BitGo is replacing LayerZero with Chainlink as the exclusive cross-chain infrastructure provider for its wrapped bitcoin (WBTC) token. The change, announced Tuesday, affects the $7.7 billion WBTC market and signals a major shift in how the largest tokenized bitcoin product moves between blockchains.
The switch
All future BitGo-issued digital assets will use Chainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) instead of LayerZero's technology. The move covers not just WBTC but any new tokens BitGo launches going forward. BitGo did not say why it made the change, but the decision effectively cuts LayerZero out of one of the biggest cross-chain bridges in crypto.
A $7.7 billion token
WBTC is the dominant wrapped bitcoin product, letting holders use BTC on Ethereum and other chains. The token has been live since 2019 and is backed 1:1 by bitcoin held by BitGo. Switching the cross-chain layer means every WBTC transfer between networks will now route through Chainlink's CCIP. That's a lot of volume — WBTC has been minted and burned across dozens of chains.
All future assets
BitGo's commitment to Chainlink goes beyond WBTC. The company said any new tokenized assets it issues will also use CCIP. That locks Chainlink into BitGo's product roadmap and gives the oracle network a long-term foothold in the wrapped-asset space. For LayerZero, it's a loss of a marquee client at a time when cross-chain competition is heating up.
The transition timeline is unclear. BitGo hasn't said when WBTC will actually move from LayerZero to Chainlink, or whether there will be any disruption for users. The announcement is a directional commitment — the real work of migrating a $7.7 billion token is just beginning.
