First RGB Bridge Enables USDt Transfers From Ethereum to Bitcoin via Lightning

The team behind Tricorn, now part of Utexo, has launched an RGB bridge on Bitcoin, with an initial transfer of Tether (USDt) from Ethereum. 

This is the first issuance of USDt as an RGB asset on Bitcoin, enabling settlement via RGB Lightning.

“This milestone enables Bitcoin to capture stablecoin flows while preserving privacy, self-custody, and the immutability of settlement on Bitcoin,” the announcement said. 

“Fees are low, settlement is fast, and the design is peer-to-peer.”

The bridge allows stablecoins and other tokens to move into Bitcoin’s ecosystem as RGB tokens, which can settle on-chain or via RGB Lightning. 

LNFI plans to use the bridge to move USDt onto RGB Lightning, acting as a Lightning Service Provider (LSP) on Astra Labs to facilitate “instant, private, cheap, trust-minimized stablecoin swaps between supported blockchains and the RGB Lightning Network.”

RGB’s architecture relies on client-side validation with Bitcoin as the settlement anchor. 

Assets remain under user control and private by default, without federations, validators, or coordinators. 

Developers can integrate the bridge into wallets, marketplaces, and other protocols to bridge, hold, and transact assets such as USDt.

The Tricorn engineering team, now part of Utexo, is developing interfaces for managing bridged assets. 

The Ethereum-to-RGB bridge is currently live for developers and a limited user group, with additional networks and broader access planned.