Back to Documentation

Setu – A Decentralized Multi-Chain Bridge

A comprehensive overview of Setu's cross-chain bridge infrastructure.

On This Page

1
Introduction

Setu (सेतु – Sanskrit for "Bridge") is a decentralized stablecoin bridge protocol designed to facilitate secure and efficient cross-chain transfers between EVM and non-EVM blockchains. Built on Internet Computer Protocol (ICP), Setu leverages threshold cryptography within decentralized canisters, eliminating the need for centralized relayers or custody.

Secure

Non-custodial design with threshold signatures and decentralized canisters

User-Friendly

Intuitive interface with minimal steps for cross-chain transfers

Efficient

Low fee of 0.3% with fast processing and minimal confirmation times

2
Current Support

Supported Tokens

USDC
USDT

EVM Chains

Ethereum
Arbitrum
Polygon
Optimism
Base
Blast
Avalanche
Binance Smart Chain

Non-EVM Chains

Solana
Stellar
SUI (Upcoming)
Hedera (Upcoming)

3
Architecture

Setu is composed of specialized components working in concert to enable secure cross-chain transfers:

Frontend Canister

Interface for users to bridge funds and manage liquidity.

Backend Indexer Canister

Listens to events on source chains, verifies transactions, and coordinates signatures.

Signer Canisters

Decentralized signers for each chain family (Solana, Stellar, EVM).

Lock Contracts

Chain-specific contracts to lock assets and emit events.

4
Transaction Flow

Setu uses a secure and efficient process to transfer stablecoins across chains:

1Lock Assets

User sends stablecoins to the Lock Contract on the source chain

2Event Detection

Indexer Canister on ICP detects the lock event

3Signature Generation

Threshold signatures created for destination chain transaction

4Token Transfer

Transaction executed on destination chain, transferring tokens to the user

See the detailed transaction flow in the Transaction Lifecycle documentation.

5
Getting Started