Circle Acquires Interop Labs Team & Tech in Major Cross-Chain Power Move

Circle just bought the keys to the kingdom—or at least, the bridge.

The stablecoin titan has agreed to acquire the Interop Labs team and its proprietary cross-chain technology. This isn't just an asset grab; it's a strategic land grab for the future of value transfer. Circle's USDC is already the lifeblood of DeFi. Now, it's building the circulatory system.

The Interoperability Endgame

Forget walled gardens. The real value in crypto lies in seamless movement. Interop Labs' tech specializes in connecting disparate blockchains, allowing assets and data to flow freely between ecosystems. By bringing this capability in-house, Circle isn't just adding a feature—it's vertically integrating the entire stack of stablecoin utility.

Why This Changes Everything

This acquisition signals a fundamental shift. Major players are no longer content to build on infrastructure they don't control. They're buying it. For Circle, owning the bridge technology means dictating the tolls, setting the speed limits, and controlling the on-ramps for its dominant stablecoin. It's a move that cuts out middlemen and bypasses third-party dependencies, potentially locking in a staggering competitive moat.

The cynical take? It's the same old finance playbook: consolidate, control, and extract rent. Just with more blockchain buzzwords. But the bullish reality is simpler: seamless cross-chain USDC is a monster waiting to be unleashed. Watch the bridges—the ones Circle now owns—become the most valuable real estate in crypto.

Circle outlines the goals of the deal

Circle listed three main goals for the agreement. First, the company said it wants to make assets issued on Arc work smoothly across many chains.

Second, it wants to expand tools and SDKs for developers who build multichain apps. Third, the company aims to grow its own first-party app development.

Interop Labs CEO Sergey Gorbunov said, “We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built with Axelar and excited to see our team and technology become a CORE part of Circle’s interoperability strategy. Together, we will lay the groundwork for the next era of cross-chain finance. Axelar continues as an open-source innovator, and we are working closely with the Common Prefix team to ensure continuity and long-term support.”

Circle Chief Product and Technology Officer Nikhil Chandhok said, “Our goal is to make blockchain connectivity seamless, and bringing the Interop Labs team into Circle will accelerate our Arc and CCTP roadmap towards building the hub for multichain internet finance. Circle is committed to supporting interoperability with many on-chain networks, just as we have with USDC, CCTP, and other blockchain infrastructure products from Circle.”

Get up to $30,050 in trading rewards when you join Bybit today