Blockchain bridges are protocols that enable transfer of assets and data between otherwise isolated blockchains​. In today’s multi-chain landscape, each network has its own ledger and smart contracts without bridges, crypto assets and information are “tethered” to their original chain. This fragmentation impedes liquidity, cross-chain DeFi, and user experiences. Bridges tackle the interoperability problem by acting as connectors or “digital highways” between chains, allowing tokens and messages to move across networks. For example, a bridge can lock 1 BTC on Bitcoin and mint 1 “Wrapped BTC” on Ethereum, making BTC usable in Ethereum’s DeFi ecosystem​.