Introducing CORAL, the Cross-Chain Order Routing and Auction Layer that makes Squid even better. CORAL is Squid's latest intent-based system that makes cross-chain transactions faster, cheaper, and more efficient than ever. By combining both onchain and offchain liquidity through RFQ (Request-for-Quote) auctions, CORAL delivers optimal execution while minimizing blockchain usage. Here are some of CORAL’s key features:

• Up to 90% lower gas fees: CORAL reduces gas costs by batching intents

• Near-instant finality: Orders are filled immediately on the destination chain

• MEV protection: Built-in safeguards against front-running

• Zero slippage: Get exactly what you asked for

CORAL brings RFQ auctions to Squid, adding off chain liquidity to 110+ integrated sources on chain. That’s a lot of liquidity. But how exactly does CORAL work? And how does it compare? Let’s find out why CORAL is the best option for YOU.

How CORAL compares

From receiving quotes to getting your tokens, you get the best of everything when you use CORAL. CORAL guarantees fulfillment in 5-10 seconds, 90% reduced cost in gas fees, accurate quotes and zero slippage, all with MEV protection. You can even send really small amounts of tokens (like less than $5 worth of ETH) across chains, which isn’t something supported by other bridging solutions.

When you use CORAL, you gain access to high speed bridging with low fee gas, for popular assets like USDC and ETH. The average speed and cost of other top solutions for bridging from Arbitrum to Ethereum is 10 seconds time and $11 in fees. That’s not exactly awful, especially compared to what it used to be. But CORAL cuts those stats in half, with an average bridge time of 5 seconds and only $6 in gas fees.

But that’s just for one transaction from Arbitrum to Ethereum. If you were to use CORAL over another solution for just 10 transactions, you would save approximately $50.70 in gas fees. Every transaction adds up, and CORAL cares.

How CORAL works

When you (a user) request a quote for a trade, market makers bid to fulfill these orders through RFQ auctions, providing instant execution while settling later via Axelar’s standard execution. CORAL's smart batching system combines similar intents from multiple users into single Axelar messages, drastically reducing gas costs while removing common bridge risks from end users.

CORAL’s sophisticated architecture is enabled by Squid 2.0’s modularity and multi-protocol hopping. By combining onchain and offchain liquidity sources, CORAL provides access to a wider range of liquidity, improving swap execution and efficiency. CORAL’s RFQ implementation also allows for immediate order filling on the destination chain, providing faster transactions with virtually instant finality.

CORAL also allows for batching of intents across multiple users and chains for quicker results and reduced gas costs. This is extremely beneficial for situations that often arise in crypto, such as when multiple users on different chains are looking to get the same asset on another chain. Instead of getting rugged or paying ludicrous gas fees, each user will get the token they want at the lowest cost and fastest speed.

Additionally, every CORAL transaction may use pre and post hooks to call any smart contract on any chain, enabling a compilation of complex cross-chain actions in a single click. CORAL utilizes pre and post hooks under the hood to complete multiple actions at once, such as swapping tokens on one chain, bridging them to another, and depositing or staking them on another chain as the final action intended by the user. While the user clicks once, CORAL and 2.0 work seamlessly in the background to achieve the optimal results.

CORAL security and chain support

CORAL utilizes General Message Passing (GMP) protocols like Axelar, which secure Squid and protect users from the vulnerabilities associated with bridges. GMPs offer a wide array of benefits to Squid in addition to security. For instance, increasing extensibility that allows us to support a wider range of chains and assets. GMPs minimize the use of underlying blockchains and messaging protocols, which is beneficial for reducing costs and improving speed without compromising security. CORAL has undergone two audits, which can be seen here.

CORAL is now live on Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, BNB Chain, and Linea. Support for Optimism, Avalanche, and Blast, along with other chains and assets is coming soon. This includes the 80+ chains currently supported by Squid, plus additional integrations made possible through Squid 2.0’s extensibility, which allows for using multiple secure message passing protocols in the backend of CORAL. Even better, as new chains are added to the Squid network, costs decrease further.

Looking forward

CORAL’s flexibility creates even more possibilities for Squid users and integrators. We look forward to adding support for more chains with increased ease and efficiency, continue growing the Squid ecosystem, and offer everyone the best cross-chain experience possible.

“We designed CORAL to minimize the use of underlying blockchains and messaging protocols while ensuring that no parties involved need to trust each other, only the chains and smart contracts. The result is the best UX we’ve seen for swaps and purchases across any token in crypto, with the added benefit of enhanced safety for end users.” - Fig

Learn more about CORAL in the recent Blockworks article here.

Change your life on chain, start using CORAL today on app.squidrouter.com !

Please Note

This blog is provided for educational and informational purposes only. This is not investment advice or a recommendation or solicitation for on-chain participation in any mentioned chains, tokens, or assets. Please do your own research before swapping any on-chain assets.

About Squid

Squid creates unlimited access for anything in crypto. Squid can be used to seamlessly swap across 70+ EVM and Cosmos chains all from one place, and Squid NFT Checkout can be used to buy any NFT using any token. Squid’s API, SDK, and Widgets offer ease of integration for projects building on any chain to enable cross-chain functionality in just 1 click.

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