Cronos Labs and LayerZero (ZRO) Announce Cross-Chain Messaging Protocol Integration

Cronos Labs and LayerZero (ZRO), two blockchain platforms, have announced that the LayerZero cross-chain messaging protocol is now live on Cronos Ethereum (ETH) Virtual Machine (EVM) and Cronos zero-knowledge EVM (zkEVM).

Cronos Labs, the company behind the Cronos blockchain, and LayerZero (ZRO), a cross-chain messaging protocol platform, have announced the integration of LayerZero on Cronos Ethereum (ETH) Virtual Machine (EVM) and Cronos zero-knowledge EVM (zkEVM), as reported to Finbold on January 31.

The protocol is now available on both the Cronos mainnet and testnet, enabling developers to build cross-chain bridges, expand token ecosystems, and develop applications that connect Cronos users with over 115 supported chains, including Ethereum and Solana (SOL).

This integration will allow users on Cronos EVM, the leading EVM-compatible Layer-1 (L1) blockchain built on the Cosmos source development kit (SDK), to seamlessly transfer assets across the Cosmos ecosystem and multiple EVM chains.

On the other hand, Cronos zkEVM, the first Elastic Chain to launch in mainnet following ZKSync Era, will benefit from enhanced connectivity by maintaining its native ETH bridge while experiencing faster cross-chain transfers.

It's also worth noting that Cronos EVM is already interoperable with Cosmos SDK networks through the Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) protocol.

“Cronos has been focused on interoperability from day one. Given the material security and liquidity challenges created by the fragmentation of the crypto industry, Cronos Labs is approaching this priority carefully and with determination,” said Ken Timsit, Managing Director of Cronos Labs.

"In 2025, we expect much greater connectivity between crypto projects and traditional finance. The integration with LayerZero enables that.”

Bryan Pellegrino, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LayerZero Labs, commented on the launch by highlighting that Cronos zkEVM is among the first Elastic Chains that LayerZero is expanding to.

While LayerZero's features are currently centered around developers, more end-user functionalities are expected to emerge in the near future, such as additional cross-chain bridging options on the official Cronos bridge portals, including new CRO/zkCRO token transfers.

Furthermore, Cronos Labs is working on supporting developers utilizing LayerZero's technology to create innovative applications, including cross-chain prediction markets, real-world assets (RWA) tokenization and synthetic asset trading platforms, cross-chain lending and decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions, and liquid staking and restaking protocols.