Relay 2.0: Powering the Future of Seamless Multichain Payments

The cryptocurrency ecosystem is undergoing a profound transformation. As crypto expands beyond singular blockchains into a sprawling multichain universe, the demand for fluid, reliable cross-chain value transfers has never been greater. Today, Relay 2.0 ushers in a new era where moving value across dozens of blockchains is as instant and seamless as traditional online payments.

Why Relay 2.0 Marks a Turning Point

Originally conceived as a side project to facilitate Zora’s cross-chain NFT minting, Relay has grown into a cornerstone of multichain payments. Serving over 5 million users, executing 55 million+ transactions, and moving over $6 billion across more than 75 networks, Relay’s explosive growth illuminated a vital insight: the future of crypto demands a transformative payment infrastructure.

More than just bridging assets between chains, the space needs a payments-first experience — one that moves value anywhere, instantly, with the reliability users expect from modern financial systems.

The Multichain Landscape: Challenges and Opportunities

Crypto is no longer confined to a handful of blockchains. Industry giants like Robinhood and Stripe are launching Layer 2 solutions and new Layer 1 blockchains, while traditional banks embrace stablecoins. Over 1,000 active chains now populate the ecosystem, signaling that the future lies not in consolidation but in expansive diversity.

However, mass adoption hinges on invisible user experience—the average user should never grapple with gas fees, chain switching, or transaction delays. Cross-chain transactions must be nearing the simplicity of swiping a card or sending an instant payment.

Introducing Multichain Payments

Relay pioneers the concept of multichain payments — a system that treats cross-chain transactions as first-class payments, removing friction and technical complexity. Their mission is clear: make transacting across multiple chains as fast, cheap, and effortless as any online payment.

Key Pillars of Multichain Payments

Unmatched Speed: Relay executes payments within milliseconds, vastly outpacing traditional crypto transaction times and minimizing risks like price slippage or failed transactions.
Payments-Grade Reliability: Mirroring credit card reliability, Relay ensures 99.9% uptime across 75+ networks with failover systems and clear transaction completion signals.

The Relay Stack: Building Blocks of Multichain Payments

Relay’s comprehensive technology stack empowers users and developers alike:

Relay App

The flagship product enabling users to convert any token to another across chains instantly, built on the same infrastructure powering partner integrations.

Relay API

An all-in-one developer toolkit that abstracts the complexity behind the scenes. With one integration, applications can:

Bridge tokens instantly across 75+ chains.
Swap tokens efficiently using meta-aggregation of major DEX liquidity.
Deliver refined UX features such as fee sponsorship, gasless transactions, guaranteed rates, and fallback routing.

This API lets developers focus on innovation instead of grappling with blockchain intricacies, supporting wallets, marketplaces, and consumer apps.

Relay Protocol

An open network connects users to relayers who perform on-chain actions on their behalf, optimizing gas costs and enabling rapid chain expansion with capital efficiency.

Real-World Impact: Multichain Payments at Scale

With over 5 million users and $5 billion in volume, Relay is not just envisioning the multichain future — it’s powering it. On Ethereum alone, Relay processes nearly 0.7% of all transactions per block, showcasing significant ecosystem integration.

Examples of Multichain Payments in Action

Chain Expansion: Platforms like Alchemy and Caldera leverage Relay to unify payment rails across countless rollups; Fun.xyz uses Relay to simplify onboarding by smoothing chain boundaries.
Chain Abstraction: Top-tier apps like OpenSea enable cross-chain minting and swaps seamlessly, Phantom simplifies complex swaps into unified flows, and OneBalance delivers cross-chain portfolio access with ease.

What’s Next for Relay?

Relay 2.0 sets its sights on scaling this payments vision across the entire crypto space. Upcoming features like Relay Vaults and the full Relay Protocol rollout will provide developers with powerful tools to support instant, low-cost payments across chains, wallets, and apps.

The multichain era doesn’t wait for perfect timing — it’s here now, powered by innovation that makes cross-chain payments fast, reliable, and universally accessible.

Fast. Reliable. Everywhere.

Experience the future of crypto payments.

Explore integrating Relay's API or follow the journey on X.

Transforming how value moves across blockchains, Relay is building the essential payments infrastructure for the multichain era.