A new Ethereum-to-Bitcoin **RGB bridge** has been launched that allows **USDT (Tether)** issued as an ERC‑20 token on Ethereum to be locked on that chain and re‑issued as an **RGB asset on Bitcoin**, usable over the **Lightning Network** for instant, low-fee transactions. The bridge was developed by the team behind **Tricorn**, which has since joined **Utexo**, and represents the first time USDT has been moved into Bitcoin’s ecosystem via RGB and made available for settlement over RGB Lightning channels. It currently operates in a limited “developer and close community” phase, with broader public access planned through Utexo. The bridge uses RGB’s **client-side validated** smart contract architecture, anchoring commitments on Bitcoin while keeping asset state off-chain, which avoids reliance on custodial bridges, external validator sets, or federations. On the Ethereum side, ERC‑20 USDT is locked in a bridge contract; on the Bitcoin side, equivalent RGB-20 tokens are issued that can be transacted either on-chain or via Lightning, giving users a way to move stablecoin liquidity into Bitcoin’s payment rails while retaining self‑custody and enhanced privacy. The launch is strategically significant because it brings wrapped USDT liquidity to Bitcoin ahead of Tether’s own native RGB issuance, and ecosystem players such as **LNFI** plan to use the bridge to offer “instant, private, cheap, trust‑minimized stablecoin swaps” between EVM chains and RGB Lightning, expanding Bitcoin’s role in multi-chain DeFi and cross‑border payments.

✨ AI-generated background, compiled from web sources — not editorial content.

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