Axelar is a Proof-of-Stake Cosmos-SDK Layer-1 plus on-chain Gateway contracts that route general message passing (GMP) and canonical token transfers across 80+ EVM and non-EVM chains.
A source-chain call is confirmed by the Axelar validator quorum, then executed on the destination Gateway.
User locks a canonical token; Axelar will mint its 1:1 representation on the destination.
Gateway verifies the validator signature on-chain, then mints the bridged token to the recipient.
Quorum reached — the multi-party threshold signature is produced and relayed. The destination Gateway verifies it and mints the canonical token.
Live signals detected by Sentinel monitors across all five risk classes.
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Heterogeneous blockchains (EVM, Cosmos, Solana, XRPL, Stellar, etc.) cannot natively call each other's smart contracts or move assets; existing bridges trade off security, chain coverage, or developer ergonomics.
Axelar runs a dedicated Cosmos-SDK Layer-1 with 75 PoS validators that observe connected chains and produce threshold signatures over cross-chain payloads. Gateway contracts on every chain verify those signatures and either mint canonical tokens or execute arbitrary contract calls (GMP).
One of three category-defining interop protocols (alongside Wormhole and LayerZero) — uniquely combines its own validator-secured L1, the Interchain Token Service standard, and the Interchain Amplifier permissionless chain-connection model. Powers Uniswap cross-chain governance, Squid Router, and institutional integrations.
Axelar is a Bridge protocol operating on Ethereum, BSC, Polygon, Avalanche, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Linea, Scroll, Mantle, Fantom, Celo, Moonbeam, Kava, Filecoin, Sui, Solana, Stellar, XRPL, Stacks, Hedera, MultiversX, Aurora, Blast, Fraxtal. Axelar is a Proof-of-Stake Cosmos-SDK Layer-1 plus on-chain Gateway contracts that route general message passing (GMP) and canonical token transfers across 80+ EVM and non-EVM chains.
Axelar runs a dedicated Cosmos-SDK Layer-1 with 75 PoS validators that observe connected chains and produce threshold signatures over cross-chain payloads. Gateway contracts on every chain verify those signatures and either mint canonical tokens or execute arbitrary contract calls (GMP).
DeFi Sentinel rates Axelar AA with a safety score of 83/100, indicating very low risk. The score reflects five risk dimensions: smart contract & technical risk, economic design & market risk, governance & centralization, sustainability & competitive position, and reputation & social trust. Axelar has 11 audits on record. DeFi Sentinel's analysis flagged 5 medium, 4 low risk alerts across Smart Contract & Technical Risk, Economic Design & Market Risk, Governance & Centralization, Sustainability & Competitive Position and Reputation & Social Trust. As with all DeFi protocols, residual risk remains and users should review the full risk breakdown before depositing.
Axelar has a DeFi Sentinel safety score of 83/100 (rating AA), last updated May 21, 2026. The score is computed across smart contract & technical risk (30%), economic design & market risk (25%), governance & centralization (20%), sustainability & competitive position (15%), and reputation & social trust (10%).
Axelar is deployed on Ethereum, BSC, Polygon, Avalanche, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Linea, Scroll, Mantle, Fantom, Celo, Moonbeam, Kava, Filecoin, Sui, Solana, Stellar, XRPL, Stacks, Hedera, MultiversX, Aurora, Blast, Fraxtal.
Yes. Axelar has 11 audit reports on record from firms including Ackee Blockchain, Code4rena, NCC Group. Audit reports and dates are linked under the Resources tab on this page.
