Union Labs, the sovereign interoperability layer, has partnered with modular blockchain network Movement Labs and Cosmos asset issuance appchain Noble, to transport native USDC and other assets across Celestia’s modular stack. Union’s zero-knowledge IBC bridge facilitates a seamless flow of liquidity across Movement rollups, the broader Cosmos ecosystem, and Celestia’s sovereign rollups, as well as allowing for general message passing and asset transfers on Movement.
With optimistic rollups, zk-rollups, and side chains increasing the fragmentation of protocols’ total value locked (TVL) and inherent liquidity, there’s a growing need for greater interoperability between layer-2 ecosystems. This partnership marks a significant advancement in integrating a sovereign interoperability layer into Celestia’s modular stack and will see Union provide M2 access to liquidity and connectivity to any IBC-enabled chain, including Noble and Ethereum.
“Movement’s commitment to trustless bridging marks the expansion of IBC into the L2 space. Union’s collaboration with Noble and Movement will bring more liquidity to the IBC ecosystem and we are excited to spearhead this vital initiative for Sovereign Interoperability. This partnership marks a significant step forward in our commitment to fostering robust and efficient financial networks”, said Karel Kubat, Founder and CEO of Union Labs.
With this integration, applications built on Movement will be able to securely transfer assets and messages to, from, and between other connected chains. This collaboration will enable Move VM rollups to communicate and exchange assets, such as native USDC, directly with each other without relying on centralized or vulnerable bridge partners. Additionally, it will allow Move VM rollups to inherit IBC interoperability but also provide trustless access to Ethereum liquidity.
“Interoperability is a core aspect of Movement’s mission. By partnering with Union Labs and Noble, Movement is bringing the first IBC connection to the Move ecosystem. For the first time, Move apps can leverage Interchain assets natively within their interface including USDC powered by Noble which will jumpstart Move protocol adoption”, said Rushi Manche, Founder and CEO of Movement Labs.
Noble, who previously addressed Cosmos’ liquidity challenges by introducing USDC to Cosmos app chains, aims to further deepen stablecoin liquidity within the M2 ecosystem without compromising on security through this partnership. Noble will leverage its packet-forwarding technology to enable asset transfers between IBC-connected chains in “1 click”. Together with Union Labs, Noble will ensure a trustless “1 hop” route for USDC among different IBC paths.
Jelena Djuric, CEO and Co-Founder of Noble, concluded: “Noble is a purpose-built appchain for the IBC ecosystem. By partnering with Union Labs, we can extend the security and functionality of the IBC protocol beyond Cosmos and bring seamless interoperability to the Move ecosystem. We are incredibly excited to continue showcasing the incredible performance of IBC and the role Noble plays in fostering liquidity to newcomers”.
Union Labs, which announced a successful $4M seed raise in November, will track consensus, settlement, and DA to enable IBC-based interoperability which will significantly improve efficiency and security and bring peace of mind to both partners. This partnership will set the foundation for future trustless interoperability in the modular stack.
