Stargate
Cross-chain liquidity bridge built on LayerZero messaging, with pooled native assets on each connected chain.
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Stargate key facts
| Category | Cross-chain bridge |
|---|---|
| Chains | Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, BNB Chain and other EVM chains |
| Platforms | Web, API |
| Custody | Non-custodial |
| Fees | Dynamic fee or rebate in V2 (V1 was a flat 6 bps); 5/6 to treasury, 1/6 to veSTG |
| Chains | 46 chains (V2 mainnet contracts) |
| Security audits | Zellic, OtterSec (V2) |
| Token | STG |
| Launched | March 17, 2022 |
| Company | Stargate Foundation, with affiliates including the ZRO Association |
| US availability | Available: terms restrict only sanctioned jurisdictions |
STG token
- Price
- $0.1291 -2.7% 24h
- Market cap
- $11.9M
- Fully diluted value
- $11.9M
- 30-day change
- -27.5%
Market data: CoinGecko, updated Nov 9, 2026. Educational content, not financial advice.
What is Stargate?
Stargate is a cross-chain bridge that moves native assets between liquidity pools on different chains using LayerZero messaging. It launched on March 17, 2022, and its V2 contract list covers 46 chains. V2 replaced V1's flat 6 bps fee with a dynamic fee or rebate.
How Stargate works
Stargate holds liquidity pools of the same asset on each supported chain.
When you bridge USDC from Arbitrum to Optimism, your tokens go into the Arbitrum pool and the Optimism pool pays out native USDC, with the message carried by LayerZero. In V2 an AI Planning Module shifts credits between pools based on use, and a Credit Allocation System rebalances them as volume changes.
V2 gives you two transport modes. Taxi sends your transfer alone as soon as the source chain reaches finality. Bus batches many users into one LayerZero message and destination transaction, which the docs say can cut costs by over 95% compared with V1, but it only departs when all seats are filled or the maximum wait passes. Hydra extends Stargate to chains without native pools by locking USDC, USDT or ETH in core pools and minting 1:1 assets such as USDC.e on the Hydra chain.
How to start with Stargate
- You need a self-custody wallet on the source chain with the asset you want to move and enough native gas to cover both the source transaction and the LayerZero fees.
- On stargate.finance you pick the chains and asset, then choose Bus for a lower cost or Taxi for speed.
- Swaps between different assets run through a third-party API from Aori Finance that the site embeds.
- The terms of use, last updated September 17, 2025, come from the Stargate Foundation and affiliates including the ZRO Association.
- They bar sanctioned persons and anyone who would breach US, Canadian, UK or Cayman Islands rules by using the site.
- The same site also offers staking and liquidity pools.
Stargate fees and limits
- V1 charged a flat 6 bps.
The Stargate fee is the difference between what you send and what arrives. V2 sets the fee dynamically, and on a route whose destination pool is running low it can pay you a rebate instead, to pull liquidity back into balance. Fee revenue is split 5/6 to the protocol treasury and 1/6 to veSTG holders. Separately, you pay gas in the source chain's native token for two things: LayerZero's execution fee and the fee to the DVN that verifies the message between LayerZero endpoints. Riding the Bus spreads these costs across everyone on the same batch. The docs describe V2 as one mesh in which Pool to Pool, Pool to Hydra and Hydra to Hydra routes work the same way for the user.
Risks to know before using Stargate
- Your transfer depends on both Stargate's pool contracts and LayerZero's messaging and DVN verification.
- Hydra assets on newer chains are minted by Stargate, not by Circle or Tether, and are redeemable only because the backing is locked in Stargate's core pools.
- V2 audits listed in the docs are by Zellic and OtterSec, while the V2 bug bounty page in the developer docs still reads coming soon.
- Bus transfers can wait until a batch fills or times out, so they are a poor fit when timing matters.
- The terms state that the site is one way, but not the only way, to reach the protocol.
- Swap transactions on the site run through Aori Finance's API, a third party the terms name separately from the protocol.
Stargate usage
From DefiLlama (TVL) (fees users paid), updated Nov 9, 2026.
Stargate alternatives
Other projects people compare with Stargate.
Cross-chain swap and bridge protocol that routes transfers through its own S-chain and Octopool liquidity.
Cross-chain bridge using nUSD and nETH liquidity pools, canonical wrapping, CCTP and an RFQ relayer network.
Token bridge app built on the Wormhole messaging protocol, which is verified by a Guardian network.
Intent-based cross-chain bridge where relayers fill transfers and are repaid later from pooled liquidity.
Cross-chain bridge for stablecoin transfers between EVM and non-EVM chains, run as Allbridge Core.
Cross-chain swap and bridge protocol where solvers fill orders from their own liquidity instead of pooled TVL.
Where Stargate ranks on DappAtlas
Listed next to Stargate
Stargate pros and cons
- V2 contracts deployed on 46 chains
- V2 audited by Zellic and OtterSec; V1 by Zellic, Quantstamp and Zokyo
- Transfers on depleted routes can earn a rebate instead of paying a fee
- Dynamic V2 fee is not a fixed published rate
- User also pays LayerZero execution and DVN fees in native gas
- V2 bounty page in docs still says coming soon
Stargate FAQ
What is Stargate?
Stargate is a cross-chain bridge that moves native assets between liquidity pools on different chains using LayerZero messaging. It launched on March 17, 2022, and its V2 contract list covers 46 chains. V2 replaced V1's flat 6 bps fee with a dynamic fee or rebate.
How much value is locked in Stargate?
$86M according to DefiLlama on Nov 9, 2026. It is deployed on 27 chains: Ethereum, Binance, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Mantle and others.
How much does Stargate cost?
Dynamic fee or rebate in V2 (V1 was a flat 6 bps); 5/6 to treasury, 1/6 to veSTG, according to Stargate’s own page (checked Sep 26, 2026).
How much do users pay Stargate in fees?
$293,944 over the last 30 days, according to DefiLlama on Nov 9, 2026.
Does Stargate have a token?
Yes, STG. Its market cap was $11.9M on CoinGecko on Nov 9, 2026. Educational content, not financial advice.
Is Stargate available in the US?
Available: terms restrict only sanctioned jurisdictions, according to Stargate’s own page (checked Sep 26, 2026).
Does Stargate hold my funds?
No. Stargate is non-custodial: you keep your funds in your own wallet and sign each transaction.
Sources
How this page works
Sources: Stargate: official site, Stargate: Fees, Stargate: Mainnet Contracts. Data as of Sep 26, 2026.
Not affiliated with any project listed. Educational content, not financial advice.