Moving value from one chain to another is not one mechanism. The route cards name the way each step works, and knowing the three families tells you what to expect in time and risk.
Lock-and-mint and burn-and-mint bridges
The classic bridge locks tokens on the source chain and mints a representation on the destination (or burns and re-mints for native issuers such as Circle's CCTP for USDC). Secure and cheap, but it waits for the source chain's finality: a few minutes from Ethereum, less from rollups and Solana. The route shows the bridge's own upper estimate.
Liquidity networks
Relayers hold inventory on many chains. You pay them on the source chain, they pay you on the destination from their own stock, and they settle later. This is why some routes land in seconds. The cost is a slightly higher fee and a cap on size per transfer.
Intents
You state what you want ("I send X here, I want Y there") and solvers compete to fulfil it. NEAR Intents works this way and is how Soheil reaches Bitcoin, Zcash, XRP and other networks without a smart-contract bridge: you send to a one-time deposit address, a solver delivers to your receiving address, and if nobody fulfils the order, the deposit is refunded.
Swaps on the way
Most routes are a chain of steps: a swap on the source chain into the asset the bridge carries, the bridge, and a swap on the destination into what you asked for. One signature covers the lot; the steps are listed on the card so you can see every contract your funds pass through.
What can go wrong
- A bridge can be delayed; funds are not lost, they are waiting. The page keeps tracking.
- A destination swap can fail if the price moved beyond your slippage; most routes then deliver the bridged asset instead, and you can swap it yourself.
- An intent order nobody fulfils refunds to the address you gave. Always check that address before sending.
Do it
More guides
- How to bridge to Hyperliquid (HyperEVM) from any chain
- How to buy TAO (Bittensor) with any token
- Health factor explained: how to borrow without being liquidated
- What a swap or bridge really costs: every fee, explained
Information, not financial advice. Soheil.fi is non-custodial; every transaction is signed in your own wallet.