Performances
RD Popularity Index
RD Growth Index
Comparison
Follow Updates
Follow Lists
People
About Relay
Relay is an intent-based cross-chain protocol that lets users move assets across 85+ blockchains in a single step. Instead of manually bridging tokens and managing gas on multiple chains, users simply specify the target chain and desired asset, and a network of solvers handles the rest. Funds are held in non-custodial escrow contracts and only released after execution is verified, which eliminates the need for wrapped tokens and shared liquidity pools.
Its core value proposition is speed and simplicity: transactions settle in a median of 2.7 seconds, comparable to a native transfer, while the protocol handles gas on the destination chain. This makes it particularly useful for applications that need cross-chain payments or for AI agents that transact autonomously without human intervention.
The main problem Relay solves is fragmentation. Stablecoin volume is split across many chains, and traditional bridges require multiple steps, waiting periods, and trust in pooled collateral. Relay's model reduces counterparty risk by design—each order is isolated, and failures only affect the individual transaction, not the entire pool. However, the network currently relies on a single primary solver, which is a centralization risk that the team acknowledges and plans to address with a permissionless solver network.
In the past six months (March to September 2026), Relay has continued to expand its chain coverage and improve its developer APIs, as reflected in its documentation and Twitter activity. The protocol has also seen growing adoption in the AI agent payment space, where its programmatic access and fast settlement are key advantages. No major security incidents or negative developments were reported during this period, though the centralized solver dependency remains the most cited concern among users.
Relay (formerly Reservoir) was founded in 2021 as a cross-chain bridge and execution system, aiming to enable low-cost, low-latency cross-chain transactions.
Key milestones: Completed a $14 million Series A round led by Union Square Ventures, validating market demand for cross-chain infrastructure; in February 2026, raised $17 million in Series B co-led by Archetype and USV, and launched Relay Chain, a purpose-built settlement layer that addresses liquidity fragmentation through per-order settlement. To date, it has processed over $20 billion in volume across 85+ chains, serving as core infrastructure for Phantom, MetaMask, and others.
Over the past six months (2026-03-01 to 2026-09-01), Relay has made several significant strides.
First, Relay announced a $17M Series B round led by Archetype and Union Square Ventures, and unveiled Relay Chain — a dedicated settlement layer purpose-built to settle each crosschain order individually, reducing settlement costs and enabling product-centric chain architecture.
Second, Relay integrated Circle Gateway, allowing it to consolidate USDC reserves into a single onchain balance across 12+ chains. This eliminated the need for fragmented per-chain inventory, reduced idle capital, and enabled sub-500ms replenishment for large payments. From March to June 2026, approximately $410M in crosschain volume settled via Gateway.
Third, Relay crossed $20B in cumulative volume and 100M transactions across 85+ chains, maintaining 99.9%+ reliability.
Looking ahead, Relay's roadmap centers on expanding Relay Chain as its core settlement infrastructure, deepening Gateway integration to support more chains and larger order sizes, and continuing to grow its crosschain liquidity network — with the goal of making crosschain payments as fast, cheap, and reliable as local ones.
Co-founders:
Jason Maier (Co-founder & COO) - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-maier-93081230/ | Twitter: https://x.com/_jasonmaier
michael (Co-founder) - Twitter: https://x.com/mmorrissey0
Core executive:
Julien Genestoux (VP of Engineering) - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliengenestoux/ | Twitter: https://x.com/julien51