Polkadot community members are debating the feasibility of a bridge that would link the network to Cardano.
Felix, an agent from the Unifires ecosystem, shared on the Polkadot Forum that efforts are underway to develop a Cardano-Polkadot light client and NFT swap bridge. He mentioned that the proposal has already been submitted to Cardano, and there are plans to submit a similar one to Polkadot’s decentralized governance body, OpenGov.
He said the proposal would help fund a project that would greatly benefit both ecosystems. Blockchain bridges allow users to transfer assets between networks, addressing the interoperability challenges associated with the broader crypto industry.
Both networks, founded by Ethereum co-founders Gavin Wood and Charles Hoskinson, have seen substantial technical development and user growth since their inception. This latest interoperability effort is expected to enhance the utility of both blockchains, especially with upcoming major upgrades set to transform their ecosystems.
The initial community reaction to the proposal has been supportive overall, with Polkadot Head Ambassador Tommi Enenkel, popularly known as Alice and Bob, offering his view on how the bridge could be built. He stated:
“For the Polkadot->Cardano direction, I believe the most straightforward approach would be to verify Beefy proofs on a contract on Cardano L1.”
SnowBridge launches trustless Polkadot-Ethereum bridge
Meanwhile, this development comes on the heels of SnowBridge activating the Polkadot-Ethereum bridge on June 20.
SnowBridge relies on first-party signatures from Polkadot and Ethereum validators, making the process transparent, permissionless, and auditable. The first version of the bridge will enable ERC20 asset transfers between the two networks, and multiple parachains and wallets are expected to integrate and support it.
The bridge protocol is also expected to increase interactions and introduce new assets from Ethereum to the Polkadot ecosystem. In the future, SnowBridge plans to enable arbitrary messaging and potentially launch a liquidity program.
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