Cross-Chain
Describes activity that spans two or more separate blockchains, such as moving assets or messages between them.
Cross-chain refers to anything that crosses between distinct networks. Sending USDC from Ethereum to Solana is cross-chain. So is a contract on one chain triggering an action on another. The plumbing is usually a bridge or a messaging protocol.
The demand is obvious: liquidity and users are scattered across dozens of chains. The hard part is moving between them without a trusted middleman who could be hacked or censor transfers.
Don't confuse it with interoperability. Cross-chain is the activity; interoperability is the deeper capability beneath it.
Related terms
A protocol that moves tokens or data between two separate blockchains that cannot otherwise talk to each other.
InteroperabilityThe ability of different blockchains to exchange data and value without relying on a central intermediary.
Wrapped TokenA token that represents another asset one-to-one on a different chain, letting it move where it natively cannot.
Layer 1The base blockchain itself, where transactions settle and security lives, before any add-on networks built on top.