A cross-chain bridge connecting Coinbase's Base network and Solana went live on mainnet Thursday. The infrastructure enables direct asset transfers between the Ethereum layer-2 network and Solana's blockchain using dual verification from Chainlink CCIP and Coinbase operators. The deployment supports movement of SOL and SPL tokens into Base applications including Zora, Aerodrome, and Virtuals.

Stablecoins are positioned to displace traditional infrastructure in the $150 trillion annual cross-border payments market, according to Howard Davidson, CMO of Almond Fintech. With 15% of banks already offering stablecoin services and 57% exploring adoption, the technology reduces settlement times from days to seconds and can lower transaction costs by up to 99%. Recent partnerships by Western Union, Citi, and ClearBank signal institutional momentum toward blockchain-based payment rails.