Why Zenko Is Going Bridge-less: And All-In on Wire Network
TL;DR: Bridges are crypto’s biggest UX killer and security nightmare ($2B+ stolen, countless users lost to complexity). Zenko is building the engagement economy for everyone - not just crypto natives who enjoy 3-transaction rituals - where the blockchain is abstracted. Zenko is live on Solana and Apechain, and are planning more chains so we need a solution to be cross chain but have concerns about traditional bridges. So we’ve signed with Wire Network and are going all-in on their Universal Transaction Layer (UTL): true multichain without bridges, gasless UX, and assets that never leave their home chains.
The Bridge Problem We Refuse to Pass On
Let’s be honest: asking users to “approve three transactions, switch networks twice, and pray the bridge isn’t hacked” isn’t a growth strategy. It’s a conversion killer.
The security carnage speaks for itself:
$2B stolen across 13 bridge hacks by August 2022 alone that’s 69% of all crypto stolen that year
Wormhole: $320M gone. Ronin: $615M vanished. Nomad: $190M in a “copy-paste” exploit frenzy
The recovery problem: Post-hack networks rarely recover, Ronin’s TVL is still a fraction of pre-hack levels
But security isn’t the only issue. Bridges also create UX hell:
Every new chain = another integration, more validators, more liquidity to manage
N×(N−1)/2 complexity explosion as you add chains
Gas fees on multiple networks
Transaction failures that leave users in limbo
For a consumer protocol where every click should turn into real-world impact? That stack is a non-starter.
Wire’s Universal Transaction Layer: Interoperability That Actually Works
Wire’s UTL gives us what bridges promised but never delivered: seamless multichain without the nightmares.
Here’s how it works (in human terms):
1. WNS Bucket Contracts - Assets Stay Home 🏠
Your tokens never leave their native chain. They get locked in chain-specific “bucket” contracts while Wire’s settlement layer tracks who owns what. No wrapped IOUs, no bridge validators, no “oops your tokens are stuck” moments.
2. Settlement Layer - Lightning-Fast Ownership Updates ⚡
All the trading, swapping, and transferring happens on Wire’s dedicated L1. It’s like having a super-fast ledger that knows about assets across all chains without actually moving them.
3. UPAP + Crypto SSO - Your Wallet, Everywhere 🔑
Keep using the wallet you already have. Wire’s UPAP tech creates a universal address from your existing keys (Solana, Ethereum, whatever). No new seed phrases, no “install yet another wallet” friction.
Why This Is Perfect for Zenko’s Mission
Attention → Action → Impact only works at scale if every interaction is smooth, fast, and safe.
Gasless by Design 💸
Wire’s node architecture lets us subsidize gas for users. That means true “tap-to-earn-good” flows across Learn, Move, Shop, and Play. No wallet pop-ups interrupting the moment someone decides to plant a tree.
No Bridge Anxiety 🛡️
Assets stay on their native chains with their native security. We avoid the validator failures, multisig hacks, and weird edge cases that have destroyed billions in bridge value.
Wallet Continuity 🔄
Users sign with wallets they already use, or onboard with simple web2-style login. That’s how you reach millions without crypto tutorials.
Single Integration, Infinite Chains 🌐
We integrate once with UTL and get access to every connected chain. Adding support for a new blockchain becomes “deploy contracts” not “rebuild the entire bridge stack.”
Why This Matters for Our Enterprise Customers
Our promise to brands like Google, HP, and Mastercard is better engagement at lower costs.
UTL delivers:
Hub-and-Spoke Efficiency: One integration path instead of N×N bridge complexity. Every new chain is just another spoke.
Batch Operations: Withdrawals get bundled for efficiency, keeping costs low even at scale.
Subsidized UX: Node resources let us cover gas during campaigns, making brand activations feel like web2 experiences.
Security: Eliminating the Honeypot
Traditional bridges create massive honeypots by forcing assets to leave their native consensus. That’s why we’ve seen:
Wormhole’s $320M validator compromise
Ronin’s $615M multisig hack
Nomad’s $190M “everyone copy the first attacker” disaster
Wire flips this model:
Assets stay locked on native chains under native consensus
Only ownership records move on the settlement layer
No wrapped tokens floating between chains as sitting duck targets
Smaller attack surface = better sleep for everyone.
Our Commitment (And What It Enables)
We’ve signed with Wire Network. We’re deploying a node. We’re all-in.
Running our own node lets us:
✅ Subsidize user gas for seamless campaign flows
✅ Participate as infrastructure (batch operations, compute provision)
✅ Align economics with growth via Wire’s Resource Owners model
This unlocks:
🌟 Frictionless rewards across all chains
🌟 Brand-grade reliability with fewer moving parts
🌟 Rapid expansion to new chains without rebuilding everything
Why Not “Just One More Bridge”?
Because debt compounds. Every bridge forces us to:
Maintain validators or trust sketchy third parties
Re-audit everything for every chain
Handle liquidity fragmentation and weird failure modes
Support users through the most fragile part of their journey
UTL lets us delete that debt entirely.
For a protocol promising measurable real-world impact at scale, choosing the hardened, simple path isn’t optional — it’s existential.
The Bottom Line
Interoperability should be invisible. Wire’s UTL makes it invisible by keeping assets where they belong while letting ownership move at light speed - with gasless UX on top.
That’s how Zenko reaches millions without teaching them to be bridge operators.
We’re signed. We’re deploying. We’re all in.
Because the future of crypto isn’t about making bridges work better - it’s about making bridges unnecessary.
🔗 Key Resources:
For developers interested in building gasless experiences on UTL or co-locating nodes, reach out - we’re sharing integration notes and sample flows.
Ready to experience true multichain without the bridges?
The future of cross chain engagement and asset engagement starts here.
