How Sophon Brought Circle’s Bridged USDC Standard into the Zksync Ecosystem
What Was the Problem?
By default, ZKsync employs a shared bridge contract that deploys an ERC20 token on the destination chain. Most users bridging tokens between chains interact with this ERC20 version. While functional, this approach doesn't take advantage of the newer native USDC standard, which offers enhanced security, composability, and liquidity features.
As stated in ZKsync’s documentation:
"Developers are free to build their own custom bridge for any token; however, we provide default bridges (one for ETH and one for ERC20 tokens), which can be used for basic bridging."
At Sophon, we saw an opportunity to elevate the bridging experience by implementing Circle’s native USDC standard instead of relying on the ERC20 implementation.
Sophon’s Solution - Implementing a Custom USDC Bridge
To fully leverage Circle's native USDC standard, we developed a Custom USDC Bridge tailored to handle bridging with this advanced standard. This allowed us to integrate Circle's enhanced capabilities directly into the Sophon network.
We prioritized security by conducting an independent audit of our custom bridge (nducted by Omniscia).
For those interested, here are the live contract addresses for our implementation:
- L1 USDC Bridge (Ethereum): View Contract
- L2 USDC Bridge (Sophon): View Contract
You can bridge USDC between Ethereum and Sophon here: https://portal.sophon.xyz/bridge
Why Use Circle’s Bridged USDC Standard Instead of a “Normal” ERC-20?
Sophon’s bridged USDC implementation follows Circle’s Bridged USDC Standard, offering key advantages over traditional ERC20 bridges:
- Permissionless & Equitable: Allows chains and rollups to deploy a unified, Circle-compliant bridged USDC, reducing fragmentation.
- Standardized & Extensible: Designed to meet Circle’s high standards and extend support for future upgrades to native USDC.
- Secure & Audited: Built on open-source, audited contracts trusted to safeguard billions of dollars in liquidity.
- Seamless Path to Native USDC: The standard provides a clear upgrade path to native USDC, ensuring developers and users can access enhanced interoperability and ecosystem benefits.
Empowering the Technical Foundation for the Entire Elastic Chain Ecosystem
At Sophon, we’re thrilled to see our technical contributions supporting the broader Elastic Chain ecosystem. When we implemented Circle’s Bridged USDC Standard on Sophon Mainnet, we recognized the potential for this solution to benefit not just our users but the entire ZKsync and Elastic Chain ecosystems.
After successfully deploying our Custom USDC Bridge, the ZKsync team reached out to integrate our implementation into their official repository. By adopting our work, they’ve made it easier for other Elastic Chains to leverage the same secure, efficient, and standardized approach to USDC bridging.
This collaboration ensures:
- Improved Composability: Elastic Chains can now adopt a unified, Circle-compliant bridge for seamless interactions across ecosystems.
- Enhanced Security: Chains benefit from a thoroughly audited, open-source implementation.
- Scalability for Ecosystem Growth: By building on shared technical standards, Elastic Chains can focus on innovation without reinventing the wheel.
We’re excited to make these contributions available to any Elastic Chain looking to adopt Circle’s Bridged USDC Standard. If your chain is interested in implementing this solution, we’re here to help.
You can explore the repository here: https://github.com/matter-labs/usdc-bridge
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