Expanding Horizons: KILT Token’s First Move Towards Multi-Chain With Ethereum
We are thrilled to announce an exciting new development for KILT, its community and all Polkadot parachains: a seamless token bridge to Ethereum with the Project Polar Path, developed by the KILT Core Team.
Thanks to Polar Path, the KILT token is making its first leap beyond Polkadot and onto the Ethereum blockchain. This marks a crucial milestone in our journey towards a true multi-chain future, bringing more flexibility and exposure to KILT. In the near future, we plan to extend to even more blockchain networks, but today, we want to introduce the first step in this broader vision.
About Project Polar Path
Project Polar Path is a breakthrough feature for Polkadot parachains, enabling seamless token switches between Polkadot and Ethereum. At its core, Polar Path is a pallet specifically designed for Polkadot parachains. It has already been implemented on the KILT blockchain, leveraging Snowbridge — a secure, trustless bridge connecting Polkadot and Ethereum.
Snowbridge has already allowed ERC-20 tokens to cross over from Ethereum to Polkadot, but so far, the reverse has been a challenge. That’s where Polar Path comes in. It enables the conversion of native parachain tokens (like KILT) into an Ethereum-compatible version (ERC-20) and vice versa, providing a solution for parachains looking to expand their presence on Ethereum.
General Parachain Token Conversion vs. KILT’s Implementation
Polar Path’s ability to switch parachain tokens into ERC-20 tokens can be used by any parachain on Polkadot. However, the implementation for KILT includes a key distinction: when switching KILT tokens between Polkadot and Ethereum, the total supply of KILT always remains constant. For each KILT token that exists on the KILT blockchain, there is exactly one KILT ERC-20 token on Ethereum, and vice versa.
Whenever a KILT token is switched to an ERC-20 KILT token on Ethereum, the corresponding KILT token on Polkadot is locked and unavailable. Conversely, when the ERC-20 KILT token is sent back to Polkadot, it is locked and unavailable, and the original KILT token is unlocked. This ensures a one-to-one relationship between KILT on Polkadot and its bridged ERC-20 counterpart on Ethereum, maintaining the overall token supply and preventing inflation or duplication of tokens across chains.
Why Polar Path Matters
Expanding to Ethereum and other ecosystems creates significant opportunities for KILT and similar parachain projects:
- Increased Exposure: Integrating with Ethereum connects KILT tokens to one of the largest decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystems, allowing holders to access a broad array of DeFi products and services.
- Wider Reach: Ethereum’s vast developer and user community enhances KILT’s visibility, driving broader recognition and adoption within the crypto space.
- Trustless, Secure Switches: Thanks to Snowbridge’s architecture, Polar Path ensures all token switches between networks remain secure and trustless, preserving user confidence without sacrificing security.
Visual Interface for Token Switching
To make the process user-friendly, the Galani Projects team, a valued contributor to the Polkadot community, has developed a proof-of-concept web interface. With this tool, users can seamlessly switch their KILT tokens to ERC-20 tokens using wallets connected to both networks. The interface makes it easy for users to specify the amount, source, and destination accounts, and with a few clicks, they can complete the switch.
In the future, Galani Projects plans to make this code open-source, enabling other parachain projects to use the interface for their tokens as well.
Overcoming Development Challenges
One of the key challenges in developing Polar Path was navigating Polkadot’s Cross-Consensus Message Format (XCM) and the associated fees. To simplify the user experience, we devised a solution that allows users to pay XCM fees in DOT by sending them to the KILT sovereign account on Polkadot’s AssetHub. Once the DOTs arrive, they are burned, and an XCM callback is triggered automatically. This process takes only about 30–40 seconds and eliminates the need for users to interact directly with KILT for fee payments.
Future Plans for KILT: Multi-Chain Expansion
Our Ethereum expansion is just the beginning. We are actively working on extending KILT’s multi-chain presence to other prominent blockchain networks. The vision is to have KILT tokens accessible across various ecosystems, offering even more flexibility and opportunities for our community.
Stay tuned as we continue to roll out updates and new features that will further enhance the flexibility, security, and functionality of KILT tokens across different networks!
You can learn how to bridge your KILT tokens here.
About KILT Protocol
KILT is an identity blockchain for generating decentralized identifiers (DIDs) and verifiable credentials, enabling secure, practical identity solutions for enterprises and consumers. KILT brings the traditional process of trust in real-world credentials (passport, driver’s license) to the digital world while keeping data private and in possession of its owner.
