistent risk. LayerZero instead enables native liquidity pools on each chain, removing the need for synthetic assets and reducing exposure to exploits that have plagued earlier cross-chain solutions.

As CNF recently reported, LayerZero recently expanded its network through a partnership with the Stellar blockchain, integrating more than 150 chains and 500 assets with Stellar’s global payment infrastructure.

The Omni-Chain Token Model

Pellegrino introduced LayerZero’s Omni-Chain Fungible Tokens (OFTs) as the next stage in asset interoperability. The OFT model enables original issuers, such as Circle and Tether, to maintain control over minting and burning across chains, ensuring a unified asset supply.

Unlike wrapped tokens, OFTs remove fragmentation, improving liquidity and transparency across ecosystems.

Pellegrino noted that asset issuers, such as Circle or BitGo, can now deploy immutable smart contracts using LayerZero’s infrastructure in a single day. This operation previously required building extensive minting and compliance systems from scratch.

“They get the same security, attestation, and infrastructure instantly,” he explained, adding that issuers can integrate their compliance requirements, rate limits, or validations within LayerZero’s contract layer.

The model already shows measurable results. Pellegrino revealed that the USDT Zero initiative, built using LayerZero, added nearly $10 billion to its circulating supply within nine months, generating over $400 million in direct profit and proving the business case for unified liquidity.

He argued that OFTs enable capital to move freely across chains, enhancing efficiency, liquidity, and market depth while reducing transaction costs. In October alone, over $38 billion was moved across LayerZero’s ecosystem, with more than $800 million transferred for under $1 in total fees.

A Permissionless, Immutable Infrastructure

Pellegrino reaffirmed that LayerZero’s design remains entirely permissionless and immutable. Every contract on the network is opt-in and append-only, ensuring that no central authority, including LayerZero Labs, can alter or censor user operations. “Your largest institutions shouldn’t need to trust us, even if we were completely malicious,” he said, underscoring the project’s commitment to decentralization.

At press time, ZRO trades at $1.64, down 3.64% over the past 24 hours, with a market capitalization of $336.97 million and a 24-hour trading volume of $104.47 million, a 24.57% decline from the previous day. However, ZRO remains 3.51% higher over the past week.