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The advent of Bitcoin brought the possibility of developing blockchain networks to create a decentralized payment system that could run without requiring an intermediary or a central entity. However, there was a lot more that developers could do with blockchains. It led to the creation of new blockchain networks that were more scalable than Bitcoin and allowed the development of a whole ecosystem of decentralized financial applications. However, the problem with these blockchains was they did not have a way to talk to each other. Since they could not interact, the blockchain and crypto community got divided, with each member preferring networks that worked best for them. In order to unite the crypto community and build an interoperable future of blockchains, various initiatives have been taken over the years. One of them is the blockchain bridge. What are Blockchain Bridges and How They Work? A blockchain bridge connects two different blockchain networks to provide a compatible way to interoperate securely on both sides. Using these bridges, users and developers can transfer tokens or arbitrary data from one blockchain to another. In decentralized finance (DeFi) space, blockchain bridges allow users to access the perks of different blockchain networks without sacrificing the benefits of the host chain. It brings in several use cases, including cross-chain collateral, better scalability of networks, and reduced transaction fees. Most bridges work on a mint-and-burn protocol. It means when a token is transferred from one blockchain to another, the underlying protocol first burns the token and then mint an equivalent token on the other blockchain. Essentially, bridges are of two types: centralized and decentralized. While centralized bridges rely on an intermediary to facilitate transactions between two networks, decentralized bridges operate on their own because they run according to their smart contracts. In the case of centralized bridges, a protocol makes someone a part of an authority that manages and reviews all transactions. This process varies from project to project. On the other hand, decentralized bridges run through a distributed network of participants that validates the transaction. In exchange for overseeing bridge transactions, these participants are incentivized to ensure they act in the system's best interest. Bridges in Operation Free Ton Bridge Though Ethereum gas fees are not as costly as they were a few weeks ago, they are still high for most users. Free Ton solves Ethereum's gas and scalability issues since it allows users to transfer assets from the Ethereum network to its own blockchain where fees are near-zero and transactions are done at a much faster rate. Read more...

The Free TON Bridge powered by Broxus is a сross-chain asset transfer consisting of a link between ETH and Free TON. This Bridge allows users to move liquidity bi-directionally from the Ethereum blockchain to the Free TON blockchain, where it can be transacted with near-zero fees and at higher speeds. The Free TON Bridge, like all inter-blockchain bridges in general, is a crucial part of the DeFi ecosystem. Bridges allow funds to flow between blockchains to nourish other DeFi products like DEX and lending. A decentralized TON Bridge could also be seen as an analogue of a decentralized bank from the business model perspective in the FreeTON network. The purpose of Bridge tokens Bridge tokens constitute the right to vote on business operations as well as the claim to its income. The main purpose of Bridge tokens is to manage the DAO (decentralized autonomous organization) of the Bridge. The product does not have a single decision-making center. At the same time, it has stakeholders and, in proportion to their stakes, they can cast votes that determine decisions for the Free TON Bridge. Any person who owns Bridge tokens can vote for certain operating decisions. If a stakeholder has a big enough stake, then they’ll be able to bring proposals to the table for discussion. The minimum stake for bringing forth a proposal is 2% of the total amount of issued tokens. Bridge tokens are needed in order to participate in Free TON Bridge validation. The Bridge is served by special servers called relays. A relay is a Free TON Bridge validator. Each relay needs to lock in at least 100k Bridge tokens in order to be permitted into an auction. Auctions are the appointments of new relays that happen once a week. There are up to 100 relays selected by the volume of the stake (100k + Bridge tokens). In this case, the stake of any relay that wants to participate in the auction will be locked for a month. This is done so that no one interferes with the stability of the Bridge. Read more...