Kraken announced on May 14, 2026, that it is replacing LayerZero with Chainlink CCIP as the exclusive cross-chain infrastructure for its wrapped bitcoin token kBTC and all future wrapped assets. The migration covers Ethereum, Ink, Unichain, and Optimism, with additional networks expected in later phases. [1]
The decision follows a $292 million exploit on April 18, 2026, when attackers drained 116,500 rsETH from KelpDAO’s LayerZero-powered bridge. That incident accelerated a wave of migrations. KelpDAO, Solv Protocol, and Re Protocol, collectively representing more than $2.5 billion in total value locked, have announced parallel transitions to Chainlink CCIP infrastructure. Coinbase had already selected CCIP as the exclusive bridge for its approximately $7 billion suite of wrapped assets, including cbETH, in December 2025.
Kraken cited CCIP's defense-in-depth security architecture, built-in rate limits, independent node operators, and formal certifications including ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2 as the operational basis for the switch. In April 2026, Chainlink became the only blockchain oracle platform to simultaneously hold SOC 2 Type 1, SOC 2 Type 2, and ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certifications following a Deloitte examination.
Chainlink oracles already secure roughly 70 percent of the DeFi oracle market and more than 80 percent on Ethereum, with CCIP integrated into blue-chip protocols including Aave and Lido. Johann Eid, Chief Business Officer at Chainlink Labs, stated that Kraken's migration reflects growing institutional demand for cross-chain systems capable of meeting enterprise-level security requirements.