Share this article
Aion Is Launching a 'Token Bridge' to Connect Blockchains
Aion will ask its token holders to destroy their erc-20 aion tokens so that they can move to the aion mainnet, launched last month.
By Brady Dale
Updated Sep 13, 2021, 7:57 a.m. Published May 14, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
Make us preferred on Google
Aion's token may have grown up on the ethereum blockchain, but it's moving out.
The Aion network has been built to foster interoperability across blockchains. One of the key tools to this functionality is the network's "token bridge," which is designed to allow tokens to move between chains.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
The first token bridge will work between the Aion network and ethereum, on which its token currently operates.
Rather than using a smart contract to hold copies of tokens, as pairs of networks like Kik's new chain and ethereum will do, Nuco has proposed actually destroying tokens as they move – put simply, so there really is only one token at a time.
According to Matt Spoke, CEO of Nuco – the company founded by Deloitte alums that's behind Aion – the bridge then "issues an AION [token] on the other side."
"It's a micro-network, it's a collection of nodes that's decentralized, there's multiple participants, and those other nodes on the network are acting honestly, but that bridge is responsible for agreeing they witnessed the event," Spoke went on to say. "That's the function that we built in."
Ethereum will come first, according to Spoke, but the plan is to extend it across all blockchains.
"The design of the bridge is going to get more and more generic over time. We want that to communicate with any other blockchain," he told CoinDesk.
The token bridge is Aion's next step on its roadmap, following the launch of its mainnet at the end of April.
"Even in the enterprise context, interoperability, every one of their RFPs [request for proposals] has an interoperability requirement ... Hyperledger networks can all talk to each other and they're all private," Spoke pointed out. "But there's not a common solution for a cross between protocols."
Additional reporting by Pete Rizzo.
Pinion and chains image is public domain
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
Gold tops $5,000 as bitcoin stalls near $87,000 in widening macro-crypto split: Asia Morning Briefing
Bitcoin’s onchain data points to supply overhang and weak participation, while gold’s breakout is priced by markets as a durable macro regime shift.
What to know:
- Gold’s surge above $5,000 an ounce is increasingly seen as a durable regime shift, with investors treating the metal as a persistent hedge against geopolitical risk, central bank demand and a weaker dollar.
- Bitcoin is stuck near $87,000 in a low-conviction market, as on-chain data show older holders selling into rallies, newer buyers absorbing losses and a heavy supply overhang capping moves toward $100,000.
- Derivatives and prediction markets point to continued consolidation in bitcoin and sustained strength in gold, with thin futures volumes, subdued leverage and weak demand for higher-beta crypto assets like ether reinforcing the cautious tone.
Top Stories
