Panel I Cross-Chain & Interoperability | Pragma Istanbul 2023

Wed, Oct 2, 2024, 12:00 AM

At Pragma Istanbul 2023, ETHGlobal’s Kartik Talwar moderates an in-depth panel on cross-chain interoperability featuring Dominic Williams (DFINITY / Internet Computer), Tiancheng Xie (Polyhedra Network), and Brandon Truong (ZetaChain). Together, they unpack the growing need for seamless communication between blockchains in a multi-chain world. From zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) to chain-key cryptography and threshold signature schemes, the panel explores trust-minimized bridging, secure messaging, and native asset transfers without wrapping. Hear insights on why bridges fail, how to reduce attack surfaces, and the tools needed to standardize cross-chain development. The panelists also discuss Bitcoin interoperability, EVM compatibility, decentralized consensus, smart contract composability, and the future of developer tooling for scalable blockchain connectivity. 00:00 Intro: The rise of cross-chain interoperability 00:41 Updates from DFINITY, Polyhedra, and ZetaChain 02:33 ZetaChain: Building an interoperable L1 03:19 Polyhedra: Zero-knowledge proofs for secure bridging 05:24 Internet Computer: Chain-key cryptography explained 07:23 Native Ethereum signing via chain-key ICP 09:05 Cross-chain transactions with native Bitcoin 10:22 Enabling UX without asset wrapping 11:27 Why bridges get hacked and how to fix it 13:42 Polyhedra’s data transport vs asset bridging 14:57 Reducing reliance on intermediary bridges 16:34 Internet Computer smart contracts sign cross-chain 18:12 Moving beyond wrapped assets and bridges 19:18 Separation of compute and assets across chains 21:27 Orchestrating logic with synchronous messaging 22:45 Internet Computer architecture deep dive 24:06 EVM compatibility: modular or essential? 27:49 ZetaChain’s EVM decision and flexibility 29:44 Polyhedra’s focus on consensus, not runtime 30:30 Should we standardize cross-chain protocols? 32:26 Foundational standards: ECDSA and HTTP 34:09 Layered standardization vs rigid protocols 35:38 What developer tools are still missing? 37:26 Dominic: remove bridges entirely 38:17 Polyhedra: compilers and high-performance circuits 39:49 ZetaChain: simplify chain-agnostic development 40:22 Closing thoughts and gratitude _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇹🇷 *Pragma Istanbul* The sixth edition of Pragma took place in Istanbul in November 2023 with a curated series of high-quality talks that sparked thought and discussion. Pragma Istanbul 2023 was an opportunity discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. Watch the full Pragma Istanbul 2023 playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh4rHV1H4J7y0wDok4bIS17t&si=lb8ttkU1HS2tpnUP ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ Follow *ETHGlobal* X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ETHGlobal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship?_ 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _