Bitgo moves WBTC cross-chain operations to Chainlink CCIP

Bitgo replaced Layerzero with Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) on Aug. 4, 2026, naming Chainlink the exclusive cross-chain provider for its $7.7 billion wrapped bitcoin token, WBTC. The company announced that future Bitgo‑issued digital assets will default to CCIP.

WBTC represents bitcoin 1:1 on other blockchains and is used in decentralized finance to trade, lend and provide liquidity. Moving WBTC between chains depends on bridge infrastructure that transfers tokens and messages across networks.

In its announcement, Bitgo described the standardization as creating a single framework for transfers with consistent security controls and operational policies across supported networks.

The announcement noted that each CCIP bridge route is backed by at least 16 independent node operators spread across multiple organizations, geographic regions and hosting providers. That distribution aims to reduce the chance that a single failure or a coordinated attack could disrupt transfers. CCIP also supports issuer-controlled transfer limits and configurable transaction controls that can restrict or slow transfers if suspicious activity is detected.

Bitgo will use Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Token standard to create unified implementations of WBTC on supported chains rather than maintaining separate token deployments for each network. Bitgo will retain ownership of its token contracts while the standard provides a verifiable and consistent security model for each token instance.

The change follows an exploit on April 18, 2026 that affected a cross-chain provider. After that incident, about $15 billion moved from Layerzero to Chainlink infrastructure. Chainlink has reported that its infrastructure has supported more than $32 trillion in transaction value and secures more than $110 billion across cross-chain applications and DeFi.

Mike Belshe, Bitgo’s CEO, commented: “Our long‑standing focus has been security first. Chainlink CCIP provides the controls, reliability and risk-management standards that our institutional clients expect as we expand support for assets across additional blockchain networks.”

The company plans a phased migration of WBTC onto CCIP and the gradual onboarding of future tokens. Bitgo restructured parts of its workforce earlier this year, cutting about 15% of staff as it refocused on security, trading, stablecoins and AI-powered infrastructure.