On August 4, 2026, digital asset custodian BitGo announced it is migrating its $7.3 billion to $7.7 billion Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) cross-chain infrastructure from LayerZero to Chainlink CCIP. The decision follows a $292 million exploit of Kelp DAO's LayerZero-powered bridge in April 2026, which triggered a massive industry exodus. With BitGo's migration, the total value of assets moving to Chainlink CCIP reaches nearly $15 billion. The transition allows BitGo to retain direct control over token contracts and security settings.
WBTC migration to Chainlink CCIP
- ▪The Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) migration to Chainlink CCIP covers between $7.3 billion and $7.7 billion in tokenized assets.
- ▪BitGo and Chainlink have not disclosed a specific timeline or rollout schedule for completing the Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) migration across all supported blockchain networks.
- ▪BitGo announced on August 4, 2026, that it is replacing LayerZero with Chainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) as the exclusive cross-chain provider for Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC).
KelpDAO exploit trigger
- ▪The Kelp DAO exploit occurred because its rsETH bridge was configured with a 1-of-1 Decentralized Verifier Network (DVN) model operated solely by LayerZero Labs, which attackers compromised via off-chain RPC infrastructure.
- ▪The industry-wide migration to Chainlink CCIP was triggered by a $292 million exploit of Kelp DAO's LayerZero-powered rsETH bridge on April 18, 2026.
LayerZero exodus scale
- ▪The addition of BitGo's Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) brings the total value of assets migrating from LayerZero to Chainlink CCIP to approximately $14.6 billion.
- ▪Prior to BitGo's announcement, approximately $7.24 billion in assets had already pledged to migrate from LayerZero to Chainlink CCIP, including projects like Mantle, Lombard, Aave, and Kraken.
BitGo operational control retention
- ▪Before the Chainlink CCIP migration, BitGo's 2024 LayerZero setup for Avalanche and BNB Chain required approvals from BitGo's own verifier alongside either LayerZero or Polyhedra.
- ▪Under the new Chainlink Cross-Chain Token (CCT) standard setup, BitGo retains direct ownership and control over Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) token contracts, transfer limits, and operational settings.
Chainlink institutional adoption
- ▪BitGo will standardise all of its future issued digital assets on Chainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) by default.
- ▪Chainlink CCIP secures over $110 billion across cross-chain applications and decentralized finance (DeFi), powering roughly 70% of the global DeFi ecosystem.
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