Axelar Network Integrates Hedera to Expand Cross-Chain Access for Institutional Onchain Finance

TLDR:

• Axelar has integrated Hedera, enabling cross-chain transfers and contract calls across dozens of connected blockchains.
• SaucerSwap and Squid activated at launch, extending cross-chain liquidity and execution directly on the Hedera network.
• Hedera’s council-based governance and deterministic finality make it a strong fit for institutional-grade onchain products.
• Axelar’s 2026 roadmap prioritizes institutional ecosystems, with Hedera aligning closely to its compliance-focused infrastructure goals.

Axelar Network has integrated Hedera into its cross-chain platform, opening programmable interoperability between Hedera and dozens of connected blockchains.

The move gives developers and users across onchain finance seamless access to Hedera’s technology, applications, and liquidity through a single interface.

Secure cross-chain transfers and contract calls are now supported between both networks. At launch, SaucerSwap and Squid are leveraging the integration to extend liquidity, access, and execution.

Axelar Brings Hedera Into Its Growing Institutional Cross-Chain Network

Axelar’s integration of Hedera reflects a broader push toward institutional-grade onchain infrastructure. Common Prefix recently outlined a 2026 roadmap for Axelar centered on institutional adoption, compliant infrastructure, and stronger economic security.

Connecting Hedera fits directly into that strategy, adding a governed, high-performance network to Axelar’s ecosystem.

The Hedera Foundation addressed the importance of this connection in a recent blog post, noting how Axelar expands the reach of the network’s growing onchain finance and DeFi ecosystem.

The foundation stated, “As more developers launch new assets, liquidity venues and real-world-asset applications on Hedera, non-custodial interoperability becomes essential.” That framing positions the Axelar integration as a necessary infrastructure step rather than an optional upgrade.

Hedera’s council-based validator model gives financial institutions a familiar framework for trust and operational resilience. Its architecture delivers low-cost, high-throughput settlement with deterministic finality.

These qualities reduce reconciliation overhead for high-volume use cases, from tokenized money-market funds to onchain yield products.

Through Axelar’s programmable interoperability layer, Hedera developers can now reach users and capital on every blockchain connected to Axelar.

Builders already plugged into Axelar also gain direct access to Hedera’s performance profile and governance environment.

Axelar noted that the integration enables builders to “pair Hedera’s execution strengths with Axelar’s interoperability to deploy scalable, transparent, and compliant onchain products across networks.”

SaucerSwap and Squid Activate Cross-Chain Liquidity at Launch

SaucerSwap, Hedera’s leading decentralized exchange, is among the first protocols to activate through the Axelar integration.

It can now support assets originating on external blockchains and route them into Hedera-based trading and liquidity pools.

Liquidity providers and traders gain exposure to multi-chain capital while settling on Hedera’s governed execution layer.

Squid, a cross-chain routing and liquidity layer built on Axelar, further extends this access for users and applications.

It simplifies how assets move across ecosystems by abstracting fragmented bridge workflows into a single transaction flow.

Axelar described Squid as acting as “an access and distribution layer for the Hedera ecosystem, bringing external liquidity and users onto Hedera while preserving its security model, performance profile, and governance standards.”

By combining Axelar’s message passing and settlement infrastructure with Squid’s routing capabilities, the integration creates a streamlined access layer for the Hedera ecosystem.

External users can now reach Hedera-native applications without navigating complex intermediary steps. Institutions and developers gain a clear path to deploy and access assets across networks without added friction.

Together, Axelar and Hedera deliver what institutions increasingly require from onchain finance: secure connectivity, transparent settlement, and multi-network deployment through one platform.

The integration supports tokenization, trading, and yield strategies that can operate at scale. Axelar affirmed that the two networks together provide “a common foundation for institutional-grade onchain products” across connected ecosystems.

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