Although Cosmos shipped IBC in early 2021 and Polkadot began rolling out XCMP channels in 2022, cross-chain interoperability is gaining fresh momentum in 2025. The concept isn’t new—but what’s changed is the readiness of the infrastructure and the growing pressure for DeFi protocols to operate across multiple chains to stay competitive. What’s driving this shift?
Multichain DeFi has matured. Early bridges were fragmented and insecure, but today, interoperability powers key DeFi primitives—from cross-chain messaging to liquidity routing tools. Usage of protocols like LayerZero and Stargate has surged, with bridge volumes recovering steadily
Security has evolved. Early exploits like Wormhole and Ronin exposed vulnerabilities, but newer models like LayerZero’s ultra-light clients and Chainlink’s CCIP have introduced more secure, modular trust assumptions
Stablecoin use cases are expanding. Cross-chain transfers of stablecoins for arbitrage, payments, and treasury operations are driving demand for seamless interoperability. Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) now enables native USDC movement across chains without wrapping
Regulatory clarity is improving. In major jurisdictions, clearer digital asset classifications and custody guidelines are reducing friction for institutional involvement in cross-chain strategies
For DeFi founders, VCs, and infrastructure builders, the shift from isolated networks to connected ecosystems marks the next phase of onchain scalability.
Interoperability is reshaping DeFi by uniting fragmented liquidity and opening new growth avenues. Without cross-chain bridges, each blockchain’s DeFi pools are isolated. This fragmentation constrains capital: for example, liquidity stuck on Ethereum cannot easily access yield opportunities on Solana or Terra, leading to thin markets and high slippage
Cross-chain protocols solve this by aggregating liquidity across chains. In effect, they create “universal liquidity pools” that span networks, allowing capital to be deployed wherever returns are best.
These multi-chain liquidity strategies have profound benefits.
In practice, cross-chain-enabled protocols have seen dramatic TVL growth: According to messari.io.’s report, $5 billion in crypto asset transfers via an interoperability layer in Q2 2024, with average transfer value up 78% quarter-over-quarter
Strategic Implications for Liquidity and Ecosystems
Cross-chain interoperability goes beyond a technical upgrade—it transforms how protocols approach liquidity, growth, and ecosystem alignment.
Liquidity strategies must evolve from chain-specific to inherently multi-chain. Instead of concentrating liquidity in a single Ethereum pool, protocols can deploy paired pools across multiple networks, connected via bridges or omnichain tokens. This dynamic structure enables capital flows between ecosystems, balancing prices and increasing efficiency, while allowing protocols to reallocate liquidity where incentives are strongest, boosting total value locked (TVL).
Cross-chain design also reshapes ecosystem growth. Open protocols become more attractive to developers, enabling them to build on one chain while leveraging tools, communities, and incentives from others. Polkadot’s relay chain architecture, designed to coordinate diverse parachains with shared security and messaging, contrasts with earlier chains that required capturing developers one by one.
Interoperability allows decentralized apps to combine the best features of multiple blockchains, enhancing user experience and expanding functionality
The outcome? A more composable DeFi landscape.
Liquidity becomes continuous rather than fragmented.
Communities begin to overlap and collaborate.
Protocols can scale beyond the limits of a single chain, pursuing cross-chain strategies that integrate marketing, governance, and technical development.
Market data reflects this shift - analysts increasingly see seamless cross-chain integration, including with traditional finance, as a defining feature of DeFi’s next phase
Cross-chain interoperability expands the marketing canvas—but it also makes it more complex.
DeFi teams are no longer speaking to a single blockchain-native audience. Instead, they must engage multiple communities, each with its own norms, interests, and narratives.
Situation:
Ethereum users may prioritize decentralization and smart contract security; Solana communities often rally around performance and throughput; Cosmos ecosystems emphasize sovereignty and modularity. Effective marketing in this landscape requires precision—not just in channel selection, but in cultural alignment.
A one-size-fits-all message falls short. Instead, segmentation by chain is essential.
Solution
Campaigns now need to include tailored content for each ecosystem:
an Ethereum-focused AMA, a Cosmos-themed Twitter Space, or a Solana-specific influencer push.
This degree of granularity ensures that messaging lands where it matters, and that engagement isn’t diluted across incompatible audiences.
But cross-chain alignment also needs to unify themes. Projects need to emphasize the fluidity across ecosystems, enabling users from different chains to interact without limitations.
The Constrain
Messaging should focus on composability, portability, and empowering user choice, allowing the project to appeal to a broad, cross-chain audience.
This underscores the importance of both targeted outreach and unified onboarding.
Community building, too, must evolve. Multi-chain projects increasingly manage parallel communities across Discord, Telegram, and Twitter—sometimes with dedicated channels or servers per chain. Yet the most effective teams don’t just duplicate efforts—they connect them.
Cross-community events like joint AMAs, multi-chain hackathons, and shared incentive campaigns serve as bridges that unify fragmented audiences.
Cross-Chain Marketing That Worked
Cosmos: Ecosystem Positioning Through Developer-Led Marketing
In 2023, Cosmos tackled a key challenge: driving real IBC adoption in a saturated Layer 1 landscape. Rather than competing on protocol alone, it launched a developer-first marketing strategy—anchored by the HackAtom series and $1.5M in grants. Paired with deep technical content, Cosmos repositioned itself as the “Internet of Blockchains.”
The result: IBC-enabled chains doubled, and December alone saw $2.5B in cross-chain volume and 5.3M transfers.
LayerZero: Community-Led Growth as a Marketing Engine
Faced with the challenge of scaling a complex cross-chain messaging protocol, LayerZero turned its community into its most powerful distribution channel. By incentivizing early user actions—joining Discord, engaging on Twitter, bridging assets—LayerZero built grassroots awareness while subtly priming the market for its token.
The campaign culminated in a much-anticipated airdrop, with over 1.28 million wallets claiming ZRO in mid-2024. The result wasn’t just buzz: LayerZero cemented itself as a go-to layer for cross-chain developers, backed by one of the most activated communities in DeFi.
The principle is clear: growth is no longer just multichannel—it’s multichain.
Cross-chain marketing isn’t just broader—it’s deeper. It requires fluency in multiple chain cultures, the ability to segment and sequence campaigns with surgical precision, and a vision that can unify fragmented audiences under a shared brand promise.
Marketing calendars increasingly feature chain-specific hashtags, co-branded announcements, and regionalized campaigns.
Coordination matters more than ever. The strongest brands are those that maintain message consistency across ecosystems while respecting the unique tone of each one.
As cross-chain ecosystems continue to evolve, the need for strategic growth becomes even more critical.
At Forcefield, we specialize in fostering multi-chain success with a focus on ecosystem expansion, developer engagement, and sustainable growth. Whether it's through targeted developer outreach, strategic partnerships, or crafting high-performance marketing campaigns, we ensure your protocol stands out in a crowded space.
If you’re looking to accelerate your cross-chain growth and align your marketing efforts with seamless ecosystem integration, let's discuss how we can help you build the momentum you need.
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