Stellar has obtained a new cross-chain messaging connection through VIA Labs, enabling access to Ethereum. VIA Labs has launched its interoperability infrastructure on the mainnet, allowing Soroban smart contracts to communicate with contracts running on Ethereum.

• VIA Labs has launched a bidirectional cross-chain messaging feature between the Soroban platform of Stellar and the Ethereum mainnet.
• Developers can use this integration for stablecoin transfers, tokenized assets, and execution of cross-chain smart contracts.
• The reference implementation of burn-and-mint for VIA can complete the transfer in about one to three minutes.
• Stellar Transfers incur normal network fees, whereas VIA waives protocol fees during its launch period.
• This integration will be launched during the Meridian period, and it will also come alongside the tokenization plan of Securitize as well as the deployment of Stellar within the DTCC plan.

According to the deployment documentation for VIA Labs, this integration supports two-way message transmission between Stellar and Ethereum, and it also provides independent deployment on their respective test networks. The company announced this feature at the Stellar Meridian conference held in Lisbon, Portugal, on October 28th.

Developers can utilize this infrastructure to transfer supported tokens between networks, coordinate contract operations, and develop applications that involve stablecoins or tokenizing real-world assets. VIA Labs has also deployed a reference token named VIAT for demonstrating the transfer process within its messaging system.

VIA Labs connects the Soroban contract of Stellar to Ethereum.

This integration provides developers with a pathway to send messages between smart contract platforms ranging from Soroban to Stellar and Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) contracts. Applications can initiate commands on one blockchain and have the corresponding contracts perform actions on the target network.

VIA Labs lists cross-border stablecoin payments, tokenized asset transfers, and automated contract execution as potential use cases. Developers of these applications need to integrate their token contracts or message flows with the infrastructure of VIA.

Its initial deployment was connected to the Stellar mainnet and the Ethereum mainnet. The company has published the gateway and token contract addresses for both networks to facilitate developers in identifying contracts that support this service.

The developer account of Stellar promoted this launch event during the period of Meridian. The event Meridian was held from October 28th to 29th. VIA Labs represented Jake Salthouse at the event in Lisbon, where meetings were held with teams interested in integrating cross-chain functionality into their applications.

Stellar Cross-chain transfers use verifiers and relays

The reference implementation of VIAT utilizes the burn-and-mint mechanism to transfer tokens between blockchains. When a user initiates a transfer, the source contract destroys the specified quantity of tokens and creates a message that includes the recipient's address, the transfer amount, and any optional transaction remarks.

The verifiers of VIA will monitor the source gateway and sign the messages. Subsequently, the relay will submit the signed instructions to the target gateway, which, after checking the signature, will instruct the receiving token contract to mint the corresponding number of tokens.

The company stated that this process maintains the total supply of VIAT on both chains unchanged, while also preventing duplicate messages. Their documentation indicates that the normal transfer completion time is about one to three minutes, depending on the verifier polling and transmission conditions.

Stellar uses seven decimal places for token amounts, while Ethereum uses 18 decimal places. The client of VIA will handle the conversion; therefore, when transferring 5 VIAT from one network to another, the amount received will still be 5 VIAT.

Transfers require the payment of regular blockchain transaction fees. On Stellar, the fee is XLM; on Ethereum, it is gas. During its launch period, VIA waives the protocol fees for routing on the Stellar route, with the repeaters bearing the transaction costs on the target side.

Users who receive Stellar tokens must have an existing and funded account. VIA warns that if assets are sent to an account that has never existed on the network, the tokens may not be recoverable.

Stellar Expands Interoperability Beyond Existing Stablecoin Connections

This launch follows closely on Stellar's introduction of USDT0 cross-chain liquidity in September. At that time, the network enabled stablecoin transfers supported by Tether through the LayerZero infrastructure.

As previously reported by crypto.news, USDT0 received support from Kraken, Bitget, Fireblocks and other service providers when it went live. This integration focused on the transfer of liquidity related to USDT, while the newly deployed system of VIA supports general contract messaging and developer-defined token operations.

The network continues to attract companies that develop tokenized financial products. On October 28th, Securitize announced plans to incorporate Stellar into its 17th supported blockchain for the issuance and management of regulated assets.

Securitize provides tokenization services for institutions including BlackRock, Apollo, and Hamilton Lane. The integration of its Stellar is still a planned deployment and is independent of the Ethereum connection that VIA has already launched.

During the Meridian period, DTCC discussed its Stellar integration plan for tokenized securities. This financial market infrastructure provider has recently launched tokenization services for 20 participating institutions, with its goal of launching on a public chain set for 2027.

The Stellar of VIA has integrated audited contracts.

VIA Labs indicates that Stellar deployment uses its VG1 smart contracts, which have passed the security audits conducted by Hashlock. This reference implementation relies on validators, gateways, and relays operated by VIA to verify and transmit cross-chain messages.

This protocol requires that messages must originate from contracts, and not directly from ordinary wallet accounts. Therefore, developers must integrate gateways through their applications, while users interact with the relevant token or service contracts.

The company has released two separate integration paths for developers, one for issuing their own tokens and the other for custom cross-chain messages. Their documentation includes references to the burn-and-mint client, supported network identifiers, as well as contract addresses for deployment on the mainnet and testnet.

In terms of testing, VIA provides a "tap" on the Stellar test network and Ethereum Sepolia, distributing 100 VIAT with each request. The company noted that the Stellar test network requires developers to update the test network address every quarter, while the mainnet contract addresses that have been announced remain unchanged.